The wide world of name, image, and likeness has certainly changed the landscape of college athletics, for good and for bad. On one hand, a team like the Oregon State Beavers can't fully appreciate the phenomenal season that true freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree is having, because there are worries that he will potentially take a massive paycheck from a bigger team in the transfer portal this offseason.
However, NIL also lets a wealthy former player—Chad Ochocinco, in this scenario—pony up and try to pay enough to keep Legree in Corvallis.
Earlier this week on his podcast, Ochocinco announced that he was willing to do whatever he could to keep Legree with the Beavers next year, even if that meant putting up $2 million in NIL funds, so long as Oregon State did what it could to match the funds.
Chad Ochocinco is willing to open his wallet to help Oregon State retain star WR Jesse Legree 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vdRRmoZnS8
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 19, 2026
“Hey, JaMarcus Shephard, you give him $2 million, I give him $2 million,” Johnson said. “That’s $4 million right there.”
While a $4 million NIL deal may sound like a lot for a true freshman, Legree might be worth it. Through seven games, the first-year Beaver has hauled in 46 passes for 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week seven weeks in a row.
Watching his ascension from a former 3-star athlete in the 2026 class to what he's become now has been wildly entertaining for Beavers fans, but the impending dread of seeing him potentially leave for a bigger school this offseason looms large.
That is, if Ochocinco doesn't have a say in the matter.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Chad Ochocinco willing to pay for Jesse Legree to stay at Oregon State