As the future of college athletics goes through a dramatic change, the University of Colorado is prepared to go all-in. On Friday, district judge Claudia Wilken in Northern California approved the House v. NCAA settlement, which will allow schools around the country to directly pay student-athletes through revenue sharing beginning July 1. The settlement is […]
As the future of college athletics goes through a dramatic change, the University of Colorado is prepared to go all-in.
On Friday, district judge Claudia Wilken in Northern California approved the House v. NCAA settlement, which will allow schools around the country to directly pay student-athletes through revenue sharing beginning July 1.
The settlement is a landmark change in college athletics and one that CU is ready to embrace.
“We’re all in,” CU athletic director Rick George told BuffZone in a recent interview. “We’re going to be all in, and this is going to be a group effort. … We’re going to be very aggressive, going out and looking at revenue streams, and obviously our donations that we get from donors is an area that we’re going to emphasize.”
Schools can pay student-athletes up to $20.5 million during the 2025-26 school year, to be divided among different sports. It’s widely expected that football and men’s basketball teams – the two sports that generate the most revenue – will receive most of that money.
While schools don’t have to reach the cap (which is expected to increase every year), George said CU plans to hit the cap. George and his administrative team have been working for nearly a year to be ready for the July 1 start date, including how to earn the money and how to allocate the funds. CU is still figuring out a plan of how to allocate money to different sports.
“It’s a challenging time for our peers and for us, because you just don’t have $20.5 million lying around,” George said. “So it’s going to require some difficult decisions and we’ve just got to be willing to make them. But our goal in all of this is that we want to compete at the highest level, so we’re going to participate at the highest level.”
CU has already made some decisions, including installing artificial turf at Folsom Field this summer, which carries an upfront cost of about $1 million, but will allow CU to host more concerts at the stadium and generate revenue. Also, BuffZone reported last week that CU is eliminating the positions of long-time track and field coaches Casey and Lindsey Malone, as the Buffs plan to focus more on their distance programs going forward.
“It requires a lot, and it’s going to require us to manage our expenses,” George said. “It’s going to require us to generate more revenue. You just don’t, in a year’s time, figure out how you can be able to revenue share at that number.
“It’s going to be incumbent on our base out there, our Flatiron Society, our Buff Club donors, to get involved. And I think we’re showing them our commitment. I feel really strongly that for us to be in a great position three to five years from now, we need to participate at the highest level, and we need to make sure that it’s sustainable. I feel like we’ve got a good plan in place.”
While George acknowledges there will have to be some expense cuts, he said generating more revenue, through donors, outside events, etc., will be the priority. And, he maintained, as he has throughout his tenure at CU, that he does not want to cut from the programs that benefit the student-athletes.
“One thing that I’ve told our student athletes and I’ve told our coaches is we will continue to provide the great benefits for our student-athletes that we always have, and that’s in the areas of mental health, nutrition, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, academic support, all those things that touch our student athletes,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that we still maintain those at a very high level.”
In addition to revenue sharing, a big piece of the House settlement is roster limits.
For football, CU will remain at the previous NCAA scholarship limit of 85, but the full roster is now capped at 105. That is likely to impact other schools more than CU. On average, FBS schools have kept around 125 players on a roster, but under current head coach Deion Sanders, the Buffs opened the 2023 season with 113 and the 2024 season with 110. Unofficially, CU has 102 players slated for this year, with 77 on scholalarship.
Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders will operate with a roster limit of 105 players this year after the House v. NCAA settlement. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
Basketball will be capped at 15 roster spots, which will potentially eliminate a couple of walk-on spots.
“We’ve had discussions about roster limits, and we’ve had discussions about scholarships and those kinds of things that we’ve had with our coaches,” George said.
The timing of the House settlement, on June 6, means CU and other schools have to make some big decisions in a hurry before the fall season begins, but George expects growing pains for a lot of schools.
“It’ll be a little clunky, I think, in year one, but then I think as we get to year two, in July of 2026, it’ll be a little smoother,” he said.
While the House settlement will bring some challenges to CU and many other schools around the country, George said the Buffs are eager to embrace the new world of college athletics. And, he’s focused on helping CU be in a great position for potential changes in the future.
“We’ve still got to operate as efficiently as we can, but at the same time, we’ve got to compete if we’re going to compete at the highest level,” he said. “And as conversations go on over the next three to five years on what’s going to happen in the future, another potential realignment, you’ve got to put yourselves in a position to be in that conversation, and that’s what we plan to do.
“We’ve been meeting every couple weeks to talk about the newest thing that comes out that we have to be ready for. I feel like we’re in a really good position. We put a lot of work in behind the scenes.”
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan gymnastics team finished the year with the second-highest GPA in the sport after posting a 3.8880, while all 20 members of the team earned Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Individual Academic Honors. The Broncos jumped from 44th last year to second this season after posting […]
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan gymnastics team finished the year with the second-highest GPA in the sport after posting a 3.8880, while all 20 members of the team earned Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Individual Academic Honors.
The Broncos jumped from 44th last year to second this season after posting its sixth-highest team GPA since 2015. Western Michigan has been in the Top 5 of the sport’s GPA list in sixth of the last 11 years.
“Our Bronco gymnasts inspire me every day with their work ethic. To achieve a 3.888 team GPA with 21 student-athletes is an incredible accomplishment, and I’m so proud of how they represent our program and our university. Finishing second in the nation is a direct reflection of the culture our team has built—one where excellence is expected in every area. Our athletes push each other to be their best in the gym and in the classroom. I’m so proud of their hard work and grateful for the support of our academic staff who help make achievements like this possible.”
Booke Gelesko, Julie Korfhage, Patricia Mills, Sarah Moravansky, Reese Samuleson, and Kyler Webster led the way for Western Michigan, all with 4.00 GPAs. Every member of the team at least had a 3.50, while 12 had a 3.80 or higher.
Fantilli, Werenski push each other through offseason training
The chirps start each morning when Adam Fantilli arrives at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. They come from one of Fantilli’s teammates and best friends in Zach Werenski. If it were a buddy cop movie, Werenski would be the grizzled but decorated veteran, Fantilli the talented, hotshot youngster. As such, It’s only natural for […]
The chirps start each morning when Adam Fantilli arrives at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.
They come from one of Fantilli’s teammates and best friends in Zach Werenski.
If it were a buddy cop movie, Werenski would be the grizzled but decorated veteran, Fantilli the talented, hotshot youngster.
As such, It’s only natural for Werenski – the Norris Trophy runner-up a season ago, a U.S. national team veteran and alternate captain for the Blue Jackets – to give his younger counterpart the business during their offseason training sessions.
“I think it’s fun for me to be hard on him, just being an older guy,” Werenski said. “I always give him a lot of crap, and I’m sure he’ll say that. But it’s more in good fun.”
It’s fair to say that Fantilli – someone who also could be in line to be win major NHL trophies, become a national team stalwart and wear a letter on his chest at some point in Columbus – doesn’t mind it.
“It’s all in good fun,” Fantilli said. “He does it just to keep me in line as a young guy and to make jokes, make conversation.
“I love being here with him. It’s great to have a teammate here, especially him. The guy is the best player on our team. You want to try to be with him and to work out and train with him. It’s really helpful.”
And to hear Werenski tell it, it’s not like Fantilli needs the extra push going into his third NHL campaign. The league’s youngest 30-goal scorer a season ago didn’t get where he is by taking days off, and Fantilli has already earned the respect of the nine-year NHL veteran at the top of his game.
“I think I’m not even really showing him the way,” Werenski said. “He has a lot of guys to look up to, and he already knows the way. He’s a great worker, and he knows what he needs to work on in the summers and he does it. He comes in every day and grinds.
“I love having him here. … He’s a hell of a hockey player, and he’s always pushing me to get better and hopefully I can do the same for him. I think it’s great for me. It’s something I wish I had when I was his age. It’s just going to benefit him more and more every year.”
Though he hails from the Greater Toronto Area, Fantilli chooses to get much of his pre-training camp work done in Plymouth, a short 15-minute drive from where he burst onto the scene at the University of Michigan, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey as a freshman before becoming the third overall pick in the NHL draft.
The 20-year-old center has settled on spending a lot of summer in the Detroit suburbs for a few reasons. Being close to his college town and having U-M buddies to hang out with – including his brother, Luca, a Michigan defenseman – helps, as does the high-level competition he can sharpen himself against during daily workouts and summer skates.
The Hughes brothers – Jack, Quinn and Luke, all young NHL standouts in their own right – are often present, and when BlueJackets.com visited earlier this month for a summer check-in, a bevy of NHLers were in and out of the facility. Fantilli first got the invitation to join during COVID times, when he was still a year or two away from his Michigan exploits or becoming an NHL star but still was making a name for himself in the hockey world.
“I got on the ice and I was so nervous to be around the guys and everything,” Fantilli said. “I was so happy to get on the ice with them for that duration of time. And then slowly as the years go on, I feel like I fit in more and more and actually push the group. … They’re my buddies now.”
The scenes in the gym and on the ice aren’t necessarily dramatic – there’s no ear-splitting music in the gym, no screaming strength coaches getting in the faces of the players – but the intensity is real when you’re working with the best of the best.
The on-ice session was split into drills and mini-games, and the competitiveness among the high-level athletes is palpable. While there are light moments like stick taps for a player who loses an edge and slips to the ice, each 3-on-3 game ends with joyous winners celebrating and losers who start moving nets and pucks into place for the next battle.
Through it all, Fantilli – who has often talked about learning and getting better every day of his NHL career – is a keen observer of what’s going on around him.
“It’s all All-Stars out there,” he said. “You’re going against guys that are the best in the league in a lot of senses. I can take from a lot of guys’ games. You have Jack and Quinn out there that are two of the most shifty guys in the NHL, and that’s something I want to add to my game as well. Cole (Caufield) is such a great shooter. Usually Kyle Connor and (Dylan) Larkin are out there, and those are both world-class forwards as well.
“They’re guys I want to take from their games. Learning from them every day has been really beneficial.”
And then, of course, there’s the presence of Werenski, a fellow Michigan Man who speaks often about how much Fantilli’s work with such decorated pros will help him in his development. This is the second straight year the two have worked together for a significant part of the offseason, and Fantilli sees the benefits of keeping one of his CBJ leaders in close proximity during the summer.
“He’s a great role model,” Fantilli said. “Not only that, I’ve become close with him. He’s a really good friend now. It’s great to be around him. He works so hard. He grinds. It’s a great example for me as a young guy. As a leader in Columbus, he’s a guy that I look up to a lot throughout the season, and being able to have him here in the offseason is just as helpful. It’s great.”
In Fantilli, Werenski sees a player who not only can help take the Blue Jackets to the next level but also someone who has become an indispensable part of its core in just two seasons.
“He’s a guy that’s a leader on this team and is going to be a leader in Columbus for a long time,” Werenski said. “It’s nice to have a young guy like that that understands what it takes to be great in this league.”
And it all starts on warm summer days in suburban Detroit.
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Twelve Centenary gymnasts were named WCGA Academic All-Americans for the 2024-25 academic year by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), the organization announced on Monday. Centenary also finished 70th nationally in team grade-point average (3.49) and three Ladies earned a perfect 4.0 GPA and all 12 had a 3.50 GPA or above. […]
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Twelve Centenary gymnasts were named WCGA Academic All-Americans for the 2024-25 academic year by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), the organization announced on Monday.
Centenary also finished 70th nationally in team grade-point average (3.49) and three Ladies earned a perfect 4.0 GPA and all 12 had a 3.50 GPA or above.
The University of Alaska-Anchorage, Western Michigan University and Texas Woman’s University posted the top three team grade-point averages (GPAs) for the 2024-25 academic year based on data submitted to the WCGA.
Overall, 1,218 student-athletes earned a 3.5 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale, 76.8% of all reporting gymnasts, the most ever by total number and percentage (since available records in 2008). There were 302 (19.04%) student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA. This was the fifth year in a row with more than 1,000 Scholastic All-America winners, and two of the top five universities broke into the lineup for the first time ever! Across all gymnasts this year, the average GPA was a 3.6558 which is the highest (since available records in 2015), 69 institutions had a team GPA of a 3.5 or better, and in ten of the last eleven years, at least one institution each year has had 100% of its athletes qualify for this prestigious award.
“Women’s collegiate gymnasts embody everything that is great about collegiate athletics. Their ability to excel in the classroom while performing at the highest levels of athletic competition is nothing short of inspiring,” said Casey Jo MacPherson, Chair of the WCGA Board of Directors. “These young women are the epitome of the student-athlete ideal, demonstrating discipline, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in all they do. We are proud to honor these outstanding teams and individuals for their continued efforts and success in the classroom!”
The University of Alaska-Anchorage posted the top team GPA with a 3.894. Their second consecutive year at the top of the list, the Seawolves earned the highest team GPA since available records in 2015. Head coach
Marie-Sophie Boggasch had 19 team members with a 3.5 or better GPA (95% of the team), and 11 of those gymnasts earned a 4.0 GPA.
Western Michigan University took the 2nd position with a team GPA of 3.888. This is the Bronco’s 6th year in the top 5 (since available records in 2015) and they return after being ranked 44th last season. With 100% of their team achieving a 3.5 or better, tied for best in the country, Head Coach Penny Jernigan had 7 of her 20 winners earn a4.0 GPA.
Also re-entering the top 5 this year was Texas Woman’s University, who came in at number three with a 3.8733 overall GPA. All 20 student-athletes earned over a 3.5 GPA, while 9 earned a 4.0 GPA. Head Coach Lisa Bowerman’s squad tied the nation’s best top percentage honors by having 100% of her team receiving Scholastic All-America status.
In fourth was the University of Arizona with a team GPA of 3.823. This was the first time for Head Coach John Court’s squad to make the top five after finishing 2024 in 8th place. 95% of his team earned accolades with 19 gymnasts earning above a 3.5, and seven with a 4.0 GPA.
Rounding out the top 5 was the University of Washington. Head Coach Jessa Hansen Parker’s team members earned top honors for the first time after finishing the 2024 season ranked 45th. The Huskies had fifteen gymnasts who posted a 3.5 GPA or better.
The complete list of the Ladies and their majors and GPAs is listed below:
About the WCGA
The Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association is a membership-led, professional association representing the
nation’s intercollegiate women’s gymnastics coaches within Division I, II & III of the NCAA and the NAIA. They work to promote and elevate the sport at all levels of collegiate competition.
The WCGA is THE ADVOCATE for women’s collegiate gymnastics.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The St. Anselm Hawks, defending NCAA DII National Champions, were selected by the league’s coaches to win the Northeast 10 championship in 2025. The Assumption Greyhounds, who fell to the Hawks during their NCAA run after toppling them in the NE10 final, were selected second. St. Anselm will look much different […]
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The St. Anselm Hawks, defending NCAA DII National Champions, were selected by the league’s coaches to win the Northeast 10 championship in 2025. The Assumption Greyhounds, who fell to the Hawks during their NCAA run after toppling them in the NE10 final, were selected second.
St. Anselm will look much different this fall after graduating nine starters including NCAA Championship hero Maddie Daivs, goaltender Sydney Falterer and 2023 NE10 Defensive Player of the Year Grace Michael. St. A’s does bring back Millie Forster, a backbone of their roster who played the national title game with a broken bone in her hand. Meghan Smith returns after scoring 19 points off the bench as a sophomore in 2024.
Assumption is headlined by bringing back one of the top goalkeepers in the country in fifth-year Paige Gillette. The top returning keeper in the conference and an NE10 Second Teamer in 2024, Gillette stopped more than 80% of shots she saw last fall. The Greyhounds also bring back their leading scorer, Elle Murray, who found the cage 12 times last fall, including twice in the NE10 Championship Final. Assumption tied with SNHU for the top defense in the league a year ago.
Following the Hounds and Hawks are recent staples near the top of the conference standings in Pace, Bentley and SNHU. Pace and SNHU will have different looks this year replacing the last two Players of the Year in the league after the graduations of Annamartine Christis and Krista Dietz.
St. Thomas Aquinas ranked the highest of the league’s affiliate members, checking in 10th. This fall marks the final season Mercy, Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas will play in the NE10 with their home conference, the ECC, launching field hockey sponsorship in 2026, furthering the growth of the sport at the Division II level.
Team
Votes
First Place
1
Saint Anselm
139
7
2
Assumption
132
5
3
Pace
111
4
Bentley
109
1
5
SNHU
104
6
Adelphi
100
7
Franklin Pierce
62
8
SCSU
60
9
American Int’l
53
10
St. Thomas Aquinas
47
11
Mercy
39
12
Saint Michael’s
37
13
Molloy
21
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.
OHL’s Adam Valentini to join Michigan a year early
About 10 weeks ago, the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) signed Michigan commit Adam Valentini for the upcoming season. But on Monday, about a week before training camp starts, the Rangers announced Valentini would instead be spending the season with the Wolverines. After the forward impressed with the Chicago Steel of the […]
About 10 weeks ago, the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) signed Michigan commit Adam Valentini for the upcoming season.
But on Monday, about a week before training camp starts, the Rangers announced Valentini would instead be spending the season with the Wolverines.
After the forward impressed with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season, Kitchener acquired him through a trade in the OHL draft. But according to a statement on Monday from Rangers general manager Mike McKenzie, Valentini’s agent notified the team that Valentini had revoked his commitment to the Rangers.
Valentini committed to Michigan last July, expected to join the Wolverines in the fall of 2026. He played out last season with the Steel, tallying 17 goals and 22 assists along the way. And after signing on with Kitchener, the 17-year-old has changed his mind by deciding to join the Wolverines a year early.
Valentini fills Michigan’s final roster spot for the upcoming season, solidifying another Wolverines roster filled with new faces — including plenty of other Canadian junior players.
And towards the end of the first offseason with Canadian Hockey League players eligible for college hockey, Valentini’s late exit from the Rangers is another sign that players, CHL teams and universities alike are all still figuring things out.
Johnny Manziel Jokes Texas A&M Should ‘Slide Me a Check Under the Table’ for NIL
Johnny Manziel is hoping to be reimbursed by Texas A&M for the NIL money he missed out on. The former Aggies quarterback joked on Front Office Sports Today that he wants his school to pay him his cut of NIL money. “One of these days, I think A&M will slide me a check under the […]
Johnny Manziel is hoping to be reimbursed by Texas A&M for the NIL money he missed out on.
The former Aggies quarterback joked on Front Office Sports Today that he wants his school to pay him his cut of NIL money.
“One of these days, I think A&M will slide me a check under the table or something and all will be right,” Manziel said.
Had Manziel played in the NIL era, he undoubtedly would have had a lucrative college career, but unfortunately, his college years didn’t coincide with players being paid for their skills and marketability.
Manziel put together a dominant Heisman season in 2012, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. As a senior, he threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 759 yards and nine touchdowns.
Earlier this year, Manziel said he would have had to take a pay cut to go to the NFL if he played in today’s landscape.
“I really feel like I would’ve taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL,” he told ESPN’s Greg McElroy. “That’s really what it would’ve been… I feel guys who are playing at a high level, who are really noticeable and really marketable are making a great amount of money to the point where guys have the opportunity to stay in school rather than go to the NFL early.”
While Manziel didn’t get the chance to benefit from NIL, he’s glad things have changed to where athletes can now earn money while in college.
“I think the guys deserve it,” he said. “I’m very happy and proud to be able to be a small piece of changing the landscape to be able to be in the world we are today.”
