Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

NIL

Report

Penn State and UCLA are “making college sports history” by being the first two athletic departments to take on private capital. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Penn State and UCLA are the “first two clients” of Elevate’s $500M college private capital fund — signing eight-figure deals with the College Investment Initiative, according to sources. Penn […]

Published

on

Report

Penn State Nittany Lions Tight End Tyler Warren (44) runs with the ball against UCLA Bruins Defensive Lineman Siale Taupaki
Penn State and UCLA are “making college sports history” by being the first two athletic departments to take on private capital. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Penn State and UCLA are the “first two clients” of Elevate’s $500M college private capital fund — signing eight-figure deals with the College Investment Initiative, according to sources. Penn State and UCLA are “making college sports history” by being the first two athletic departments to take on private capital, but it is “only the starting point” for the investment fund in its efforts to “provide schools with money and resources to develop revenue-generating projects” (ON3, 6/9). Schools will use the capital “for infrastructure and commercial projects ranging from modernizing venues, expanding premium seating and enhancing multimedia and digital rights and to investing in name, image and likeness platforms for athletes” (CNBC.com, 6/9).

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NIL

Five-star TE Kaiden Prothro commits to Georgia over Florida, Texas

Eli LedermanJul 12, 2025, 04:59 PM ET Close Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World. Georgia beat Florida and Texas to its second five-star pledge in the 2026 class on Saturday with a commitment from […]

Published

on


Georgia beat Florida and Texas to its second five-star pledge in the 2026 class on Saturday with a commitment from tight end Kaiden Prothro, the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300.

Prothro, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound recruit from Bowdon, Georgia, is ESPN’s No. 2 overall tight end and viewed as one of the top pass catchers at any position in the current class. A priority in-state target for coach Kirby Smart, Prothro took official visits to Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Texas before narrowing his recruitment to the Bulldogs, Gators and Longhorns last month.

He announced his commitment to Georgia in a ceremony at Bowdon High School, where Prothro has hauled in 89 passes for 2,034 yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Prothro arrives as the Bulldogs’ 17th ESPN 300 pledge in an incoming recruiting class that sits at No. 2 in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the cycle, joining quarterback Jared Curtis (No. 6 overall) as the program’s second five-star commit in 2026. He now stands as the top-ranked member of a growing Georgia pass-catcher class that also includes four-star wide receivers Brady Marchese (No. 62) and Ryan Mosley (No. 120) and three-star Craig Dandridge.

The Bulldogs, who produced six NFL draft picks at tight ends from 2019-24, have forged a reputation for developing top tight end talent under Smart and assistant coach Todd Hartley. Georgia signed ESPN’s top two tight end prospects — Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour — in the 2025 class, and Prothro now follows four-stars Brayden Fogle (No. 142 overall) and Lincoln Keyes (No. 238) as the program’s third tight end pledge in 2026.

Those arrivals, along with eligibility beyond 2025 for current Georgia tight ends Lawson Luckie and Jaden Reddell, could make for a crowded tight end room when Prothro steps on campus next year.

However, Prothro is expected to distinguish himself at the college level as a versatile downfield option capable of creating mismatches with a unique blend of size, speed and physicality in the mold of former two-time All-America Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. His father Clarence told ESPN that Georgia intends to utilize Prothro across roles, including flex tight end and jumbo receiver, and said scheme fit was a key driving factor in his son’s decision.

A three-time state football champion, Prothro caught 33 passes for 831 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. He eclipsed 1,200-yards in his junior campaign last fall, closing 2024 with 56 receptions (21.4 yards per catch) and 22 receiving touchdowns en route to a 13-2 finish and a third consecutive state championship. Prothro is also an All-Region baseball player and was credited with 20.7 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in his junior basketball season.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Klassey on KMJ at 10

JoeFan13 said… (original post) Please everyone just stop with the “new stadium” talk, it ain’t gonna happen. VC needs major upgrade, yes, this is feasible and should result in a… show more The reason why a new stadium is being brought up, is that the cost will most likely be about $350 million. But that […]

Published

on

Klassey on KMJ at 10

JoeFan13 said… (original post) Please everyone just stop with the “new stadium” talk, it ain’t gonna happen. VC needs major upgrade, yes, this is feasible and should result in a…

The reason why a new stadium is being brought up, is that the cost will most likely be about $350 million. But that a full renovation alone might cost $200-250 million plus.

A new stadium could be designed to allow better accommodations for outside events like concerts, tractor pulls, etc. Also building spaces and amenities to attract more premium customers, to get more revenue per person in those areas. The new stadium most likely will also include an attached football facility.

A renovation of the stadium will be cheaper, but at what cost. They may not find it feasible to put that much money into a facility that will then only be used 6 times per year. AD Klassy stated shade is a big issue that people have brought up. How can that be addressed at VCS? The overhangs in past renderings and plans, would barely cover a few rows and simply be a waste of money. The tunnels were thought and then eliminated in the “Elevate” plan. So people would still complain about walking up and heading down the stairs.

The thing is, Bulldog Stadium has tradition and memories for most fans of Fresno State, but it still was built in the late 70’s. Not like is was built in the 20-30’s.

Basically need to work on the best ROI, be it a reno or new. Work the numbers and see what looks better, not only a few years down the line, but 30-50 years down the road.

Continue Reading

NIL

Adam Hill: NIL payments, salary cap in college sports need big changes already days after House vs. NCAA settlement | Adam Hill | Sports

There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago. Mike Gundy is right. OK, I said it. We got that out of the way. Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through altruism. But hey, […]

Published

on


There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago.

Mike Gundy is right.

OK, I said it. We got that out of the way.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through altruism. But hey, that whole saying about a broken clock has been proved right yet again.

Gundy this week directly articulated what many in the college sports landscape are only willing to say behind the scenes. All of these new rules and regulations created by the House v. NCAA settlement and the implementation of revenue sharing for college athletes just isn’t working.

Already.

And we’re only like 10 days into the rollout.

“You’ve gotta restructure your systems and admit players are employees,” Gundy told the “Andy & Ari On3” podcast at Big 12 media day. “Then you can build collective bargaining. We’ve all talked about it. But you have to admit they’re employees. You can do it all. You can have a (salary cap) and you need an entry level for a high school player coming in because it’s not sustainable.”

Those voices that have been against players getting paid at all certainly aren’t going to like the idea of unionization and even more power, but it might be the only way forward.

Gundy’s evolution on the issue is a result of a realization his program, which tried to hold the line against pay-for-play recruiting in the transfer portal, can’t compete in the new era.

While his motives may not be pure, Gundy has at least arrived in the place where most everyone else will be in time.

Because remember how the settlement was supposed to fix so much of the broken pay structure in college sports? How it was going to bring transparency to a process that severely lacked it and at least put teams on an even playing field in terms of moving the payments above board while still allowing the athletes to profit off their individual value above and beyond the revenue sharing money while providing some oversight to the transactions?

It truly was an admirable endeavor. It just wasn’t going to work.

Ideally, this model was going to be a solid bridge to the inevitable and potentially a good foundation from which to build the future model for college sports.

But that concept certainly wasn’t helped by the settlement getting approved just days before it was set to be implemented. That created chaos.

While programs were cleared to immediately start compensating athletes up to the salary cap, the firm Deloitte was tasked by the power conference-backed College Sports Commission with deciding whether individual players’ NIL deals above and beyond that were legitimate and of fair market value.

It would take far more time and words to explain the difficulties of determining such a standard. So, it seems what has happened in practice is the College Sports Commission has decided to simply reject all deals done with athletes through collectives as a general practice as a starting point.

Collectives can serve as a conduit to connect athletes with legitimate businesses, it clarified in a letter, but can’t essentially hold their own fundraising events to collect money to pay players. It’s a fine line.

But it also means players were made promises that may not actually come to fruition.

Some of the more forward-thinking groups front-loaded deals and got the payments made before this process started a couple weeks ago, but others are left wondering what happens next.

Attorneys for the players have lashed out, demanding a retraction of the ruling on collective payments and calling it a restriction of the players’ earning potential that runs counter to the settlement.

On the flip side, allowing collectives to simply accumulate and distribute vast resources as a way to circumvent the new salary cap rules kind of defeats the whole competitive balance thing.

It’s incredibly complicated.

“We don’t know the rules,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham admitted. “The settlement passed, but who knows what Deloitte is going to clear? Until there is clarity, you’re living in limbo.”

Exactly.

Gundy is right. So is Dillingham. Sadly, this temporary fix has to be extremely short-lived.

Chances are even some sort of CBA isn’t going to provide all the answers, but it’s the logical next step.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Razorbacks’ Sam Pittman probably shaking head in agreement with Deion Sanders

FRISCO, Texas — It’s probably more likely than anyone would admit, but Arkansas coach Sam Pittman just might be in complete agreement with Deion. Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Wednesday that college football needs a salary cap to restore competitive balance, warning that unchecked spending and NIL deals are making the sport harder to manage. […]

Published

on


FRISCO, Texas — It’s probably more likely than anyone would admit, but Arkansas coach Sam Pittman just might be in complete agreement with Deion.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Wednesday that college football needs a salary cap to restore competitive balance, warning that unchecked spending and NIL deals are making the sport harder to manage.

Speaking at Big 12 media days, Sanders said the current system, which allows for unregulated player movement and rising salaries through name, image and likeness deals, has left some programs unable to compete for top talent.

“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said during a coaches’ roundtable. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does.

“So the problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him a half million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”

Pittman will get his chance to respond at SEC Media Days on Thursday. It’s probably a safe bet that will be one of the biggest questions for every coach.

Having written and talked about Sanders for 35 years since he was in high school, I have agreed with him on a lot. It’s not hard to ignore all of the circus if you just try it.

He makes sense more than some would think. The NCAA and power conferences recently approved a revenue-sharing agreement, known as the House settlement, that allows schools to share up to $20.5 million per year with athletes.

That cap is expected to rise to about $32 million over the next decade. That probably wouldn’t be enough because schools have pretty much shown they will find a way to spend it.

Sanders said the changes are not enough to level the playing field.

“You understand darn near why they’re in the playoffs,” Sanders said, referring to the College Football Playoff. “It’s kind of hard to compete with somebody who’s giving $25-30 million to a freshman class. It’s crazy.”

Top programs, often with more resources and donor support, are able to offer larger NIL deals to recruits and transfer players. A lot of folks didn’t seem to think of that on the latest settlement that hasn’t landed in court yet.

Some coaches estimate schools must spend close to $20 million annually on football rosters to keep up with the nation’s elite teams.

“Nobody knows where it’s gonna land or where it’s going,” Sanders said. “There’s gotta be a salary cap on this stuff because this stuff is going crazy.”

Legal experts and athletics directors have raised concerns that imposing a strict cap on athlete pay could lead to antitrust challenges. The House settlement itself was a response to lawsuits over compensation restrictions and limits could trigger more litigation.

For Sanders, the lack of transparency and standards is as damaging as the money itself.

“I wish it was truly equality,” Sanders said. “Now they go back to doing stuff under the table. They go back to the agents. Now you’ve got parents trying to be agents, you’ve got the homeboys trying to be agents, you’ve got the friends trying to be agents.

“You got a lot of bull junk (no, that’s not edited) going on, and quite frankly, we’re sick of it. I’ll say it for everybody we’re sick of it.”

Under the new revenue-sharing rules, schools can distribute up to $20.5 million per year to athletes in all sports. The cap will rise by about 4% annually, but NIL deals negotiated independently with boosters and sponsors are not included in the official cap.

This has created a system with both direct school payments and outside compensation. Don’t talk about the “market value” approval because what someone will pay determines that number, not some objective opinion of an accountant.

Some athletic directors have likened the new landscape to NFL free agency, but without the regulations imposed by professional leagues.

“We’re developing players for three years, and then someone else comes in and offers them more money to transfer,” one Power Five athletics director said. “You can’t build a team that way.” 

Sanders, who is set to earn $10 million this year and is among the sport’s highest-paid coaches, said he will continue to advocate for a system that supports all athletes and programs.

Don’t think Pittman is the only coach who agrees with him, either. The number is probably much larger than most would even think.

But Sanders said it in a very public forum. Maybe the right people are listening.





Link

Continue Reading

College Sports

Buford DB Tyriq Green Commits to Georgia

The Dawgs just added another game-changer to the family. Buford’s own Tyriq “Ty Boogie” Green, a dynamic 4-star athlete from the Class of 2026, has officially committed to the University of Georgia, choosing the Dawgs over top programs like Miami and Auburn. Once seen as a tough pull, Buford is quickly becoming a UGA pipeline, […]

Published

on

The Dawgs just added another game-changer to the family.

Buford’s own Tyriq “Ty Boogie” Green, a dynamic 4-star athlete from the Class of 2026, has officially committed to the University of Georgia, choosing the Dawgs over top programs like Miami and Auburn.

Once seen as a tough pull, Buford is quickly becoming a UGA pipeline, and Ty Boogie is the latest elite talent to keep that momentum going. With elite production on both sides of the ball, Green brings versatility, leadership, and a true “do-it-all” presence to Athens.

“I feel like it’s family,” Green said of UGA. “They practice hard, they stay ready, and they believe in me.”

Guided by strong relationships with Coach Travaris Robinson and Kirby Smart, Green joins a stacked DB class — and proves Georgia continues to recruit and retain the very best from its backyard.

👏 Congratulations, Ty Boogie! The G just got better.

Continue Reading

NIL

Hill

There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago. Mike Gundy is right. OK, I said it. We got that out of the way. Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through altruism. But hey, […]

Published

on

Hill

There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago.

Mike Gundy is right.

OK, I said it. We got that out of the way.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through altruism. But hey, that whole saying about a broken clock has been proved right yet again.

Gundy this week directly articulated what many in the college sports landscape are only willing to say behind the scenes. All of these new rules and regulations created by the House v. NCAA settlement and the implementation of revenue sharing for college athletes just isn’t working.

Already.

And we’re only like 10 days into the rollout.

“You’ve gotta restructure your systems and admit players are employees,” Gundy told the “Andy & Ari On3” podcast at Big 12 media day. “Then you can build collective bargaining. We’ve all talked about it. But you have to admit they’re employees. You can do it all. You can have a (salary cap) and you need an entry level for a high school player coming in because it’s not sustainable.”

Those voices that have been against players getting paid at all certainly aren’t going to like the idea of unionization and even more power, but it might be the only way forward.

Gundy’s evolution on the issue is a result of a realization his program, which tried to hold the line against pay-for-play recruiting in the transfer portal, can’t compete in the new era.

While his motives may not be pure, Gundy has at least arrived in the place where most everyone else will be in time.

Because remember how the settlement was supposed to fix so much of the broken pay structure in college sports? How it was going to bring transparency to a process that severely lacked it and at least put teams on an even playing field in terms of moving the payments above board while still allowing the athletes to profit off their individual value above and beyond the revenue sharing money while providing some oversight to the transactions?

It truly was an admirable endeavor. It just wasn’t going to work.

Ideally, this model was going to be a solid bridge to the inevitable and potentially a good foundation from which to build the future model for college sports.

But that concept certainly wasn’t helped by the settlement getting approved just days before it was set to be implemented. That created chaos.

While programs were cleared to immediately start compensating athletes up to the salary cap, the firm Deloitte was tasked by the power conference-backed College Sports Commission with deciding whether individual players’ NIL deals above and beyond that were legitimate and of fair market value.

It would take far more time and words to explain the difficulties of determining such a standard. So, it seems what has happened in practice is the College Sports Commission has decided to simply reject all deals done with athletes through collectives as a general practice as a starting point.

Collectives can serve as a conduit to connect athletes with legitimate businesses, it clarified in a letter, but can’t essentially hold their own fundraising events to collect money to pay players. It’s a fine line.

But it also means players were made promises that may not actually come to fruition.

Some of the more forward-thinking groups front-loaded deals and got the payments made before this process started a couple weeks ago, but others are left wondering what happens next.

Attorneys for the players have lashed out, demanding a retraction of the ruling on collective payments and calling it a restriction of the players’ earning potential that runs counter to the settlement.

On the flip side, allowing collectives to simply accumulate and distribute vast resources as a way to circumvent the new salary cap rules kind of defeats the whole competitive balance thing.

It’s incredibly complicated.

“We don’t know the rules,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham admitted. “The settlement passed, but who knows what Deloitte is going to clear? Until there is clarity, you’re living in limbo.”

Exactly.

Gundy is right. So is Dillingham. Sadly, this temporary fix has to be extremely short-lived.

Chances are even some sort of CBA isn’t going to provide all the answers, but it’s the logical next step.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending