The Swoosh is staying in Corvallis, and two of the Beavers' biggest stars just got their own deals.
Nike and Oregon State announced Monday that the brand has extended its partnership with the university through 2031. On top of that, quarterback Braden Atkinson and wide receiver Jesse Legree are joining Nike's Blue Ribbon Elite NIL roster, the company's top tier of individual college athlete deals.
Why it matters
Blue Ribbon Elite has mostly been a power-conference club. Nike has filled it with signings from Texas, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Stanford, and the roster has grown past 100 athletes since the program launched in 2025. Oregon State plays in the rebuilt Pac-12, outside the Power 4, and now it has two players on the same list.
The timing is hard to miss. Just last week, head coach JaMarcus Shephard called out the SEC and the Big Ten over access to an expanded College Football Playoff. Monday's announcement is a different kind of proof that Oregon State can compete for the same things the big programs do, starting with keeping its best players happy and in Corvallis.
What is Blue Ribbon Elite?
The program takes its name from Blue Ribbon Sports, the company Nike started as. Nike launched it in Baton Rouge in December 2025 with 10 LSU athletes and has expanded it school by school since then.
Nike says the deals go beyond wearing the logo. Athletes get personalized support with training and performance, plus help with product, styling, media and content. They also get a say in brand campaigns, product innovation and creative direction.
Braden Atkinson
Atkinson has been one of the best transfer additions in the country. He arrived from FCS Mercer, where he threw for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns as a freshman and won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS. He picked Oregon State over offers from Notre Dame and Baylor in January.
He beat out returning starter Maalik Murphy and Western Michigan transfer Brady Jones for the job in fall camp, and he hasn't slowed down since. Atkinson threw for more than 1,000 yards in his first three games, the first Beavers quarterback to do that since Sean Mannion in 2013. He's had two five-touchdown games, including a 409-yard night in a 66-14 rout of San Diego State.
Atkinson said the deal means more because Nike's roots are in Oregon, and he thanked his family, coaches and teammates for getting him here.
Jesse Legree
Legree's signing comes right after he announced he's returning to Oregon State next season, a major win for a program that has had to fight to keep its stars. The freshman receiver is one of the top first-year players in the country, and he set the tone in the opener with five catches for 136 yards and a touchdown at Houston.
He called joining Blue Ribbon Elite a dream come true and said he fell in love with the culture in Corvallis.
"We're building something big in Corvallis, and I'm proud to be part of it," Legree said.
An Oregon partnership
The home-state connection runs through the whole announcement. Nike is headquartered in Beaverton, and athletic director Kevin Griffin said the brand is part of the fabric of the state. He called the Blue Ribbon Elite opportunity for Atkinson and Legree an exceptional benefit of the relationship and said the extension will help Oregon State compete in the Pac-12 and nationally.
Ann Miller, Nike's EVP of global sports marketing, pointed to more than 30 years of shared history and said both players carry the spirit of Oregon State.