With no players left from last season’s team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
Associated Press WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. […]
WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears.
Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor’s highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month.
“Guys you didn’t want to lose and were valuable, we haven’t had many that we’ve lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn’t do your job,” Drew said this week. “With the portal, I think we’ve all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal.”
The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session.
One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package.
“You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you’re done,” Drew said, without getting into any specifics. “Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That’s part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who’s on your team and when they’re locked in, they’re locked in.”
The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming.
Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye.
Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021.
Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany.
“Any year you get a foreign tour, it’s huge. … Since we’re returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,” Drew said. “The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There’s nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.”
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Game Analyst Says EA Sports Betting Big on College Basketball Can Be Tracked Back to Previous Failure
EA Sports is making a comeback play that has nothing to do with nostalgia. The gaming giant is eyeing a 2028 return to college basketball, and according to content creator PAC Hoops, this move stems directly from one glaring problem: Madden NFL has become a punching bag for frustrated fans. Sometimes the best offense comes from […]
EA Sports is making a comeback play that has nothing to do with nostalgia. The gaming giant is eyeing a 2028 return to college basketball, and according to content creator PAC Hoops, this move stems directly from one glaring problem: Madden NFL has become a punching bag for frustrated fans.
Sometimes the best offense comes from admitting your defense isn’t working.
Why Is EA Sports Pivoting From Madden to College Basketball?
In a recent video, PAC Hoops didn’t mince words about EA Sports’ motivation for returning to college basketball. The content creator pointed to Madden NFL’s declining reputation as the driving force behind this strategic shift.
“This will be their first game since NCAA Basketball 10. And it makes perfect sense why they’re doing this. Madden is probably the most hated sports game in the entire world,” said PAC Hoops.
The criticism goes deeper than just fan complaints. “You think 2K is bad? Madden will make zero changes and make a brand new game every year. EA noticed that Madden was starting to struggle, at least compared to FIFA, and decided to make College Football 25,” he said.
“And you guys know how well that video game turned out. EA is trying to get that same kind of magic into the basketball simulation video games,” shared PAC Hoops.
The numbers back up this strategy. College Football 25’s success, reflected in its 83 Metacritic score and over $1 billion in revenue, proved EA could tap into the pent-up demand for college sports games. With Madden facing fan backlash for repetitive releases, EA is banking on college basketball to replicate that same success.
What Does EA’s College Basketball Tease Tell Us About Their Plans?
EA Sports didn’t stay quiet about their intentions. EA Sports teased the return of its college basketball series on June 30, with a cryptic X post saying, “Bring the Madness. Let’s run it back. #CBB #ItsInTheGame.”
Multiple reports, including a memo obtained by Matt Brown of Extra Points, confirm a potential 2028 target for EA Sports College Basketball. The memo, dated June 26, 2025, revealed that the College Licensing Company (CLC) issued a request for proposals in November 2024, with EA’s bid selected over two others.
This won’t be a small-scale operation. The game will feature both men’s and women’s Division I teams with over 730 programs, marking a first for the series. That massive undertaking explains why EA needs until 2028 to get everything right.
The last iteration, NCAA Basketball 10, released in 2009 with Blake Griffin on the cover, earned a 75 Metacritic score before the series was shelved due to poor sales and legal issues over player likenesses. Thanks to changes in NCAA policy, those legal barriers no longer exist.
RELATED: EA Sports College Basketball’s Potential Release Pattern After 2028 Announced by Insider
The revival of this franchise hinges on the NCAA’s NIL ruling, which allows athletes to profit from their likeness and removes the legal barriers that previously halted college sports games. College Football 25 leveraged NIL to include real players, and EA Sports College Basketball will likely follow the same model.
The game’s scope, covering hundreds of teams, arenas, and audio assets, explains the 2028 timeline. EA’s focus on ensuring authenticity means they’re not rushing this release, especially after learning from Madden’s missteps and College Football 25’s success.
Kenny Dillingham, Deion Sanders among Big 12 coaches questioning NIL, player pay reforms
Kenny Dillingham said, “I just want to know the rules” when it comes to clarification about NIL deals and revenue sharing. (Photo by Truitt Robinson/Cronkite News) FRISCO, Texas – The state of college sports could calmly be described as the Wild, Wild West, a stage for an old-fashioned duel between programs and the NCAA, with […]
Kenny Dillingham said, “I just want to know the rules” when it comes to clarification about NIL deals and revenue sharing. (Photo by Truitt Robinson/Cronkite News)
FRISCO, Texas – The state of college sports could calmly be described as the Wild, Wild West, a stage for an old-fashioned duel between programs and the NCAA, with athletes standing somewhere in the middle.
Texas is a fitting setting for such showdowns.
Big 12 Media Days provided several opportunities for coaches in the conference to voice their displeasure with the current system and how players are paid like NFL stars. Even though power conference teams like those within the Big 12 do benefit in terms of securing more commitments from the best available players, they realize it’s an unjust and unfair system that could monopolize the sport indefinitely.
“We’re in the profession and we don’t even know the rules,” Cincinnati football coach Scott Satterfield said. “It’s difficult, and it’s ever-changing. There’s nothing that’s been stable, really, since 2020. Things have changed so much and so fast.”
Recruiting is among the biggest challenges. Though the NCAA reached a settlement in June that would give $2.8 billion for colleges to pay athletes, the NCAA is negotiating with House plaintiff lawyers to apply rules and repercussions to schools that attempt to avoid the cap in compensation packages offered to incoming players. Third-party NIL deals are being fully guaranteed, which would go against new revenue-sharing rules. Programs are also offering contracts that would be impossible to fit beneath the $20.8 million annual compensation cap.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, who captured the Big 12 crown last season behind a slew of portal additions, is eager for a clear-cut direction for the sport so college football can return to what he believes are the values at its core.
“I just want to know the rules,” Dillingham said. “Tell us where the sandbox is and we’ll play in it. At the end of the day, this is a game. I know this is a business, I know this is a profession for everybody. But anybody who’s not in this to see a kid go from an 18-year-old kid to a 22-year-old man, and enter the real world, is in it for the wrong reasons.”
In a time when players can earn millions of dollars as freshmen or by entering the portal, the players a team retains for several years become the most crucial ones on the roster.
“In this new era where you have 105 kids on scholarship, it’s all about retaining the guys on your team,” Dillingham said. “If you constantly are looking for the next best thing to replace the guys on your team, then your own guys and your team should leave. Why wouldn’t they? If you’re not loyal to them, they shouldn’t be loyal to you.”
Colorado coach Deion Sanders said he wishes the new era of college football included a hard salary cap with a system to rank player salaries based on ability. (Photo by Truitt Robinson/Cronkite News)
The two-way street of loyalty and trust between players and coaching staff is occasionally the deciding factor for players being recruited with similarly hefty bags of cash. Coaches argue that it should return to the forefront of the recruiting process. That point is only emphasized by the fact that hundreds of submitted NIL deals hang in limbo while the College Sports Commission and NIL clearinghouse manage the fallout of the settlement.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders proposed a hard salary cap with a system to tier rank player salaries based on ability and overall performance.
“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said. “The top-of-the-line guy 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. The problem is you have a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him half a million dollars, and you can’t compete with that. It doesn’t make sense.”
Moments earlier, however, Sanders praised Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire for spending aggressively in the transfer portal. The Red Raiders flipped their team into a recruiting juggernaut almost overnight, spending upwards of $50 million on players, which was split into $30 million front-loaded and another $20.5 million courtesy of the revenue-share. Front-loaded contracts allowed school collectives to pay players before the enforcement of the settlement on July 1.
McGuire, whose Red Raiders figure to contend for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff selection this fall, said his aggression is just taking advantage of the current state of affairs, and more schools should do the same to compete with the annual contenders from the SEC and Big Ten.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, entering his 21st season at the helm of the Utes, echoed Sanders’ sentiment about a salary cap. He acknowledged that players are moving toward becoming official employees, though the contracts they are now signing to get paid make them employees in every way but the official title. Whittingham remains unsure of the extent to which he supports employing college athletes.
“You say, ‘college football’s not the NFL,’ but the NFL has been doing some good things for a lot of years,” Whittingham said. “We ought to take some pages from them on how to implement a salary cap and collective bargaining if it comes to that. … As distasteful as it might sound to some people, I think an NFL minor league model is the best direction to hit.”
Until new policies can be enforced at every level of college football to ensure more parity and a fair state of play, the formula for winning national championships is printed on a blank check.
“All you have to do is look at the College Football Playoff and see what those teams spent,” Sanders said. “And you’ll understand darn well why they’re in the playoffs.”
The greatest career’s in Kentucky history broken down into wild statistics Kentucky’s basketball history is dripping with legends—and numbers don’t lie. From Issel’s scoring dominance to Magloire’s shot-swatting reign, here are the Cats’ top five in every major career stat category. Let the barbershop debates begin. Scoring Denver Nuggets v Washington Bullets | Focus On […]
The greatest career’s in Kentucky history broken down into wild statistics
Kentucky’s basketball history is dripping with legends—and numbers don’t lie. From Issel’s scoring dominance to Magloire’s shot-swatting reign, here are the Cats’ top five in every major career stat category. Let the barbershop debates begin.
Scoring
Denver Nuggets v Washington Bullets | Focus On Sport/GettyImages
1. Dan Issel – 2,138 points (1967–70)
2. Kenny Walker – 2,080 (1982–86)
3, Jack “Goose” Givens – 2,038 (1974–78)
4, Keith Bogans – 1,923 (1999–03)
5. Tony Delk – 1,890 (1992–96)
Assists (Since 1962)
Dec 19, 1980; Lexington, KY, USA; FILE PHOTO; Kentucky Wildcats guard Dirk Minniefield (10) shoots against Alaska during the UK Invitational at Rupp Arena in the 1980-81 season. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
1. Dirk Minniefield – 646 (1979–83)
2. Anthony Epps – 544 (1993–97)
3. Roger Harden – 498 (1982–86)
4. Wayne Turner – 494 (1995–99)
5. Sean Woods – 482 (1989–92)
3-Pointers made
Tony Delk | Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages
1. Tony Delk – 283 (1992–96)
2. Keith Bogans – 254 (1999–03)
3. Tayshaun Prince – 204 (1998–02)
4. Gerald Fitch – 199 (2000–04)
5. Derrick Miller – 191 (1986–90)
Rebounds
Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels | Ross Lewis/GettyImages
1. Dan Issel – 1,078 (1967–70)
2. Frank Ramsey – 1,038 (1950–54)
3. Cliff Hagan – 1,035 (1950–54)
4. Johnny Cox – 1,004 (1956–59)
5. Cotton Nash – 962 (1961–64)
Steals
Wayne Turner | Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages
1. Wayne Turner – 238 (1995–99)
2. Tony Delk – 201 (1992–96)
3. Cliff Hawkins – 199 (2000–04)
4. Ed Davender – 191 (1984–88)
5. Jared Prickett – 187 (1992–97)
Blocks
Jamaal Magliore | Andy Lyons/GettyImages
1. Jamaal Magloire – 268 (1996–00)
2. Willie Cauley-Stein – 233 (2012–15)
3. Melvin Turpin – 226 (1980–84)
4. Sam Bowie – 218 (1979–84)
5. Andre Riddick – 212 (1991–95)
From the 50s to the Final Four runs of the 90s and beyond, Kentucky’s stat leaders are a timeline of greatness. It’s not just tradition—it’s numbers, and the bar is always high. There will probably never be a player stay around in college long enough to even come close to Dan Issel’s records, but with NIL maybe someone can overtake the gawdy numbers The Horse put up.
ESPN releases final mock draft, predictions for first two rounds
The 2025 MLB Draft is rapidly approaching. Selections are getting underway this weekend on Sunday, July 13. This year’s edition is loaded with talent from both the college and high school ranks, headlined by the two best pitchers from the 2025 college baseball season. ESPN released its final mock draft prior to this weekend’s event, […]
The 2025 MLB Draft is rapidly approaching. Selections are getting underway this weekend on Sunday, July 13.
This year’s edition is loaded with talent from both the college and high school ranks, headlined by the two best pitchers from the 2025 college baseball season. ESPN released its final mock draft prior to this weekend’s event, featured below.
1. Washington Nationals: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU
LSU sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson has skyrocketed to the projected No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft. Anderson led all college pitchers this season in strikeouts (180) and pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 119 innings. He held Coastal Carolina to just three hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in the opening game of the College World Series Final, posting the first CWS shutout since 2018.
“I mean, his next pitch should be for someplace in the Washington Nationals organization,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said following their win in the CWS. “It’s not close. And they usually draft really well. And he’s the best player in the country. There’s nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now.”
Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle ranked second in the country in strikeouts (164) behind Anderson, pitching to a 3.20 ERA in 95 2/3 innings this season. He struggled a bit down the final stretch, however, posting a 6.86 ERA over his final five starts (21 innings).
Doyle, however, remains positioned to be the highest drafted pitcher in Tennessee program history. This comes after transferring from Ole Miss prior to the season.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez out of Corona High School (CA) would mark Cincinnati’s third straight selection of an arm in the Top 10 picks. Hernandez is the top high school pitching prospect of the 2025 class and has reached 100 mph on his fastball.
He’s verbally committed to Vanderbilt. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.
Holliday, who is the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday (First Overall Pick in the 2022 MLB Draft), was projected as the No. 1 pick for most of the past year. But he has slipped a bit recently.
He was recently named Gatorade’s Oklahoma Player of the Year at Stillwater High School and looks to become the fourth No. 1 pick out of high school in the past 10 MLB Drafts. He’s verbally committed to Oklahoma State, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.
5. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Eli Willits, Oklahoma commit
Photo via OU Athletics
Fort-Cobb Broxton (OK) High product Eli Willits is one of three talented high school shortstops projected in the Top 10 of this year’s draft. He is listed at No. 5 on MiLB.com’s Prospect Rankings ahead of Carlson and is a proficient switch-hitter. His father, Reggie Willits, is a former MLB veteran who is now an associate head coach at Oklahoma.
His brother, Jaxon, started 50 games for the Sooners at shortstop this season. He’s also verbally committed to Oklahoma, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.
Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette was originally selected in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but bet on himself and returned to college. The decision paid off mightily, as the 2025 First Team All-American is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 Draft.
Starting for a Beaver program that made the College World Series for the first time since 2018, Arquette hit for a .354 average with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 66 RBI, a .654 SLG% and a .461 OBP%. He would become Oregon State‘s third top-three pick in the last seven Drafts.
Shortstop JoJo Parker is the third projected high school shortstop to be selected in the top-10. He’s the twin brother of Perfect Game All-American Jacob Parker and his tabbed as MiLB’s No. 9 ranked prospect.
He’s verbally committed to Mississippi State. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.
Florida State left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold is the third projected college lefty to go in the top-five picks in this Mock Draft. He capped off back-to-back stellar campaigns for the Seminoles by pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings this season.
In 13 2/3 innings of work in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Arnold led FSU to two wins (Mississippi State and Oregon State) by pitching to a 2.63 ERA with 22 strikeouts. He seems poised to be Florida State’s highest drafted arm since right-hander Jonathan Johnson went No. 7 overall in 1995.
Auburn‘s Ike Irish was one of the best catchers in college baseball in 2024, but transitioned to the outfield in 2025. He excelled there as well, making just two errors in 55 games. Offensively, he hit for a .364 average with 13 doubles, 19 home runs and 58 RBI for a 40-win Tiger team.
Over the span of three seasons, Irish hit for a .350 average with 48 doubles, 39 home runs and 167 RBI. He was named to the All-SEC First Team in both 2024 and 2025.
10. Chicago White Sox: SS Billy Carlson, Tennessee commit
Billy Carlson is a stud defensive shortstop out of Corona High School in California. He is one of two prospects out of Corona High (RHP Seth Hernandez) projected as First-Round picks. He was once a two-way player (with a fastball in the mid-90s), but he has focused on the infield as he embarks on his professional baseball journey.
He is currently verbally committed to Tennessee. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and go pro instead.
Picks 11-30 of the draft
11. Athletics: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma 12. Texas Rangers: SS Steele Hall, Tennessee commit 13. San Francisco Giants: OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona 14. Tampa Bay Rays: OF Jaden Fauske, LSU commit 15. Boston Red Sox: 3B Gavin Fien, Texas commit 16. Minnesota Twins: 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee 17. Chicago Cubs: 3B Josh Hammond, Wake Forest commit 18. Arizona Diamondbacks: C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina 19. Baltimore Orioles: SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas 20. Milwaukee Brewers: SS Marek Houston, Wake Forest 21. Houston Astros: OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M 22. Atlanta Braves: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara 23. Kansas City Royals: RHP Gage Wood, Arkansas 24. Detroit Tigers: SS Daniel Pierce, Georgia commit 25. San Diego Padres: 3B/OF Quentin Young, LSU commit 26. Philadelphia Phillies: RHP Matthew Fisher, Indiana commit 27. Cleveland Guardians: SS Tate Southisene, USC commit
28. Kansas City Royals: RHP Aaron Watson, Florida commit
Compensatory Round of draft
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Slater de Brun, Vanderbilt commit 30. Baltimore Orioles: 3B Xavier Neyens, Oregon State commit 31. Baltimore Orioles: 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee 32. Milwaukee Brewers: SS/2B Kayson Cunningham, Texas commit
Competitive Balance Round A of draft
33. Boston Red Sox: RHP Marcus Phillips, Tennessee 34. Detroit Tigers: SS Coy James, Ole Miss commit 35. Seattle Mariners: LHP Zach Root, Arkansas 36. Minnesota Twins: OF Devin Taylor, Indiana 37. Baltimore Orioles: SS Dax Kilby, Clemson commit 38. New York Mets: RHP Patrick Forbes, Louisville 39. New York Yankees: RHP JB Middleton, Southern Miss 40. Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Cam Cannarella, Clemson 41. Los Angeles Dodgers: LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, Tennessee commit 42. Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Anthony Eyanson, LSU 43. Miami Marlins: OF Charles Davalan, Arkansas
44. Chicago White Sox: OF Ethan Conrad, Wake Forest 45. Colorado Rockies: 2B/OF Sean Gamble, Vanderbilt commit 46. Miami Marlins: SS Josh Owens, Georgia Southern commit 47. Los Angeles Angels: OF Max Belyeu, Texas 48. Athletics: SS Alex Lodise, Florida State 49. Washington Nationals: LHP J.D. Thompson, Vanderbilt 50. Pittsburgh Pirates: C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina 51. Cincinnati Reds: C Taitn Gray, Oregon commit 52. Texas Rangers: C Michael Oliveto, Yale commit 53. Tampa Bay Rays: OF Dean Moss, LSU commit 54. Minnesota Twins: OF Brandon Compton, Arizona State 55. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Cooper Flemming, Vanderbilt commit 56. Chicago Cubs: OF Josiah Hartshorn, Texas A&M commit 57. Seattle Mariners: RHP Malachi Witherspoon, Oklahoma 58. Baltimore Orioles: OF Mason Neville, Oregon 59. Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Chase Shores, LSU 60. Atlanta Braves: CF Kane Kepley, North Carolina 61. Kansas City Royals: RHP Riley Quick, Alabama 62. Detroit Tigers: 2B Mitch Voit, Michigan 63. Philadelphia Phillies: OF Alec Blair, Oklahoma commit 64. Cleveland Guardians: SS Jordan Yost, Florida commit 65. Los Angeles Dodgers: SS Aidan West, NC State commit
Competitive Balance Round B of draft
66. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Cade Obermueller, Iowa 67. Tampa Bay Rays: RHP A.J. Russell, Tennessee 68. Milwaukee Brewers: 3B Dean Curley, Tennessee 69. Baltimore Orioles: OF Korbyn Dickerson, Indiana 70. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Aiden Stillman, Vanderbilt commit 71. Kansas City Royals: RHP Angel Cervantes, UCLA commit 72. St. Louis Cardinals: LHP Briggs McKenzie, LSU commit 73. Pittsburgh Pirates: 1B Ethan Petry, South Carolina 74. Colorado Rockies: OF James Quinn-Irons, George Mason 75. Boston Red Sox: OF Jake Cook, Southern Miss
The question was about Texas Tech. The answer? Classic Coach Prime. At Big 12 Media Days in Frisco on Tuesday, Deion Sanders took a brief detour from quarterback questions and health updates to weigh in on what everyone in college football has been whispering about: NIL money, the transfer portal, and how Texas Tech is […]
At Big 12 Media Days in Frisco on Tuesday, Deion Sanders took a brief detour from quarterback questions and health updates to weigh in on what everyone in college football has been whispering about: NIL money, the transfer portal, and how Texas Tech is handing out deals like it’s the MLB trade deadline.
“Joey’s got some money! He’s spending that money! I love it.”
Coach Prime on Texas Tech NIL spending
That “Joey” is Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire—an old friend of Sanders from their time in Texas high school football—and now, the leader of college football’s second-ranked incoming transfer class.
Tech has landed 21 transfers this cycle and recently signed five-star tackle Felix Ojo (who visited Colorado in May) to a reported $5.1 million revenue-sharing deal.
Let that number marinate for a second.
$5.1 million. For a high school senior.
From target to trendsetter
What made Prime’s comments great was what came next.
“Once upon a time, you guys were talking junk about me going in that portal. Now when everybody goes in the portal, it’s OK. It’s cool when they do it. It’s a problem when I do it. Ain’t that a rap song?”
It is a rap song, and it’s also a dead-on point.
Two years ago, Sanders was the villain of college football for flipping Colorado’s roster inside-out through the portal. The media backlash was loud.
But now? Joey McGuire does it. Purdue does it. Even Bill Belichick at UNC is diving in. Suddenly, it’s innovative.
Funny how that works.
The NIL divide
The truth is—Texas Tech has big-time financial backing.
Their top donor, Cody Campbell, is reportedly helping bankroll $55 million in NIL deals across Tech athletics. That’s not a typo. That’s oil money, West Texas style. And it’s creating a major gap between haves and have-nots in the Big 12.
Colorado? We’re not there yet.
“Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?” Sanders joked.
And sure, he was half-kidding. But there’s truth behind the humor. The Buffs aren’t poor by any means—but compared to the booster-driven NIL war chests at places like Tech, USC, or even Utah, CU is still playing catch-up.
Colorado v Texas Tech | John E. Moore III/GettyImages
Coach Prime’s cap vision
Sanders didn’t stop there. He also shared something deeper.
“I wish it was a cap. The top 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. The problem is you’ve got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him half a million dollars. You can’t compete with that.”
It was a rare moment. It highlights what we already know: Coach Prime is trying to build something sustainable in Boulder.
He’s not against NIL, and he’s all for players getting paid. But Coach wants a system that makes sense and one that is fair. One that keeps the sport from turning into a free-agent circus every December.
Mutual respect, real talk
There’s no beef between Sanders and McGuire. In fact, there’s a ton of mutual admiration. Prime called McGuire “one of the best coaches in the conference” and a “man of standard.” That’s high praise.
And don’t forget—last season, Sanders and the Buffs went into Lubbock and beat Tech 41-27. Tortillas flew. Debris hit the field. It was the wildest road environment Colorado played in all year.
And when things got heated, it was McGuire who grabbed the mic and told Tech fans to chill.
“Joey told them to stop throwing at us or there’d be consequences,” Sanders said. “And I love that. I love Joey.”
But don’t mistake love for complacency.
Coach Prime sees what’s happening in this new NIL world. He’s not bitter—but he’s definitely aware. He’s the trendsetter, and now everyone else is catching up, but with deeper pockets.
Texas Tech has spent $55 million towards NIL. | John E. Moore III/GettyImages
Where the Buffs stand
This was a glimpse at the new college football arms race, and where Colorado stands in it.
The Buffs are trending in the right direction, but to truly compete in the Big 12 and beyond, we need to close the financial gap.
That means donors stepping up and fans supporting NIL collectives.
We need to match the energy that Tech is bringing, but because of who Prime is, that would bring serious criticism.
However, if we want to make Boulder the permanent home of college football’s most electric head coach, we better keep giving him the resources to fight.
— Want more stories like this? Follow us on X for all things Colorado Football and Basketball.
QB Jake Retzlaff announces his withdrawal from BYU
Open Extended Reactions Jake Retzlaff announced on Friday that he’s withdrawing from BYU, formally initiating his transfer process from the school. Retzlaff, BYU’s starting quarterback last year, said in an Instagram post that he made the “difficult decision” to withdraw and that he plans to “step away” from the BYU program. The post makes public […]
Jake Retzlaff announced on Friday that he’s withdrawing from BYU, formally initiating his transfer process from the school.
Retzlaff, BYU’s starting quarterback last year, said in an Instagram post that he made the “difficult decision” to withdraw and that he plans to “step away” from the BYU program. The post makes public what had been expected, as Retzlaff began informing his teammates and coaches in late June of his intent to transfer.
According to ESPN sources, Retzlaff’s path to transfer to a new school is not expected to come from the NCAA transfer portal. With Retzlaff just short of graduating, which would make the transfer process more traditional, he plans to simply leave BYU and then enroll at a new school.
Editor’s Picks
That path is not a common one, but there’s precedent. That includes former Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas leaving school this winter and enrolling at the University of Miami.
Retzlaff expressed his gratitude for his time at BYU, saying “it has meant more to me than just football.” He added that he’s “excited to turn the page and embrace the next chapter.”
BYU officials generally avoided the topic of Retzlaff at Big 12 media days this week, deferring to him to make a statement on his next move.
In a statement on Friday, BYU athletics said: “We are grateful for the time Jake Retzlaff has spent at BYU. As he moves forward, BYU Athletics understands and respects Jake’s decision to withdraw from BYU, and we wish him all the best as he enters the next phase of his career.”
Retzlaff’s departure comes in the wake of BYU’s planned seven-game suspension of him for violating the school’s honor code.
That suspension arose after he was accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in 2023. The lawsuit ended up being dismissed on June 30, with the parties jointly agreeing to dismiss with prejudice, but Retzlaff’s response included an admission of premarital sex, which is a violation of the BYU honor code.
Retzlaff went 11-2 as BYU’s starting quarterback in 2024, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. His departure leaves BYU with a three-way quarterback race this summer to replace him, with no clear favorite.