The NCAA created a big mess by opening up a can of worms with little to no advanced planning. The four-letter “non-profit” threw its constituents a bone by giving them the transfer portal and NIL. It turned into an avalanche of lawsuits that threaten the entity’s existence.

You cannot put the toothpaste back into the tube, but you can spread that toothpaste out more evenly over a couple of brushes. Right now, the sport of college football has an entire tube of toothpaste on the brush for the month of December.

After the Super Bowl, the NFL has free agency in March, followed by the draft in late April. College football ends its regular season. Less than a week later, it holds its draft (Early Signing Period), then begins its one-month free agency period (transfer portal), most of which is wrapped up before the postseason concludes.

It’s a damn mess.

The calendar is unsustainable. The powers that be tried to alleviate strain on college football coaches by moving up the Early Signing Period to the first Wednesday in December. It removed in-home visits from the recruiting process, but gave coaches more time to specifically focus on securing visits and landing players from the transfer portal.

This year’s transfer portal opened on Monday, Dec. 9. There was also a second window following spring practice. Both are subject to change and there is growing momentum around the sport to make it happen.

Transfer Portal Potential Changes

Earlier this year at the AFCA Convention, coaches lobbied to eliminate the spring transfer portal window. I think most would agree that the sport can still operate successfully with just one transfer portal window. The biggest question is when will the transfer portal open and who will make that decision? Kirby Smart has some thoughts.

“I think it’d be a great question to ask some people, but my opinion is the implementation committee, which comes from the settlement,” Smart said from the SEC spring meetings in Destin. “Appointed [10] ADs, two from each Power conference, who hear the conference’s perspective. And ultimately, those [10] ADs – which are appointed coming off the settlement – will have to make a lot of implementation decisions that are not part of the settlement. The ‘nuggets,’ let’s call it. Here’s the settlement, and then the nuggets are going to come from these [10] ADs.”

Kentucky’s Mitch Barnhart would be among the ten who would make that decision. Smart made a case for opening up the transfer portal in January.

January makes sense on the football calendar, only interfering with a few teams still playing in the CFP, but it interferes with the academic calendar. Unless schools make changes, there isn’t enough time to transfer schools before spring semesters begin.

Greg Sankey made it clear that SEC coaches want the transfer portal in January. Big Ten coaches are lobbying for March or April, and there’s one more proposal.

A May transfer portal date has been kicked around by some administrators. It makes the most logical sense in this humble blogger’s opinion. It’s the only vacant month on the calendar, and it would give the sport a nice kick in the news cycle during an otherwise dull time, right before the start of the official college football new year at spring meetings. However, coaches don’t want their future players working out at other schools in the spring. They want them on campus ASAP.

Changes are coming to the transfer portal, and like so many changes in college football, there are no easy answers.

The world of college sports is scheduled to change drastically on July 1 when schools can start directly paying student-athletes for the first time in NCAA history. Except there is just one big problem — the settlement has not been passed.

Everyone in the college sports space is still awaiting word on from Judge Claudia Wilken if the settlement will be passed after the NCAA and its lawyers were asked to make adjustments to the roster limit rules. The expectation is that this will go through but you just never know until it’s final.

“We’re waiting as patiently as we can,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told the media on Monday at the league’s annual spring meetings.

The SEC and all of the other power conferences are all-in on this revenue-sharing plan that will hopefully provide them with structure and a governing body system that can enforce rules and help limit the pay-for-play era with third parties heavily involved in sports. However, things can change quickly if Judge Wilken turns down the settlement. Sankey was asked about alternate options if that denial occurred. The most powerful man in college athletics would not get into details but billable hours almost always find a way.

“I think there are likely several. And I’ll let my lawyers speak to that within my room rather than publish it,” Sankey explained. “I think we’re still waiting and focused on preparing for a settlement as has been presented at this point.”

“I think we’ve prepared as well as we are able. Now anytime something is new, I’ve said this, there’s going to be turbulence. There’s going to be questions to be answered.”

Greg Sankey says that the SEC has multiple alternative courses of action to take if the settlement is turned down. For now, the league plays the waiting game while the clock ticks. Revenue-sharing is just 34 days away.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Five Illinois softball players earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, the organization announced on Tuesday. Page Berkmeyer, Adisyn Caryl, Eileen Donahue, Stevie Meade and Lauren Wiles took home the academic honors.

This is the third time Meade has been awarded the accolade while Berkmeyer earned the distinction for a second-straight year. Caryl, Donahue and Wiles were given the distinction for the first time in their careers.

Berkmeyer closed out her senior campaign slashing .272/.384/.361. The catcher continued to shine behind the dish, ranking third all-time in the Illini record books with 41 runners caught stealing. Berkmeyer received her undergraduate degree in 2024 and is pursuing her masters in Animal Science.

Caryl finished second on the team with a .321 batting average during her sophomore campaign. The third baseman was the only Fighting Illini player to start every game this season. The 11 doubles Caryl amassed tied for first on the team while the seven homers ranked second. Caryl is majoring in Elementary Education and Spanish.

Donahue paced the Fighting Illini with a .331 batting average, .574 slugging percentage, 10 home runs and 35 RBI this season. The sophomore appeared in 46 games, starting 44 primarily playing at first base. The Chicago native is majoring in Elementary Education.

Meade concluding her time donning the orange and blue slashing .273/.489/.340. The outfielder’s 11 doubles and two triples were tied for first on the team this season. Meade leaves her legacy on the Illini program, becoming the all-time leader in sacrifice hits. Meade graduated with her degree in Interdisciplinary Health.

Wiles posted a 4.24 ERA with 36 strikeouts during her senior campaign. The pitcher tossed four complete games and recorded one complete game shutout this season. Her 67.2 innings pitched ranked third among the Illini pitching staff. Wiles received her master’s in Management this spring.

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must have a 3.50 GPA and is at least a sophomore academically and athletically. Nominees must also be a starter or important reserve to the team and participated in at least 90 percent of the games during the 2025 campaign.

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – Alert the statue makers. Their services would be needed in January, if a college football team navigates this season undefeated.

That’s the way Steve Sarkisian sees it, anyway.

The Texas coach boldly predicted Tuesday that college football might have seen its last undefeated national champion. And in the off-chance that another perfect team emerges, bust out the bronze, Sarkisian says.

Michigan most recently pulled off perfection with its 2023 team. The Wolverines went 15-0, emerging victorious from a four-team College Football Playoff.

Now, with a 12-team playoff in place and a bigger playoff likely on the horizon, national champions play more than 15 games.

This season’s national champion will play a minimum of 16 games. Ohio State captured glory with a 14-2 record last season. The Buckeyes lost twice during the regular season before winning the national championship from the No. 8 seed line.

Ohio State became the first two-loss champion since 2007 LSU. Get used to more of that, says Sarkisian.

“This idea of somebody is going to go 16-0 in college football, man, put a statue up somewhere of that team,” Sarkisian said before the SEC’s spring meetings began here this week, “because I just don’t know if that’s going to happen again.”

Interesting opinion.

Count me among the skeptics, though, that we’ve seen the last of the undefeated national champions. This sport isn’t known for parity. It’s known for a small batch of schools dominating.

Sarkisian himself built a roster that could be poised to do some dominating this year.

FOOL’S GOLD: Big Ten trojan horse lures SEC toward lame playoff format

BIGGER BETTER?: Keep rivalries, or cupcake games? SEC weighs schedule options

Kirby Smart explains why perfection remains possible

Consider Georgia coach Kirby Smart skeptical of Sarkisian’s prediction that we’ve seen the sport’s last undefeated team.

Smart’s 2022 squad went undefeated, one of five teams to achieve the feat during the 10 years of the four-team playoff.

Smart’s thinking goes like this: Unless some framework is put in place to keep a team from outspending everyone else in this pay-for-play era, what’s to stop the emergence of an undefeated super team filled with highly paid players?

“You could end up with some haves and have nots out there,” Smart said, “and ultimately teams could drive prices and go buy a championship with a super team. I think we could see that if there’s not parity. We don’t really know if there’s going to be or not.”

A federal judge is considering whether to approve a legal settlement that would unlock revenue-sharing with athletes. That settlement would cap how much revenue each institution could share with athletes, functioning as something of a salary cap on rosters. However, even in that revenue-sharing landscape, separate NIL deals outside the school framework still could be brokered, allowing a roster to exceed the revenue-sharing cap.

College football’s landscape started evolving after NIL deals launched in 2021. Transfer rules also loosened that year. Those changes made it more difficult for one team – say, Alabama or Georgia – to stockpile a three-deep of all-stars.

“The portal and the lack of the depth” made going undefeated more difficult, Smart acknowledged.

Also, a longer season increases the runway for injuries. Both Texas and Georgia dealt with injuries to their starting quarterbacks last season. Georgia lost in the CFP quarterfinals to Notre Dame while starting a backup quarterback, after Carson Beck injured his elbow in the SEC championship game.

Texas is top candidate to be next undefeated national champion

Sarkisian ranks among the likeliest coaches to produce an undefeated champion within this structure.

The Longhorns possess the necessary ingredients to go undefeated:

∎ A lush bankroll. A handsomely paid roster doesn’t guarantee success, but let’s not kid ourselves, no pauper is winning a title in this pay-for-play model. Ohio State won with the help of spending $20 million to improve its roster. Texas, with its deep war chest, is believed to be among the teams driving up the market price this season.

∎ A good quarterback. Ohio State’s Will Howard peaked at the right time last season and delivered some of his finest performances throughout Ohio State’s four playoff victories. Texas will hand its quarterback reins to Arch Manning. He’s among the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy.

∎ A coach (and a school) that attracts talent and develops it. Ohio State’s Ryan Day can recruit and develop. So can Sarkisian. Day entered last season on the shortlist of best coaches without a national championship. Sarkisian heads up that list this season, after Texas’ consecutive trips to the CFP semifinals.

Arch Manning leads a talented Texas team that’s transitioning

Perfection talk aside, it’s evident that Sarkisian likes his roster. Texas must transition to new starters at key positions, including quarterback, but fresh starters doesn’t equate to a youthful roster.

“We’re not necessarily young. We’ve just got some new faces (starting),” Sarkisian said, “guys who have been in our program, who have been working on their craft, who have been developing, and now it’s their opportunity.”

Take Manning, for example. He’s no pup, after two seasons as Quinn Ewers’ backup.

Manning started two games last season while Ewers recovered from an injury, and Sarkisian kept using Manning in select situations after Ewers returned.

The toughest roadblock to Texas achieving perfection probably isn’t the season’s length, but rather the location of its toughest regular-season games.

The Longhorns will play at Ohio State in the season opener and at Georgia in November.

If Manning and the Longhorns beat the Buckeyes at The Horseshoe, the victory would trumpet a message that Texas perfection is possible.

Anyone know any statue makers in Austin?

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Four members of the Lehigh softball team have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, announced Tuesday. The Mountain Hawks are represented by senior Julia Mrochko, junior Sydney Parlett and sophomores Holly Lovett and Peyton Sward.
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must have a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and meet certain competitive benchmarks for games played or games started. Student-athletes who meet this criteria and have significant on-field accomplishments will move on to the Academic All-America ballot. First-year student-athletes are not eligible for Academic All-District or Academic All-America honors.
 
From Lehigh’s four honorees, Mrochko and Sward will move on to the Academic All-America ballot, with those honors expected to be announced in mid-June. Mrochko and Sward were both All-Patriot League honorees on the field, with Mrochko earning second team honors and Sward being selected to the first team. The middle infield duo both garnered Academic All-Patriot League honors earlier this month.
 
Mrochko graduated May 18 with a 3.74 GPA in finance. She hit .325 in 2025 with 17 doubles, three home runs and 32 RBIs.
 
Lehigh’s primary catcher in 2025, Parlett holds a 3.61 GPA majoring in industrial and systems engineering. Parlett had 10 extra base hits and drove I 17 runs in 47 games this past season.
 
An economics major with a 3.76 GPA, Lovett appeared in all 52 games, primarily at third base, and had 30 hits, including five doubles, and 17 runs batted in.
 
Sward’s 3.78 GPA ranks first among Lehigh’s upperclass student-athletes. She hit .318 with 49 hits and 31 runs scored in 52 games last season.
 
Lehigh finished the 2025 season at 28-24.
 
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Five Chattanooga Mocs softball players were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, the organization announced Tuesday.
 
Peja Goold, Olivia Lipari, Taylor Long, Acelynn Sellers and Kailey Snell each earned a spot on the All-District Team and Goold is eligible for Academic All-America consideration.
 
Goold was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-Region. The junior is a marketing major with a 3.64 GPA. She had a SoCon-best 244 strikeouts in 2025, tied for fourth in a single season at UTC and is seventh on the Mocs all-time list with 465. She was ranked fourth in the NCAA for shutouts with eight, sixth in wins with 25 and seventh in the NCAA for strikeouts.
 
Olivia Lipari was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. The senior infielder graduated in May with a degree in Biology with Latin Honors. She is the sixth Chattanooga player to earn the postseason honor and the first since 2012. She led the Mocs at the plate this season and was fifth in the league. Her 17 doubles ranked second in the SoCon and in the Top 30 in the NCAA.
 
Taylor Long, a junior Health and Physical Education K-12 major carries a 3.65 GPA. She was named All-Southern Conference Second Team and was second in the SoCon with 160 strikeouts. The Calhoun, Ga., native led the league in strikeouts per seven innings with 8.7 and was second in opponent batting average at .206.
 
Acelynn Sellers carries 3.67 GPA in Chemical Engineering. She started every single game she played in her fourth seasons with the vast majority at first base. She closed out her career with 27 home runs, including a team-best 12 this season. Twice she hit a UTC record three home runs in a single game, including the Mocs SoCon Tournament game against Mercer.
 
Kailey Snell graduated last May with a degree in Child and Family Studies and is currently working on her Masters in Secondary Education: Licensure with a 4.0 GPA. The Shelbyville, Tenn., native is a three-time CSC Academic All-District Honoree. She made 219 starts, primarily at short stop and gained an extra year after suffering a season-ending injury in her junior year. Snell was the Mocs lead off batter most of the season and was third on the team with a .328 batting average. She had 11 sac bunts, eight doubles, two triples and a .396 on-base percentage.
 
Goold is up for consideration for CSC Academic All-America as well as with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She was named to the 643 Charts All-American Second Team. She was determined to be one of the most impactful pitchers in the country based on the WAR (Wins Above Replacement) metric.
 
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