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Can women’s basketball teams catch up to UConn or South Carolina in a changing era?

For decades, women’s basketball was dominated almost exclusively by UConn and Tennessee, and then, for many years, only UConn’s dynasty thrived. In recent years, other contenders have emerged periodically, but none have challenged the crown quite as well as South Carolina. Until this past season, the Gamecocks and Dawn Staley had arguably taken the mantle […]

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For decades, women’s basketball was dominated almost exclusively by UConn and Tennessee, and then, for many years, only UConn’s dynasty thrived.

In recent years, other contenders have emerged periodically, but none have challenged the crown quite as well as South Carolina.

Until this past season, the Gamecocks and Dawn Staley had arguably taken the mantle from the Huskies and Geno Auriemma. Then, UConn returned to the top of the ladder and cut down the nets for the 12th time in program history, keeping this rivalry and battle for the top of the sport in flux.

Slice it anyway, though, and it’s obvious: No. 1 might be up for grabs, but it’s these two heavyweights that everyone is chasing. NIL, the transfer portal and the recent House v. NCAA settlement, which established revenue sharing in college sports, have upended the landscape. However, due to their rich traditions and coaching acumen, UConn and South Carolina have remained mostly unscathed by the upheaval — and even benefited from it.

The Gamecocks and Huskies signed two of the most highly pursued portal players, as Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer, left Florida State for South Carolina, and Serah Williams, arguably the best big in the portal, left Wisconsin to choose UConn.

This leaves every other coach in the nation strategizing and wondering what it will take to truly and consistently usurp perennial powerhouses UConn and South Carolina on the recruiting trail, the hardwood, or in March. Like much of the rest of big-money NCAA sports, women’s basketball coaches are no longer prioritizing only building four-year players but winning with transfers who can be lured with lucrative NIL promises.

As complicated as the modern era of college athletics has become — a record 1,450 Division I players entered the transfer portal after last season — coaches understand they must work within the confines of this new system, which involves the portal acting as a faster on-ramp for roster building. NIL and revenue share are becoming additional incentives for players to consider other programs if they want to succeed.

Fourteen power conference coaches interviewed by The Athletic said they’ve completely altered how they build rosters, recruit and develop talent.

“Coaches are questioning, obviously: Is it even worth it to be in this business? What are we doing? What are we doing if we can’t build a program and you’re starting from scratch every year to build a team without any rules around it?” one power conference coach said. “What are we doing? And why are we doing it?”

(Coaches were granted anonymity to speak freely about their recruiting habits, NIL and the overall climate of the sport.)

“I have to change. I have to pivot and plan for 50 percent attrition,” another power conference coach added. “Time will tell if you can build a program (in this era). If I can’t build a program, I’m not going to be doing it very long.”

Playing time, star roles and scholarships are no longer enough for coaches to retain players. Notable star players like Latson, Olivia Miles (Notre Dame to TCU) and Cotie McMahon (Ohio State to Ole Miss) switched programs.

They were among roughly 300 power conference players who transferred this offseason — an average of about four players per power conference team. More than 20 percent of the transfer pool had already changed schools at least once. Among the 40 returning starters off Sweet 16 rosters, 10 transferred.

Many coaches said this season’s top portal players signed deals of upward of $700,000, and some unheralded underclassmen, due to their longer eligibility, were seeking deals of $ 300,000 or more. By comparison, the WNBA supermax this season is less than $250,000, with only four players receiving it.

Meanwhile, less than a quarter of the league makes $200,000 or more. Yet, at the college level with limited post players in the portal, many coaches said programs needed to offer a premium of that kind to sign even a marginal big.

“If you were a post player in the portal a month ago and you averaged three points a game at the Power 4, most of them were asking for $200,000 plus,” one power conference coach said. “And you’re like, ‘You averaged 2.5 points per game.’ ”

Even highly successful programs are learning they might need to reset expectations after every season, given the uncertainty of attrition and what those defections mean for their own needs from the portal.

Look no further than UCLA. The Bruins appeared in their first Final Four of the modern era and, in a previous era of the sport, would have been considered a prime contender in the 2025-26 season due to the experience returning players gained. Yet, after the Bruins’ successful run, the entire freshman class, as well as Londynn Jones, a 31-game starter, and Janiah Barker, the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year, decided to transfer.

It means UCLA coach Cori Close will be starting essentially from scratch after this core’s graduation, rather than steadily building a program, with backups becoming role players and then starters, that is capable of taking down UConn or South Carolina in the Final Four.

Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 during the season, and despite a late collapse, seemed poised for a strong upcoming season. But after the Irish lost Miles to TCU, freshman key contributor Kate Koval to LSU and two other players, they dropped out of The Athletic’s post-transfer top 25. USC seemingly has prime minutes up for grabs after losing star JuJu Watkins to an ACL tear. Still, Kayleigh Heckle and Avery Howell, two freshmen who figured to be centerpieces next season, entered the transfer portal.

“You had to think about sitting out a year, you had to think about the perception,” one power conference coach said about previous transfer implications. “Now it’s just normalized. If you lost two or three kids in a year, it used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s wrong at that school?’ And that’s just not the notion anymore.”

Some coaches likened the roster turnover to coaching at the junior college level.

“If I can keep the kid for two years,” one said, “I feel like I’ve won the lottery.”

Although most coaches are frustrated with the lack of oversight and guardrails in place from the NCAA over the past few seasons, they understand that it’s also a shifting reality for them. In this era of limited regulation and hazy guidance, coaches and universities that are quick to adapt have had the upper hand, whether that means getting their collectives more involved (generally seen as acceptable among all coaches) or tampering with athletes (seen as illegal, but not currently regulated as such).

Now, with the settlement finalized over the weekend, actual regulation is taking effect.

As of last Saturday, college athletes were required to report NIL deals worth more than $600 to the newly established College Sports Commission for approval. On July 1, universities can begin making revenue share payments to athletes. The impact of these regulations on athletes’ deals is currently unknown. Still, the NCAA has been clear that the NIL-specific regulation is intended to protect athletes from false deals, not to hinder their earning power.

However, because the settlement had been pushed back — a decision was expected two months ago — universities and collectives were able to front-load deals, which created an arms race across conferences, which drove up the total “cost” of rosters.

The Athletic asked 12 coaches what they expect it would cost, between revenue share and NIL, to build a roster that could contend for their respective conference title. Multiple Big Ten and SEC coaches estimated the cost between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. Multiple ACC and Big 12 coaches said that building a championship roster costs between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. Most of those numbers exceed even the WNBA’s team salary cap of just under $1.51 million.

However, this number is a moving target. With impending legislation, coaches are uncertain about how it may change in the coming seasons, particularly with the establishment of revenue sharing and the creation of the College Sports Commission.

Coaches said that while the leverage has shifted almost entirely to players, there are no safeguards in place for the programs or the collectives that act on their behalf. This movement leaves many coaches working on a year-to-year basis, unsure of what their rosters will look like or how much money they will have to fill potential holes.

“In true professional sports, I know I have this player under contract for four years and I can prepare for that player to go into free agency, or I know I have $200,000 coming off the books ahead of next year. Here, it’s free agency every single year, and the tampering is out of control,” one coach said. “So, please tell me how I do this. Tell me how to manage a roster when we don’t know the rules.”

Regulation around NIL, collectives and revenue share could provide some stability, but even so, coaches expect both tampering and transfer numbers to remain high every season.

From the 2020 high school recruiting class, 17 of the top 25 (and seven of the top 10) players transferred before the end of their college careers, including Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Hailey Van Lith. In the 2021 class, 13 of the top 25 players transferred, and 18 of the top 25 players in the 2022 class, now rising seniors, transferred.

This attrition has had a ripple effect on how college coaches prioritize high school recruiting. Many staff chose not to send multiple (or any) coaches on the road this offseason for the first high school recruiting evaluation period, valuing hosting immediate impact players over seeing talent who wouldn’t be on campus for a few years.

That signals a significant shift in the overall recruiting philosophy. Five years ago, the lifeblood of almost every program was high school recruiting. Now, the portal offers another option. Multiple coaches said that their focus on high school recruits has decreased from 95-100 percent of their recruiting efforts to somewhere between 50-70 percent. Nearly 80 power conference freshmen transferred this offseason, so coaches also realize that bringing in a freshman doesn’t necessarily mean stability.

As coaches prepare for summer workouts before the 2025-26 season and make plans to attend high school recruiting events, they recognize that their priorities might look different a year from now. Regulations from the House settlement could remove some of the challenges of the past few seasons. Still, coaches will have to navigate a landscape that once seemed unimaginable in college sports.

However, one challenge remains the same: UConn and South Carolina are the hunted.

“The job is just different now,” one coach said. “You just have to make up your mind if you want to deal with the other stuff.”

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; top photos: Joe Buglewicz, Eakin Howard, Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)



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Ruling on NIL collectives may reshape college sports scene

Valid businesses would only be allowed to make payments to student athletes Boise State fullback Tyler Crowe (33) celebrates his touchdown against Penn State during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Dec. 31 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press) ALBUQUERQUE – A new enforcement agency in […]

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Valid businesses would only be allowed to make payments to student athletes

Boise State fullback Tyler Crowe (33) celebrates his touchdown against Penn State during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football CFP quarterfinal game, Dec. 31 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press)

ALBUQUERQUE – A new enforcement agency in college sports has drawn a firm line regarding the regulation of name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments to athletes – a move that could dismantle how many school-affiliated collectives currently operate.

Last week, the College Sports Commission issued new guidance that significantly narrows what qualifies as a “valid business purpose” for NIL deals. The announcement came just days after the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement took effect on July 1, establishing a clearinghouse called NIL Go to review third-party deals exceeding $600.

The goal is to prevent schools from circumventing the new $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap by routing funds through booster-backed collectives.

According to the CSC, any entity whose primary function is paying athletes – rather than offering legitimate goods or services to the public – fails to meet NIL Go’s standards. This includes collectives that host events or sell merchandise primarily to fund player payments. Even if these events are open to the public or involve promotional efforts, the CSC says they still don’t qualify.

The ruling has sent shock waves through the NIL ecosystem. In the four years since NIL deals became legal, school-affiliated collectives have funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into athlete compensation – often functioning as unofficial arms of athletic departments. These groups have paid athletes for appearances, endorsements, and social media promotions. But with the CSC now rejecting most of these deals, that model appears to be collapsing.

A memo sent to Division I athletic directors clarified the new standard: agreements with collectives primarily created to pay athletes or benefit specific schools will no longer be approved. While external NIL deals are still allowed, they must be with companies offering real products or services to the general public and must reflect fair market value.

The backlash was immediate. The Collective Association, which represents NIL collectives nationwide, called the CSC’s interpretation “misguided,” arguing it ignores both legal precedent and the economic realities of college athletics. The group claimed collectives are essential to athlete support and are being unfairly targeted.

Adding to the frustration, collective leaders like Dalton K. Forsythe of Utah State’s Blue A Collective reported widespread rejections of submitted NIL deals. “Nearly 100% of collective-backed NIL deals are being denied,” Forsythe posted on X, citing inconsistent standards and poor communication from NIL Go.

Mountain West Conference emblem is attached to a field marker along with the emblem of Colorado State during an NCAA college football game between Colorado and Colorado State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Despite the chaos, NIL Go has approved over 1,500 deals since launching in June, ranging in value from hundreds to millions of dollars. More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutions are already registered. However, most approved transactions have involved athletes and legitimate businesses – not donor collectives.

Ultimately, the CSC has made clear that the future of NIL lies in traditional sponsorships and commercial endorsements, not donor-funded payouts. Whether courts will uphold these rules – or whether athletes will challenge them on antitrust grounds – remains to be seen. For now, though, the days of collectives writing large checks behind the scenes may be coming to an end.

The College Sports Commission’s new enforcement guidance is expected to significantly impact the Mountain West Conference (MWC), where many schools have relied on donor-driven collectives to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Potential Fallout for Mountain West Schools

This shift could hit programs like Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State particularly hard. These schools have developed strong football reputations but lack the deep financial backing of Big Ten or SEC institutions.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty celebrates after winning the offensive player of the game for the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game against UNLV, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Boise State has relied on a passionate fan base and collective support to maintain its status as a Group of Five powerhouse. Without that funding source, Boise could fall behind in the NIL arms race.

Utah State’s Blue A Collective is already feeling the pressure. Director Dalton Forsythe reports that nearly all of their NIL submissions are being rejected under the new rules, calling the standards “unclear and unrealistic.”

Fresno State and San Diego State have used competitive NIL offers to retain local talent, but that ability may diminish without collective-based funding, making it harder to keep players from transferring out.

As the NIL landscape undergoes its most dramatic shift yet, the Mountain West Conference finds itself at a crossroads.

The new rules may level the playing field in theory, but in practice, they risk sidelining programs that have used creativity and community support to stay relevant.

With traditional collectives on the chopping block and commercial partnerships harder to come by in smaller markets, MWC schools must now adapt quickly – or risk falling further behind in a system increasingly tilted toward the power conferences.

The next chapter in college athletics will be defined not just by talent on the field, but by who can navigate the off-field rules best.

Roger Holien is a contributor for SB Nation.com and Mountain West Connection





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Players Era 2025: Schedule announced for NIL-driven Players Era Men’s Championship

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. Advertisement Then […]

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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.

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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.

REQURIED READING: College basketball too-early Top 25 rankings after transfer portal, NBA draft

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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.

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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:

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:

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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.

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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.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Players Era Men’s Championship full field, schedule announced



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Tip times, matchups for NIL-driven college basketball tournament revealed

The Players Era Festival, an NIL-driven college basketball multi-team event set to feature Gonzaga and 17 other programs in its field this fall, has released the 20-game schedule for the 2025 edition from Las Vegas. The Players Era debuted this past November with eight teams competing in the Thanksgiving week tournament: Houston, Alabama, Rutgers, Notre […]

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The Players Era Festival, an NIL-driven college basketball multi-team event set to feature Gonzaga and 17 other programs in its field this fall, has released the 20-game schedule for the 2025 edition from Las Vegas.

The Players Era debuted this past November with eight teams competing in the Thanksgiving week tournament: Houston, Alabama, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Creighton, Oregon, Texas A&M and San Diego State (Oregon beat Alabama in the championship round). In addition to those eight, the following 10 teams join the 2025 field: Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee and UNLV.

The Bulldogs drew Alabama for their first-round matchup, which has been set for Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m. PST on TNT. The Zags will take on Maryland the next day at the same time, while being broadcast on TruTV. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander first reported the matchups earlier this month.

Though the exact locations weren’t disclosed, each contest has been confirmed for either Michelob Ultra Arena or MGM Grand Garden Arena. If the Zags win both matchups out of the gate, they’ll advance to the championship round set for Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. In the likely event that more than two teams go 2-0 to start, point differential, total points scored and points allowed will serve as tiebreakers. The third-place game is the same day at 4 p.m. PST.

Every participating team is assured $1 million, with an additional $1 million awarded to the winner of Players Era. The pay structure is expected to work in a similar manner this year, with each school directly receiving compensation from event organizers, though how the teams divvy up the money to their players will be case-by-case.

With the House v. NCAA settlement reaching final approval, schools will be allowed to share up to $20.5 million per year in revenue with their student-athletes. Many schools won’t be able to reach that number, and some are planning to put portions of Players Era money into their overall rev-share cap, per Norlander.

According to The Field of 68, the team that finishes in second place will receive $500,000; third place will earn $300,000 and fourth will net $200,000.

Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule includes seven opponents that qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament: Oklahoma (Nov. 8 at Spokane Arena), Creighton (Nov. 11 at the Kennel), Kentucky (Dec. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee), UCLA (Dec. 13 in Seattle), Baylor (TBD), Alabama (Nov. 24) and Maryland (Nov. 25). Additionally, those seven teams makeJon Rothstein’s top 45 rankings of the offseason.

All times PST

Monday, Nov. 24
Tennessee vs. Rutgers, 10 a.m.
Baylor vs. Creighton, 11 a.m. 
Kansas vs. Notre Dame, 12:30 p.m. 
St. John’s vs. Iowa State, 1:30 p.m. 
Houston vs. Syracuse, 3 p.m. 
Oregon vs. Auburn, 5 p.m. 
Alabama vs. Gonzaga, 6:30 p.m. 
Michigan vs. San Diego State, 7:30 p.m. 
Maryland vs. UNLV, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 25
Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, 10 a.m.
Iowa State vs. Creighton, 11:30 a.m. 
Kansas vs. Syracuse, 12:30 p.m 
St. John’s vs. Baylor, 2 p.m. 
Houston vs. Tennessee, 3 p.m. 
Michigan vs. Auburn, 5:30 p.m. 
Gonzaga vs. Maryland, 6:30 p.m. 
Oregon vs. San Diego State, 8 p.m. 
Alabama vs. UNLV, 9 p.m. 

Wednesday, Nov. 26
Third-place game, 4 p.m. PST
Championship game, 6:30 p.m. PST

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS





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Transfer Portal Softball Tracker – Cu Independent

Every year after the softball season ends, lots of players decide to leave their current teams and look for new ones. Maybe your team’s best pitcher will join a rival. Or maybe the hitter who gave you trouble last season might become your new teammate. Thanks to big NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and […]

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Every year after the softball season ends, lots of players decide to leave their current teams and look for new ones.

Maybe your team’s best pitcher will join a rival. Or maybe the hitter who gave you trouble last season might become your new teammate.

Thanks to big NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and players moving closer to home, the transfer portal has turned softball into a busy, year-round event.

Here, we will share the biggest player moves, top names still available, and how this new system is changing the way college softball operates.

What is the Transfer Portal?

The NCAA Transfer Portal, launched in October 2018, has revolutionized the process by which student-athletes transfer to a new school.

For softball players, it serves as a centralized database where athletes can enter their information and make themselves available to other programs.

The process works in several key steps:

  • A player notifies their school’s compliance office of their intention to transfer.
  • The school enters the player’s information into the portal within two business days.
  • Once in the portal, coaches from other schools can contact the player.
  • The player can then evaluate opportunities and commit to a new program.

As of April 2024, significant rule changes have made transferring more accessible than ever.

The NCAA has eliminated restrictions on the number of transfers academically eligible athletes can make during their college careers, removing the requirement to sit out a year for multiple transfers.

For softball specifically, the transfer windows for the 2025-2026 season will open after the regular season and last 30 days. Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time.

Latest Transfer Portal Listings

Here are some of the most notable players currently in the 2025 softball transfer portal:

Player Name Position School Notable Achievements
Maya Johnson Pitcher Belmont 2024 All-American, looking for a Power Five opportunity
Desirae Spearman Pitcher New Mexico State Conference USA Player of the Year, in high demand
Arianna Rodi Infielder UMass Power hitter with two years of eligibility left
Ruby Meylan Pitcher Washington Former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
NiJaree Canady Pitcher Stanford National Player of the Year finalist

Recent Transfer Portal Commitments

Several major commitments have already shaped the 2025 softball landscape:

  • CeCe Cellura to LSU: The former San Diego State pitcher committed to the Tigers on May 26, 2025, bringing elite talent to an SEC powerhouse.
  • Ella Harrison to Auburn: Another pitcher on the move, Harrison leaves Rutgers to join the competitive SEC at Auburn, also committing on May 26, 2025.
  • New Mexico State’s Portal Success: The Aggies have been particularly active, securing nine incoming transfers to bolster their roster after a 30-win 2024 campaign.

These moves highlight how programs are increasingly relying on transfers to fill immediate needs rather than waiting for freshman development.

The immediacy of impact has made transfer recruiting a top priority for coaching staffs across the nation.

Rising Programs to Watch Out!

Rising Programs to Watch Out!
Rising Programs to Watch Out!

Several college softball programs have made strategic moves in the transfer portal, utilizing it to increase their competitiveness and improve their performance.

  • Texas Tech made a significant splash by landing Ni’Jaree Canady, considered one of the nation’s top pitchers, with a stellar 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts last season, which immediately positions the Red Raiders as a serious contender.
  • Nebraska, although not historically a softball powerhouse, has proven its ability to attract top talent through the transfer portal, helping to improve the program’s status.
  • Oklahoma State, with a series of key power-conference transfers, including Ruby Meylan, is setting itself up as a new standard in the Big 12, showcasing the potential of the transfer portal to take a team from good to great.

These programs highlight how strategic portal use can accelerate rebuilding and increase a team’s performance.

Resources for Tracking Transfer Portal Activity

If you want to stay up-to-date, here are some of the best places for real-time transfer news:

For more details, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are There Deadlines for Entering the Softball Transfer Portal?

Yes. There are sport-specific windows when athletes can enter the portal. Graduate transfers have more flexibility and can join at any time, but undergraduates must follow the designated transfer window for their sport.

Do Transfer Rules Differ Between NCAA Divisions?

Yes, while the general process is similar, some details, such as academic standards and scholarship rules, can vary between Division I, II, and III.



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Johnny Manziel thinks he would have stayed in college over the NFL ‘no matter what’ with NIL

Johnny Manziel truly believes he would’ve stayed in college football at Texas A&M in the NIL era, rather than go to the NFL as early as he did. Following two years as a starter, Manziel declared for the NFL Draft and was a first round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. However, his NFL […]

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Johnny Manziel truly believes he would’ve stayed in college football at Texas A&M in the NIL era, rather than go to the NFL as early as he did. Following two years as a starter, Manziel declared for the NFL Draft and was a first round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014.

However, his NFL career quickly flamed out and he had stints in the CFL a few years later, as well as Fan Controlled Football, an arena league. But, the former Heisman Trophy winner has been open and honest about his post-collegiate struggles on and off the field but has his moments where it’s fun to play the hypothetical game.

Just imagine Manziel, at the peak of his collegiate powers, rolling in the NIL dollars. And then coming back to Texas A&M on top of it? Oh man.

“I mean, I think no matter what, being in the NIL era, if that would have, you know, been the equivalent of 2013, I would have stayed no matter what,” Manziel said on Always College Football. “Just because, you know, a couple million bucks in College Station goes a really, really long way. And, you go to the NFL, or a first round pick, you know, you sign for $10 million or whatever it is, you know, that’s the two years that I had remaining at Texas A&M, to be able to make (that) through NIL. So I think, for me, when I think back about it now, I definitely, if there would have been any real money involved, I definitely would have stayed no matter what.”

This isn’t the first time Manziel alluded to more time in College Station. He spoke to fellow Heisman winner Matt Leinart about the topic back in December with NIL being such commonplace across college athletics.

“Yeah, I think so, just because, I mean, you know, you get into your rookie contract if you’re not taken  high enough, I mean, you know, I could have stayed two more years in college and probably made what I made throughout the four years of your NFL deal for the most part,” Manziel said. “So I think it would have given me the opportunity to still be at a place today and then like that, be able to make money and be able to, you know, still continue to go play the college football life. It’s tough for me looking back, having left two years of eligibility on a table.”

Manziel burst onto the college football scene in 2012 when he became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. That year, he threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns to help the Aggies to an 11-2 record. 

Along the way, he set multiple records, including one against Arkansas when he had 557 yards of total offense. That broke Archie Manning’s record, and Manziel broke his own mark just two games later with 576 yards of offense in a single game. As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Manziel threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns as he finished fifth in the Heisman voting.



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Vanderbilt football coach on revenue sharing vs NIL

Martel Hight will play both ways in 2025: Clark Lea Here’s what Clark Lea said about Martel Hight’s potential as a two-way player for Vanderbilt football in 2025. ATLANTA – Just a few years after NIL and instant eligibility for transfers upended the college football world, programs must adjust again. The recent House settlement implemented […]

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ATLANTA – Just a few years after NIL and instant eligibility for transfers upended the college football world, programs must adjust again.

The recent House settlement implemented revenue sharing, where schools pay players directly rather than them signing contracts with a collective. There’s a cap on how much revenue sharing money schools can give out, split across all sports. NIL deals can still exist, but they must go through a clearinghouse run by Deloitte called NIL Go.

On top of that, football teams can give out scholarships to anyone on their roster, but rosters will be capped at 105. Some players, called Designated Student Athletes, can be grandfathered in during the first few years of the roster limits if they were previously on the team.

Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea was slow to adapt to the original NIL and transfer rules, but he believes he’s better prepared this time around. If anything, he said, the new rules make roster-building more straightforward.

“I don’t want to say it’s a seamless transition, because it’s a transition,” Lea said in a session with local media at SEC media days on July 14. “We’re going from contracts written through a collective to now having those as part of the revenue share salary cap. And so we have to transition to those contracts in a way that keeps up moving without skipping a beat.

” … There is no room for a team in our league that’s not fully participating. From there, it becomes, how do we engage the Nashville community to go beyond the revenue share? And I’m excited to explore all those things to better position us for where the game is headed.”

To engage the Nashville community, Lea said he saw opportunities for partnerships with local businesses that could sign Vanderbilt players to NIL deals above the revenue-sharing cap. Lea said he was not directly involved with those conversations, as he was better off focusing on football, but that other parts of the department were focused on taking advantage of those opportunities.

The Commodores have a higher profile going into 2025 than they’ve had in a while with returning quarterback Diego Pavia and tight end Eli Stowers, plus several other good players. Martel Hight could play offense, defense and special teams.

But there are still questions abounding. NIL Go has rejected several NIL deals, leaving teams uncertain about the level of enforcement that will take place.

Lea and Vanderbilt, like everyone else, will have to figure out those things as they go.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.





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