Slightly less rare than if MetLife Stadium fans would screw up their well-known chant by misspelling J-E-T-S, the Green & White's former linebacker Kenyatta Wright was recruited by Oklahoma State University twice.
Twenty-nine years up apart.
In 1995, Mike Gundy, then an assistant coach on Bob Simmons' staff, recruited Wright, a senior at Vian (OK) High School, to play for the Cowboys. And in 2024, Gundy, now OSU's head coach, recruited Wright to return to the Stillwater, Oklahoma campus and become the football team's Director of Business and Finance.
"I was consulting with and helping out with our NIL [Name, Image, and Likeness] collective for football," Wright said. "And then Coach Gundy called me about coming in house and helping do the contracts for the players, help with some scouting and recruiting, and all the player acquisitions for the football team.
"Because I played in this organization, I understand the culture and know how to identify guys that would fit our blueprint. We call it orangeprint, but it's Coach Gundy's model for a successful program. And at the end was that at this period of my life, it'd be something that I would really want to do.
"It's a blessing to be able to work with someone that believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play at this school. And then live my life and get to a point in my career that he brings me back to help others. That's life coming full circle."
Wright tackled the new job with business and coaching experience. He was heavily involved with the National Football League Players Association [NFLPA] while suiting up five seasons for the Jets and Buffalo Bills, as well after he had retired from the game as the President of the Oklahoma Chapter of NFLPA Former Players.
He also owned a construction business, Water Stone Interiors, and assisted his wife, Amber, with her clothing and apparel boutiques. Additionally, he was a volunteer coach at his high school alma mater.
Previously prohibited by the NCAA, student-athletes now have the right to agree to endorsement deals, sell merchandise, and be paid for appearances.
"There's a big work in progress of the boundaries, and obviously NIL, that's whatever value someone will pay you," Wright said. "But the rev share that we're doing at our university is that they have a determined value, and that value is built in a cap model. It's not like the NFL, but we're using some practices of the front offices to solidify who we take, where they're slotted on our roster evaluation.
"That model is something that I was familiar with with the NFL and NFLPA, and then also interning with (then-Jets General Manager) Terry Bradway. Just following him around and listening and all those types of things. That helped kind of prepare me for what we're doing today.
"And that's roster management, player acquisition, and a lot of player development. Making sure the players are not just doing what they're supposed to, but they're developing in our program."
While he was coaching at the high school, Wright also helped the young men with life skills and challenged them over things he felt he'd done well, as well as guard them against things he didn't do so well. He's doing the same now at Oklahoma State.
"We bring different financial advisors, tax consultants, and lawyers into the building to help our athletes learn those life skills. They have to put them to use now. It's not the NFL, but you're getting paid and you've got to take care of your money. You've got to prepare, you've got to think about life after football. All those types of things that were important in my career in the NFL, we're getting to share that with our college students now," Wright said.
"They're 17-, 18-year-olds to 22, 23, and they're the top one percent earners in our country. And it may not ever be duplicated. They're going to graduate from college with the income that they may not repeat when they leave. Which is similar kind of to the NFL. But it's just really understanding what the long-term goals of their future is over the temporary satisfaction of football and finance.
"It's a great opportunity for the players, but at the end of the day, there's a great responsibility now in coaching and in the business operations of football. The responsibility is greater for the athlete, for us, and to them."
A win on the field can be seen on the scoreboard. And a win in Wright's office…
"A win in my office is we want to find the players that are the culture creatures, those guys that, not saying they're not the highest-recruited guy, but guys that actually fit your system, your plan," he said.
"And I think the wins are going to come after it's all said and done for them whether they make it to the NFL or not. Football is obviously a byproduct of something we love and has the entertainment value, but at the end of the day, the wins are making sure these guys, when they're Lifetime Cowboys, that they're very successful in their families and their community."
Accepting the position and the challenges in July 2024, what has Wright enjoyed most about his job?
"Just the communication and growth of a player once we get them here in our system and see them thrive. Whether they're successful on the field or off the field, that's the most rewarding part of everything that I get to do," he said. "And it helps me stay motivated and continue in what my quest was in life. To love your neighbor, help your neighbor, and help people develop. That's the most enjoyable part.
"Obviously, there's a lot of programs that are out there in college football, but for Kenyatta Wright, this is the pinnacle of my life, to be able to be here and help out our athletes, and be able to give back at the school.
"And also help Mike finish his career on his terms and the legacy that he's created here, not only for myself and Oklahoma State, but his legacy. I get to be a part of that, and that's awesome."
