In describing herself, Jen Flynn Oldenburg said she’s not one to over-promise. But before, there was uncertainty. Now she knows exactly what she can promise her players next year.
The Ohio State alumnae is entering her sixth season as women’s volleyball coach, and she has been building a roster she hopes will climb back toward the top of the Big Ten standings and into national championship contention. Aiding in that effort, the women’s volleyball program is one of four sports at Ohio State that will start receiving revenue-sharing payments.
“We have a plan in place,” Oldenburg said. “It’s not locked in stone, and I think we can be creative with it, and that’s the exciting part of this year.”
The planning started even before it became obvious that three antitrust cases against the NCAA and major conferences were heading toward a settlement. That finally happened in early June. For the last year, the women’s volleyball program has been preparing for its inclusion with football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.
“Volleyball’s big in the Big Ten, and in order to compete, you have to compete with the big dogs,” she said. “By saying we’re one of the four at Ohio State to be part of the revenue share, we’re going to compete with the big dogs in volleyball.”
It wasn’t until June 12, when Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork made the announcement, that the public learned which four programs would receive a share of the school’s $18 million in annual revenue-sharing payments. Bjork has declined to specify how much each program will receive and said that each coach will be responsible for deciding how to distribute their money to players.
Oldenburg said recent recruiting decisions were made with this new financial reality in mind and, to start out with, her roster’s payments will be “incentive-based.”
“We don’t know what the future looks like,” she said. “This is something new, and it could change … so to be able to be flexible but understand that we have the support of the administration, I think we’re in a great spot.”
Penn State won the 2024 national championship. Nebraska was the runner-up the year prior. Wisconsin won it all in 2021. Nine of the last 12 title games have featured a Big Ten team.
Ohio State has 15 top-three Big Ten finishes since the league went away from divisions in 1985. Two of those are with Oldenburg as coach. However, the team finished 13th last year and 10th the year before.
Bjork said that Oldenburg “is working on a plan to get us back on track.” Financial assistance is expected to play a role in that.
“We think, with the attention that our program can receive, we think the Columbus market, volleyball is a booming sport,” Bjork said. “The Covelli Center is an amazing atmosphere. So we thought volleyball could be a sport that could drive more revenue, but also the attention that it gets within the Big Ten.”
While the money will certainly help, Oldenburg said building a sustained winner will require more than just financial compensation. That was reflected in this year’s roster, which relies on graduate transfers who won’t occupy long-term roster spots, allowing coaches to target 2026 and 2027 recruits.
“This roster is based on our values, our culture, where we’re headed, where we want to go,” she said. “I would say that this team is hungry to get back on the court, and it’s not driven by money. And even in the future, as athletes are getting paid more than they are now, I still hope that’s the culture that we maintain because I think in the long run that’s going to win matches.”
From 1996-99, Oldenburg was a decorated player for the women’s volleyball program. At that time, she said, if you borrowed a pen as a student-athlete, you had to be sure to return it lest the instrument be labeled as an impermissible benefit in the eyes of the NCAA. Now, as a coach, she will be the first in program history to be able to pay her players with funds given directly by the university.
Reflecting on that path brought a glimmer of tears to her eyes.
“Championships are on our mind,” she said. “Big Ten, national championship, we want to be in contention, and to have the support financially to be able to do that and get the players in the right spot, it means the world because that means the expectations are to be elite and that’s not just mine, but it’s an administration.
“Knowing the support is there is huge.”
Sports reporter Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s volleyball embracing new era as revenue sharing begins for Buckeyes
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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