After an up-and-down 2024 season, Brian Kelly went to work overhauling the LSU roster. The Tigers went to work on both the high school and transfer portal recruiting trails, and Kelly shared just how much the roster costs this year.

Kelly said LSU is “going to be just about $18 million” during his first radio show of the year – lining up with the number On3’s Pete Nakos reported this spring. The Tigers brought in 18 transfers this cycle as part of the No. 2-ranked portal class, according to the On3 Team Transfer Portal Index, and also had a Top-10 high school recruiting class.

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In a survey conducted by On3 earlier this summer, LSU received five votes as one of the top spenders in the program. Sources told Nakos at the time that the Tigers’ spending also marked an “impressive” turnaround as Kelly looks to get the program to the College Football Playoff for the first time in his tenure.

Kelly pointed out the stark differences between the salary cap in place in the NFL – where the “big money” is – and in college. That’s when he shared how LSU’s roster cost compares.

“Look, the NFL is $280 million a year in salary cap. We’re going to be just about $18 million,” Kelly said. “There’s a big difference between $280 million and $18 million. So if you can’t see the difference between the two, then you’re not really understanding that what you want to develop your son to be is the best version of himself so he can get the big money in three years.

“It’s starting to resonate back to that. Be competitive with other offers that they may get, but at the end of the day, it’s still about showing them that if you come to LSU, we’re going to develop you in all facets. So when you leave here, not only are you a better player, you’re a better man, you’re a better person and you can go into an NFL locker room. … The NFL knows that. They know that if they go through our program here, not only are they really good players, but they’re prepared for that next step. And that next step is really important because they’re going to pay them a lot more money than we were paying them.”

Brian Kelly details LSU’s approach to front-loading deals

Earlier this offseason, Brian Kelly acknowledged LSU needed to improve its NIL support and dove in headfirst. He helped lead a major NIL initiative as he and his wife committed to match up to $1 million in donations with a gift to the school’s foundation, which resulted in $3.2 million raised for Bayou Traditions.

Kelly also said LSU’s approach, prior to House v. NCAA settlement approval, was to front-load deals. Upon final approval, the NIL Go clearinghouse went into effect to vet NIL deals worth more than $600. From there, the Tigers used revenue-sharing to enhance the amount of dollars the players received.

“I’ll go back to that, we had a plan that I think was advanced for everybody else and that was, we were going to front-load a lot of our players prior to revenue-sharing,” Kelly said. “We wouldn’t be in a position where we were, when we got to revenue-sharing, we couldn’t compete. A lot of this was front-loaded contractually where our players were able to – and for us, we were able to get to them before revenue-sharing, and then use revenue-sharing to kind of put them over the top.

“So pulling from both of those resources really allowed us, from a contractual standpoint, to get a little bit of a jump on the crowd, if you will, because everybody now sees that plan and will be using it. But it gave us a real boomerang effect in terms of recruiting and it helped us with our freshman recruiting, as well.”

The 2025-26 NCAA football season is officially upon us, and the best way to catch the action all season long is with ESPN Unlimited.

How to Watch College Football with ESPN Unlimited

• Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025 – Monday, January 19, 2026
• TV Channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPN+, ESPNEWS, ABC, SEC Network, ACC Network, SEC Network+, ACC Network+
• Stream: ESPN Unlimited (Watch Now)
• Stream: ESPN Unlimited, Hulu, Disney+ Bundle (Watch Now)

ESPN Unlimited is a new streaming service that offers a wide array of channels and sports to choose from. It is the ultimate package for sports enthusiasts, with coverage of the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, UFC, UFL, SEC, ACC, Big 12, and more. It can also be bundled with Disney+ and Hulu at a discounted price right now.

ESPN Select is also available at a cheaper price, allowing access to events previously streamable through ESPN+.

It is time for college football fans to gear up for the NCAA season, and there are plenty of storylines to follow heading into the year.

Ohio State will look to defend its title after rolling through the College Football Playoff en route to its ninth National Championship. They lost some key playmakers on offense, but Jeremiah Smith will be back once again to torment defenses.

The performance of Arch Manning will be something everyone will have their eyes on this season in his first year as the full-time starter for Texas. Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli, is one of the most hyped up college athletes in recent memory.

Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, and the rest of the powerhouse programs will all be in full effect as they look to secure their rightful spots in the field of eight College Football Playoff teams.

This should be a fantastic NCAA college football season that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

Live stream College Football with ESPN Unlimited: Start your subscription now!

Bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ & Hulu: Start your subscription now!

See below for the entire ESPN Unlimited Week 0 & Week 1 schedule.

College Football Week 0 & 1 ESPN Unlimited Schedule

Sat. Aug 23

22Iowa State @ 17Kansas State 9:00 AM ESPN

Thu. Aug 28

25Boise State @ South Florida 2:30 PM ESPN

Lafayette @ Bowling Green 3:00 PM ESPN+

East Carolina @ NC State 4:00 PM ACCN

Jacksonville State @ UCF 4:00 PM ESPN+

Delaware State @ Delaware 4:00 PM ESPN+

Saint Francis @ UL Monroe 4:00 PM ESPN+

Wyoming @ Akron 4:00 PM ESPN+

Central Arkansas @ Missouri 4:30 PM SEC+ ESPN+

Elon @ Duke 4:30 PM ESPN+/ACC

UT Martin @ Oklahoma State 4:30 PM ESPN+

Stephen F. Austin @ Houston 5:00 PM ESPN+

Alabama State @ UAB 5:30 PM ESPN+

Nebraska @ Cincinnati 6:00 PM ESPN

Fri. Aug 29

Kennesaw State @ Wake Forest 4:00 PM ACCN

App State @ Charlotte 4:00 PM ESPN U

Bethune-Cookman @ Florida International 4:00 PM ESPN+

Wagner @ Kansas 4:30 PM ESPN+

Georgia Tech @ Colorado 5:00 PM ESPN

Sat. Aug 30

Syracuse @ Tennessee 9:00 AM ABC

Mississippi State @ Southern Miss 9:00 AM ESPN

Northwestern @ Tulane 9:00 AM ESPNU

Duquesne @ Pittsburgh 9:00 AM ACC Network

Merrimack @ Kent State 9:00 AM ESPN+

Toledo @ Kentucky 9:45 AM SEC Network

Fordham @ Boston College 11:00 AM ESPN+, ACC Extra

Robert Morris @ West Virginia 11:00 AM ESPN+

Eastern Kentucky @ Louisville 12:00 PM ACC Network

Marshall @ Georgia 12:30 PM ESPN

Alabama @ Florida State 12:30 PM ABC

Temple @ Massachusetts 12:30 PM ESPN+

Holy Cross @ Northern Illinois 12:30 PM ESPN+

Maine @ Liberty 1:00 PM ESPN+

Alabama A&M @ Arkansas 1:15 PM SEC Network

Chattanooga @ Memphis 1:30 PM ESPN+

Illinois State @ Oklahoma 3:00 PM ESPN+, SECN+

Coastal Carolina @ Virginia 3:00 PM ACC Network

Weber State @ James Madison 3:00 PM ESPN+

Long Island University @ Florida 4:00 PM ESPN+, SECN+

North Dakota @ Kansas State 4:00 PM ESPN+

UTSA @ Texas A&M 4:00 PM ESPN

Charleston @ Southern Vanderbilt 4:00 PM ESPN+, SECN+

Austin Peay @ Middle Tennessee 4:00 PM ESPN+

North Alabama @ Western Kentucky 4:00 PM ESPN+

Southeast Missouri State @ Arkansas State 4:00 PM ESPN+

Morgan State @ South Alabama 4:00 PM ESPN+

Nicholls @ Troy 4:00 PM ESPN+

LSU @ Clemson 4:30 PM ABC

Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Texas Tech 4:30 PM ESPN+

SE Louisiana @ Louisiana Tech 4:30 PM ESPN+

Georgia State @ Ole Miss 4:45 PM SEC Network

Portland State @ BYU 5:00 PM ESPN+

Rice @ Louisiana 5:00 PM ESPN+

Eastern Michigan @ Texas State 5:00 PM ESPN+

Lamar @ North Texas 5:00 PM ESPN+

Abilene @ Christian Tulsa 5:00 PM ESPN+

East Texas A&M @ SMU 6:00 PM ACC Network

Bryant @ New Mexico State 6:00 PM ESPN+

Northern Arizona @ Arizona State 7:00 PM ESPN+

California @ Oregon State 7:30 PM ESPN

Sun. Aug 31

Virginia Tech @ South Carolina 12:00 PM ESPN

Notre Dame @ Miami 4:30 PM ABC

Mon. Sep 1

TCU @ North Carolina 5:00 PM ESPN

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Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo is 70-years-old and the longest-tenured active men’s college basketball coach among high major programs. He has seen some things since taking over the Michigan State program in 1995.

But nothing he’s seen is as comparably cataclysmic, he said this week in an interview with Jon Rothstein, than the transfer portal and the chaos it has wrought within the sport.

“The transfer portal is way worse than NIL,” Izzo said. “What the transfer portal does is gives a lot of middlemen a chance to come in. What I think is bothering me and my sport the most is the way people are tampering with people throughout the year.”

Izzo added that the structure of the portal and the enforcement of transfers — or lack thereof — is what he sees as one of the biggest issues facing the sport right now. Tampering remains a huge sore spot among coaches, and as Izzo noted, there was once a time when you could recruit a class and be set for several years. Now, he says, you can recruit a class and barely be set for a full season.

“Even in the NFL, NBA, you don’t tamper with a guy who has a four-year contract,” he said. “The portal never closes because you have too many dirtbags who are tampering with people and players. The worst thing I see is the tampering.”

There are potential fixes to solve the tampering issue — some, including Izzo, have proposed a one-time transfer rule — but there does not appear to be an urgency among decision-makers to address it. 

That has led to a number of coaches in the meantime to work around it by getting creative while advocating for change. And while it hasn’t stopped coaches from complaining, both publicly and privately, it has produced a fruitful dialogue led by some of the most experienced around the game.

Izzo for his part recognizes the importance of his role as an old head with a new game in town.

“I don’t like the current system,” Izzo said. “But there’s not a football or basketball coach that likes it. Some are just at the stage of their career where they can’t say it; I can say it.”

Most impressive perhaps is Izzo’s ability to rise above circumstances. He doesn’t like the transfer portal system and has expressed concerns about NIL, which has led to a rise in transfers. But Izzo remains Izzo: steady, consistent and the rock of a team that finished with 30 wins last year.

“There’s just more added to the job 1755836997,” he said. “I think we’ve made some mistakes in letting [the portal] get there. Now I think we’re too gutless to correct our own mistakes.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina men’s soccer program defeated UCF 3-1 to open the season at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels were powered by goals from newcomers Dylan Kropp, Nacho Abeal, and Ryan Dugan.
 
The Tar Heels improved to (1-0, 0-0 ACC), while the Knights moved to 0-1 (0-0 Sun Belt).

How It Happened

• Luca Nikolai put the pressure on the Knights in the fifth minute, forcing a save with a shot bending toward the top right corner.
• Bertil Rygaard Hansen barely missed the net just minutes later with a screamer that sailed wide.
• UCF opened the scoring on a Lilian Ricol goal in the 21st minute.
• Three minutes later, Carolina ramped up the pressure with Nacho Abeal putting two hard shots on net that forced great saves from the UCF keeper.
• The Tar Heels found the net to equalize in the 25th minute off the head of Dylan Kropp. Andrew Czech assisted just the second goal of Kropp’s career and his first in open play.
• The teams were knotted at 1 at halftime, but momentum was in Carolina’s favor.
• In the 56thminute, Abeal was finally able to convert off of a long assist from the right foot of Lucas Ross. This goal turned into the fifth game-winner of Abeal’s career and the 12^th total goal of his career. Ross notched his first career assist on the sequence.
• The Tar Heels put the nail in the coffin on Ryan Dugan’s first career goal. Nikolai again found himself in the action by racing down the right side and crossing the ball to the right foot of Dugan who was planted in the middle of the box.

 
Inside the Box Score

• UNC outshot UCF 17-8, including 12-1 in the first half.
• Six different players notched a point for Carolina.
• Nacho Abeal led all Tar Heels wiht six shots and three on goal.
• Andrew Cordes recorded two saves.
• Ryan Dugan opened up his college account with the game-sealing goal.

 
Tar Heel Tidbits

• This was the eighth match-up between UNC and UCF with Carolina holding a 5-3 advantage in the series.
• Head Coach Carlos Somoano has produced a stellar record in season openers as a head coach, having gone 13-0-2 over that span.
• The total attendance was 3,430. Of that, 2,623 were students setting a new men’s soccer student attendance record.

 
Up Next
North Carolina will host Seattle at Dorrance Field on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Both UNC and Seattle, who have never played before, are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches initial poll.

Stay up to date with UNC men’s soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram  and Facebook.

 

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is entering his first season at UCLA after a dramatic exit from Tennessee after the 2024 college football season.

The former five-star was one of the first high school recruits to sign an NIL deal before enrolling at a school when coming out as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 class.

Iamaleava, reportedly playing under a multi-year deal worth $8 million, took over as the starter last season. And the Vols found success, making their first College Football Playoff appearance.

Tennessee was expected to return Iamaleava leading up to the final day of spring practice, when news of its star quarterback’s decision to transfer reached head coach Josh Heupel. Though disputed by both parties, Iamaleava and his representatives were reportedly seeking around $4 million for the 2025 season.

Negotiations seemingly stalled, leading to Iamaleava and Tennessee parting ways. The Long Beach, California, native went on to transfer to UCLA, where he will make around $1.2 million this year, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Based on reports of Iamaleava’s NIL dealings, it appears the 6-foot-6, 215-pound passer has taken a pay cut after his spring transfer.

Iamaleava and the Bruins will open the 2025 season at home against Utah at 11 p.m. ET (Fox).