Former USC and Pitt quarterback Max Browne has proposed a major investment to turn Oregon State into a college football powerhouse. His idea is to recruit Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang, a billionaire with ties to Corvallis, to help finance the effort.
Browne’s proposal centers on spending aggressively to improve the Beavers’ roster and coaching staff. He believes a $50 million commitment could give Oregon State the resources to compete with top programs—and potentially challenge its in-state rival, Oregon.
Huang recently stepped down from his role as Nvidia’s CEO. News reports described allegations involving two affairs, including one with a company executive who reported to him. A separate report said U.S. officials believe a woman linked to one of the alleged affairs works for Chinese intelligence. Those claims have been reported, but they are allegations.
Browne used Huang’s departure to revive a plan he had discussed two years earlier. In a post on X, he wrote that Huang might now have time to pursue the vision Browne had laid out: building a college football dynasty in Corvallis.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on June 6, 2025, Browne argued that Huang would not need to be a football fan to support Oregon State. Instead, he suggested that rivalry with Oregon could be enough motivation. Browne contrasted Huang’s wealth with that of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, a longtime supporter of the Ducks.
Browne cited a net worth of $118.2 billion for Huang in his video and calculated that $50 million would represent about 0.0423% of that amount. Forbes estimated Huang’s net worth at $144.7 billion as of September 2026. Using that figure, a $50 million contribution would equal roughly 0.0346% of his wealth—or about $35 for someone earning $100,000 a year.
Browne’s proposed spending would target three priorities: a head coach, a quarterback and the defensive line. He pointed to Texas Tech’s use of its collective and the transfer portal as an example of how investment can help a program improve. Texas Tech went 12-1 in the regular season the previous year.
Oregon State, by comparison, has faced a difficult stretch. The Beavers went 2-10 in 2025, fired Trent Bray after a 0-7 start and were 5-4 under JaMarcus Shephard at the time described. Shephard has called Oregon State a sleeping giant if Huang were to become involved.
Huang and his wife, Lori, have a longstanding connection to Corvallis. They met while working as engineering lab partners, and in 2022 they donated $50 million toward an artificial intelligence research complex. Huang has not shown public interest in investing in the football program. Browne’s proposal would also place the fundraising effort in an independent collective rather than under the football staff.
Browne said leading programs spend around $30 million on their rosters, making a $50 million commitment seem reasonable to him. His proposal also included $10 million for an Nvidia-branded beer garden at Reser Stadium, featuring Oregon craft brewers, as well as charter flights from Portland for home games.
The $30 million roster estimate, however, predates major changes to college sports spending following the 2024-25 NCAA settlement. Front Office Sports has placed roster spending at Ohio State and Oregon at about $50 million for the current year. For 2025-26, schools were permitted to pay players directly up to a cap of $20.5 million, with the cap described as roughly $21.6 million now. Additional compensation can come through outside name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
Oregon State’s football NIL budget was reportedly below $4 million the previous year. A $50 million investment would therefore represent a substantial increase in the resources available to the program. One consideration is that much of Huang’s wealth is tied to Nvidia stock, which had fallen about 30% since October 6 at the time referenced.
## Browne’s answer to the skeptics
Browne has also addressed potential objections to his plan. He argued that recruiting funds are increasingly managed through collectives rather than by head coaches, and that the NCAA has lost much of its authority over the changing system.
His proposal includes using artificial intelligence to evaluate high school players. Browne described a system built by Nvidia engineers that could analyze games live and use Nvidia’s cloud services to help send NIL offers. In his example, a standout player in Georgia might receive a $500,000 Tesla deal before a head coach becomes involved. The example was part of Browne’s pitch, not a confirmed Oregon State plan.
Browne acknowledged that money alone cannot guarantee success. He cited Texas A&M’s estimated $25 million recruiting class in 2022, which ranked No. 1, as an illustration of how significant spending can help attract top talent.
“If you can deliver them [the coaches] top talent, they’re not going to complain,” Browne said. He added that a large budget could help Oregon State outbid most programs for coaching candidates and make it easier to offer compelling NIL opportunities to highly rated recruits.
For now, Huang’s corporate and legal concerns are separate from Oregon State football, and there is no indication that he has accepted Browne’s proposal. Browne’s argument is that Oregon has benefited for years from Phil Knight’s support, while Oregon State has an exceptionally wealthy alumnus with a personal connection to Corvallis. Whether Huang would choose to fund football remains an open question.
