Is Audi Crooks making $1.4 million in NIL? Oklahoma State coach says it’s ‘fake news’

TL;DR

Oklahoma State coach denies reports that Audi Crooks is making $1.4 million in NIL deals. Crooks, a top transfer in women's basketball, is expected to earn through NIL but exact figures are unverified.

Key points

Oklahoma State coach calls $1.4 million NIL claim 'fake news'
Audi Crooks transferred from Iowa State to Oklahoma State
She averaged 25.8 points per game last season
No public database exists for NIL earnings verification
Crooks is a two-time All-American and top transfer

Audi CrooksOklahoma StateIowa State

It’s no secret that in today’s landscape of college athletics, programs have to spend money if they want their teams to feature talented players.

Especially players in the transfer portal who have already proven themselves to be elite at the college level — like Audi Crooks.

The two-time All-American and nation’s second leading scorer this past season was widely considered the best player available in the transfer portal for women’s basketball this offseason. Ultimately, after receiving lots of interest from top programs, she transferred from Iowa State to Oklahoma State.

Crooks, a three-time All-Big 12 selection who averaged 25.8 points per game last season, is certainly being compensated through either revenue sharing or Name, Image and Likeness. That’s true for countless women’s basketball players, especially for the top players who entered the transfer portal this offseason.

But currently, there’s no way to confirm just how much players are making. There’s not a public database with payments and salaries aren’t publicized the way they are in professional leagues.

So when an anonymous account on X said that Crooks was earning $1.4 million from Oklahoma State, it turned heads and raised eyebrows. If true, that would mean Crooks is earning as much as the highest-paid WNBA players, like four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, which is how the report was framed by Yahoo Sports.

But Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt is disputing that report and threw cold water on it this week during a press conference.

“There’s a lot of fake news out there. I don’t know how people can just make things up and put it out there as if it’s fact,” Hoyt said. “I’ll just be the first to say, the $1.4 million graphic that came out on Audi — that’s not true. I’m not going to get into the details on that, that’s really no one’s business, but everyone thinks that’s what it is now and that’s just kind of crazy.”

Hoyt conceded programs have to be willing to pay to start conversations with the top prospects, but said the players the Cowgirls landed in the transfer portal this year came to Stillwater, Oklahoma, because of other factors too.