OU Football hires Jim Nagy as General Manager

The University of Oklahoma has appointed Jim Nagy as General Manager for Football, introducing a new structure aimed at addressing the evolving challenges in college football. Nagy will work closely with the head coach to build a championship-caliber roster.

Since 2018, Nagy has served as the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, the nation's most prestigious college all-star game that showcases draft-eligible college football players, where he has been responsible for the identification, evaluation, recruitment, and selection of the top NFL prospects to be invited to the game. In his role, he cultivated relationships across college football, the agent community, and all 32 NFL front offices. In the past five game cycles, the Senior Bowl has produced more than 100 drafted players each year, representing more than 40 percent of those NFL Draft classes.

Last year, the Senior Bowl had a record 110 total selections, including 45 of the top 100 players and 10 first-round picks. For nearly two decades prior to this position, Nagy served in various scouting capacities with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and the Washington Redskins. During his 18 years in NFL front offices, his teams played in six Super Bowls and won four Lombardi Trophies. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

Nagy will oversee roster management, talent acquisition, player recruitment, evaluation, retention, and NIL impacts. His role also covers navigating the transfer portal, scholarship limits, and eligibility requirements.

"This is a new era in intercollegiate athletics at one of the greatest college football programs in the country," said Nagy. "The legacy of excellence that precedes my arrival is a testament to the leadership at OU and the university's commitment to execute at a championship level. I am honored to bring my experience and work ethic to this program and am confident that through collaboration and effort, we can achieve excellent results. I am truly excited to get to Norman and begin our process with Coach Venables and his great staff."

The new model reflects professional sports structures, where the GM and head coach collaborate closely. Randall Stephenson will serve as Chair of Football and Special Advisor to the President, overseeing this partnership and offering expertise in budgeting and strategic planning.

Brent Venables

Head Coach Brent Venables highlighted Nagy’s scouting and recruiting expertise, which will strengthen OU’s roster. University President Joe Harroz expressed confidence in OU’s forward-thinking approach and the team’s ability to continue building championship-winning football programs.

"The work required to manage a roster, including contract negotiations, player evaluation, strategic planning, recruiting, and retention, requires full-time focus and skill sets," said OU Head Football Coach Brent Venables. "Nagy's high-caliber, extensive experience in scouting, recruiting, and retaining top talent will pay dividends across our roster and ultimately on the field. I look forward to working alongside him and Athletics Director Castiglione as we look ahead to great things for OU football."

OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione emphasized the need for innovation to manage player contracts, recruitment, and resource allocation, and praised Nagy’s experience and relationships. Stephenson noted the changing landscape of college athletics, underscoring the need for a GM like Nagy to adapt to these shifts.

"Today's evolving world requires skilled management of player contracts, multiple player acquisition pathways and allocating resources. All of these are new and vital functions within college athletics. I am convinced that great college football teams will be set apart by their ability to continually innovate to meet these massive changes. Part of that innovation means providing every tool Coach Venables and his staff need to be successful. OU's willingness to reimagine the traditional structure and reposition the varied responsibilities within football operations will strengthen us going forward. Jim Nagy brings to us great experience, relationships and perspectives that will mesh well with our staff and will complement the program's continued pursuit of conference and national championships."