After years of anticipation, and only after college athletes were permitted to profit off of their NIL, “EA Sports College Football 25” was the highest-grossing sports video game ever.

Now the question is, how does EA Sports follow that up? How much will the company try to change or improve from a model that was already clearly successful?

I personally played it and loved it. It’s the only game I’ve played on my PlayStation 5 for more than 100 hours. I thoroughly enjoyed being the head coach of a Group of Five school and leading my team to a national championship – on All-American, granted, because I was about .500 on Heisman and barely made the College Football Playoff.

Anyway, here’s more about the upcoming version of the game.

College Football 26 will come out on July 10, 2025, according to EA Sports’ website. However, The MVP bundle and Deluxe Edition will be available on July 7, giving gamers three days of early access.

The money distributed to schools from the College Football 25 game reportedly depended on how those schools ranked in the AP Poll over the 10 seasons leading up to CFB25, from 2014-23. 

Based on a scoring system from those rankings, schools were put into one of four tiers. Schools from the top tier received nearly $100,000 while the bottom tier received just under $10,000.

No G5 schools were in the top tier. Boise State, Utah State, Liberty, Louisiana, Memphis, San Diego State, USF, Fresno State, and Navy were among the schools currently in the Group of Five that were in the second tier and received $59,925.09 each. 

Washington State, Marshall, Army, Troy, Coastal Carolina, Western Michigan, Air Force, App State, Tulane, Ball State, Buffalo, Oregon State, Western Kentucky, and San Jose State were among the G5 teams in the third tier and received $39,950.06. All other G5 schools would’ve been in the fourth and lowest tier.

Players will reportedly receive $1,500 each for appearing in CFB26. That’s up from the $600 players received from College Football 25.

There was an 11-year span of no college football game due to complications related to EA Sports’ inability to use college athletes’ names, images, and likenesses. But that has since changed, and EA Sports is now paying players for appearing in the video game.

The cover of this year’s College Football game will feature several players, like Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith and defensive back Caleb Downs, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, and Penn State running back Nick Singleton, and coaches like Kirby Smart of Georgia, James Franklin of Penn State, and Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State.

Some of the other people on the cover are Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.  — South Dakota State’s Carter Sintek was named Wednesday as one of 30 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, which is presented annually by the College Baseball Foundation to the top shortstop in college baseball.

A sophomore from Bennington, Nebraska, Sintek ended the regular season with a team-best .352 batting average and 22 multi-hit games. His 74 hits and 45 runs scored also led the Jackrabbits, while adding three home runs, 29 runs batted in and 118 defensive assists en route to second-team all-Summit League recognition.

The award is named in honor of former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27. The semifinalists were identified based on their combined offensive and defensive performances from this season. Finalists for the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award will be announced on June 4, with the 2025 winner to be announced later in the month. Griff O’Ferrall of the University of Virginia was the 2024 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year.

The full list of semifinalists is as follows (Name, School, Hometown, Conference):

• Alex Alicea, Louisville, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ACC
• Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas, Wailuku, Hawai’i , SEC
• Aiva Arquette, Oregon State, Kailua, Hawai’i, Independent
• Dillon Baker, Miami (Ohio), Tampa, Florida, MAC
• Kolby Branch, Georgia, Lucas, Texas, SEC
• Benny Casillas, Michigan, Los Ángeles, California, Big Ten
• Roch Cholowsky, UCLA, Chandler, Arizona, Big Ten
• Lukas Cook, Purdue, Knoxville, Tennessee, Big Ten
• Dylan Grego, Ball State, Kansas City, Missouri, MAC
• Cam Hassert, Loyola Marymount, Longmont, Colorado, West Coast
• Core Jackson, Utah, Wyoming, Ontario, Big 12
• Tyriq Kemp, Baylor, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Big 12
• Matt King, Arizona State, Houston, Texas, Big 12
• Maddox Latta, Cal State Fullerton, Granada Hills, California, Big West
• Alex Lodise, Florida State, St. Augustine, Florida, ACC
• Kyle Lodise, Georgia Tech, Brunswick, Georgia, ACC
• Isaac Lopez, UTRGV, Edinburg, Texas, Southland
• Alex Madera, North Carolina, Delran, New Jersey, ACC
• Lorenzo Meola, Stetson, Green Brook, New Jersey, Atlantic Sun
• Jake Ogden, Miami, Homestead, Florida, ACC
• Ray Ortiz, NJIT, Bayonne, New Jersey, America East
• T.J. Salvaggio, Southeastern Louisiana, Slidell, Louisiana, Southland
• Blake Schaaf, Georgetown, Oakland, California, BIG EAST
• Jake Schaffner, North Dakota State, Janesville, Wisconsin, Summit
• Colby Shelton, Florida, Lexington, South Carolina, SEC
• Ike Shirey, Tarleton State, Dale, Oklahoma, WAC
• Brady Short, Central Connecticut, Huley, New York, Northeast
• Carter Sintek, South Dakota State, Bennington, Nebraska, Summit
• Drew Wyers, Bryant, Columbus, New Jersey, America East
• Colin Yeaman, UC Irvine, Saugus, California, Big West

-GoJacks.com-

While there’s still little known about President Donald Trump‘s commission on college sports — even co-chair Nick Saban remains in the dark — one of Saban’s former Alabama players has some interesting suggestions on how the still-yet-to-be-determined working group could address what’s currently ailing college football.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy recently addressed the presidentially-mandated commission and proposed an array of fixes the commission could attempt to address both the NCAA Transfer Portal and NIL, as well as growing concern between the haves and have-nots within the sport. McElroy’s first fix is to reduce the time the transfer portal is open to a single month — May, specifically.

“I think if we were to limit the amount of time the portal was open, that’d calm things down quite a bit. … I think having the portal opened in the month of May is the best thing for the sport,” McElroy said on last week’s episode of his Always College Football podcast. “… But if we were to open it on May 1^st and close it on May 31^st, it would do a few different things for us. One, it’d keep college football in the news. … Think about how much traction we’d get in May if players were leaving one place and going to another. … Two, … I think if we move the portal window to May, there would be a renewed emphasis for programs across the country to put a higher priority on the high school talent that could join their roster in January, go through Spring, go through Winter workouts, go through Summer, and hopefully be ready to play come Fall. I want to see more focus on high school players getting opportunities as opposed to players on their fourth school in five years.”

McElroy also suggested the single, post-Spring portal window would limit the sheer number of portal entries and, as such, limit coaches from “poaching off other rosters” because by May, most coaches will likely have a better hold on what their roster will look like in the Fall. According to On3’s latest numbers, of the 4,000-plus players that have entered the portal since the end of the 2024 season, only a little more than 2,400 have committed to new homes — with roughly two out of every five transfers still in the portal.

According to McElroy, the later portal window would also limit emotional decisions being made immediately after the season, citing his own career as an example. Had the portal been around when he was at Alabama, McElroy admitted he would have entertained leaving following the late 2006 firing of former coach Mike Shula. Of course, had McElroy done that, he would have missed out on playing under Saban, who was hired away from the Miami Dolphins more than a month later in early January 2007.

“Had I jumped in the portal, would I have been able to play for Nick Saban and lead Alabama to a national championship as their starting quarterback in 2009? Probably not,” McElroy said. “I would have made an emotional decision that I would’ve regretted for the rest of my life. … I think moving the portal from May 1^st to May 31^st would be an amazing move for college football, and I think this commission could potentially do that.”

Greg McElroy proposes presidential commission address NIL inequities with universial contract language

With the portal problem potentially solved, McElroy turned his attention to NIL, suggesting the commission develop universal contract language in NIL deals that wouldn’t allow schools to take advantage of favorable state laws. If that’s not possible, McElroy is hopeful the commission could help establish buyout language that would let schools recoup money should a player opt to leave before fulfilling the full term of their NIL agreements.

“It doesn’t have to be a massive hurdle for these players to move from school to school, but there’s a little one,” McElroy explained.

Last but not least, McElroy also proposed creating subsidies for less lucrative programs, like those from the Group of Six or even lower levels, many of whom are contemplating whether or not they can still field a football program in the day and age of NIL.

“We need to figure out a way to subsidize those schools,” McElroy said. “And if that means taking just a sliver of the College Football Playoff revenue, then by all means let’s do it.”

Of course, based on the current state of college athletics, where Florida State and North Carolina sued the ACC because they weren’t receiving equitable revenue compared to that of similar Big Ten or SEC teams, it’s unlikely any of the Power Four leagues would agree to such financial giveaways.

Nevertheless, McElroy clearly had some potential game-changing ideas, many of which might even be given serious consideration by the commission. But whether or not the presidential commission has any power to actually implement any of McElroy’s proposals without facing the threat of anti-trust litigation is unclear, especially given the working group is still in its infancy.

Two-time SEC defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

Zeigler’s lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The point guard played four seasons at Tennessee, leading the Volunteers to consecutive Elite Eight berths before graduating earlier this month.

The Vols went 109-36 during Zeigler’s time with the school. He was a third-team All-American this season, which ended with Tennessee’s loss to eventual national runner-up Houston in the Elite Eight.

“We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies,” according to a statement from the Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC. “We look forward to a swift resolution of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”

The NCAA said in a statement the association fully supports athletes profiting from name, image and likeness along with other benefits and is working for such reforms, which includes a proposed $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit.

“A patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level and that’s why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere,” the NCAA said.

This latest lawsuit against the NCAA notes Zeigler “diligently completed his undergraduate degree in four years” and graduated this month. That makes Zeigler’s lawsuit different from athletes who started careers at junior colleges or lower-division NCAA schools and are seeking a fifth season.

Yet the NCAA rule limiting athletes to four seasons during a five-year window keeps Zeigler from playing a fifth season and earning NIL money in “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes,” according to the lawsuit.

How much could Zeigler earn in a fifth season with the Vols? The lawsuit says between $2 million and $4 million for 2025-26, given his record and visibility playing in the SEC and based on projections from the Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective associated with the university.

Athletes who redshirt or take five years to finish an undergraduate degree can earn NIL money each of their five years. The lawsuit also points to the NCAA’s redshirt system controlling who gets access to a fifth year of eligibility.

The lawsuit asks that the NCAA rule be declared a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Tennessee’s Trade Practices Act.

If Zeigler were to win the lawsuit, it would set an unprecedented standard for athletes pursuing a fifth season of eligibility. Just six months ago, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, arguing his junior college eligibility should not count against his Division I eligibility. Like in Zeigler’s case, the argument centered around the NCAA placing a cap on his potential NIL compensation.

A judge granted Pavia a preliminary injunction, allowing him an extra year of eligibility, which he is set to use in the upcoming 2025 college football season. 

This is a developing story.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Last Updated on May 21, 2025

Syracuse head football coach Fran Brown has become the first coach to sign with Network, a sports marketing agency. While high school and collegiate athletes build their brands to capitalize on name, image, and likeness opportunities during their playing careers and beyond, Brown has taken a similar approach as a coach.

Brown believes Network will be instrumental in helping build his brand off the field.

“I’m thrilled to work with Network and take the next step in building my personal brand, exploring new partnership opportunities and business ventures,” the Syracuse coach said.

Brown’s coaching philosophy has been essential to his success on the field and in his brand. He is well known for characterizing the acronym D.A.R.T., which stands for detailed, accountable, relentless, and tough. Network collaborated with Brown to produce merchandise with the acronym he sported on the sideline at the Orange’s Spring Game. The idea of Network partnering with a coach came from legendary sports agent David Falk.

“When we started Network, we weren’t pretending to, nor considering to get into the coaching world,” Network’s Chief Strategy Officer Doug Scott told Front Office Sports. “It really was the energy and essence of who Fran was, to where we decided that, yes, this is somebody that we really want to see be successful. And we think there’s a little bit of a void in the marketplace right now.”

Additionally, Coach Brown has gone viral on social media for his wildly entertaining quotes during his interviews. One in particular that had the college football buzzing was when he revealed how he handles losing football games.

“Like, when we lose, I ain’t even get in the shower til earlier this morning,” Brown told CBS Sports. “I just be mad. I just brush my teeth. It’s like I don’t deserve soap. I don’t deserve to do all that.

“Winners get washed,” he added. “I’m a loser, so I just kinda waited a little bit.”

Regardless of how you feel about how Brown holds himself accountable, he is authentic and holds himself and his players to a high standard of excellence. Syracuse finished 10-3 last season and capped off the 2024 season with a 52-35 victory over Washington State in the DIRECTV Holiday victory.

Like many college football coaches in the NIL era, Brown has been outspoken about how players navigate NIL and the transfer portal. Brown has voiced his opinions about how there should only be one portal period for players to transfer and how players should set aside a portion of their NIL earnings. Beyond Brown’s pursuit of expanding his brand, he hopes to have a continued influence over the evolving landscape of college athletics.