NIL

John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers

The post John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers appeared first on ClutchPoints. The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best […]

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1 month ago

June 12, 2025

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The post John Calipari gets 100% real on ‘expectation’ that comes with lucrative NIL numbers appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The NIL era has accelerated recruiting into becoming a bidding war on what schools offer the most money in NIL. The numbers circulating in college basketball recently have been massive, and one of the game’s best recruiters, Arkansas’ John Calipari, recently spoke up about how that shapes the expectations for transfers and recruits who come into their new schools.

As one of the best recruiters in college basketball and potentially all college sports, Calipari has firsthand experience with NIL. While NIL has not changed Calipari’s status as an elite recruiter, it has emboldened him even more, bringing in top recruits at Kentucky and Arkansas. However, big-time players come with big-time money, and Calipari admitted that he and his staff tread lightly even more now due to that aspect of recruiting.

Calipari was on an episode of Golic & Golic on FanDuel Sports Network this week and elaborated on how they navigate this new landscape.

“Did you see the interview with the Kansas State player (Coleman Hawkins) after last year’s season, where he cried? Cried. ‘They paid me $2 million and I couldn’t live up to it.’ There’s one thing about being the star on any team,” Calipari said. “You guys did it, that star makes the most and, wow, but the most is expected from them. So, some guys in college basketball this year are making between $ 3 million and $5 million. Teams are spending 20 million on rosters. Now there’s an expectation. You better win a national title, or you better be a guy, Calipari said.

“If one of you paid a college player four million, would you expect that $4 million player to drag us to the Final Four?”

In some cases, the risk might not outweigh the reward when programs like Arkansas basketball offer millions of dollars to recruits. Calipari continued to elaborate on how this is impacting the current recruiting landscape.

“That’s different than a seasoned professional dealing with it. So, trying to keep that away from what we do, but social media brings it right back,” Calipari said. “This guy’s making $3 million, and this is the best he is. So, you know, it’s — I think we gotta protect our kids, but some of it, you can’t. You want to be paid a lot. You’re now a professional. You need to perform.”

Thanks to the House settlement being approved, some NIL numbers should be curbed, and at least the field in college sports should be leveled. However, this new era of recruiting is a bidding war, and Calipari and other coaches need to adapt to navigating the potential expectations that come with that.

Related: Fans debate possible NBA-like change in college hoops

Related: LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson gets brutally honest on Angel Reese relationship: ‘We’re not friends’

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NIL

Surprising List Of Biggest NIL Spenders In College Football

It’s a well known assumption from college football fans that the Oregon Ducks are in the upper echelon of name, image, and likeness (NIL) investment. Through Nike founder Phil Knight creating Oregon’s NIL group Division Street, to the massive recent opportunities coming from institutions being able to share their revenue directly with athletes, the Ducks […]

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13 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Oregon Ducks take the field for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning yells to the officials as the Fighting Ducks face off against Mighty Oregon in the Oregon Ducks — The Oregon Ducks take the field for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Alabama’s New Era Contends With NIL—and Nick Saban Rumors

Alabama’s New Era Contends With NIL—and Nick Saban Rumors Privacy Manager Link 0

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33 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

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Alabama’s New Era Contends With NIL—and Nick Saban Rumors

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2025-26 Mountaineer Kids Club Memberships Now On Sale

Story Links MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mountaineer Kids Club (MKC), presented by Crumbl Cookie, memberships are now available for the 2025-26 WVU Athletics season. The MKC is a great way for young Mountaineer fans to get involved in WVU Athletics and show off their Mountaineer pride all year long! Memberships […]

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53 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mountaineer Kids Club (MKC), presented by Crumbl Cookie, memberships are now available for the 2025-26 WVU Athletics season. The MKC is a great way for young Mountaineer fans to get involved in WVU Athletics and show off their Mountaineer pride all year long!

Memberships are $35 per child and can be purchased HERE. All memberships purchased online will be mailed to the address provided on your account unless otherwise noted. Membership packs will be mailed out beginning September 1.

Membership Benefits:

Member Pack
- Official credential, lanyard, t-shirt, sunglasses, sticker sheet, wall flag and more!

Ticket Deals
- FREE admission to all WVU regular-season home men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, gymnastics and wrestling
- FREE ticket in the Family Fun Zone for the WVU football vs. RMU on Aug. 30 with the option to purchase additional tickets at a discounted rate.
- FREE ticket to a future Men’s Basketball game.
- FREE ticket to a future Baseball game.

One free concession item coupon valid at any regular-season home game except football or men’s basketball

Exclusive ShopWVU.com discount code for 15% off a single order

A subscription to the monthly newsletter.

For more information, visit WVUsports.com/KidsClub and follow Mountaineer Kids Club on Facebook and X for up to date information (@WVUMKC).

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Johnny Manziel Says He Would’ve “Stayed In College Longer” Had NIL Existed

With the astronomical rise of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals amongst college athletes, many football players have seen themselves receiving extensive financial gain, even before they reach the professional level. With as much as the young stars are reeling in, you can only wonder how much college football stars in past decades would have […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

With as much as the young stars are reeling in, you can only wonder how much college football stars in past decades would have made under today’s statutes.

Among those you might wonder about is former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.

He wasn’t called “Money Manziel” for no reason.

After all, he was even suspended for the first half of the 2013 season opener against the Rice Owls after allegedly receiving payment for an autograph session earlier in the year.

But the quarterback out of Kerrville, TX believes that had NIL deals been around in the early 2010s, when he was playing in College Station, he would’ve made much more than he did in the NFL, and he would have stayed at A&M longer as well.

“I would have taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL,” Manziel told Greg McElroy in an interview. “I think no matter what, being in the NIL era, if that would have been the equivalent of 2013, I would have stayed no matter what. Just because a couple million bucks in College Station goes a really, really long way. And you go to the NFL, you’re a first-round pick, you sign for $10 million or whatever it is, that’s the two years that I had remaining at Texas A&M, to be able to make through an NIL deal.”

“So, I think for me, when I think back about it now, if there had been any real money involved, I definitely would have stayed there no matter what.”

As we all know, Manziel’s professional career was none like his time on the field in College Station.

After being drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel’s tumultuous time, including off-the-field issues that carried over from college, resulted in him being released not even two years into his contract.

And after equally forgettable years in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes, and also in the short-lived Alliance of American Football, Manziel quietly retreated from the game of football, but is still seen at many Texas A&M athletic events both in College Station and on the road.

But the “what if” game could be played with “Johnny Football” all day, especially regarding NIL deals, and if his career had shaped out better had he been properly compensated for his elite play on the gridiron.

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President Donald Trump to sign executive order establishing national NIL standards amid evolving legislation

Getty Images President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order establishing national standards for name, image and likeness initiatives, according to CBS News. Within the past week, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an amended bill called the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) aiming to “protect the […]

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1 hour ago

July 16, 2025

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President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order establishing national standards for name, image and likeness initiatives, according to CBS News. Within the past week, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an amended bill called the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) aiming to “protect the name, image, and likeness rights of student-athletes to promote fair compensation with respect to intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.”

The bill could open the door for federal standards for NIL legislation, superseding the current state laws that provide guidance on player compensation.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Wednesday during an appearance on “SEC This Morning” that he had no knowledge of a pending executive order.

“The President clearly has an interest in sports, big picture, has an interest in college sports,” Sankey said. “He has been at our games. The notion of an executive order has been mentioned before. There were some reports of a commission or an executive order back to like, April, I think, is when that started to bubble. So we’ll wait and see … I don’t have any inside information about what generated those reports late last evening.”

Trump has shown a keen interest in college athletics in the early months of his second term. In May, reports emerged that Trump intended to create a college sports commission, headed by prominent Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell and legendary former coach Nick Saban, that would investigate pressing issues such as NIL reform; however, the White House put those plans on hiatus. A completely unrelated College Sports Commission (CSC) was created in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement, which opened the door for athletes to profit off of revenue sharing.

The CSC, in partnership with consulting firm Deloitte, launched an online portal called “NIL Go,” where athletes can report third-party NIL deals to ensure that they match “fair market value” and include a valid business purpose based on an actual endorsement.

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President Donald Trump to sign executive order establishing national NIL standards amid …

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2025

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President Donald Trump to sign executive order establishing national NIL standards amid ...

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The bill could open the door for federal standards for NIL legislation, superseding the current state laws that provide guidance on player compensation.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Wednesday during an appearance on “SEC This Morning” that he had no knowledge of a pending executive order.