Kentucky moved into ESPN’s Top 25 after final NBA draft decisions
Now that all of the NBA draft decisions have been made, updates are being made to the early college basketball rankings. Today, ESPN.com adjusted its preseason top 25 to reflect the final roster movement around the sport. Kentucky fared well in ESPN’s reordering of its top teams, mostly due to the return of Otega Oweh […]
Now that all of the NBA draft decisions have been made, updates are being made to the early college basketball rankings. Today, ESPN.com adjusted its preseason top 25 to reflect the final roster movement around the sport. Kentucky fared well in ESPN’s reordering of its top teams, mostly due to the return of Otega Oweh for his senior season in Lexington. The Wildcats climbed from No. 11 to No. 9 in the new ranking.
Here’s what author Jeff Borzello said of the Wildcats’ new ESPN ranking:
Kentucky is absolutely loaded on the perimeter next season, with the arrivals of transfers Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane) and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and five-star prospect Jasper Johnson, to go along with the return of leading scorer Otega Oweh and reserve Collin Chandler.
Mark Pope also revamped the frontcourt with defense in mind, with the additions of Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama) and Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State). Quaintance could miss time after suffering a torn ACL in late February, so a step forward from Brandon Garrison will be needed.
Projected starting lineup Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt) Denzel Aberdeen (7.7 PPG at Florida) Otega Oweh (16.2 PPG) Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG at Alabama) Jayden Quaintance (9.4 PPG at Arizona State)
ESPN.com
Up top, Purdue, one of UK’s preseason opponents, is the No. 1 team in ESPN’s preseason top 25. Defending champ Florida, Houston, UConn, and St. John’s round out ESPN’s top five.
[How NBA draft withdrawal moved our early NCAA top 25 rankings]
Kentucky is also ninth at The Athletic
Over at The Athletic, CJ Moore’s new preseason poll also ranks Kentucky at ninth in the country. Moore writes that he is “intrigued by Kentucky’s frontcourt” and that the Wildcats will contend for a title if Jaland Lowe reaches all-league caliber at point guard:
This roster does not have the shooting of Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, but it should be better defensively and have more playmaking on the perimeter. Pope showed in Year 1 that he can microwave chemistry. He’s also giving himself a ton of lineup options. Not only will there be position battles for starting jobs, but also Kentucky will have some talented players who struggle to even make the rotation.
I’m most intrigued by the frontcourt. Pope likes his bigs to be the playmaking hubs of his offense, and Andrija Jelavic, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance are all intriguing options, though I’m not sure any of them can fully replace Amari Williams. Jelavic was a double-digit scorer for his professional club overseas, and Quaintance is considered a lottery-level prospect. He’ll have to beat out Brandon Garrison after recovering from a torn ACL.
You know what you’re going to get out of Otega Oweh and Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen, who would have been a starter on most SEC teams last year. Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe is more of a true point guard than Lamont Butler, but he goes through spurts of inefficiency. If Lowe can be an all-league-caliber guard and one or two of the bigs can produce consistently, this could be a title contender.
[Men’s college basketball Top 25 reset: How transfers, draft decisions change 2026’s contenders]
Here’s how Learfield plans to help athletes make NIL content that actually works
Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points. I’ve written about this phenomenon a few times already, and I expect to do it several more times this year … but everybody in college sports is looking to drive more revenue. Sure, that’s always been the case, but it is especially […]
Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.
I’ve written about this phenomenon a few times already, and I expect to do it several more times this year … but everybody in college sports is looking to drive more revenue.
Sure, that’s always been the case, but it is especially true now, as programs face the new expenses of athlete revenue-sharing and expanded scholarship spending, while also navigating institutional financial challenges like the undergraduate enrollment cliff and vanishing federal research money.
Since media rights revenue is typically already accounted for in long-term contracts, and schools can usually only sell so many more tickets, many athletic departments are looking square at their multimedia rights (MMR) partnerships to drive more revenue. If you can’t sell more tickets or get more money from ESPN, perhaps you can sell more sponsorships.
This is also true at the athlete compensation level. If a school already has a corporate sponsorship agreement in place, the university and MMR partner can’t simply redirect funds from the athletic department to individual athletes without that money counting against the House settlement cap.
But if athletes sign new brand sponsorships, even if those sponsorships include university assets, those contracts won’t count against the cap, so long as the contracts pass inspection from the College Sports Commission.
So tl;dr, that means there will be a lot of interest in MMR companies helping to find, or create, legitimate marketing opportunities for college athletes. Every dollar an athlete makes from Nationwide Insurance is a dollar that doesn’t have to come from an athletic department.
The most common ways for athletes to secure brand deals is via social media influencer campaigns. But the dirty little secret is that being good at sports does not automatically mean you’re good at social media influencing. Many brands decided not to renew campaigns with athletes from 2022 to 2024 simply because they weren’t seeing the value of the campaigns. You can’t just give an athlete a smartphone, have them shoot some vapid behind-the-scenes content, and expect people or brands to pay for it.
So if you want to drive new marketing deals via influencer marketing, you have to figure out a way to make athlete-driven content actually work. And at scale, that has so far been difficult to pull off.
But Learfield thinks it has a strategy that actually works … one that won’t just provide financial opportunities for athletes, but educational and professional ones as well.
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Steve Spurrier downplays need to have a special quarterback to win: ‘Georgia went to a national championship with Stetson Bennett’
Steve Spurrier is never afraid to poke fun at some of his biggest rivals. Another one may have come on Monday, going after the Georgia Bulldogs for their two national championships. Specifically, quarterback Stetson Bennett. Even as Georgia was winning, a lot of conversation surrounded Bennett’s standing with the team. Well, Spurrier has the same […]
Steve Spurrier is never afraid to poke fun at some of his biggest rivals. Another one may have come on Monday, going after the Georgia Bulldogs for their two national championships. Specifically, quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Even as Georgia was winning, a lot of conversation surrounded Bennett’s standing with the team. Well, Spurrier has the same opinion of some fans in Athens. When downplaying the need for a “special quarterback” in order to win the whole thing, he brought up Bennett with UGA.
“I think there’s two areas that are, probably, going to determine the best teams,” Spurrier said. “Obviously, coaching is important. And then special players. It could be the quarterback but it could be other guys. Georgia won two national championships with Stetson Bennett. So, the quarterback, he needs to be a good player but he doesn’t have to be one of those guys that has to throw for 300 yards every game.”
Funny enough, Bennett did surpass the 300-yard mark in three of the four College Football Playoff games he played in. No performance better than the Ohio State win in 2022, throwing for 398 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Georgia’s first national championship, against Alabama, would be considered the worst outing, still putting up a solid 224 yards and two touchdowns while completing over 65% of throws.
There was even a performance against Florida where Bennett got over the mark Spurrier mentioned. It was a blowout victory in favor of Georgia, taking down their arch-rival back in 2022.
Michigan and Ohio State have won the two national championships after Georgia. JJ McCarthy left Ann Arbor and wound up being a first-round selection, slating to start this upcoming season for the Minnesota Vikings. Ohio State got an upgrade at the position via Will Howard, someone who threw for over 4,000 yards during his lone season in Columbus.
As for this season, we have an exciting five months ahead to see who winds up winning the national championship. Some “special” quarterbacks are thought to be playing for some massive programs. NFL scouts will be quite interested to see the likes of Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier.
However, Spurrier can see somebody without a big name ultimately hoisting the trophy in January. His example will get a laugh from a good amount of Florida, and maybe even SEC, fans — downplaying Bennett’s ability while Georgia made their famous two-year run.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer releases statement on alleged sports gambling controversy
Oklahoma released a statement regarding QB John Mateer and the alleged sports gambling controversy that came to light. The transfer quarterback’s Venmo account was allegedly screenshotted, showing transactions that signaled he was betting on college games. Sooner Scoop previously reported that the school was aware of the alleged incident and was looking into it. Mateer […]
Oklahoma released a statement regarding QB John Mateer and the alleged sports gambling controversy that came to light. The transfer quarterback’s Venmo account was allegedly screenshotted, showing transactions that signaled he was betting on college games.
Sooner Scoop previously reported that the school was aware of the alleged incident and was looking into it. Mateer made it clear to Oklahoma that he never gambled, per George Stoia.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer said in a statement. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.
“I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have no engaged in any sports gambling.”
Mateer was a star at Washington State before he transferred to Norman. The addition promises a jolt to the Sooners’ offense.
Over the course his career with the Cougars, Mateer was a dual threat QB. He threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 64.6% completion percentage, 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Having swagger like Mateer’s isn’t an accident. He has been that good throughout his college career to this point, which even leads him to talking trash in practice and during games.
“I know from playing football, it gets people going a little bit,” Mateer told reporters after fall camp practice on Monday. “And that’s what you need on this field. Like, this (is) practice four, and it’s great, but come here soon it’s gonna be, ‘Damn, this practice is hot,’ this and that, so you can get everybody going a little bit more. And that comes from me.
“I’m the quarterback, I’m the leader, so I’ve got to do it. I love doing it — if you talk a little trash, you’ll get the best out of everybody.”
Mateer’s status as the leader of the team comes without him ever playing a down of football for the Sooners. The 2025 season will be Mateer’s first with the program alongside new Sooners offensive coordinator and QB coach Ben Arbuckle earlier this offseason. The two are expected to lead the offense to greater heights than what they saw in 2024.
Georgia football ranks top five in initial Coaches and AP polls | Georgia Sports
Georgia enters the 2025 season ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 college football preseason poll and No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. This marks a slight reduction from the two previous seasons, when Georgia was the top-ranked team in the 2023 and 2024 preseason AP Polls. The Bulldogs received just one […]
Georgia enters the 2025 season ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 college football preseason poll and No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
This marks a slight reduction from the two previous seasons, when Georgia was the top-ranked team in the 2023 and 2024 preseason AP Polls. The Bulldogs received just one first-place vote, finishing with 1,331 total points to narrowly rank above Notre Dame, which sits at No. 6 with 1,325 points.
Despite losing to Georgia twice last season, Texas took the top spot in both rankings with promising quarterback Arch Manning officially becoming the Longhorns’ starter. The second and third spots in the AP poll are held by Penn State and Ohio State, respectively, with the two swapping places in the Coaches Poll. While it ranks below Georgia at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, Clemson places one spot above the Bulldogs at No. 4 in the more recently announced AP poll.
After an up-and-down 2024 season in which Georgia ranked as high as No. 1 and as low as No. 12, the Bulldogs managed to take the No. 2 ranking into the College Football Playoff after their SEC Championship victory over Texas. Following a loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, however, Georgia was leapfrogged by teams still in title contention and finished the year ranked No. 6.
While Georgia remains a true contender for the 2025 season, concerns such as Gunner Stockton’s lack of experience and multiple talented players graduating likely played a role in the decision to rank a few teams above the Bulldogs.
The SEC has 10 ranked teams in the AP poll, the most of any conference, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with four. Five of Georgia’s opponents for the 2025 season enter the year ranked; Texas at No. 1, Alabama at No. 8, Florida at No. 15, Ole Miss at No. 21, and Tennessee at No. 24.
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In an era where college football is increasingly defined by transfer portal headlines and NIL deals, Jacob Bower’s story cuts through the noise with raw authenticity. A former walk-on who once paid his way just to be part of the Nebraska program, Bower has transformed himself into a scholarship linebacker and a symbol of everything […]
In an era where college football is increasingly defined by transfer portal headlines and NIL deals, Jacob Bower’s story cuts through the noise with raw authenticity.
A former walk-on who once paid his way just to be part of the Nebraska program, Bower has transformed himself into a scholarship linebacker and a symbol of everything the Huskers hope to build under head coach Matt Rhule. His journey, from scout team reps to spring standout, isn’t just a feel-good tale. It’s a blueprint for the kind of player development that still matters in Lincoln.
Bower’s rise from walk-on to scholarship linebacker at Nebraska is the kind of story that reminds fans why they love college football. At just 10 years old, Bower wasn’t chasing tackles; he was singing in a traveling church choir. But during a performance stop at Memorial Stadium, something shifted. Bower fell in love with Nebraska football, planting the seed for a journey that would one day bring him back, not as a visitor, but as a linebacker.
The Rancho Santa Margarita, California, native had a full ride waiting at Army, with the chance to play rugby and earn a free education. But the pull of Nebraska was stronger. He turned down certainty for a shot at something bigger, walking on in Lincoln and footing the bill himself, all to chase a dream that started in the stands of Memorial Stadium.
Jacob Bower walked on to Lincoln in 23 to little fanfare,using a RS & developing he continued 24 by playing in 6 games!Getting better every day Bower in 25 has earned a scholarship and will surprise fans this season & has a big future ahead!We are 54 days out til Husker Kickoff! pic.twitter.com/yeNxcgvUQp
After piling up 174 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions over his final two seasons at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Bower arrived in Lincoln in 2023 as a walk-on determined to earn his place in the Huskers’ locker room. Capping off his senior season, Bower earned a spot in the Orange County All-Star Game, where he earned recognition as one of the game’s top defensive performers.
After redshirting in his first season at Nebraska, Bower saw action in six games during the 2024 season, making his Husker debut against UTEP. He logged his first career tackle in the win over Northern Iowa, quietly beginning to carve out a role on Nebraska’s special teams and defensive depth chart.
Bower’s relentless drive and breakout spring showing in 2025 didn’t go unnoticed. During a routine practice, Rhule halted the action to deliver a moment that would redefine Bower’s journey, awarding him a scholarship in front of the entire team.
Next. Nebraska Football Season Central. Nebraska Football Season Central. dark
Bower’s path to a Nebraska scholarship wasn’t paved with headlines or shortcuts. From choir kid to walk-on to game-changer, his story is a reminder that in Lincoln, heart still matters. For the Huskers, Bower isn’t just a player; he’s proof that the dream is still alive.
Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
Home games are bolded. All times central.
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Pay to Play: College Baseball and the NCAA’s New Economy of Visibility
About 6 minutes reading time. Reginald Armstrong | Aug 12th, 2025 10:55pm EDT Apparently, a judge—Claudia Wilken—has ruled that NCAA Division I universities can now be legitimate modern-day Robin Hoods and pay “student” athletes. On June 6, 2025, she approved the House v. NCAA settlement—a federal court decision that fundamentally reshapes the NCAA’s amateurism model. […]
About 6 minutes reading time. Reginald Armstrong | Aug 12th, 2025 10:55pm EDT
Apparently, a judge—Claudia Wilken—has ruled that NCAA Division I universities can now be legitimate modern-day Robin Hoods and pay “student” athletes. On June 6, 2025, she approved the House v. NCAA settlement—a federal court decision that fundamentally reshapes the NCAA’s amateurism model.
No more scholarship caps. A new structure for revenue-sharing. And perhaps most notably: the creation of a Name, Image, and Likeness clearinghouse for NIL deals exceeding $600—for transparency, of course.
As an additional development in the House v. NCAA settlement, attorneys have now agreed to allow NIL collectives to exceed the proposed $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap—provided deals meet a loosely defined “fair market value” threshold. This adjustment effectively softens the cap and reopens the door for high-dollar NIL arrangements, particularly among power programs with deep-pocketed boosters.
The payout? $20.5 million per school annually. How that sum gets divvied up remains unclear—I haven’t drilled down into the particulars. But let’s not kid ourselves: the lion’s share will likely be funneled toward college football and men’s basketball.
Still—college baseball is stirring. With the 2025 College World Series freshly concluded and the transfer portal buzzing like a switchboard, this offseason isn’t idle—it’s ideological. NIL valuations, roster reshuffles, and coaching chess moves now rival the MLB draft in drama. LSU, Arkansas, and Texas A&M are stacking talent like hedge funds stack assets. We’ve entered an era where a pitcher’s arm comes attached to a media strategy.
Just look at the decisions being made now—
Dylan Loy
A lefty who pitched in Tennessee’s CWS finals and SEC title game, Loy opted to transfer to Georgia Tech rather than go pro—likely weighing brand development and NIL upside against draft uncertainty.
Gavin Kash
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One of college baseball’s top sluggers with 41 career home runs, Kash remains unsigned, evaluating portal offers with six-figure NIL implications.
Brady Neal
LSU’s promising catcher, entered the portal post-surgery and has since committed to Alabama. His stat line (.276/.408/.578 with 9 HRs) suggests future draft appeal—but his decision to stay collegiate ensures medical recovery, visibility, and a fresh start under Alabama’s rebuild.
Zach Root
Arkansas pitcher Zach Root (33) throws a pitch against Washington State during an NCAA baseball game on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
East Carolina’s lefty ace, transferred to Arkansas after injury rather than jump into the 2025 draft—presumably to reset valuation through performance and pitch under the spotlight of SEC competition.
Jason Torres
Miami’s injured first baseman committed to Alabama—choosing legacy rebuild over uncertain draft slotting.
Conner O’Neal
A senior catcher drafted in the 9th round by the Dodgers, O’Neal received a paltry $2,500 signing bonus. Meanwhile, unsigned collegians are fielding NIL deals at ten to forty times that. It’s a reversal of the path once considered inevitable.
These aren’t isolated cases. They’re proof points. College isn’t just a stop on the way to the majors—it’s a strategic platform, and sometimes, the more prosperous one.
That in turn reawakens the longstanding tension around Title IX, as questions of equitable access and compensation intersect with economic realities. Revenue sports will drive the bulk of distribution. But fairness? That depends on who’s holding the purse—and the mic.
Even Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s Head Football coach and a symbol of collegiate consistency, recently dismissed the playoff structure as doomed to “blow up in five years.” His frustration didn’t end there—it echoed the silent groan of coaches and traditionalists who see NIL, the portal, and the new power dynamics as a departure from collegiate soul, not an evolution.
And I get it. I’ve long believed that athletes—true student-athletes—deserved stipends. Even a slice of their NIL. But now? Now we’re staring down a landscape where kids not old enough to legally toast a win in some states will earn more than seasoned professionals—teachers, lawyers, even broadcasters. When that level of income arrives before the diploma, it alters incentives and confuses identity.
The most troubling part? Athletes may now weigh whether to go pro at all. The path to prosperity for many was the draft. Suiting up at the highest level wasn’t just a dream—it was survival strategy. But now, campus can be more lucrative than rookie ball. College isn’t just a proving ground—it’s become a platform. And increasingly, a destination.
I still miss the voices of Keith Jackson and Chris Schenkel. I miss when athletes stayed four years on balance, honoring the name on the front of the uniform as much as the one on the back. When a college athlete’s story began at freshman orientation and didn’t end until graduation caps flew.
As a lifelong USC Trojan supporter since 1973, I remember when the band struck up “Conquest,” the cardinal-and-gold pageantry unfolded, and Saturdays felt like sacred ritual—rooted in rhythm, pride, and continuity. The culture wasn’t curated—it was lived.
Today? Athletes hop universities like we change socks. Only now, they’re paid—legally, openly, and no longer through booster laundering.
You might call this progress. You might call it overdue. But let’s not pretend there hasn’t been a cost.
Something rooted. Something rhythmic. Something undeniably collegiate has been quietly traded for something transactional.
And as college baseball recalibrates—with expanded rosters, NIL money chasing exit velocity and ERA, and players weighing pro dreams against collegiate branding—we stand at a threshold. If the game still wants heart, it will need storytellers, not just scouts. If it wants culture, it must frame the moments that echo—beyond bat speed and box scores.
We’ve entered the age of visibility economics. The question now is: What will we show—and what will we remember?
