Bill ConnellyMay 28, 2025, 01:30 PM Close Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019. “There’s a lot of people talking about Group of 5, Power 4, the money and the resources and NIL. It’s about the players and it’s about lining […]
Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.
“There’s a lot of people talking about Group of 5, Power 4, the money and the resources and NIL. It’s about the players and it’s about lining up and banging heads and [may] the best man win. You saw that [Saturday].” — Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier, after the Huskies’ 2024 upset of Notre Dame.
The MAC is proof that a big tent can produce occasionally incredible things. As college football keeps trending toward closing up shop and distributing more money to fewer schools, and as the idea of a so-called “super league” — one that would either limit or completely eliminate opportunities for MAC-level schools — continues to waft around, this league and its teams keep trying to find ways to make noise. NIU’s big moment in 2024 proved that, given enough opportunities, they can still do so. In the past 25 seasons, MAC teams have scored 78 wins over power-conference teams, and while nearly half of those have come from NIU (14), Bowling Green (12) and Toledo (11), 14 current and former MAC programs have posted at least one.
Current circumstances are making things awfully difficult, though. The bottom half of the MAC has always been pretty shaky, and 2024 was no exception: MAC teams occupied four of the bottom 15 slots in the year-end SP+ rankings, which also ranked 0-12 Kent State as the worst FBS team in four years. Then came a brutal offseason in which (A) NIU arranged to leave for the Mountain West in 2026, (B) MAC teams got hit harder than anyone else by the transfer portal and general attrition (the MAC’s 41.1% returning production average was more than 12 percentage points below the national average), (C) the reigning conference champion (Ohio) lost head coach Tim Albin to a Charlotte program that has had just one winning season ever in FBS, and (D) Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler left for an NFL position coach job in the spring.
In a college football universe with NIL money and unrestricted transfers, continuity is growing increasingly difficult in MACtion country. But the conference still boasts some proven coaches and high-level talent, and stars will inevitably emerge. Let’s preview the MAC!
Throughout the summer, Bill Connelly will preview every FBS conference, ultimately including all 136 FBS teams. The previews will include 2024 breakdowns, 2025 previews and team-by-team capsules.
2024 recap
NIU stole the early headlines, but injuries and offensive struggles rendered Thomas Hammock’s Huskies an afterthought in the conference race. By midseason, it became increasingly clear that Ohio and Miami (Ohio) were the MAC’s safest bets. Miami beat Ohio 30-20 in the regular season, but the Bobcats’ offense ignited from there, averaging 36.7 points during a season-ending seven-game winning streak that included a 38-3 throttling of Miami in the MAC championship game.
Continuity table
The continuity table looks at each team’s returning production levels (offense, defense and overall), the number of 2024 FBS starts from both returning and incoming players and the approximate number of redshirt freshmen on the roster heading into 2025. (Why “approximate”? Because schools sometimes make it very difficult to ascertain who redshirted and who didn’t.) Continuity is an increasingly difficult art in roster management, but some teams pull it off better than others.
From Miami corner Raion Strader (Auburn) to Bowling Green running back Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech) to NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton (Illinois) to Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol (Houston) to a number of high-level Ohio defenders, MAC teams lost numerous stars to power-conference schools. In all, eight MAC teams (including four with new head coaches) rank in the bottom 18 in returning production.
Toledo and Buffalo mostly avoided the same fate, however. The Rockets and Bulls both rank in the top 50 in returning production, and during an intriguing nine-win season in which his Bulls improved from 119th to 87th in SP+, second-year Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo was able to build a solid base of redshirt freshmen as well.
Despite losing Albin, Ohio attempted continuity by promoting offensive coordinator Brian Smith to head coach, and he was able to hold on to at least a few key pieces, including quarterback Parker Navarro, left tackle Davion Weatherspoon and safety DJ Walker. SP+ suggests that might be enough to keep the Bobcats in MAC contention.
2025 projections
Only four teams start out with top-100 projections, and they make sense: They’re the two who played in the title game last year (Ohio and Miami) and the two who return the most from 2024 bowl teams (Toledo and Buffalo). The odds of at least one of those teams clicking and playing at a top-50 or top-60 level are pretty good.
The odds are also pretty good that the bottom portion of the conference is going to be awfully poor. UMass returns to the MAC with a new coach (former Rutgers assistant Joe Harasymiak) and almost no expectations, and four of the bottom five slots in the recent SP+ projections went to MAC teams.
(* Akron is ineligible for the postseason due to APR issues.)
The aforementioned four top-100 teams have a combined 65% chance of winning the conference title. But I guess that means there’s still a greater than one-in-three chance of an underdog run, huh?
Five best games of 2025
Here are the five conference games that feature (A) the highest combined SP+ ratings for both teams and (B) a projected scoring margin of less than 10 points.
Oct. 11: Toledo at Bowling Green. Most of the MAC’s biggest games take place once the conference shifts to midweek MACtion games in November, but this will be an early tone-setter between a talented Toledo team with a navigable early schedule and a BGSU team with quite a few question marks and an intriguing new head coach in Eddie George.
Nov. 4: Miami (Ohio) at Ohio. Last year’s two best teams jockey for position. Miami is a projected favorite in the five games preceding this one.
Nov. 12: Toledo at Miami (Ohio). Two MACtion weeks, two huge games for Chuck Martin’s RedHawks.
Nov. 19: Miami (Ohio) at Buffalo. Make that three huge games in three weeks for Miami.
Nov. 28: Ohio at Buffalo. Buffalo’s schedule offers up a massive opportunity: After the season opener against Minnesota, Lembo’s Bulls are projected favorites in 10 straight games before Ohio visits over Thanksgiving weekend.
Conference title (and, technically, CFP) contenders
Toledo Rockets
Head coach: Jason Candle (10th year, 73-40 overall)
2025 projection: 72nd in SP+ (77th offense, 63rd defense), 8.8 average wins, 6.4 conference wins
It feels impossible to adequately evaluate Jason Candle. On one hand, despite running the program with more consistent investment and high-quality recruiting than any conference mate, he’s won only two MAC titles in 10 years. It’s always going to feel like the title rate should be higher than that for the Rockets.
On the other hand, Candle’s Rockets have won 11 games twice and have taken down Arkansas, Iowa State, BYU, Mississippi State and Pitt (the last two were both in 2024). His next win will be his 74th at UT, passing Gary Pinkel’s total for the most in school history. He fielded some awesome offenses early in his tenure, and when the Toledo defense crumbled a few years ago, he made a fantastic defensive coordinator hire (Vince Kehres) to right the ship. He’s never finished with a losing record. Basically, he’s been good enough to keep his job but not quite good enough to get hired away by power-conference programs. And with solid continuity (especially at QB and in a very good secondary), it sure feels like he’ll have a chance at a third MAC title this season. After a season-opening visit to Kentucky, the Rockets are projected favorites in every remaining game.
Beating Mississippi State (by 24!) and Pitt but losing to Akron, among others, certainly suggests things went sideways for a bit last year. The main reason was an offense that slipped to 88th in offensive SP+, the worst ranking of the Candle era. The Rockets scored 15 or fewer in four MAC games, losing all four, and the run game was the primary culprit: The Rockets were just 124th in rushing success rate. The line was leaning on youngsters, and the RBs didn’t break nearly enough tackles.
Candle didn’t make any major staff changes but brought in four offensive line transfers, plus running backs Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and Kenji Christian (NC A&T), to shore things up. If those moves work, the passing game, featuring veteran quarterback Tucker Gleason, last year’s leading receiver Junior Vandeross III and NIU transfer Trayvon Rudolph — and, perhaps, sophomore and former star recruit Zy’marion Lang — could be the primary beneficiary.
There are fewer questions on defense, where Kehres’ unit has averaged a 55.0 defensive SP+ ranking over the last three seasons. Granted, every starter in the front six is gone, but end Malachi Davis and tackle Martez Poynter are sturdy veterans, and the portal brought players like end Louce Julien (6.5 TFLs at UMass) and linebacker Hudson Miller (five starts at Purdue). The secondary was the strength of the UT defense last year, and five of last year’s top seven return, including a dynamite nickel back in Braden Awls. Sophomore transfers Amare Snowden and Braedyn Moore, both former blue-chippers from Wisconsin, could contribute quickly too.
Ohio Bobcats
Head coach: Brian Smith (first year)
2025 projection: 80th in SP+ (83rd offense, 79th defense), 7.4 average wins, 5.7 conference wins
Ohio won 10 games under Tim Albin in both 2022 and 2023 but lost an incredible 10 starters, led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) and all-conference tackle Kurt Danneker (Baylor), to power-conference transfers. It was an absolute bounty of talent walking out the door. And then the Bobcats won 11 games and a MAC title in 2024. It was easily one of the best coaching performances of the season. But instead of attempting to pull off a similar magic act in 2025, Albin left for a new project at Charlotte, and OC Brian Smith moved up to the bigger office.
In quarterback Parker Navarro (2,423 passing yards, 1,143 non-sack rushing yards in 2024), left tackle Davion Weatherspoon, safety DJ Walker and corner Tank Pearson, plus returning running back Sieh Bangura (who transferred to Minnesota in 2024 but returned), Smith kept some proven pieces in Athens, and by MAC standards, continuity levels aren’t too bad. But the concept of the double-dip is still a scary one. They still must replace their leading receiver, at least three starting offensive linemen, at least four rotation linemen and basically every linebacker for the second straight season. Even if you survive major turnover once, having to do so year after year — and while changing head coaches, no less — certainly brings about more opportunities for regression.
Bangura’s return is a welcome one; he and Navarro form one of the most proven MAC backfields, but they’ll have an awfully new line in front of them. Those responsible for only 20 of last year’s 70 OL starts are back, and four transfers, including small-school starters Nick Marinaro (Dartmouth) and Josh Waite (Shippensburg), might have to make immediate contributions. Leading receiver Coleman Owen is gone too, potentially leaving a big-play void.
Smith wisely held on to defensive coordinator John Hauser, whose first Bobcat defense kept opponents both inefficient and nonexplosive in 2024.
Like Toledo, Ohio boasts far more proven entities in the back than in the front. The combination of Walker, Pearson, nickel Adonis Williams, transfers Rickey Hyatt Jr. (South Alabama) and Ronald Jackson Jr. (Montana) and perhaps a youngster like sophomore Tony Mathis should keep quarterbacks frustrated. But senior tackle Bralen Henderson will see lots of new rotation pieces around him. Senior ends Kaci Seegars and Walter Bob Jr. should be solid up front, but depth is an obvious concern. No returning or incoming linebacker logged more than 17 snaps in 2024.
Buffalo Bulls
Head coach: Pete Lembo (second year, 9-4 overall)
2025 projection: 91st in SP+ (104th offense, 78th defense), 7.7 average wins, 5.5 conference wins
Ohio’s optimistic projection is based quite a bit on the Bobcats’ strong recent history. Buffalo, however, seems to have quite a bit more in the “proven entities” department. Pete Lembo was Ball State’s head coach from 2011-15 and engineered as many bowl trips (two) as the program has seen in the nine years since his departure. He engineered immediate improvement in his return to MAC life too, and now leading rusher Al-Jay Henderson, leading receiver Victor Snow, three starting O-linemen and 12 of 17 defenders with at least 200 snaps all return. The large load of redshirts should assure solid depth.
The defense didn’t grade out any better than the offense last year, but it seems to have fewer question marks in 2025. End Kobe Stewart and linebackers Red Murdock and Dion Crawford combined for 42.5 tackles for loss, 37 run stops and 20 sacks last season — no one else in this conference boasts that kind of play-making star power. The return of 300-pound senior George Wolo (injured in 2024) should assure the requisite size up front. The secondary gave up too many big plays last season (especially considering the quality of the pass rush), but returning seven of last year’s top eight DBs and adding both a young power-conference transfer (Arizona State corner Keontez Bradley) and a small-school star (Shepherd safety Miles Greer) offers more options.
The offense has a bit more to prove, but size should help: From a pure height-and-weight standpoint, the depth chart should look like something from a power conference. Henderson measures in at 6-foot-0, 210 pounds, wideouts Nik McMillan (6-1, 224) and Chance Morrow (6-6, 195) could play big roles, and two potential all-MAC guards, Trevor Brock and Tyler Doty, average 6-6 and 325 pounds between them. Snow, a former walk-on, is a little guy in the slot (5-8, 165), but he proved steady and durable in 2024, catching at least four passes in nine games.
Note that I haven’t said a word about the quarterback position yet. With C.J. Ogbonna gone, offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude will likely be choosing between 2024 backup Gunnar Gray and, more likely, journeyman Ta’Quan Roberson. Roberson has thrown for 2,188 career yards and was decent at UConn (one of his three former schools) in 2023. He should be able to lean on a solid run game, but Ogbonna was capable of big plays here and there, and Roberson has averaged just 10.3 yards per completion in his career. MAC contention will probably require more than that.
A couple of breaks away from a run
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks
Head coach: Chuck Martin (12th year, 65-67 overall)
2025 projection: 96th in SP+ (135th offense, 35th defense), 6.5 average wins, 4.7 conference wins
Chuck Martin was designed in a lab to frustrate me. He eschews analytics as it pertains to fourth downs. (The RedHawks went for it just 11 times in 101 fourth-down opportunities, a 10.9% go rate that ranked 133rd in FBS.) He is all-in on the “play not to lose” game management approach, and it’s contributed to a 22-31 career record in one-score finishes since he began at Miami in 2014. He’s old-school in a lot of unhelpful ways.
He’s also one hell of a program builder. He took over when Miami was at a particularly low ebb, and he has built things brick by brick.
Miami, 2014-15: 5-19 record, 120.0 average SP+ ranking
Miami, 2016-22: 40-40 record, 93.9 average SP+ ranking
Miami, 2023-24: 20-8 record, 63.5 average SP+ ranking
Martin and his remarkably consistent staff — in 11 years, he’s had two offensive coordinators and three defensive coordinators — identify and develop talent well, play physical and reasonably uncomplicated ball, put major focus on special teams and create the highest floor of any MAC team.
We’re going to find out a lot about the stability of said floor in 2025. At this point I trust Martin to continue to produce solid two-deeps with athleticism that exceeds their recruiting rankings. But … damn, did the RedHawks lose a lot this offseason: Every primary offensive starter is gone, as are basically 5.5 of the starters in the defensive front six. The secondary remains mostly intact, but ace cornerback Raion Strader left for Auburn.
Martin inked only three defensive transfers — a solid show of faith in last year’s backups and potential stars like edge rusher Adam Trick and safety Silas Walters. But the offense underwent a portal overhaul: quarterback Dequan Finn (Toledo/Baylor), five receivers (including former Notre Dame blue-chipper Deion Colzie), two tight ends and three offensive linemen came aboard. Finn, running backs Kenny Tracy (injured in 2024) and Jordan Brunson should form the base of a strong run game if the offensive line holds up, and the defense gets the benefit of the doubt. But losing this much production is almost a guarantee of regression. We’ll see if Martin’s program-building prowess can prevent a collapse.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Head coach: Thomas Hammock (seventh year, 32-38 overall)
2025 projection: 106th in SP+ (133rd offense, 61st defense), 6.3 average wins, 4.5 conference wins
Like many evaluation-and-development guys, Thomas Hammock was relatively slow to embrace portal life. NIU’s head coach brought in just 15 total transfers from 2022-24, but he’s grabbed 13 this offseason. He needed reinforcements just about everywhere he looked. The Huskies’ classic upset of Notre Dame drove an eight-win season — NIU’s third winning year in four — but Hammock’s Huskies lost their starting quarterback, their top two running backs, their top four pass catchers, five of their top six offensive linemen, and 11 of 16 defenders with at least 200 snaps (including the top four defensive tackles). Defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto left for Fresno State, too.
For a wobbly offense, this turnover could be seen as an opportunity for renewal. NIU ranked 115th in offensive SP+ for each of the last two seasons; the run game was decent last season, but the Huskies ranked 103rd in yards per dropback with no discernible explosiveness in the passing game. Hammock made an inspired coordinator hire, bringing in Quinn Sanders, the University of Charleston head coach who oversaw the No. 1 offense in Division II (per SP+). Charleston combined a relentless run game with over-the-top passing; one could see how that might be appealing to the physicality-minded Hammock.
Hammock brought in quarterback Jackson Proctor, a decent dual-threat from Dartmouth, but QB appears to be Josh Holst’s job to lose. The sophomore was strong in the Huskies’ 28-20 bowl win over Fresno State, and sophomore RB Telly Johnson Jr. became the go-to back late in the season. That’s a good starting point, but only one returning receiver gained more than 60 receiving yards, and the line will be loaded with sophomores and juniors. It’ll be big, though: Hammock has established a nice pipeline of guys listed at 6-foot-4 or taller and 300 pounds or heavier.
It’s harder to make light of the defensive turnover. NIU has averaged a top-40 defensive SP+ ranking over the last two seasons but basically returns 2.5 starters on that side of the ball. Defensive end Roy Williams and corner Jacob Finley are solid starting points on the perimeter, but new coordinator Rob Harley might need smaller-school transfers like tackle Dasean Dixon (Albany) and safety Jasper Beeler (Saginaw Valley State) to thrive quickly. Otherwise the two-deep will be loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
Bowling Green Falcons
Head coach: Eddie George (first year)
2025 projection: 111th in SP+ (98th offense, 121st defense), 5.3 average wins, 4.0 conference wins
Scot Loeffler was starting to get somewhere. After going just 7-22 in his first three seasons at BGSU, he hovered around .500 each year from 2022 to 2024, but the underlying numbers (122nd in SP+ in 2022, 94th in 2023, 77th in 2024) suggested excellent progress. In 2024, the Falcons had their best offense in nine years and their best defense in 11. But Loeffler left to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ QBs coach in late February — an understandable but extremely inconvenient move.
BGSU made an intriguing replacement hire, however, in Eddie George, the Ohio State legend and, more recently, author of a nice revival at Tennessee State. After going 15-18 in his first three seasons at TSU, his Tigers jumped to 9-4 with a first FCS playoff bid last fall. He brought both TSU coordinators with him (OC Travis Partridge, DC Brandon Fisher), and after Loeffler had already added 15 transfers in the winter, George signed another 10.
Translation: This is going to be a new team. BGSU’s 59 returning starts are the third lowest in a turnover-heavy conference, and 47 of those starts are from one unit (OL). The defense returns basically 0.5 starters (safety Darius Lorfils, who started six games).
I’m really intrigued by some of the defensive newcomers, though. Defensive tackle Eriq George (son of the coach) had 12.5 TFLs for TSU, and linebacker Gideon Lampron had 26.5 TFLs at Dayton. Corners Mark Cannon Jr. (Illinois State) and Jalen McClendon (TSU) combined for four picks and 32 pass breakups. Throw in some youngsters with strong recruiting rankings — defensive lineman Collins Acheampong (UCLA), linebacker Andrew Hines (Wake Forest), safety Jay’Quan Bostic (Toledo), corner Key’on Washington (West Virginia) — and George might have something here.
The offense might not have quite as much upside, but experience could produce a high floor. The line indeed returns four starters, all seniors, and veterans Drew Pyne (Mizzou) and Justin Lamson (Stanford) will compete at QB. The skill corps, however, is a total mystery. Tight end Arlis Boardingham (Florida) is athletic, and receivers Brennan Ridley (Hampton) and Allen Middleton (Southern Illinois) combined for 1,018 receiving yards as FCS freshmen, but it’s hard to determine who might see a ton of the ball in 2025.
Central Michigan Chippewas
Head coach: Matt Drinkall (first year)
2025 projection: 117th in SP+ (127th offense, 102nd defense), 5.3 average wins, 4.0 conference wins
Matt Drinkall inherits personnel from a team that won only 13 games in its last three years under Jim McElwain, and he might institute a pretty big stylistic shift with unproven offensive personnel. This doesn’t feel like the start of an “a couple of breaks away from a run” tale. But a friendly schedule and actual defensive continuity — a rare commodity in this conference — might make the Chippewas improvement candidates.
Drinkall brings NAIA success to the table — he improved Kansas Wesleyan from 2-9 to 13-1 with a playoff semifinal run over five years in Salina — and he was asked by Jeff Monken to modernize Army’s option attack following rule changes in 2023. The changes didn’t really take, and he was demoted to Army O-line coach in 2024, but the Iowa grad still has Midwestern ties and an interesting offensive background.
We probably won’t see much of an option attack with incumbent Joe Labas the likely starting QB. Labas started half of 2024 before a season-ending injury; his full-season numbers (seven TDs, seven INTs) were colored by a horrid, five-INT performance against Florida International, but he wasn’t much of a runner regardless. The return of slot man Tyson Davis (injured in 2023) assures at least one experienced wideout, but no other returnee had more than 66 receiving yards in 2024, and Tulane transfer Trey Cornist is officially the most proven running back … with 149 rushing yards last year. Drinkall is an O-line guy, and CMU should have good size up front, plus maybe some help from FCS transfers John Iannuzzi (Columbia) and Jacob Russell (Valpo).
Veteran Sean Cronin, most recently Army’s D-line coach, takes over as defensive coordinator, and his No. 1 task is bringing stability to a dramatically all-or-nothing unit: CMU ranked 11th nationally in stuff rate and 13th in sack rate but gave up a spectacular number of big plays. Linebackers Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran (combined: 23.5 TFLs) are thrilling, and safety Caleb Spann thrives near the line of scrimmage. They are undeniable playmakers, and cornerback Kalen Carroll (Cincinnati) is one of the conference’s few incoming power-conference starters. But glitches were devastating in 2024, and Cronin will likely dial the risk profile back a bit.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Head coach: Chris Creighton (12th year, 57-75 overall)
2025 projection: 113th in SP+ (116th offense, 111th defense), 5.1 average wins, 3.5 conference wins
Chris Creighton has been pulling off .500ish seasons at EMU for long enough that we’re forgetting how impressive going .500 at EMU really is. The Eagles won five games just three times in the 24 seasons before Creighton’s arrival from Drake in 2014, and now they’ve bowled six times in the past nine years. Collapsing from 5-2 to 5-7 last year, thanks to both epic injury issues and close defeats, was a genuine disappointment instead of a roundabout accomplishment.
With so many MAC programs dealing with major turnover, this would feel like an opportunity for Creighton and EMU … if they weren’t dealing with the same thing. The Eagles return only four players who started more than five games last season, though the injuries meant that quite a few of the returnees saw the field. That’s especially true on defense, where 11 returnees started at least once. Still, Creighton brought in seven defensive transfers (plus four JUCOs) to assure a rebound for a unit that collapsed from 67th to 115th in defensive SP+. New playmakers need to emerge, but defensive end Jefferson Adam made 5.5 TFLs in just 185 snaps, and nickel back Barry Manning had three run stops and two pass breakups in 193 snaps; both could become stars with starter-level playing time.
The offense collapsed to 130th in offensive SP+ in 2023 but rebounded a bit last year despite 18 guys starting at least one game. Only six of those 18 return, but I’m intrigued by newcomers like quarterback Cameron Edge (Maryland) and running back James Jointer Jr. (Liberty), and receiver Terry Lockett Jr. is one of the league’s more explosive returning wideouts. The bar for further improvement is pretty low — just keep guys semi-healthy, and you could return to the top 100.
Since Creighton’s arrival, only NIU has played in more one-score games among MAC teams than EMU — almost surprising considering EMU’s fast-paced offense and fourth-down willingness — and that dynamic probably won’t change in 2025: Ten of the Eagles’ 12 games are projected within single digits, and six of the last eight are projected within a touchdown. Win the close ones they didn’t win last year, and 2025 will be pretty exciting.
Just looking for a path to 6-6
Western Michigan Broncos
Head coach: Lance Taylor (third year, 10-15 overall)
2025 projection: 118th in SP+ (112th offense, 117th defense), 4.8 average wins, 3.5 conference wins
After back-to-back losing seasons for a seemingly stalling WMU program, 2024 brought some positivity: Thanks primarily to a 5-1 record against teams ranked in the triple digits in SP+, Lance Taylor’s Broncos eked out six wins and a bowl bid.
In terms of balancing efficiency and explosiveness, the WMU offense was one of the more well-rounded in the conference.
Walt Bell’s offense is predicated around strong rushing and quick passing; it’s an obvious concern that only 2.5 starters return (tight end Blake Bosma, guard John Hofer and receiver and seven-game starter Malique Dieudonne), but junior running back Jalen Buckley (683 yards, nine TDs) is good, Bosma (88% catch rate) is an efficiency cheat code, and Taylor brought in intriguing power-conference transfers such as running back Cole Cabana (Michigan), receiver Christian Leary (Alabama/Georgia Tech) and linemen Raheem Anderson (Michigan) and Hunter Whitenack (Illinois). Quarterback Hayden Wolff is gone, but I think either sophomore Broc Lowry or JC All-American Brady Jones will fill in pretty well there.
The defense hasn’t yet generated any traction under Taylor, who is on his third coordinator in three years. New DC Chris O’Leary was a Notre Dame analyst and, in 2024, the safeties coach for Jim Harbaugh’s L.A. Chargers. This feels like a high-ceiling, low-floor hire, and O’Leary’s success in 2025 will be derived primarily from a number of smaller-school transfers, the most intriguing of which are probably defensive end Kershawn Fisher (Nicholls), linebacker Sefa Saipaia (Ferris State), corner Jordon Thomas (Eastern Kentucky) and safety Marvin Smith (Alabama A&M). Returning safety Tate Hallock is a keeper, but newcomers will tell the tale.
Akron Zips
Head coach: Joe Moorhead (fourth year, 8-28 overall)
2025 projection: 132nd in SP+ (131st offense, 120th defense), 4.5 average wins, 3.2 conference wins
In three years at Akron, Joe Moorhead has proved to be a pretty solid talent evaluator, and going 4-8 in 2024 — after the Zips went a combined 7-47 from 2019-23 — was an undeniable success. But hard jobs remain hard in perpetuity; Moorhead hasn’t made any progress on offense (average offensive SP+ ranking: 126.7), the Zips’ APR scores have dropped enough to get them banned from the postseason (not that six wins was particularly likely anyway), and Moorhead’s primary reward for solid talent identification is that said talent has been plucked away: Seven Zips transferred to power-conference teams this offseason.
It’s kind of a lost year already, in other words. But in Michael Johnson Jr. (Syracuse), running back Chris Gee (Colgate), O-lineman Allen Jones Jr. (West Alabama), prolific linebacker Cam Hollobaugh (Walsh), safety Mehki Flowers (Penn State) and others, Moorhead’s 2025 transfer haul has decent upside. So, too, might returnees like veteran quarterback Ben Finley, 6-foot-7 defensive end Bruno Dall, linebacker Shammond Cooper (injured in 2023) and junior corner Elijah Reed.
Akron is a projected favorite in only three games but is a projected one-score underdog in five others — overachieving against projections just a little could make this a decent season, even if bowling is already off the table.
Ball State Cardinals
Head coach: Mike Uremovich (first year)
2025 projection: 134th in SP+ (123rd offense, 131st defense), 3.4 average wins, 2.5 conference wins
After the slow rise and equally slow fall of the eight-year Mike Neu era, Mike Uremovich takes the reins at BSU. The NIU grad and former Temple and NIU offensive coordinator knows the MAC and has crafted success from limited Midwestern resources at both NAIA’s St. Francis (Illinois) and FCS’ Butler. His 2024 Butler team ranked 35th in SP+, easily the highest in the non-scholarship Pioneer Conference.
Uremovich’s offense is generally built around adapting to player strengths, and the primary strength of his 2025 Cardinals might be versatility. Senior quarterback Kiael Kelly is a better athlete than passer, and running back transfer Qua Ashley (Kennesaw State) caught 28 balls out of the backfield last year. Throw in slot man (and punt returner) Qian Magwood and 5-foot-8 Bucknell WR transfer Eric Weatherly, and you’ve got a set of bouncy and versatile, if not particularly large, skill-corps guys. They could also have the largest pair of tackles in the MAC with returnee Chris Hood (6-foot-10!) potentially pairing with Butler transfer Adam Dolan (6-foot-8), for whatever that’s worth.
Despite BSU’s defensive collapse, Uremovich kept coordinator Jeff Knowles in place, and with good reason: He was Uremovich’s DC at Butler in 2023. The defensive front returns disruptive options in linebacker Joey Stemler and tackle Darin Conley, but a poor secondary has been overhauled. Uremovich brought in 10 defensive transfers, but only three are seniors — this might be a multiyear rebuild on D.
UMass Minutemen
Head coach: Joe Harasymiak (first year)
2025 projection: 13th in SP+ (119th offense, 135th defense), 3.5 average wins, 2.2 conference wins
It’s been a pretty directionless FBS run for UMass. The Minutemen spent their first four FBS seasons in the MAC before choosing independence over all-sports membership, but after nine years and just 18 wins, they’re back. At head coach, they’ve tried veteran retreads (Mark Whipple, Don Brown) and young hotshots (Walt Bell), and nothing has generated traction. Now it’s time to go Full Rutgers. Massachusetts native Joe Harasymiak takes over after three years as Greg Schiano’s defensive coordinator at RU. Schiano is the ultimate, obsessive “skip no steps” program builder, and one can see the appeal to such an approach at UMass.
Harasymiak brought in 34 transfers, but while a few of them are seniors who could contribute quickly — quarterback Grant Jordan (Yale), offensive lineman Mike Entwistle (Harvard), defensive end Josh Nobles (Jackson State), linebacker Timmy Hinspeter (Rutgers), safety Malcolm Greene (Virginia) — some of the more intriguing players on the roster are underclassmen.
Redshirt freshman quarterback AJ Hairston could fend off both Jordan and Utah transfer Brandon Rose for playing time at QB, while transfers like running back Rocko Griffin (UTSA), receiver Tyree Kelly (USF), tackle Malachi Madison (Virginia Tech), linebacker Nick Hawthorne (Boise State) and disruptive safeties Kendall Bournes (Concord) and Zeraun Daniel (Georgetown) are all juniors or younger.
This is going to take some time. UMass is a projected favorite in only one 2025 game, but hey, when you’ve averaged only two wins per season in FBS, the bar for progress is awfully low.
Kent State Golden Flashes
Interim head coach: Mark Carney
2025 projection: 136th in SP+ (134th offense, 133rd defense), 2.8 average wins, 2.2 conference wins
If the bar is low at UMass, it’s just laying on the floor at Kent State. Under head coach Kenni Burns, the Golden Flashes went just 1-23 in two seasons, but it’s actually even worse than that: In my year-end, all-division SP+ rankings, they not only ranked a distant last among the 134 FBS teams, they ranked 227th overall, behind 79 FCS teams and 14 Division II teams. They would have been well below average in the FCS’ Missouri Valley Football Conference. Hell, they’d have been fourth in D2’s GLIAC. This was an utterly atrocious football team.
That just means there’s nowhere to go but up, right? Even with Burns getting dismissed at just about the most awkward possible time of year (mid-April) and offensive coordinator Mark Carney taking over as interim head coach, it’s going to be almost impossible to be that bad again.
I’m not going to try to sell you on the merits of transfers like quarterback CJ Montes (Fordham), offensive lineman Jamarcus Hill (Southeast Missouri), defensive end Jamond Mathis (Southern Illinois) and defensive tackle Thomas Aden (Pitt) or genuinely decent returnees like guard Dustyn Morell or nickelback Canaan Williams. I’m just going to note that, with so many other MAC teams facing major turnover, Kent State could be close enough to the rest of the pack to win a game or two. And when the bar is set at “midtier GLIAC team,” it’s pretty easy to maybe show a sign or two of progress.
Why Nevada feels like it is well positioned to pay athletes in NCAA’s new era
The NCAA enters a new era of college athletics July 1 when schools can directly pay players, and the Nevada Wolf Pack feels prepared for the moment. The House vs. NCAA settlement’s approval Friday gives the green light to schools to share up to $20.5 million in revenue annually with its athletes. That’s in addition […]
The NCAA enters a new era of college athletics July 1 when schools can directly pay players, and the Nevada Wolf Pack feels prepared for the moment.
The House vs. NCAA settlement’s approval Friday gives the green light to schools to share up to $20.5 million in revenue annually with its athletes. That’s in addition to NIL deals outside of the athletic department’s purview.
While this is a great financial development for athletes who for decades were unpaid labor, it presents a major challenge for schools to create additional revenue to pay athletes or lose them to schools that can do so. But Wolf Pack athletic director Stephanie Rempe said Nevada has been preparing for this moment and is ready to participate in revenue sharing in 2025-26. The Wolf Pack’s goal is to pay athletes at least $5 million next year in combined revenue sharing and NIL deals.
“We’ve been planning for it for a long time, and now it’s here,” Rempe said. “There hasn’t been any surprises, and everything that we need to get this done has been happening. It’s not like all of a sudden something happened and we’ve got to pivot. I know that will happen where we’ll have to pivot over time. But we’re going to be prepared in July to start paying some level of rev share. We’ll still have NIL deals outside of the department that have to go through Deloitte. We are still figuring out what we’re going to pay, how much we’re gonna pay, who we’re gonna pay. And some of that has to do with finalizing our FY26 budget. But we are committed to playing in the space and being competitive.”
The settlement’s $20.5 million per school figure was based off 22 percent of the average revenue of Power 5 schools. Using that formula, 22 percent of Nevada’s revenue is roughly $4.5 million with the Wolf Pack believing a $5 million budget to pay athletes will be competitive in the Mountain West (Nevada could pay up to $20.5 million like every other Division I school).
Rempe held a coaches meeting Monday to go over Friday’s developments and has laid down the initial groundwork for paying athletes. Internally, there’s sure to be battles across the nation between coaches and programs looking to get the biggest possible piece of that $20.5 million pie. Rempe said the Wolf Pack will try and avoid any friction by being transparent about where it’s at and what it can accomplish in the revenue-sharing space.
“It is a concern, but I think we have remarkable coaches,” Rempe said of potential in-fighting. “I’m big on transparency. I’m not going to hide anything. The nice part is we’re all being transparent. We’ve having really good dialog with our coaches about NIL deals versus what they need from us in rev share to be competitive with their peers. They’re constantly trying to understand what our competitors have for rev share and NIL. We are trying to compete in that space.”
While NIL deals have been shrouded in secrecy to this point, it’s believed Wolf Pack men’s basketball has received the majority of the local NIL support in recruiting and retention, with GSR owner Alex Meruelo recently saying he donates $1 million per year to Nevada basketball’s NIL budget. That will continue, which is a boost for the Wolf Pack as it aims for that $5 million total payout in the first year of revenue sharing.
“There’s no secret that men’s basketball has had some pretty significant NIL deals outside of revenue sharing,” Rempe said. “Obviously everybody knows the GSR has been incredibly supportive of our NIL for men’s basketball, and that’s not changing. When you have one place that gives $1 million, that takes a lot of pressure off us because it’s $1 million that’s going to basketball that we didn’t have to go out and raise.”
With Nevada posting a budget of nearly $54 million in fiscal year 2024, a $5 million revenue share goal is nearly 10 percent of the Wolf Pack’s most recent budget (and Nevada ran a deficit of almost $600,000 last year). Finding a way to generate more revenue to share with athletes won’t be easy, but one thing Nevada is not interested in at the moment is tapping into private equity to get a short-term cash infusion. Boise State, meanwhile, is pursuing private equity with athletic director Jeremiah Dickey saying he expects to have a deal in place inside six months.
Additionally, as part of the House settlement, schools owe nearly $2.8 billion in back-pay damages to former athletes, with Nevada’s cut of that expected to be around $550,000 per year, which will be taken out of its annual NCAA distribution, which last year was $1,744,880. Rempe said revenue that will be shared with athletes will come from a variety of pots but must be earned revenue with no expectation it will come from university or state funds.
“A combination of a lot of things,” Rempe said of creating more revenue. “Some of it is NIL in the community. Learfield is adding a position who’s sole focus is NIL. It’s executing deals that are already done and going out and getting more deals. That is happening. We’re super excited about that. The second way is cost savings. For instance, (football) Coach (Jeff) Choate going from a roster of 120 to a roster 105 is saving. So, we might to be able to put savings back into rev share. We are fundraising for rev share. Growing revenue, cost cutting, NIL deals off our books, philanthropy, ticket sales, hopefully getting to rev share through Learfield, licensing money, operational efficiencies. It’s all of that.”
Nevada also is well down the road, Rempe said, on having contracts drafted for revenue sharing that include the length of the deal, payout schedule, incentives and potential claw backs if athletes transfer to another school. These contracts will not make the athletes employees of the school but provide more structure than the current NIL landscape.
“We’re basically making these contracts where we will have non-exclusive rights to their NIL,” Rempe said. “Bringing it in-house, it puts in place some guardrails for us, some guardrails for the kids, some clarity. You’re not gonna have the same issues that you have when its run externally.”
Nationally, most of the revenue-sharing money is expected to go to football and men’s basketball players, the two primary revenue drivers in college athletes. That could cause a Title IX issue, with a group of female athletes, per Front Office Sports, already appealing the House settlement, saying the back pay element of the agreement violates Title IX’s gender-equity statute. Rempe said a formula for which sports and which athletes Nevada will pay has not been finalized. But she continues to press the importance of revenue sharing with local boosters and businesses.
“Some people don’t like NIL,” Rempe said. “Some donors don’t want to give to NIL externally. But now that you can do it in-house, people can give to the Wolf Pack Athletic Association and know they can earmark it to go to rev share and our job is to be competitive and to continue to figure out how we’re gonna be able to pay student-athletes.”
One additional wrinkle to the post-House era in college is NIL deals must be approved by a national clearinghouse if the deal exceeds $600. The system, dubbed NIL Go, will be run by Deloitte, which will engage in a three-step process that includes (1) payor association verification; (2) valid business purpose verification; and (3) range of compensation analysis, the final step employing a 12-point analysis to assess whether the compensation aligns with similarly situated individuals in comparable NIL deals. While those could be legally challenged, the new era of player compensation is getting more structure, which Rempe called a positive development.
“I think this gives us the ability to bring it in-house to create some level of clarity, consistency and control over things,” Rempe said. “It’s been really hard for our coaches when it was outside of the university. And it’s hard for us because we’re watching it and for a long time we couldn’t really be involved. Bringing it in-house creates clarity and consistency and there are safety measures that help protect the kids and the coaches. I think that is a positive.
“The fact that the NIL deals will be scrutinized, you’d like to think there will be some controls. The way it’s been for the past several years, everything becomes lawsuits. You can’t rely on any decisions that are made because somebody’s going to get sued, which makes it really hard. There’s the positive of bringing it in-house, but then the pressure is on us to figure out a way to generate the revenue.”
College basketball has new highest earner after Cooper Flagg enters NBA Draft
Soon-to-be BYU freshman AJ Dybansta is already among the highest-paid collegiate athletes with a bevy of endorsements and replaces Cooper Flagg as the face of college basketball 16:36 ET, 12 Jun 2025Updated 16:36 ET, 12 Jun 2025 AJ Dybansta will likely be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft(Image: Getty Images) Consensus top 2026 […]
Soon-to-be BYU freshman AJ Dybansta is already among the highest-paid collegiate athletes with a bevy of endorsements and replaces Cooper Flagg as the face of college basketball
16:36 ET, 12 Jun 2025Updated 16:36 ET, 12 Jun 2025
AJ Dybansta will likely be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft(Image: Getty Images)
Consensus top 2026 draft prospect AJ Dybansta has climbed to the top of On3’s NIL list amongst college basketball players: his $4.1 valuation only trails football stars like Texas QB Arch Manning. A recent NCAA settlement eliminating the “amateurism” element of college sports will only allow players to earn more money.
He’ll inherit the title of 2025 National Player of the Year Cooper Flagg, poised to become the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks after the team shockingly won the draft lottery with just a 1.8% chance of winning. .
Dybansta shocked many by opting for BYU as his one-and-done destination before jumping to the NBA. He’ll be compensated generously for his freshman year, with reporters claiming the teenager is set to earn north of $7 million from the Cougars next year.
READ MORE: Philadelphia Eagles owner makes $50M donation amid RFK Jr.’s controversial political planREAD MORE: Kelsey Plum ready to accept fine to highlight WNBA issue after ‘sick of it’ admission
Dybansta already has over 500,000 followers on Instagram and has deals with Nike, Red Bull, and META. “I think it’ll be a great partnership because it’ll be beneficial to both of us with the platform that they have,” he said last fall on his deal with Red Bull. “I think we fit right in with each other, so it’s going to be special.”
“[The talks] started a few months ago, but what they had to offer was second-to-none. It was good [the offer] has no real wrongs. I’m smart with it, my parents are smart with it: we don’t want to take every deal,” Dybansta admitted.
“But, the smart ones we have to take advantage of. If I’m projected where I’m supposed to be and I keep my head down and work, I will get way bigger and better deals, so I’m not trying to take fast money right now.”
Cooper Flagg was the best player — with the highest NIL valuation — in the nation last year at Duke(Image: Getty Images)
Dybansta grew up in Boston before receiving million-dollar invitations from the biggest programs in the country — the likes of Monteverde — to join for high school
Instead, he accepted Utah Prep’s $600,000 deal. Then, Dybansta shocked many by turning down a buffet of blue blood programs for BYU, a program that hasn’t reached the Elite Eight since 1981.
“A lot stood out on my visit,” Dybansta admitted on ‘First Take.; “[BYU coach Kevin Young] coached my favorite player of all time, Kevin Durant. And [Durant] had high praise about him.”
READ MORE: Notre Dame women’s basketball ‘excited’ to announce new arrival to programREAD MORE: Flau’jae Johnson gives honest take on Caitlin Clark after college battles with WNBA star
Young signed a seven-year, $30 million deal with the Cougars in 2024 after serving as the Phoenix Suns’ associate head coach from 2021 to 2024.
“I think it’s going to be the best development program for me, he added. “They have an NBA staff, all the way down to the dietitian, strength coach, analytics guy. And my ultimate goal is to go to the NBA. Why not surround myself [with those resources] a year early?”
Talk of power conferences taking over the College World Series was premature judging by 2025 field
Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Six conferences and an independent will be represented at the College World Series, and none of the teams were among the final eight in Omaha a year ago. In 2024, the SEC and ACC had four teams apiece in the CWS and all the talk was that college baseball […]
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Six conferences and an independent will be represented at the College World Series, and none of the teams were among the final eight in Omaha a year ago.
In 2024, the SEC and ACC had four teams apiece in the CWS and all the talk was that college baseball would forevermore be dominated by the schools in those conferences that invest the most in the sport in scholarships, NIL and, starting soon, direct payments to players.
Someone forgot to tell that to Murray State, among others.
The CWS opens Friday with the Sun Belt Conference’s Coastal Carolina (53-11) playing the Big 12’s Arizona (44-19) in a rematch of the 2016 finals won by the Chanticleers. No. 8 national seed Oregon State (47-14-1), an independent until the Pac-12 ramps up again in 2026-27, meets the ACC’s Louisville (40-22) in the second game.
Saturday’s games match the Big Ten’s UCLA (47-16) against Missouri Valley Conference upstart Murray State (44-15) and an all-SEC battle between No. 3 Arkansas (48-13) and LSU (48-15).
Chanticleers coach Kevin Schnall was Gary Gilmore’s assistant in 2016, and he said he never believed a power conference takeover in baseball was inevitable. His team’s 23-game win streak is the longest in history by a team entering a CWS.
“Why has Coastal been so successful for 25 years? Well, Gary Gilmore was able to teach us how to assemble a roster,” Schnall said. “It’s not about putting together just the best players. You have to put together the best team. Sometimes money doesn’t always buy that.”
The money is about to get bigger. The House v. NCAA settlement will mandate roster limits, likely 34 in baseball, and allow schools to award as many scholarships as there are roster spots. Most programs are not expected to max out scholarships in baseball, but many will at least double the longstanding limit of 11.7.
Division I Baseball Committee chair Jay Artigues, athletic director at Southeastern Louisiana, said high-performing midmajors aren’t necessarily at a disadvantage because of how they tend to build their rosters. The outlook for them is not doom and gloom, he said.
“The Arkansases, the LSUs and the Georgias of the world, they’re going to have the premier 18-, 19-year-olds in the country, no question about it,” Artigues said. “They can’t get old because their 18- and 19-year-olds are signing (pro contracts) after that third year. Now where a mid-major can compete against them is having a good 22- or 23-year-old. You put a good 22-, 23-year-old against a really good 18-year-old, it evens the field.
“I think the midmajors that are having success are all older. You look at what Southern Miss did this year, they’re a fourth-, fifth-year team. That’s why they’re kicking the crap out of some P4 teams.”
Louisville coach Dan McDonnell said he thought at least one more ACC team would join his in Omaha, but he can’t help but be happy for Murray State to make it considering he played second base on the Citadel’s 1990 CWS team. It was his greatest baseball experience, he said, and as far as he’s concerned the more players who can experience the CWS, the better.
American Baseball Coaches Association executive director Craig Keilitz said the diversity of this year’s CWS field is good for the sport.
“I’m probably surprised as a lot of people as this proliferation of money has followed its way down, to say it might not be possible,” he said. “But I think it’s absolutely remarkable. I think it’s going to be interesting. I think it’s going to be highly watched and followed. I don’t think we could have scripted it any better.”
MLB prospects
Four MLB.com projected first-round picks in the Major League Baseball amateur draft will be playing in Omaha: LSU left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson (1), Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette (3), Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill (16) and Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy (23).
75 years in Omaha
The CWS is celebrating its 75th anniversary in Omaha, which landed what then was a lightly attended tournament in 1950 partly because city leaders promised to cover any cost overruns.
The CWS blossomed in the 1980s with the start of ESPN’s national coverage and moved from a dilapidated Rosenblatt Stadium to the 24,000-seat Charles Schwab Field in 2011. “Omaha” long has been a rallying cry for teams hoping to play for the national championship.
The city and NCAA have a contract that keeps the event in Omaha at least through 2035.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
How an NIL Loophole is Transforming Texas Tech Into a Softball Powerhouse
Texas Tech softball is coming off a national runner-up finish and has been thrust into the spotlight with a multi-millionaire pitcher in NiJaree Canady. However, all the attention garnered during the Red Raiders’ historic postseason run has turned college softball upside down with the announcements of several transfers, including Kaitlyn Terry, Jasmyn Burns, Mia Williams, […]
Texas Tech softball is coming off a national runner-up finish and has been thrust into the spotlight with a multi-millionaire pitcher in NiJaree Canady.
However, all the attention garnered during the Red Raiders’ historic postseason run has turned college softball upside down with the announcements of several transfers, including Kaitlyn Terry, Jasmyn Burns, Mia Williams, and Jackie Lis.
NCAA rules prevent head coaches from recruiting players actively on opponents’ rosters, but there aren’t rules in place to prevent a third party from approaching those players. This loophole has opened the door for All-Americans to join head coach Gerry Glasco’s program. The Matador Club, Texas Tech’s Name, Image and Likeness collective, and coach Nathan Nelson of Hotshots Fastpitch, a travel organization based in Texas, have reportedly been heavily involved in this process.
Texas Tech Softball is making moves! They’ve quickly added some of the top transfers in the country, per On3 Sports — and the Red Raiders are just heating up! pic.twitter.com/t0tIcgI7xJ
— Scarlet & Black Nation (@gunsupnation) June 12, 2025
Softball On SI spoke with six Division I programs about what is happening in Lubbock, and while it is completely legal, it raises concerns about morals and ethics.
A parent of a player who was contacted by Nelson spoke with Softball On SI in exchange for anonymity and said they received a phone call in April with a six-figure offer to transfer to Texas Tech.
“I know for 100 percent fact that there were kids in April, and even earlier than that, signed. Nathan Nelson told me before April 7, they were signing kids from other schools while they were playing with other teams to go to Texas Tech in 2026.”
Softball On SI reached out to Nelson for comment, and he declined any involvement.
Ten sources confirmed with Softball On SI that Nelson or The Matador Club also contacted Taylor Pannell, Isa Torres, Dakota Kennedy, Reese Atwood, Kasidi Pickering, Maci Bergeron, Dez Spearman, and Tori Edwards.
Pannell entered the transfer portal on Thursday with a do-not-contact tag and was reportedly in Lubbock with instructions not to appear in any photos because she wasn’t in the transfer portal, according to an additional four sources.
Pannell’s father, Brandon, told Softball On SI that his daughter wasn’t at Texas Tech and was at home in Illinois applying for master’s programs.
“Think about this, every kid other than Terry has played for Nathan at Hotshots,” the anonymous parent added. “He can say what he wants, but he has contacts with all these parents. He may not have made the call, but he’s involved.”
College Players (specifically kids they thought would be All-Americans) were being contacted as early as APRIL by @MatadorClubOrg??
Contracts. Ballpark Salaries. Early Negotiations.
At least that’s the word floating around the travelball streets right now…
Some believe the involvement of The Matador Club and Nelson feels like taking advantage of a broken system, and has many in the softball community feeling like there is a tampering issue, but because of the third-party usage, it is perfectly legal. It could also be Glasco’s way of getting ahead of a forever-changing collegiate landscape.
What stands out isn’t necessarily the fact that Glasco is bringing in transfers to Texas Tech, he was notorious for this while at Louisiana, where 63 players transferred in or out of the Ragin’ Cajun program during his seven-year tenure.
The pattern is not anything new, but this go around, it seems that Glasco just has more money to play with and third parties to negotiate on his behalf.
More news: Texas Tech Softball Bolsters Roster With 4 Major Transfer Portal Additions
More news: UGA Softball Adds Big Ten All-Freshman Pitcher Through Transfer Portal
More news: Big Blow for Tennessee Softball as Infielder Taylor Pannell Enters the Portal
Ohio State AD Ross Bjork on the House v. NCAA settlement
Two things will not change in college sports with the settlement of the House v. NCAA case, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said: Athletes will still go to class in pursuit of a degree, and they will still play games. “Everything in the middle of that is going to be different,” Bjork told reporters […]
Two things will not change in college sports with the settlement of the House v. NCAA case, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said: Athletes will still go to class in pursuit of a degree, and they will still play games.
“Everything in the middle of that is going to be different,” Bjork told reporters during a press conference to discuss the effects of the House settlement. “That’s OK. We’re all adapting.”
On June 6, federal judge Claudia Wilken approved the House settlement after prolonged negotiations. The settlement includes a $20.5 million cap on name, image and likeness that athletic programs will pay its players directly. Until now, NIL payments were run through non-university sources, primarily collectives, though colleges could work with them.
Ohio State will use $18 million on NIL payments in four sports – football, men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball. Bjork declined to say what percentage of that money each sport will get, though it’s certain football will get most of it. OSU will spend $2.5 million to pay for 91 additional scholarships spread among its 36 varsity programs.
Bjork said the settlement does not fix all of college sports’ problems. But he said it does provide clarity after three years without clear-cut rules since NIL rights were granted.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s progress we’ve never had before,” Bjork said. “It’s transformational progress.”
Here are six takeaways from Bjork’s press conference:
Ohio State’s 36 varsity sports are here to stay
Ohio State takes much pride in having 36 varsity sports, and that will continue in a post-House landscape. OSU and Stanford are tied for the most varsity sports in the country.
More: Longtime Ohio State football SID Emig to retire after 2025 season
“That was the starting point,” Bjork said. “We will maintain 36 sports. You have an obligation to the young people in those programs. There are a lot of historical programs that compete here. We want to maintain that. We want to grow that.”
Allocating resources to those programs might look different, he said. Not all sports will get an increase in scholarships. A few might face a reduction, though Bjork declined to specify which sports those might be. He said Title IX requirements mandating gender equity would factor into it.
But eliminating sports is not a consideration.
“We can generate the right kind of revenue,” Bjork said. “We’ve recalibrated the expenses the right way.”
Bjork believes OSU remains well-positioned for football
NIL funds were crucial to retaining the seniors and attracting transfers for Ohio State’s 2024 national championship run. OSU was regarded as one of the biggest spenders in NIL. But now that there’s a cap of $20.5 million – or $18 million outside of new scholarships – could that leveling of the playing field be to OSU’s disadvantage?
Bjork doesn’t believe so.
More: Which Ohio State sports will receive revenue-sharing payments in 2025-26?
“Ohio State football is a built-to-last championship brand,” he said. “That’s not going away.”
OSU players will still be able to make money on top of what their NIL compensation is. Third parties can arrange deals with a player as long as they are deemed by the newly created College Sports Commission to be of fair-market value and a valid business purpose and not used as a recruiting incentive. Given the passion for OSU football and the size of the Columbus market, Bjork believes that will add to the attractiveness of Ohio State to potential Buckeyes.
“We think we’re in a very competitive spot,” he said.
OSU is devising a formula for NIL payments
The challenge of disbursing NIL now falls on Ohio State. It will have to decide how much to play each player.
“How we navigate it is going to be an evolution,” Bjork said.
He said coach Ryan Day and general manager Mark Pantoni are using analytics to determine the value of each position. Bjork said the hiring of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, a longtime coach in the NFL, which has had a salary cap since 1994, will be “tremendously valuable.”
Patricia knows how the NFL values different positions.
“You can apply that to college,” Bjork said. “We will always be at the front of the game from a competitive standpoint, but others will have essentially the same resources. Then it’s a matter of how you continue to recruit to a championship brand, and we’re going to be right there every year.”
Bjork believes College Sports Commission judgments will stand
Since the announcement of the College Sports Commission, skeptics have questioned whether its rulings will be affirmed if challenged in court. After all, market value is usually considered to be whatever someone is willing to pay.
But Bjork believes the long negotiation between the parties in the House case will allow the College Sports Commission’s rulings to stand.
“I think what people are missing is it already has stood up in court,” he said. “It was approved. The settlement allowed for the (Power 4) conferences to create rules of engagement. The rules were then created based on valid business purpose, a range of compensation and associated entities. A judge has already signed off on this, and there’s arbitration, which is really hard to pierce.”
Bjork favors CFP expansion
Ohio State was a beneficiary of College Football Playoff expansion in 2024. Under the previous four-team system, the Buckeyes wouldn’t have qualified. Already, there has been talk of further expansion from 12 to 14 or 16 teams.
Bjork is in favor of it, though he didn’t specify a number.
“I could go either way,” he said.
Buy Ohio State posters, books, gear from CFP title win
He favors expansion because it would create more opportunities for players to play for a championship. More games also mean more revenue.
“We need more content because that will drive more revenue, that can drive more NIL opportunities for our athletes,” Bjork said.
The SEC and Big Ten, which are the two most powerful leagues, have pushed for several automatic qualifiers from their conferences. If the playoff expands, that could reduce the incentive to keep conference championship games.
“If you’re doing AQ (automatic qualifier) spots with play-in (CFP) games, could there be a different model? I think that’s a conversation that has to continue,” Bjork said.
Bjork still wants flexibility for football game times
Many OSU fans are grumbling about the noon kickoff for the much-anticipated season opener against Texas on Aug. 30, just as they complained about the Buckeyes being scheduled for eight noon games last year.
Bjork told The Dispatch in May that the Buckeyes tried to get the Texas game moved to prime time and even proposed moving the game to Aug. 31. But Texas, as is its right in the game contract, declined to play on a Sunday. Fox, which gets dibs on games for its Big Noon kickoff, wouldn’t budge, either.
“Really, there’s no flexibility in the contracts,” Bjork said. “Fox bought the noon window. CBS bought the afternoon window. NBC has the night window, and the Big Ten Network and Peacock layer into that.
“What we need is more flexibility. We have carried the day for Big Noon. There’s no question about it if you look at the viewership. We understand why Fox went with Big Noon. We understand why we’re picked all the time, but we’re hoping for more flexibility.”
He said Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will work with the networks, but he’s not optimistic it will get results.
“Can anything change anytime soon?” Bjork said. “Probably not because those contracts are rigid, and they’re locked in for several years.”
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Ohio State football beat writer Bill Rabinowitz can be reached at brabinowitz@dispatch.com or on bluesky at billrabinowitz@bsky.social.
What we do, don’t know about Missouri NIL, house settlement future
Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch struck a relatable tone to begin a nearly half-hour-long press conference with local media to address the changes coming to college athletics. “I really have a disclaimer,” Veatch said from inside Mizzou Arena on Thursday. “And that is that this is, as you know, very much an evolving landscape. So, […]
Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch struck a relatable tone to begin a nearly half-hour-long press conference with local media to address the changes coming to college athletics.
“I really have a disclaimer,” Veatch said from inside Mizzou Arena on Thursday. “And that is that this is, as you know, very much an evolving landscape. So, I don’t pretend to be the expert on everything.”
A lot has changed in college athletics this month, and that’s before the biggest waves have even reached the shore.
A new era of student-athlete compensation is set to go into effect July 1 after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval June 6 to a settlement that will usher in a proposed revenue-sharing model to college athletics.
That means Missouri, like any other institution that opts into the model, will be able to share an estimated $20.5 million directly to student-athletes across this fiscal year. That number will incrementally increase each year.
That’s the foundation of the settlement, but the approval is going to bring a multitude of changes to the way players are paid, the types of deals that will be sanctioned via third-party NIL, and, of course, the way athletic departments handle the upcoming changes.
There is a lot of ground to cover, and not all of it is stable or particularly transparent.
Here’s what we do and don’t know about the way Mizzou will operate in the post-settlement era:
More: What does the NCAA settlement mean for college sports? We answer the burning questions
Do know: ‘Bulk’ of Missouri’s revenue will go to football, men’s basketball
As expected, a majority of Missouri’s delegated revenue will go to football and men’s basketball. That’s following a common pattern around the country, as the two sports that generate the most revenue will get the most to pay players.
Veatch said there will be other sports and athletes that earn revenue-sharing money, but Eli Drinkwitz and Dennis Gates’ squads are getting the lion’s share.
“The bulk of our revenue-share funds will go to football and men’s basketball, similar to the conversation you’re seeing across the country,” Veatch said. “In large part in line with how money is generated, but also the brand value that those student-athletes bring to Mizzou.”
Don’t know: How money will be distributed, who else can earn share
What we do not know, however, is exactly how much each sport will earn. Some universities have provided the percentages that will go to football, men’s basketball and other sports.
For instance, Georgia has announced they plan to mirror the house settlement’s back damage formula amounts, which, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo, would allocate 75% to football (approx. $13.5 million), 15% to men’s basketball (approx. $2.7 million), 5% to women’s basketball (approx. $900,000) and 5% to the remainder of the sports.
Ohio State AD Ross Bjork has announced it will start by paying football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball.
But, for now, Mizzou will not be disclosing how or where exactly it allocates its money.
“I don’t feel like we’re in a position to share specific sports or specific details and amounts,” Veatch said. “And the reason for that, candidly, is because until we’re at a point where this process allows for that kind of transparency across the board of all sports, I just candidly don’t see a competitive value or a strategic incentive for us to disclose those specifics.
“I do think that will likely happen in time across the board, but until that time, I just don’t think it’s in the best interest of Mizzou.”
Do know: Scholarships are being added, with money to come out of rev-share pool
Scholarship limits have been eliminated in favor of roster limits across the board are coming as part of the settlement, meaning most sports will have fewer walk-ons. Missouri will spend about $3 million adding 60 new scholarships for the upcoming season. Seemingly, $2.5 million of that will come out of the revenue-sharing pool.
That means, like most schools, Mizzou is probably operating with approximately $18 million to pay players in revenue-sharing money in the 2025-26 fiscal cycle.
Don’t know: How ‘NIL Go’ — third-party NIL clearinghouse — will work
Revenue-sharing comes directly from the school. That’s new and will come directly from the school.
But, third-party NIL — old NIL — still exists. Third-party NIL is the method of paying players that has existed since it originated in 2021. Now, however, any NIL deals from businesses or boosters, or any other source will go through a clearinghouse review and can be approved or denied.
The power conferences have spearheaded the implementation of a ‘College Sports Commission,’ tabbing LBi Software and accounting firm Deloitte to create a clearinghouse system to review any third-party NIL deal that is greater than $600 in value. The clearinghouse will be called ‘NIL Go.’
Qualifying third-party deals will be submitted by the student-athlete to NIL Go, and a commission-created computer algorithm will determine whether those deals are legitimate or not.
Legitimate deals are meant, per the algorithm’s calculations, to be for a “valid business purpose” and be within “a reasonable range of compensation” for that particular student-athlete. Both of those are extremely open to interpretation (and probably, at some point, lawsuits).
But, until litigation happens, that’s besides the point. The clearinghouse’s main goal is to crack down on illegitimate deals.
So, what’s an example of a legitimate and likely-to-be-approved submission versus an illegitimate and unlikely-to-be-approved submission?
Well … nobody really knows. Not even Veatch, an SEC AD.
“We don’t know, again, because we haven’t gone through the process,” Veatch said. “So, I think we’ll have to learn as we go over the coming months, and as those third-party NIL deals are entered by student-athletes and they receive information and feedback, then we’ll learn with them. But until we go through that process, … we can’t speculate really any more than you can.”
Do know: How most Missouri/student-athlete contracts will be paid
Veatch said most of the revenue-sharing contracts that Missouri creates with student-athletes will include monthly payments to the player.
The AD also said that it will be possible to sign multi-year deals with an athlete.
There is no current status quo for this. Likely, universities across the country operate differently when it comes to contracts.
Don’t know: What those contracts will look like
These contracts are not expected to be public record, and universities seemingly will do their best to keep them from entering the public sphere.
That means if you want to know how much Mizzou is spending on its football team through revenue-sharing this upcoming year, you’re out of luck. Mizzou, realistically, like most institutions, will not disclose that information.
“I think we are tracking more and more toward an atmosphere where we have … that type of transparency,” Veatch said. “I don’t think we’re there yet, and in large part because we are still dealing with student-athletes, and they are young people with protections, legal protections, from some of those areas that have to be worked through, and we have to get advice on (it) before we can provide those kind of specifics.
“So, I could see that happening down the road, and maybe that’s in our future, but I think that’s one of the many, many questions that has to be answered on the legal front first.”
That also means it’s unlikely that we know exactly what the ramifications are for breaking the terms of a contract by, say, transferring after one season on a multi-year contract.
Don’t know: If any of this will work
Let’s play the hypothetical game for a moment.
What’s stopping a willing booster from filing a series of $599 payments to circumnavigate the clearinghouse threshold?
What’s stopping a university situated in a state with supremely lenient NIL legislation — Tennessee, for instance — from suing the NCAA or the clearinghouse when its rules and decisions counter what they have written in law at the state level?
What’s stopping a never-ending stream of lawsuits for any number of reasons, including but not limited to eligibility, Title IX or contract disputes?
What is binding any university to, plainly, play ball with the new rules when it may be more advantageous not to?
At present, it appears to mainly be faith, hope and wishes.
Veatch indicated that his recent meetings on the subject have shown him that coaches and administrators want to get on the same page with a uniform set of rules; that a widespread frustration with the current landscape of college athletics may bring the nation’s athletic departments together to embrace this next step.
That does, frankly, seem a little friendly for the often-cutthroat business that is college sports.
More: College sports athletic departments face tough revenue sharing decisions
Some universities and states have gone to great lengths to circumvent upcoming changes and to create advantages for paying players. Missouri led the charge on that back in 2023, by the way.
Now, a proposed set of uniformity is coming, and the coaches who cried chaos will get the chance to play by the same set of rules.
Will it happen?
“This is only (going) to be as successful as the members decide to make it, right?” Veatch said. “And if we are committed to it and give it a chance, then that’s a starting place. Will there be lawsuits, will there be continued outside pressures? Absolutely, right? And that’s why it is a step, but it’s not the last or final step.
“It’s also why we need congressional support, why we need to have, at some level, some federal action that gives us a level of protection so we can continue to move forward with the collegiate model in a new way, in a new day. And we’ve taken an important step to move that forward, but it is only a step.”
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