NIL

04

Published

8 months ago

April 2, 2025

Speaker 1(00:00):
We’re joined by my friend and colleague Dave Logan, one
of a very very very small number of people two
have been drafted out of college into the NFL, the NBA,
and Major League Baseball. He, of course, coaches high school
football at Cherry Creek, with recently won an award as
like the greatest coach of all time in Colorado or(17:05):
I think they’ve got to find some way to get
a hold of this a little bit and come up
with some rules that don’t prevent moving, don’t prevent players
making money, but at least get a hold of it
a little bit.Speaker 1 (09:57):
Someone can just offer him one point one at another
and he can just go. So some years ago, now,
well before nil, he donated three and a half million
dollars to build a big practice facility, and he thought
that investment made more sense than quote, just buying players.(08:50):
player from Georgia to the university. You know, what, what
have you. There’s ways, there’s ways to do that. But
until they come up with so something like that, you’re
going to continue to see the bigger programs that have
huge collectives millions and millions of millions of dollars and
choose to engage in that arena. You’re going to see(12:41):
coaching staffs, this might not be the best situation. Would
I have maybe looked at other opportunities. I can’t, if
I’m being honest about it, I can’t say that I
absolutely would not have, but I certainly would have gone
to the University of Colorado when I.Speaker 1 (01:02):
A law that says college students can get paid and
I think it’s because the governor figures the federal law
is going to go that way anyway, so we might
as well get in line. There’s other aspects to what
Paula said, but that’s what I want to focus on
with uh with you. So I think my first question
for you, Dave is our college students, especially top students(01:49):
was a pre emptive move, but it’s a move that
that he’s he’s smart in maybe trying to get ahead
up a little bit because that’s that’s that’s going to
be the federal the federal law. And I think when
you when you look back over the last handful of
plus of years, the NCAA, in particular, universities in theSpeaker 3 (11:44):
This is sort of a parallel universe question.Speaker 3 (07:07):
It should it.Speaker 2 (01:28):
Now? Well, I think we’re to be honest about it,
we’re dealing in semantics so that they are not amateurs
in my mind. And I think that the governor signing
the bill, as you said, was I won’t say it(02:12):
NCAA could have done a better job of mitigating some
of this simply by providing a contract of sorts with
their athletes to make them employees. That the institutions have
fought that forever. The n Cuba has backed them inSpeaker 2 (10:18):
I think it’s it’s all accurate. I think that’s exactly
what I’ve you and I’ve been talking about the last
two or three minutes. It’s it’s the wild, wild West.
You have, you have collectives that have millions and millions
and millions of dollars in it, and there’s no I mean,
there are virtually zero rules. Yeah, so you’re gonna haveSpeaker 1 (03:33):
A name, Travis Hunter Jerseys, and the university keeps that money,
and now I guess they’ll have to share some of
that money with the player. So in that sense, the
university gets less money. But then there’s another possible channel,
and again, please tell me what I’m how I’m thinking
about this, right or wrong? There’s another possible channel where, uh,Speaker 3 (09:56):
Million dollars and the next year.(10:40):
to come up with a system that penalizes, that allows
players to move, but they should only be able to
move once or twice in certain time time slots of
the season. And then you’re gonna have to have contracts,
in my mind, with these players to stipulate, hey, we’ve
got a two year agree. We’re going to pay you(14:30):
is I just don’t know many of their names now.
And it’s like that for most universities. I mean it
truly is, because that roster turns over at such a
rapid rate. And it’s not just CEU, it’s virtually every
other program as well. So I’m not crazy about the system,(02:34):
that regard. And because they didn’t, I mean obviously they didn’t.
They didn’t want to have them become employees of the
university because then they would have owed them benefits, There
would have been health insurance, that would have been all
sorts of things. But I think retrospectively looking at this,
it would have been far less costly for universities toSpeaker 3 (00:59):
And basically it’s it’s.Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah? Now I have some movie would have gone to
see you, you know what I mean. I took my
five visits and I just felt I wanted to stay
close to home. I wanted my folks, my family to
be able to see me play. Now, you know, my
first couple of years at the University of Colorado were great.Speaker 1 (12:58):
Went interesting, Glad I asked that question. All right, one
more for you on this, Dave. So this is more
of a I’m asking you this more as a personal
question than as a sports analyst.Speaker 1 (09:18):
There was an interesting piece over at Axios talking about this.
So James Harden, you know, huge NBA star, gave some
of they don’t say how much money.Speaker 2 (13:42):
I think I think you said it best. I think
we have to there’s a certain amount of acceptance that
when you get to a certain age that you look
at things and say, you know what, it’s not the
same as when when I was involved. But there’s a
lot of other things that aren’t the same as well.
What you can do has been an inordinate amount of time,Speaker 1 (03:19):
I’m just gonna tell you what went through my brain
and then you can tell me how dumb I am.
So it occurs to me there’s probably two possible things,
or two separate channels of revenue. One is the university
was selling a lot of.(05:24):
of another pot. You are literally seeing schools contact players
even prior to them jumping in the portal at some
universities and enticing them financially to transfer schools from that(08:29):
Maybe the player goes to see you and he’s there
for two years and he’s to make this amount of money.
Then after after the first year, as you said, Georgia
comes calling with a million dollars and a Ferrari player
wants to transfer to George. Okay, it’s already stipulated in
the contract what that is going to cost from theSpeaker 1 (17:21):
Dave Logan one of only two or three people who
were ever drafted out of college into the MLB, NBA
and NFL. He is, of course, the voice of the
Denver Broncos with his broadcast partner Rick Lewis right here
on Koway. Thanks for making time for us, Thanks for
spending so much time with me, Dave. It was a
long conversation and I thoroughly enjoyed it.(04:41):
do think players ought to be able to be compensated.
As the illustration you use of Travis Hunter’s jersey. Yeah,
I mean I think Travis Hunter should realize some of
the revenue in that regard, and prior to the start
of all this that never happened on the collegiate level.(16:19):
player that money would not be known as like a
football power. I mean I think they’ve been. They’ve been,
you know, a good program, but they certainly have not
been a football power. A million and a half dollars
to come play football for two years. So happy for him.Speaker 1 (15:02):
But the listener says, Alabama is a pro football team
playing amateurs, So Alabama’s not alone. But I do get
a sense, and again I don’t want to go too
far down the road of wishing it were the way
it used to be, because its not going to be the
way it used to be. But my concern for college
sports is that it ends up in something that is
much more stratified, where you have a few teams that,
because their booster base is so big and they’ve got(05:44):
school to our school. Well not really how name image
likeness was set up to be. I don’t have an
answer in terms of how that is going to be addressed,
but I do think the first step has to be
some sort of agreement from the institution standpoint that thereSpeaker 3 (13:09):
So you were.(08:07):
you open yourself up for some form of benefit package
because they are essentially employees of the university. I know
they haven’t wanted to do that, but it’s going to
get to that. It’s going to get to that, I
think fairly soon. I think you have to penalize. There
has to be something in the contract with the player.(06:04):
are going to be contracts between the colleges and players,
and if a player decides to leave, if a player
is enticed to go to another school, then there’s going
to be a financial penalty, much the same way as
we have seen with college coaches you’re going to have
to start digging down on this, I think to thatSpeaker 1 (06:30):
Do you think that such a penalty? So let’s just
give listeners an example. A player agrees to go play
for the University of Colorado. I’m doing fine, and some
huge booster at Georgia decides to offer this kid a
million bucks in a ferrari, and the kids signed a(11:23):
What if you want to move, here’s what has to
happen in order for you to move. And there has
to be a penalty involved that is sufficient enough that
it would tear guys from doing that. If you don’t
want to sign a two year deal, don’t, But that’s
what it’s going to take for you to come to
university A.Speaker 1 (00:42):
To talk about something that I think you and I
have talked about for about ninety seconds in the past.
But I wanted to get into a little deeper with
you because yesterday Governor Polus signed a bill House Bill
ten forty one entitled Concerning Measures to Support a Student
Athlete in the Use of their name, image, or Likeness.(07:46):
to sit out of here. But yeah, I think there
absolutely has to be a financial stipulation. And again, I
think universities have been reticent to come up with any
sort of contract for their air quote student athletes, because
when you enter into a contact a contract with them,(09:13):
them benefit because they’re able to throw tons of money
at virtually anybody they want.(15:23):
so much money, that they’re just going to be the
dominant teams almost every year. And in a way, it
could make college sports boring.(11:01):
here at the University of Colorado. Here’s what you’re gonna make.
And then if if the university decides, you know what,
this is a bad deal for us. All Right, you
still all that player that’s a contract. If the player
decides I want to go to Georgia for this my
second year. All right, it’s written right in the contract.(12:21):
I loved him. I didn’t have as good an experience
in my last two years there. So, in all honesty,
if this system would have been in place back then
is there a chance that a much younger me would
have said, well, wait, a minute. I mean, we’ve changedSpeaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, I think it’s much much deeper than Alabama. And
I’ll give you an example. I know, of fact I coached,
but really I’ve been blessed to have had some really
good players. Coached a really good player. He attended a
huge they will to say college football school. His first(16:43):
I’m happy for him, he is. I’m happy for him
and his family. But that just goes to show you,
I mean, how much you know, how much money that
we’re talking about. And that’s one one example of a
player who you know, again the school that he’s going
to go to, who is not a football power. So
I don’t know where this all kind of ends, butSpeaker 3 (15:00):
A few other colleges you can name.Speaker 2 (07:26):
Well, I mean it used to be when the NCAA
had full control of this. It used to be in
terms of player transfers that you had to if you
transferred on the same level you had to set out
of here, right if you transferred down, if you went
from Division one to Division two, then you didn’t haveSpeaker 3 (00:38):
How are you, Rob, I’m good. I wanted to have
you on the show.Speaker 2 (04:16):
No, I think in the analogy that you use the example,
I think two things can be true. I think both
those things are true. I think the issue, I mean,
it’s a multifaceted issue. It really is the nil name
image likeness. I like the idea behind it because I(14:51):
but you know what, it just is what it is
at this point.(13:32):
thing and a behind the scenes thing. But the end
of the day, it’s still more or less the same
thing for you.(03:53):
some shoe company was never gonna work through the university
but wants to work with Travis Hunter or should Sanders
or any player anywhere and goes to them directly and says,
I want to do this deal with you when the
player makes that money, and that money was never going
to go to the university anyway, So in that part
it doesn’t hurt the university at all, and maybe there’s
some way.(15:57):
couple of years there was not not playing a lot.
Decided recently to get into the portal. Was offered upwards
of a million and a half dollars for two years
to come to a school. The school that offered this(01:23):
at fairly large programs, are they still amateurs or are
they professionals?Speaker 1 (11:46):
But do you think that if if this structure had
been in place when you were in college, do you
think you would have gone to see you?Speaker 1 (04:11):
So on a financial basis, how should we think about this?Speaker 2 (17:41):
You bet Ross appreciate you(02:55):
do that seven, eight, nine, ten years ago than what
they’re gonna have to do now with everything going on.
From a Semnis standpoint.(05:02):
But I think where we are now honestly in big
time and I’ll address college football big time college football
with the name, image and likeness, and then you have
another pot of money, the collective. And what you are
seeing is whether it comes out of the name image
likeness pot or the collective pot, or it comes out(14:06):
you know, upset about it, bitching about it, or you
can accept certain things as just the world in which
we live. I’m not crazy about the current system. I
mean I can still you know, when those guys wearing
the University of Colorado uniform run out behind Ralphie, I
still get excited. I’m excited for those kids. The differenceSpeaker 3 (09:28):
It looks like a little bit less than a million to.Speaker 1 (03:05):
Okay, a listener asked a question, and I’m gonna slightly paraphrase,
but what the listener was trying to get at is
will the nil stuff with the students getting paid, will
it cost the university’s money?Speaker 3 (10:15):
What do you think about any of that.(09:54):
into a pool and you can give a kid a.Speaker 3 (07:23):
What else could you look at?(06:25):
level because it is the wild wild West currently as
we speak.Speaker 3 (04:11):
That it helps them.Speaker 1 (14:54):
Yeah, I agree with a listener who singles out Alabama,
but it’s not just Alaba.Speaker 2 (00:33):
Hi, Dave, or you don’t want me to say thanks
and hang up?(06:51):
contract with Colorado, but says, I want the million bucks
in the ferrari and Colorado is not going to come
close to matching that, so they go to Colora. So
so they go to go to Georgia. Do you think
in that case, should the penalty only be against the
University of Georgia?Speaker 1 (07:08):
Be a financial penalty, like you owe some dollars? Should
there be a penalty against the player such as I
don’t know if you can financially tag the player, but
say if you do that, you can’t play for a year.Speaker 3 (03:18):
And again I’m no experts.Speaker 3 (03:31):
I’m gonna I’m just gonna pick.Speaker 1 (09:31):
An organization associated with ari Arizona State University where he went,
and they basically bought a player who was going to
go somewhere else. And then near the end of the article,
this is the part I want to share with you.
I’ll just read this to you. You of a alum,
Richard Jefferson, now an ESPN analyst after seventeen years in
the NBA, told Front Office Sports that he wouldn’t invest
in NIL because it isn’t regulated. Quote, you put moneySpeaker 1 (13:10):
Obviously one of one of the great college players and
you follow this stuff very closely. Now these are huge changes,
and I don’t want to try to live in a
world where you know, like, oh it was better back
in the day, like we live in the world we
live in. But how does this make you feel about
college sports? Does it change how you feel about it
at all? Or is this really sort of a logistical(00:21):
something like that, which he deserves, having won high school
football championships at multiple high schools, which proves that coaching
really makes a difference. And I’m going to stop there
because I don’t want Dave’s ego to get too big.

NIL

WVU’s Slaton Officially Inducted Into The College Football Hall of Fame

Published

46 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Steve Slaton’s induction into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame is now official.

Last night, Slaton and 15 others were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 67^th National Football Foundation (NFF) Annual Awards Dinner at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

According to the NFF release, more than 1,800 people were in attendance and the event was also streamed on ESPN+.

Slaton broke onto the scene during his freshman year in 2005 when he went from fourth on the team’s depth chart to scoring a school-record six touchdowns in West Virginia’s five-overtime 46-44 victory over Louisville and later setting a Sugar Bowl rushing record with 204 yards in the Mountaineers’ stunning 38-35 victory over Georgia.

He was named the game’s offensive MVP.

Slaton’s record lasted nine years before being topped by Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott in 2015 against Alabama when he ran for 230 yards.

His best season at West Virginia came in 2006 when he rushed for a career-high 1,744 yards with 16 touchdowns, while also catching 27 passes for 360 yards and two scores to earn unanimous consensus All-America honors. He was second in the nation in all-purpose yardage, fourth in rushing yards per game and tied for 12^th in scoring.

His best single-game performance was his 215 yards rushing and 130 yards receiving in the Mountaineers’ 45-27 victory over Pitt in 2006.

Slaton’s junior year in 2007 saw him eclipse 100 yards in a game six times and finish with another 1,000-yard rushing season, his third at WVU.

In 36 career games, the Levittown, Pennsylvania, resident rushed for 3,923 yards and a school-best 50 touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks fifth in school history despite skipping his senior year to enter the NFL Draft.

“When the dust settles, all of the hard work you put in will show off,” Slaton said during Tuesday afternoon’s press conference. “Everybody from that 2005 season on the team and the people of the state, they surround you and help make you become a better player for them.”

West Virginia won the 2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator and 2008 Fiesta Bowls and produced an impressive 33-5 record during Slaton’s three seasons in Morgantown.

“I’m most proud that all of the guys are still friends,” he said. “We’re still a family and I think that’s why football is one of the best team sports that you can play. I’m proud that the guys I grinded with have remained great men, great human beings and great fathers. I appreciate that.”

Slaton played five NFL seasons with the Houston Texas and Miami Dolphins, rushing for 1,282 yards and scoring nine touchdowns during his rookie season in 2008, but a severe nerve injury affecting his right arm and causing numbness curtailed his professional career.

Today, he lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife Kimberly and their two sons.

Slaton now becomes the 14^th player with West Virginia University ties inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Linebacker Darryl Talley was the most recent inductee in 2011.

Among those in Las Vegas representing West Virginia University in support of Slaton were coach Rich Rodriguez, athletics director Wren Baker and president Michael T. Benson.

Link

NIL

Which CFP teams have the most money? Breaking down field by NIL spending power

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The first two years of the College Football Playoff’s 12-team era painted a clear picture of today’s NIL realities. That is, while programs can still compete at the highest level with modest budgets, the most surefire path to a prominent seed and national championship contention is to invest an extreme load of money into a star-studded roster. Some of the biggest spenders from the 2025 offseason find themselves, to no surprise, at the top of this year’s bracket.

Overachievers prove every year that money is not always everything. They require a special blend of coaching acumen and talented players who, in many cases, earn paychecks at wealthier programs at season’s end. Doing more with less can result in a CFP berth, but time and time again, the playoff process separates the haves from the have-nots by the end of the national championship game.

Programs over the last five years displayed their NIL capabilities on the recruiting trail and with their player retention efforts, providing evidence of where they stand in the national pecking order.

Here are the 2025 CFP participants grouped into NIL spending power tiers.

Elite spenders

Ohio State

The Buckeyes were not shy about the $20 million price tag associated with their roster a year ago. That investment put Ohio State effectively in its own universe, and while other programs will catch up, it will always have an advantage in the revenue-sharing era as perhaps the most valuable and recognizable brand in the sport. Acquiring and retaining an inordinate amount of college football’s biggest stars — Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs chief among them this year — comes with an astronomical financial burden that Ohio State has proven more than willing to tackle.

Oregon

Oregon’s relationship with Phil Knight has made playing for the Ducks a lucrative opportunity. With the Nike co-founder committed to doing what it takes to win a national championship, Oregon continues to inch closer to a full breakthrough. That could come as soon as this season, but if not, it is probably only a matter of time. Dan Lanning stacked the most loaded recruiting classes in program history on top of each other and has the No. 3-ranked haul in the 2026 cycle, per 247Sports. The aggressive NIL operation makes his elite talent acquisition both possible and sustainable.

Texas Tech

There is a new player in the college football arms race, and it resides in West Texas. Billionaire booster Cody Campbell made a bold investment into Texas Tech football ahead of last offseason’s transfer portal cycle, paving the way for the Red Raiders to acquire game-changing newcomers like David Bailey, Lee Hunter and other immediate contributors responsible for delivering the best season in program history. Campbell’s financial backing sets Texas Tech up to compete perennially at the top of the Big 12 and perhaps stockpile enough talent to contend for national championships.

Miami

Miami has been at the forefront of the NIL picture since Mario Cristobal took the head coaching job in 2022. The Hurricanes’ efforts reached a new level last offseason when they went all-in on acquiring top transfer Carson Beck on a $4 million deal and turned heads with a $2 million annual commitment to five-star offensive line recruit Jackson Cantwell. Cristobal has long been one of the sport’s most talented recruiters. He will only become more dominant if the Hurricanes continue to spend like an upper-class program.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M athletes across all sports received $51.4 million in NIL revenue from July 2024 to June 2025 with an extreme majority of that distributed across men’s sports. The most telling part of that number is that the Aggies nearly tripled their war chest from the year prior. Is it a coincidence that the surge in NIL spending came in conjunction with Texas A&M’s best season on the football field since 2012? Probably not, considering prized transfer pickups KC Concepcion and Mario Craver were two of the SEC’s most productive wide receivers and proved instrumental in elevating the offense to a playoff-caliber level.

Big spender

Ole Miss

Before he departed for LSU, Lane Kiffin became almost synonymous with NIL and the transfer portal at Ole Miss. It was his aggressive approach in those regards that helped the Rebels gain a first-mover advantage, string together the best seasons in program history and emerge this season as a true contender for championships at the conference and national levels. The question now is whether Ole Miss will sustain that willingness and ability to spend at such a competitive rate.

Good, but maybe not as elite as you think

Alabama

Not all that dissimilar to professional stars leaving money on the table to allocate to their supporting casts, Alabama players at the start of the NIL era in many cases were willing to take a discount to play for Nick Saban. While that allowed the Crimson Tide to spread its wealth and build deep, immensely talented rosters, it also meant the program would have to play catch-up after Saban’s retirement. To be clear, Alabama is doing just fine on the recruiting trail (Kalen DeBoer just signed the nation’s No. 2-ranked class), but its payroll is a hint more modest than some of the other programs in its realm.

Georgia

As a recent two-time national champion with arguably the top active coach in college football, Georgia can afford to be a bit more selective with how it allocates its NIL dollars. Playing for the Bulldogs is such an immense draw that Kirby Smart can outrecruit his competitors with less reliance on paychecks and more emphasis on the potential to win titles and find success down the line in the NFL. Still, Georgia spends handsomely where it needs to, and it hit a home run last offseason in acquiring SEC receiving leader Zachariah Branch through the portal.

Oklahoma

Brent Venables was among the coaches this year who took a pay cut and gave part of his salary back for NIL and revenue-sharing purposes. While the $1 million he agreed to forgo is only slightly more than a drop in the bucket, it showed that Oklahoma recognizes its needs and is willing to be creative in how it funds its roster. The Sooners may not be at the top of the spending ladder, but it is not far off and proved its competitiveness in that space when it went big in the transfer portal and made splashes like landing John Mateer and then-highly regarded running back Jaydn Ott.

Solid spender

Indiana

The Curt Cignetti hire and immediate success that came with it invoked a jolt of energy into the Indiana football program and, with it, a surge in investment. The Hoosiers flexed their financial muscles when they paid up to secure Cignetti with a long-term contract. They spent significantly in the transfer portal to fill roster holes and, most notably, acquired a Heisman Trophy finalist in Fernando Mendoza. And with contributions from Mark Cuban and ideal alignment inside the athletic department, the Hoosiers appear to have staying power as a college football new blood.

Great for a Group of Five school

Tulane

The transfer portal displayed last winter the chasm between the Group of Five and Power Four levels. That reality hit Tulane hard. Quarterback Darian Mensah left to become the highest-paid known player in college football history at Duke, and he was just one of the standouts from the 2024 Green Wave roster that earned paydays at other schools. But while Tulane operates on a lower NIL tier than its power conference counterparts, it is in a strong position by Group of Five standards. Less than a handful of programs at this level have more spending power than the Green Wave.

Okay for a Group of Five school

James Madison

An excellent string of coaches helped James Madison transition smoothly into the FBS, but even while the Dukes cemented themselves as perennial Sun Belt championship contenders in short order, they have some catching up to do with Group of Five frontrunners in the NIL space. Unless James Madison continues to hit home runs with its coaching hires, it may not have a distinct edge over the other programs contending for the fifth College Football Playoff automatic bid. For a school just four years into its FBS existence, though, its immediate success gives a high floor and ample momentum.

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NIL

Diego Pavia Vows to Give Up His NIL Money if This CFP Scenario Happens

Published

3 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Several teams this season were left on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff—teams many believed had a legitimate case to be included in the 12-team field.

But with the current criteria and format, that’s always going to happen, especially with Group of Five champions earning automatic bids. That’s exactly what we saw this year with Tulane and James Madison securing the final two spots.

That left out teams like Notre Dame, BYU, Vanderbilt, and Texas—four programs that didn’t always make things easy on themselves but would likely be heavy favorites in a head-to-head matchup against either of those two schools.

During a recent appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, Vanderbilt quarterback and newly named Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavia made a bold claim: if a Group of Five team like Tulane or James Madison ever wins the College Football Playoff, he’ll give all of the NIL money he’s earned—worth several million dollars—to that school, because he doesn’t believe it will ever happen.

“It’s a 12-team field. You put every team that’s good in there. If a Group of Five team wins it, I would donate whatever I had in NIL back to that school. I would do that—if a G5 team ever wins it,” Pavia said.

More news: Lane Kiffin Sends 4-Word Message to Ole Miss Before College Football Playoff

More news: Nick Saban Has Strong Reaction to Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff Snub

This year’s scenario was unusual because the ACC, one of the Power Four conferences, had an extremely down year. The Duke Blue Devils, who finished with five losses, won the conference championship but didn’t receive one of the automatic CFP bids, opening the door for two Group of Five teams to sneak into the field.

In most seasons, four of the five teams that make the playoff come from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC, with just one Group of Five team earning a spot. But after an outcome like this year, there have been calls to revise the rules.

The committee now faces a key question: should the priority be putting the 12 best teams in the field, or rewarding teams for winning their conference championship and being among the five highest-ranked title winners, while filling the remaining seven spots with at-large bids?

More news: Big 12 Coach Admits College Football is Broken After Missing Out on CFP

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NIL

Bailey, Rodriguez collect Pony Express Award

Published

3 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior outside linebacker David Bailey and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez were recognized Tuesday with the Pony Express Award, which honors college football’s most-outstanding teammate duo, regardless of position.

The award, named in honor of former SMU running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James, is back in its second year, highlighting the nation’s top tandems such as Bailey and Rodriguez, who have helped build one of the nation’s top defenses this season for the Red Raiders. Bailey and Rodriguez were named the winners of this season’s Pony Express Award over fellow talented duos in Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Georgia linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson and Notre Dame running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

“Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey played with relentless energy and absolute trust in each other,” said Dickerson, who joined with James to form one of college football’s all-time great rushing duos from 1979-82. “They embody the team-first mindset that defines this award.”

Bailey has lived up to his reputation as one of the nation’s top pass rushers since arriving at Texas Tech this past offseason, ranking among the FBS leaders with 13.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. Bailey leads all power conference players in sacks, ranking second overall in the category, while his 17.5 tackles for loss are third in the FBS.

Pro Football Focus credits Bailey with 74 total pressures this season, which easily leads all of college football. The publication has awarded him a 93.0 overall defensive grade, which is tied for second nationally among all positions behind only his teammate in Rodriguez. This is easily the most-productive season of Bailey’s career, pushing the Red Raiders to a 12-1 record and their first Big 12 title after a 34-7 victory this past Saturday over BYU.

This is the third national award for Rodriguez in the past week, meanwhile, as he previously was named the winner of the Butkus Award, presented to the nation’s top linebacker, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which celebrates the nation’s premier defensive player. He and Bailey are also two of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, which will be announced in Houston on Wednesday night.

Entering bowl season, Rodriguez leads the FBS with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top 15 nationally with 117 tackles. He is also the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions in the same season. His impact anchored a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play.

“These two leaders showed how much impact a committed partnership can have,” James said. “They performed at a high level, inspiring everyone around them.”

The Pony Express Award is determined by a vote of current college football players, making it one of the most unique recognitions in the sport. The award was previously presented to Colorado teammates Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter following the 2024 season.

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NIL

Red Raiders lead all Texas schools in DCTF selections

Published

4 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Dave Campbell’s Texas Football unveiled its 2025 All-Texas College Football Team following championship weekend, with the seven Power Four programs in the Lone Star State accounting for 40 of the 56 players selected. Texas Tech led all programs with eight honorees.

Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner Jacob Rodriguez was tabbed the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Defensive Player of the Year, in addition to being selected as one of Texas Tech’s four First-Team All-Texas Defense picks. Joining the standout linebacker on the first team were defensive end David Bailey, defensive tackle Lee Hunter, and cornerback Brice Pollock. That quartet played a key role in elevating the Red Raiders to top-five national rankings in turnovers gained (1st, 31), rushing defense (1st, 68.5 yards per game), scoring defense (3rd, 10.9), total defense (5th, 254.4), and sacks (T-5th, 3.0 per game).

Defensive end Romello Height, an integral part of Tech’s pressure-heavy front, was named to the Second-Team All-Texas Defense. Height recorded 54 pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus, the seventh most in the FBS. Bailey led all of college football with 74 pressures.

On the offense, running back Cameron Dickey and offensive lineman Howard Sampson were each named First-Team All-Texas Offense, while running back J’Koby Williams was tabbed to the second team.

A total of 56 players were selected, with 28 on offense and 28 on defense. Texas Tech’s eight selections led all teams, followed by seven for Texas A&M, and six for the Texas Longhorns. The six Group of Five programs had a combined 16 players on the list, led by North Texas with six.

Eddie Robinson and George Munger Coach of the Year finalist Joey McGuire was named the DCTF Co-Coach of the Year alongside Texas A&M’s Mike Elko. Both head coaches have their teams in this year’s College Football Playoff, with the Red Raiders earning the No. 4 seed and the Aggies the No. 7 seed.

DCTF 2025 ALL-TEXAS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (Texas Tech selections)

First-Team All-Texas Offense

RB: Cameron Dickey, So.

OL: Howard Sampson, Jr.

First-Team All-Texas Defense

DE: David Bailey, Sr.

DT: Lee Hunter, Sr.

LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Sr.

CB: Brice Pollock, Jr.

Second-Team All-Texas Offense

UTL: J’Koby Williams, So.

Second-Team All-Texas Defense

DE: Romello Height, Sr.

Defensive Player of the Year: LB, Jacob Rodriguez

Co-Coach of the Year: Mike Elko (Texas A&M), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech)

To view the complete 2025 All-Texas College Football Teams, visit TexasFootball.com.

– TECH –

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NIL

Ed Orgeron: Paying players via NIL would only require a ‘minor adjustment’

Published

5 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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Four years after being fired by LSU, Ed Orgeron has not been shy about his desire to get back into coaching.

Plenty has changed in the college football landscape in those years, most notably players being able to get paid via name, image and likeness deals and now through revenue sharing directly from the schools themselves. That’s an adjustment every coach has had to make, and some have adapted to the new way of the college football world better than others.

In a recent appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys,” Orgeron joked that after all his years coaching in the SEC, paying players via NIL will only require a “minor adjustment.”

“They say, ‘Hey coach, you been out of coaching for awhile. How you gonna adjust to NIL?’ Orgeron said. “I said, well, it’s a minor adjustment. ‘What do you mean?’ Well, back then we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now we just gotta walk through the front door with the cash.”

Orgeron has long been known as an elite recruiter and that’s not a title one could get without knowing how to get things done in the shadows. Now all those conversations and negotiations happen above the table, and Orgeron is pretty confident he can make that small adjustment if he were to land back on a sideline soon.

Orgeron, of course, coached LSU to a national title in 2019 but was let go following the 2021 season. In all, Orgeron had a 51-20 record leading LSU, but went just 11-11 combined in the two years following the national championship. He has not coached since, but the 64-year-old is looking to get back in the action — perhaps even back in Baton Rouge with the Tigers.

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