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Deion Sanders’ freshman QB at CU has business plan for future

How coaches salaries and the NIL bill affects college football Dan Wolken breaks down the annual college football coaches compensation package to discuss salaries and how the NIL bill affects them. Sports Pulse Colorado freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis doesn’t turn 18 years old until September and still needs to add more beef to a […]

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Colorado freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis doesn’t turn 18 years old until September and still needs to add more beef to a body that weighs less than 200 pounds. But he’s already in the middle of the biggest storyline of the season for his new head coach, Deion Sanders.

As a top recruit out of Carrollton, Georgia, Lewis also has a business agent, his own branded line of merchandise and an ownership stake in a company that aims to democratize name, image and likeness deals for college players (NIL).

In many ways, this makes him the poster child of this wild new era of college sports. His father even makes sure he knows his roles.

 “He’s always reminding me that I have two jobs: QB and entrepreneur,” Lewis said.

Lewis agreed to discuss these dual ambitions in an email interview with USA TODAY Sports. Both roles are being boosted by a company that he partly owns called Fanstake, where fans can pay to lure recruits to their favorite college teams by contributing to their NIL deals.

By the end of June, Lewis said he plans to announce at least three other equity deals besides Fanstake and will have four other active NIL deals before the season. Beyond that, Lewis hopes to win the battle to replace Shedeur Sanders as CU’s next starting quarterback and then use Fanstake as a tool to lure top recruits to Colorado.

The goal is to seize all of these opportunities in Boulder, where the spotlight will include at least four CU games on ESPN or Fox in the first month of the season, but with no guarantee that Lewis will play in any of them.

Lewis part of battle to replace Shedeur Sanders

After Lewis signed with Colorado Dec. 4, Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter committed to CU two weeks later with one season of college eligibility remaining.

Did Lewis know when he committed to CU that the Buffaloes would bring in another QB for 2025?

Might he split time with Salter this season or consider redshirting?

The interview was edited for clarity and length and was arranged through the company.

USA TODAY Sports: Before you committed and signed with CU late last year, did you know CU might later bring in a transfer QB? 

“Coach Prime runs this like an NFL team,” Lewis said. “Plus every program in college football is always going to try and get better and have depth at every position. You can’t even prepare for the season without enough QBs on the roster.”

What did CU say about maybe bringing in another QB before you signed with CU?

“CU is about development and competition,” Lewis said. “The only thing I was looking for as a recruit was to be coached by great coaches and have an opportunity to compete as a freshman. I’ve been competing for QB jobs since I was 7. I joined a team at 10 that already had a QB, I competed every day against the guy who was there, and we ended up winning the Battle Youth National Championship that season and I threw 70 touchdown passes.”

Lewis also provided a reminder that he competed for the starting job in high school, too, where he played for the Carrollton Trojans in Georgia.

“Carrollton had kids who grew up wanting to be Trojans and I moved there,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t recruited by (coach) Joey King or asked to come. I made a decision to go and compete at the end of 7th grade. Then, going into 9th grade, I had to compete again for the varsity job. I’m not the kid who was ever handed jobs. My story is different. People just see the results and assume I’ve had some easy path. Other guys’ dads coached teams, and they were automatically the QB. My dad took me to the hardest coaches and toughest programs, and I always had to earn it. Anything different and this wouldn’t be my story.”

Do you see CU picking one QB to go with in the fall season or maybe playing at least two on a situational basis because you have different styles? 

“Coach Prime and Coach (Pat) Shurmur are going to put me in the best position to develop and our team in the best position to win. I have total faith in that. And I’ve got a lot of work to do in a little bit of time, so I’m ready when my coaches say I’m ready.”

Do you plan to add a certain amount of weight as some new players do out of high school? 

“I’ve gained 15lbs since January,” Lewis wrote. “I’ll probably put on whatever I can add before we get into pads and that will be what it is for this season.”

Lewis is now up to 198 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame. He normally would be headed into his senior season of high school in 2025, but he reclassified to start college a year earlier.

How is your NIL business going and how important is that to your college career? 

“I’m blessed to be a part of this era in college and high school sports,” Lewis replied. “There are thousands of great athletes who came before us who didn’t have the opportunities today. NIL has nothing to do with my college career; football and NIL are two very separate things. Football is my priority. I have a responsibility to myself, my teammates, and my university to become the best player that I can be. NIL is going well, I’m thankful for the opportunities that I have. My dad and my team have done a really good job creating opportunities for me.”

How Lewis plans to use company to boost CU roster

How did you get involved with Fanstake and what appealed to you about it?

“When I heard about Fanstake, I was immediately interested because it allows players to help each other and their potential programs. At the end of the day we all want to win, and that’s not possible without great teammates around you. The thought of fans being able to support their team and future players during the recruiting process is what made it a ‘no brainer’ for me.”

Lewis also said he looks forward to “using them next portal season to bring in players to join us at CU.”

One way he could do this is by encouraging CU fans to contribute money toward luring a player on Fanstake. The company started in November and already has more than 20,000 users, according to Greg Glass, the company’s co-founder.

One example shows how Fanstake works. Five-star basketball prospect Nate Ament was wooed by Louisville fans who crowdfunded a combined $88,000 on Fanstake for him if he signed with the Cardinals. He instead decided to sign with Tennessee, whose fans had pledged only about $13,000.

The Louisville fans who put money down for Ament got their money returned since Ament signed with a different team. The $13,000 from Tennessee fans instead goes toward Ament’s sponsorship deal with Fanstake.

“It helps democratize this landscape a little bit because even if you can’t write a half-million-dollar check, you can get 100,000 fans to write $10 checks, or whatever it might be,” Glass told USA TODAY Sports.

Fanstake partnered with Lewis after he made his decision to commit to the Buffaloes. The deal appealed to him, Glass said, because it was a way to bring in more talent to Boulder.

“He wanted to make sure it wasn’t just his NIL, but that he had a squad around him that was going to be secure,” Glass said.

The ‘last thing’ Julian Lewis is worried about

Lewis still made it clear where his NIL endeavors fit into his decision to join the Buffs after previously committing to play at Southern California.

Was NIL part of your decision to go to CU?

“No it wasn’t,” Lewis replied. “It really came down to where I wanted to live and the opportunity to follow Shedeur who everyone knew was leaving for the NFL.”

NIL is part of some players’ decisions to stay at a particular school. Would it be for you going forward? If so, how? 

“That’s the last thing I’m worried about, right,” Lewis replied. “I’m a Buff.”

Because of your youth compared to Kaidon Salter’s experience, some have wondered if you might be a candidate to redshirt this year. Nothing has been decided about that. But would you be open to that if it was ever suggested to you? 

“I’m going to compete everyday and prepare for my freshman season,” he stated.

What are your plans this summer?

“I will be in Boulder for the summer, taking classes and working out.”

By chance do you go back to The Sink in Boulder to have the JuJu burger that the restaurant named after you? 

“No not yet.”

For those who don’t know, how did you get the nickname “JuJu”? 

“My older sister started calling me JuJu when I was like 3.”

Colorado opens the season Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech in a home game on ESPN.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com



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New House proposal could reign in NIL chaos in college athletics

A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives calls for regulation in college athletics as leaders search for answers in the new era of Name, Image and Likeness. The SCORE Act, introduced to the House last week, aims to provide the NCAA with antitrust protections, pre-emption of state laws that regulate NIL payments and […]

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A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives calls for regulation in college athletics as leaders search for answers in the new era of Name, Image and Likeness.

The SCORE Act, introduced to the House last week, aims to provide the NCAA with antitrust protections, pre-emption of state laws that regulate NIL payments and a ban on making student athletes employees of their schools, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The bill comes on the heels of the House settlement, instituted on July 1. Schools can now share up to $20.5 million directly to players this year in a revenue share model. Additionally, the NCAA is set to pay $2.8 billion to current and former athletes for use of their NIL.

Seven republicans and two democrats are listed as co-sponsors of the SCORE Act, which primarily intends to impose national standards on NIL payments that continue to rise in the aftermath of the settlement.

If passed, the bill will also ban schools from using “athletic fees” imposed on students to fund athletic departments. Schools like Clemson, Tennessee and Arkansas have already implemented similar costs this year.

As football and basketball are set to receive the majority of the $20.5 million revenue-share cap, non-revenue sports would be protected by the SCORE Act, in part, by a requirement on schools to maintain at least 16 sports if one coach makes more than $250,000 a year.

According to the report, the bill has a “fair chance” at passing in the House but a “slim” chance of pasisng in the Senate, where the SCORE Act would need at least seven Democratic votes.



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Texas Tech hoping big money and top transfers lead to unprecedented payback in football | Football

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had already completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado’s Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal. The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas […]

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FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had already completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado’s Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal.

The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas Tech athletes, which is widely reported to be around $55 million for the upcoming school year. A significant chunk of that is expected to go toward the transformation of a football program that has never won a Big 12 title or even had a 10-win season since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played his first game for the Red Raiders.

“Yeah, Joey got some money. Joey, where you at, baby? Spending that money, I love it,” Sanders said emphatically about the fellow Big 12 coach he calls a friend, and who coached two of his three sons in high school. “I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?”

The reported dollar figures are staggering, even in these early days of schools being able to pay athletes directly. That total supposedly includes the maximum $20.5 million of revenue each school can share with players under the NCAA’s landmark House settlement that took effect this month, meaning the rest would come through name, image and likeness deals.

Red Raiders spending big

Last fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for the fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which had a budget of nearly $129 million. The headlines started to come soon after.

Tech’s softball team had never won a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship before standout pitcher NiJaree Canady arrived last year in Lubbock with a NIL deal that made her the first $1 million softball player.

With Canady, who had been to the previous two Women’s College World Series with Stanford, the Red Raiders won both of those league titles and got all the way to the final game of this year’s WCWS before losing to rival Texas.

Canady has already signed a similar NIL deal for next season. Tech also added three top transfers: Florida second baseman Mia Williams; two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA; and Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jackie Lis, an infielder from Southern Illinois.

Along with all the money spent on players, Texas Tech this spring unveiled a $240 million football complex at Jones AT&T Stadium, where Cody Campbell Field is named after the former offensive lineman who made a $25 million donation to the project.

Campbell’s financial impact on the program goes well beyond that. He is chairman of the school’s Board of Regents, a billionaire who with his oil and gas partner John Sellers co-founded The Matador Club, the school’s NIL collective that is now under the umbrella of the athletic department’s Red Raider Club. Sellers and Campbell earlier this year sold some subsidies of an oil and natural gas company for about $4 billion.

Last week, Campbell announced the launch of a nonprofit called Saving College Sports to help solve a “crisis” as the industry “faces an existential turning point as legal, governance and economic challenges threaten” hundreds of thousands of athletes, fandom and the economies of campus communities.

On the gridiron

The Texas Tech men’s basketball program has four Sweet 16 appearances since 2018, including a run to the national title game in 2019. But the big moneymaker for all programs is football and the Red Raiders will find out this fall if a big financial commitment to those players will get them into the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Texas Tech brought in 22 football transfers in what many consider a top national portal class. Most are highly touted players, with about half expected to be starters and most of the others impact players on a team already with several key returners after going 8-5 last year in McGuire’s third season.

“Yeah, it’s been a fun offseason,” McGuire said before Sanders took the podium. “We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for the football team. … I think this conference is really strong. There’s a lot of teams that have some big opportunities this year to really make a statement, and we’re planning on being one of them.”

With the amount of money involved, some front-loaded NIL deals before the House settlement with new guidelines went into effect, it will certainly be a huge and expensive disappointment if they are not.

“I understand how important this year is,” McGuire said. “We’ve got to have a lot of things go right, but everybody does. You’ve got to keep your quarterback healthy. You’ve got to play at a high level. I know there’s a lot of expectations. My job that I’m going to really try to do is keep the pressure on me and the coaches.”

Tech returns senior quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the league’s top tackler with 126 last year. Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, and on the league’s preseason team with a pair of four-star transfers: edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and defensive lineman Lee Hunter (UCF).

“It’s unbelievable, those guys came in and bought in to what we were talking about,” Rodriguez said. “I love those guys to death already and I think they’re going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.”

It will also be up to McGuire to deal with paid players, some making significantly more than others on the roster.

“I think that goes into your culture,” the former Texas high school coach said. “It’s real. It’s real money. Guys are making different amounts of money in the locker room.

“One thing that you better understand if you dream to play in the NFL, your contract’s not going to be the same as the guy next to you, and if that’s what you focus on, then you’re going to spend a lot of time wasting a lot of energy,” McGuire said. “If guys want to increase that, focus on what you can control. That’s your game and how hard you’re practicing and how hard you’re playing.”


AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed.


AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football



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Incoming Virginia Tech men’s basketball star uses filthy move that should fire up fans

It has been some time since the Virginia Tech men’s basketball program has had some hype surrounding an incoming freshman. In fact, this season, there is a real chance that when all is said and done next June, veteran coach Mike Young could be looking at having a pair of draft picks in the 2026 […]

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It has been some time since the Virginia Tech men’s basketball program has had some hype surrounding an incoming freshman. In fact, this season, there is a real chance that when all is said and done next June, veteran coach Mike Young could be looking at having a pair of draft picks in the 2026 NBA Draft on his 2025-26 roster.

Those two players would be Tobi Lawal and incoming freshman Neoklis Avdalas, both of whom entered the NBA Draft process this spring, but withdrew to play another year of college basketball. Lawal, who transferred to Virginia Tech from VCU last season, will play his second season for Young, while Avdalas gave a verbal commitment to the Hokies and then signed after withdrawing. He is not on campus yet as he is playing in the FIBA Eurobasket U20 with Greece, and he had a move that should fire up Tech fans for next season.

Virginia Tech incoming freshman Neoklis Avdalas drops a filthy move in a FIBA matchup

If there is one thing that is clear about Avdalas, it’s that he has the opportunity to be a special player at Virginia Tech. Expect him to be able to play multiple positions for the Hokies, and that even includes handling the ball as the point guard. He had a play against Lithuania that Hokies fans hope to see next winter in Blacksburg: a filthy crossover.

That was certainly a filthy move by Avdalas and Virginia Tech fans are hoping that they see that a few times next winter. One thing is clear, Avdalas has multiple ways he can score the ball and that is something Hokies fans have seen a lot of. The Hokies are going to have multiple options on offense next season, but Avdalas might very well end up being their best option. It almost seems too good to be true.





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SEC coaches on revenue-sharing, NIL (update No. 1)

ATLANTA, Georgia – Hovering over every coach at SEC Media Days are questions about revenue-sharing and NIL. It is the front and center in every discussion about football,. We will share here over the next four days what coaches have to say about the new world in which they find themselves. SOUTH CAROLINA’S SHANE BEAMER […]

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ATLANTA, Georgia – Hovering over every coach at SEC Media Days are questions about revenue-sharing and NIL. It is the front and center in every discussion about football,.

We will share here over the next four days what coaches have to say about the new world in which they find themselves.

SOUTH CAROLINA’S SHANE BEAMER

On what he wants to see

“That what we say is going to be enforced, is going to happen and be enforced. Because all the talk out there about what’s new stuff and this and that, if there is no teeth to it, doesn’t matter. It’s just going to continue to be. “

On hope for the future

“What has been implemented with rev share and the clearinghouse and all that, I see other conferences talking about the negatives about it already. Let’s give this thing time to work and develop. Let’s see what it is and not all of a sudden say it’s not going to work.

“I was in DC earlier this year talking about the need to it for national legislation, so been talking a lot about this. But something uniform that has some teeth to it where it is what it’s supposed to be, and if somebody is not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, it’s going to be enforced and there will be repercussions.”

LSU’S BRIAN KELLY

On the process

“We are early on in the process,” Kelly said. “This is the first step in what we are trying to build. I am excited about college football. I am excited we have something in place in terms of revenue-sharing. NIL is still something we have to navigate. I think we still have to be thinking about how we continue to build or support for NIL. It’s not going away. Nor should it.”

On what is important going forward

“Transparency and consistency. Those two words are probably the most important things as we continue to move forward. … If we start with transparency and start with the clear communication necessary and consistency and approach. It’s got to start with coaches.

:It’s got to start with us. I mean, we have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground. Ethics in this. It starts with us. It starts with coaches. I was at a speaking engagement a few weeks back, and every question about NIL was trying to find a way around it, trying to find a way to bring in revenue in some other way.

“Sooner or later we have to take the stand that transparency, consistency, ethics, and morality are at the core of this. If that’s where we are we’re going to be able to move to the next step and be able to continue to make progress.”

This story will be updated throughout the day.

LSU’S BRIAN KELLY

On the process

“We are early on in the process,” Kelly said. “This is the first step in what we are trying to build. I am excited about college football. I am excited we have something in place in terms of revenue-sharing. NIL is still something we have to navigate. I think we still have to be thinking about how we continue to build or support for NIL. It’s not going away. Nor should it.”

On what is important going forward

“Transparency and consistency. Those two words are probably the most important things as we continue to move forward. … If we start with transparency and start with the clear communication necessary and consistency and approach. It’s got to start with coaches.

:It’s got to start with us. I mean, we have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground. Ethics in this. It starts with us. It starts with coaches. I was at a speaking engagement a few weeks back, and every question about NIL was trying to find a way around it, trying to find a way to bring in revenue in some other way.

“Sooner or later we have to take the stand that transparency, consistency, ethics, and morality are at the core of this. If that’s where we are we’re going to be able to move to the next step and be able to continue to make progress.”

This story will be updated throughout the day.



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Lane Kiffin sends warning that the new revenue

As schools adapt to the revenue-share model in the Name, Image and Likeness space, some college football teams aren’t staying inside the lines in regards to the $20.5 million cap, according to Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin and the Rebels have been competitive in the NIL world, signing top-five transfer portal classes in […]

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Lane Kiffin sends warning that the new revenue

As schools adapt to the revenue-share model in the Name, Image and Likeness space, some college football teams aren’t staying inside the lines in regards to the $20.5 million cap, according to Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin and the Rebels have been competitive in the NIL world, signing top-five transfer portal classes in each of the last four cycles. Ole Miss, backed by The Grove Collective, is estimated to spend $8.8 million on top of the projected $15 million shared directly from the school to football players this year.

In addition to the revenue share figure, programs can supplement their NIL budgets by helping players secure third-party NIL deals through the NIL Go clearinghouse – run by Deloitte and established by the College Sports Commission.

However, the approval process has reportedly reached a standstill, and schools could be promising players figures that may not be ultimately deliverable while stretching the revenue-share cap to fulfill current needs.

“I think it is pretty obvious people have not been staying within that cap,” Kiffin said Monday at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.

It remains to be seen if the NCAA and College Sports Commission can enforce the parameters outlined by the House settlement.

The answer could be something like the newly introduced SCORE Act, a bill proposed by the House last week that aims to establish national rules to even the playing field and reign-in the unsustainable NIL spending.

In the meantime, though, it seems that schools can strategically operate on their own terms with NIL and the revenue-share model.

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Players Era Men’s Championship full field, schedule announced

Duke, Auburn, Houston players talk NCAA age limit before Final Four Men’s Final Four players weigh in on if college basketball should have an age limit Las Vegas will once again be the place to be during Feast Week this college basketball season. Coined “November Mania,” the Players Era Men’s Championship announced its schedule for […]

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Las Vegas will once again be the place to be during Feast Week this college basketball season.

Coined “November Mania,” the Players Era Men’s Championship announced its schedule for the newly expanded 18-team men’s basketball NIL multi-team event in November in Las Vegas on July 14, and to no surprise, it’s quite loaded.

Then called the Players Era Festival, the NIL-driven event by storm last season and has quickly become a must-play event with NCAA Tournament caliber teams, so much so that teams paid their way out of already scheduled multi-team events to participate in it last season.

Headlining the first two days of competition in Las Vegas is Gonzaga vs. Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Preceding the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide on Nov. 25 is St. John’s vs. Iowa State, two teams that are notoriously known for their defense under Rick Pitino and T.J. Otzelberger.

Day 2 of the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship field is headlined by an Elite Eight rematch of Houston vs. Tennessee and then Iowa State vs. Creighton, two teams that were already scheduled to meet in October for an exhibition.

The 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship field includes 14 teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, and nine teams — Auburn, Houston, St. John’s, Alabama, Iowa State, Maryland, Oregon and Michigan — that were seeded at least a five seed or higher in the field of 68. Eleven teams that appear in the USA TODAY Sports too-early top 25 poll will also compete in Las Vegas.

The four-day multi-team event will take place in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena and Michelob Ultra Arena from Monday, Nov. 24 through Thursday, Nov. 27 with the championship game taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

There will also be a four-team Players Era Women’s Championship featuring South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and Duke that will take place Wednesday, Nov. 26 and Thursday, Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.

Here’s what to know from the July 14 announcement of the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship:

Players Era Championship bracket 2025

The returning teams to the Players Era Festival include Alabama, Houston, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Oregon, San Diego State and Creighton. The only team that isn’t returning to the Players Era Championship from last year’s field, which Oregon won, is Texas A&M. The Aggies were replaced in the field by Maryland, which hired away Buzz Williams from Texas A&M this offseason.

Here’s a full breakdown of who is competing in the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship:

  • Alabama
  • Auburn
  • Baylor
  • Creighton
  • Gonzaga
  • Houston
  • Iowa State
  • Kansas
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Notre Dame
  • Oregon
  • Rutgers
  • San Diego State
  • St. John’s
  • Syracuse
  • UNLV
  • Tennessee

Players Era Festival 2025 schedule

Here’s a look at schedule for the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship, which will take place MGM Grand Garden Arena and Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas:

Monday, Nov. 24

  • Rutgers vs. Tennessee | 1 p.m. ET
  • Creighton vs. Baylor | 2 p.m. ET
  • Kansas vs. Notre Dame | 3:30 p.m. ET
  • St. John’s vs. Iowa State | 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Houston vs. Syracuse | 6 p.m. ET
  • Auburn vs. Oregon | 8 p.m. ET
  • Gonzaga vs. Alabama | 9:30 p.m. ET
  • Michigan vs. San Diego State | 10:30 p.m. ET
  • UNLV vs. Maryland | Midnight ET

Tuesday, Nov. 25

  • Rutgers vs. Notre Dame | 1 p.m. ET
  • Iowa State vs. Creighton | 2 p.m. ET
  • Kansas vs. Syracuse | 3:30 p.m. ET
  • St. John’s vs. Baylor | 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Houston vs. Tennessee | 6 p.m. ET
  • Michigan vs. Auburn | 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Gonzaga vs. Maryland | 9:30 p.m. ET
  • Oregon vs. San Diego State | 11 p.m. ET
  • UNLV vs. Alabama | Midnight ET

Wednesday, Nov. 26

  • Third Place Game: 7 p.m. ET
  • Championship Game: 9:30 p.m. ET

Note: For those that didn’t make the championship or third place game on Wednesday, November 26, they will play in consolation games across Wednesday, November 26 and Thursday, November 27 in Las Vegas

What is the Players Era Championshop?

The Players Era Championship is a one-of-a-kind multi-team event that takes place during “Feast Week” of the college basketball season in November, during Thanksgiving week. Debuted during the 2024-25 season with an eight-team field, The Players Era Championship is a NIL-driven multi-team event with some of the best college basketball teams in the country.

Each team will receive $1 million for participating in the event, while players and teams will have the opportunity to earn more NIL while in Las Vegas. The champion of the Players Era Championship will win an additional $1 million in NIL earnings as well. Noted by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, the total pot for the 2025 Players Era Championship will be north of $20 million in NIL-related earnings — quite the expensive multi-team event and regular season showcase event.





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