One of the significant shifts of the NIL and transfer portal era, some college football programs have turned to general manager roles to help lead the way in roster management.

Programs have hired from within the assistant ranks while others have plucked former head coaches and NFL executives.

Most recently, Ron Rivera, a two-time NFL Head Coach of the Year, is back at his alma mater Cal as general manager. And Oklahoma hired former NFL executive Jim Nagy to the same position.

Three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer, now with Fox Sports as an analyst, admitted he was approached by a college program for their general manager role. The former Utah, Florida, Ohio State and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach even met with leadership to hear the program’s pitch.

“I had a school come see me this year and ask if I wanted to be the GM,” Meyer said on “The Triple Option.” “And a couple other phone calls. And you start to think, ‘OK, they actually came to see me,’ so I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll meet and I’ll sit down with you guys.’”

Despite Meyer’s early interest, he wasn’t inclined to take the offer after learning about the job description. In fact, Meyer would rather “step on a rusty nail” than dealing with players’ agents.

“I said, ‘OK, what is the job description?.’ “They said, ‘Well, basically you meet with all the agents of the 17-, 18-year-olds,’” Meyer said. “And I thought, ‘I’d rather step on a rusty nail and pull it out myself.’”

Meyer’s name is regularly mentioned when major head coaching roles open, and it wouldn’t be a big shock to see the 60-year-old return to college football at some point. As a general manager, though, it’s safe to say Meyer won’t be taking up that title.

Team USA went to Switzerland with names like Morez Johnson, Mikel Brown Jr., Koa Peat, and Caleb Holt. They faced Germany in the finals. Germany entered undefeated, led by Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, but Team USA’s roster depth and gameplay were something special.

In the FIBA U19 World Cup final on Sunday, the USA won 109-76 over Germany. The MVP of the game was none other than AJ Dybantsa, who is projected to be the top pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

After Earning MVP Honors, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Has Something to Say

Soon after the final whistle and celebrations, Dybantsa took to Instagram to post a story with a picture of him with his medals on it. He captioned it, “powered by wings. ” He also tagged Red Bull, his NIL sponsor, in the story.

The FIBA U19 MVP heads to BYU with serious hype and joins the team as one of the highest NIL earners in college basketball. Dybantsa signed a Red Bull NIL deal last October, and he’s already making sure the world remembers who’s backing him. At just 17, he’s already carrying a $4.1 million NIL valuation per On3. That kind of money doesn’t come without earning it.

Dybantsa earned the MVP honor at FIBA by averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 boards, and 2.3 assists. He led the tournament in free-throw attempts, shot 68% inside the arc, and converted at a near-perfect 84% rate from the line. Those numbers tell the story of a player who knows how to get to his spots and finish.

His defense was equally impressive. Dybantsa guarded point guards, dove for loose balls, and anchored the press. Despite being the top scorer, he never coasted on the defensive end. While his 2-for-18 mark from deep is concerning, and his three-point shot needs work, there’s no denying he can play on both ends and break down defenses with his athleticism and basketball IQ.

The tournament showed why scouts are already penciling him in as the top pick in two years. Dybantsa’s ability to impact winning at the highest levels of international competition speaks volumes about his readiness for college basketball.

FIFA U19 World Cup MVP AJ Dybantsa

Every bucket from his gold medal MVP campaign pic.twitter.com/2tl7mmSo1s

— Church Ball: A BYU Hoops Pod (@churchballpod) July 6, 2025

What Dybantsa’s Arrival Means for BYU’s Championship Hopes

Dybantsa heads to Provo this fall, and summer workouts are already underway. He joins a program looking to be a national contender. With eight scholarship players gone and names like Egor Demin and Dallin Hall departed, this roster is brand new.

BYU does have some returning senior starters, including Keba Keita and Richie Saunders. Big man Mihailo Boskovic and sharpshooter Dawson Baker provide a seasoned core. This foundation gives the Cougars enough experience to compete while Dybantsa adjusts to college basketball.

The incoming class surrounding Dybantsa is loaded with talent. At the same time, many fans felt Brown Jr. was the authentic MVP of the FIBA U19. Baylor transfer and fellow five-star Rob Wright brings power conference experience. Washington’s Dominique Diomande adds size and athleticism. Southern Illinois guard Kennard Davis provides proven scoring ability, while Idaho’s sniper Tyler Mrus stretches the floor. UC Riverside veteran Nate Pickens rounds out a mix of high-upside freshmen, power conference transfers, and seasoned mid-major standouts.

For Dybantsa, who’s already being talked about as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, this roster gives him the flexibility and space he needs to develop his game. The Cougars’ first exhibition is set for October 18 against Nebraska. Nebraska should be worried if FIBA was a preview of what’s coming.

Coach Kevin Young has built something special in Provo, and Dybantsa’s arrival could be the final piece needed to make a serious run at cutting down the nets in March.

Christine Brennan once again found herself at the center of one of the biggest stories in sports last year during the WNBA playoffs. The USA Today columnist was writing a book about Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and was among media covering the team’s first round series against the Connecticut Sun, which featured DeWanna Bonner.

Perhaps the biggest storyline that emerged within minutes of the start of Game 1, when Sun guard Dijonai Carrington poked Clark in the eye. In a media availability later on, Brennan asked Carrington whether she had done so intentionally.

Carrington, of course, said it was an accident, but that in itself became a story. The WNBA Players Association later released a statement that directly called Brennan out and called for her credentials to be revoked.

Bonner, Brennan revealed in an excerpt of her book about Clark published on CNN, even confronted her afterward to stick up for Carrington. Brennan’s full book is set to be released July 9, and you can read the columnist’s account of that interaction below.

Just a couple of minutes after Carrington’s interview session was over and she walked away, I was standing near the other reporters at the side of the court when her teammate DeWanna Bonner walked toward me.

“You disrespected my teammate,” she said.

I put out my hand and tried to introduce myself, but Bonner did not want to shake it.

“You attacked my teammate,” she said.

I motioned to my phone in my hand. “Can I tell you what I said?

I was happy to show her the video I had just taken of Carrington’s answers to my questions. I again tried to introduce myself since Bonner and I had never met, but Bonner wanted no part of that.

“You attacked my teammate,” she said again.

I tried to introduce myself once more. “I asked her a question to give her a chance to respond to a controversy.”

“You disrespected my teammate,” Bonner said again, walking away.

Bonner never raised her voice, nor did I. 

Of course, that doesn’t seem like much given the fact that Bonner was likely just sticking up for her teammate. However, with the context of what has happened since, it becomes a lot more interesting.

Bonner signed a one-year contract with the Fever this offseason and became Clark’s teammate. She played nine games before leaving the game due to personal reasons. It was later reported that she did not intend to return to the team and preferred to play elsewhere.

It’s unclear exactly what happened to cause the sudden decision from Bonners, but the Fever later waived her. She has still yet to sign with a new team as of this writing.

As for Brennan, this will be the eighth book she has written and all the drama will certainly drum up some interest once it hits the shelves. With the increased interest in the WNBA since Clark joined last season, it surely has plenty more interesting nuggets from the phenom’s first year.

Four-star tight end Brayden Fogle is the most recent player to commit to Georgia football. The No. 8 tight end in the country announced that Georgia was where he wanted to play college football on July 4 after a long recruiting process.

However, according to Dawg Nation’s Jeff Sentell, Fogle knew for quite some time that Georgia was the right place for him. Fogle opened up about the moment he knew he wanted to play for Georgia, and this story will immediately make him a fan favorite in Athens.

“I was walking back to the parking garage and I kind of knew,” Fogle shared via dawgnation.com. “This was where I wanted to be I guess. You know?”

“It really hit me in the hotel,” Fogle continued. “My hotel room, I just looked out, and I could see the stadium. It was nighttime. The stadium was lit up red. I could see it just lying in my bed, looking out my window. I was just thinking of all the things that have happened in that stadium and the opportunities that people get from that stadium and the most-watched team in college football. Like getting that platform. It still hasn’t sunk in for me yet. I told my Mom today that it’s a life-changing opportunity I was given and it is so exciting.”

Brayden Fogle feels at home at Georgia

It is always really cool to learn why recruits chose to commit to Georgia. More often than not it has something to do with their relationships with the coaching staff, which undoubtedly played a role for Fogle, but for him it was much more than not.

Fogle spoke about the opportunity given to him while playing at Georgia. There is no greater cathedral in all of college football than Sanford Stadium, and getting to play at Georgia will give him exposure he can’t get at many other places.

On top of that, the history of success at Georgia really appealed to Fogle as well. And knowing that he will have the opportunity to add to that is something he couldn’t turn down.

Fogle projects to be one of Jared Curtis’s top targets on offense in the coming years, and after reading this story it won’t be surprising when he eventually adds to the historic moments that have occurred at Sanford Stadium.