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It has been a buzz and more buzz week for Alabama Crimson Tide basketball

Alabama Crimson Tide basketball fans are excited. National college basketball pundits are projecting Alabama to have just the fourth or fifth-best SEC team. Many Crimson Tide fans are convinced those experts are wrong. A few weeks ago, Nate Oats made a stunning statement saying the 2025-26 Crimson Tide could be the best shooting team he […]

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Alabama Crimson Tide basketball fans are excited. National college basketball pundits are projecting Alabama to have just the fourth or fifth-best SEC team. Many Crimson Tide fans are convinced those experts are wrong.

A few weeks ago, Nate Oats made a stunning statement saying the 2025-26 Crimson Tide could be the best shooting team he has ever coached. More recent opinions from some Alabama basketball insiders are that the Tide will also improve on defense.

The past week has fueled more buzz about the future of Alabama Basketball. Early in the week, elite 2026 prospect Caleb Holt returned to Tuscaloosa. The Alabama Mr. Basketball in his sophomore season at Buckhorn High School, near Huntsville, has made several unofficial visits. After a junior season playing in Georgia, he will play at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, FL. How good is Holt? The 5-star is rated the No. 2 shooting guard in the 2026 class and the No. 5 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. Before Holt, no Alabama sophomore had ever won Mr. Basketball. Had he not left for Georgia, he would have won it again last season. Like Brandon Miller was, Holt is perfectly suited for the Nate Oats system of play.

Holt was at a practice this week. What he saw, along with some Alabama basketball insiders, was a team loaded with talent. The buzz about Holt’s visit was expected. The buzz about how good the ’25 team looked was a bonus.

The new Alabama Crimson Tide

The Oats’ claim about good shooting is legit, and the summer indication is that Houston Mallette has a chance to be the best Alabama three-point shooter ever. The return of Labaron Philon portends an offense in which Philon’s dribble-dish penetration will regularly feature three high-percentage teammates outside the arc. With Mallette, Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Jalil Bethea, and Taylor Bol Bowen, Alabama may rain threes like never before in Tuscaloosa.

The early word is that freshman Amari Allen and transfers Noah Williamson and Keitenn Bristow will mesh well in the Crimson Tide’s player rotation. Nate Oats still has a roster slot open, but it is looking as though the only need to fill it would be a backup big man.

Summer can be flawed, but it appears that every bit of optimism felt by Crimson Tide fans is warranted.



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Ranking Nico Iamaleava’s 2024 Performances: #13 Ohio State

Nico Iamaleava is one of the largest topics of conversation in college football ahead of his redshirt sophomore season with the UCLA Bruins. After a stellar redshirt freshman season with the Tennessee Volunteers that led them to their first ever College Football Playoff appearance, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal after a NIL dispute that was […]

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July 6, 2025

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Nico Iamaleava is one of the largest topics of conversation in college football ahead of his redshirt sophomore season with the UCLA Bruins.

After a stellar redshirt freshman season with the Tennessee Volunteers that led them to their first ever College Football Playoff appearance, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal after a NIL dispute that was largely publicized and turned him into one of the most polarizing figures in college football.

He finished last season leading the Vols to a 10-3 record and passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions on 63.8% (213-334) completion percentage. With that being said, let’s rank Iamaleava’s best performances of the season, starting with No. 13 — CFP First Round vs. Ohio State.

Of course, if you’re a Bruins fan, you’re not going to like seeing your new star quarterback’s “worst” game of the season being a postseason game, but the context is surely helpful. It was Iamaleava’s worst passing game of the season, but he did finish the game with two rushing touchdowns.

His full stat line for the game was 14-for-31(45.2%) passing attempts for 104 passing yards, four sacks, 47 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries (the most he had all season) all for a passer rating of 73.3 and an ESPN Adjusted QBR rating of 61.9.

It was the eventual national champion Buckeyes’ game from the start, jumping out to a 21-0 lead. After scoring a field goal late in the second quarter, the Tennessee defense forced a three-and-out which led to a 16-play drive that finished with Iamaleava’s first score of the game, a two-yard rushing touchdown that cut Ohio State’s lead to 21-10 before halftime.

Ohio State didn’t let up coming out of the locker rooms for the second half, scoring on each of its first three drives before Tennessee could even add one, which was Iamaleava’s second rushing touchdown of the game with 1:56 remaining in the game. The Buckeyes won 42-17.

Let’s put this into context for Iamaleava, though. Optically, yes, this was a bad game. But this was his first ever postseason game as a redshirt freshman and he was playing against the best team in the nation. Despite struggling passing, he was able to march the Vols down the field on multiple long drives and get on the board with his legs.

Iamaleava showed poise in college football’s toughest conference all last season and is sure to be one of the Big Ten’s best signal-callers this coming season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @cmorenoNBA and never miss another news story again on UCLA football and Nico Iamaleava this year.

Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.



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Burning Questions

The Ohio State men’s basketball team has one main goal next season: Make it back to the NCAA Tournament. It has been three years since the Buckeyes went dancing, and that is unacceptable for a program like Ohio State. Now, as head coach Jake Diebler enters his second season leading the program, the Buckeyes have […]

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Burning Questions

The Ohio State men’s basketball team has one main goal next season: Make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

It has been three years since the Buckeyes went dancing, and that is unacceptable for a program like Ohio State. Now, as head coach Jake Diebler enters his second season leading the program, the Buckeyes have to get back to the tournament this season to avoid another possible coaching search.

So, the question is simple: Did the Buckeyes and Diebler do enough in the offseason to upgrade the roster into a tournament team?

First of all, outside of the transfer portal, they returned the three players that had to return. Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal are the big three that are coming back to Columbus for the 2025-26 season.

Bruce Thornton averaged 17.7 points and 4.6 assists per game. Devin Royal averaged 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while rising sophomore guard John Mobley Jr. averaged 13.0 points per contest. From just those three players, the Buckeyes are returning 44.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game, which is second in the Big Ten behind the possible No. 1 team in the country, Purdue.

Now, when it comes to the actual portal, they added a starting-level center, a starting-level power forward, and depth at the guard position. The one concern is the starting three spot and adding another wing, but there is a chance that they did add that.

The Buckeyes missed on Darrion Williams from Texas Tech, who would have come in and immediately jolted them into a top 15 team in the country, likely as a possible preseason All-American and one of the top players in the conference. Instead, they added international prospect Mathieu Grujicic — an 18-year-old freshman who can play multiple positions.

The obvious concern is his adaptation to the collegiate game, but he played at the highest level of Euro ball and has a versatile enough game to adapt easily, as long as he gets enough offseason time to get comfortable with the team, the system, and college life. If Grujicic can play more than they expect and become a legitimate fixture in the lineup, he can play the role of backup wing to Devin Royal and sure up the depth for the Buckeyes, and maybe even start at times when they want to play smaller.

The Buckeyes’ season will depend heavily on whether the two mid-major transfers that are likely to be starters (Noel and Tilly) can adapt to the Big Ten and level their games up. If they can, this is a team that can be in the top five of the conference and easily make it back to the tournament.

If they don’t, this will be another season on the bubble and failing to reach expectations.

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Michigan Sees Stunning Loss as Five-Star WR Calvin Russell Picks Syracuse

Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell has committed to Syracuse, surprising many by choosing the Orange over Michigan and Oregon. This decision highlights a falling out over a $4.2 million NIL deal with Michigan, which reportedly did not materialize. Instead, Russell secured a three-year deal worth $4.3 million with Syracuse, making him the highest-rated recruit in […]

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Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell has committed to Syracuse, surprising many by choosing the Orange over Michigan and Oregon. This decision highlights a falling out over a $4.2 million NIL deal with Michigan, which reportedly did not materialize. Instead, Russell secured a three-year deal worth $4.3 million with Syracuse, making him the highest-rated recruit in their program’s history. While Michigan is still poised with a strong recruiting class ranked No. 7 nationally, the loss of Russell is a significant blow to their efforts. This event underscores the increasing influence of NIL agreements in college football recruiting.

By the Numbers

  • Calvin Russell is ranked the No. 21 overall player and No. 3 wide receiver in the 2026 class.
  • He had 704 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on just 39 catches during his junior season.

State of Play

  • Michigan’s commitment of $10 million over four years to No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood raises questions about their financial strategy.
  • Syracuse’s acquisition of Russell demonstrates their growing competitiveness in the NIL space.

What’s Next

As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, expect more top recruits to weigh financial packages heavily in their decisions, potentially reshaping traditional power dynamics in college football recruiting.

Bottom Line

The loss of Calvin Russell highlights how crucial NIL deals are becoming in recruiting. Michigan must navigate this changing landscape carefully to maintain its competitive edge, while Syracuse illustrates the potential for emerging programs to attract top talent.





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The Weekender: LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements, Notre Dame Lands Third 2026 Prospect with NFL Bloodlines and Texas State Joins the Pac-12

Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next. LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements In the new world of NIL and revenue sharing, colleges are finding every way possible to bring in additional money to help keep up. […]

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Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.

LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements

In the new world of NIL and revenue sharing, colleges are finding every way possible to bring in additional money to help keep up.

The latest attempt to do so by LSU is following in the footsteps of professional sports: Sponsored patches on its jerseys, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander.

“LSU has mapped out where the patches would go on every jersey, from cross country to football. Most of them would appear on the chest in purple and gold,” Alexander wrote.

This comes one year after Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin brought up the idea as a potential revenue stream, a topic that was also discussed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“We’ve had jersey patches in bowl games,” he said. “I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push (for new revenues). We’re going to have to come to some agreement in this new environment on where those limits exist.”

According to a report by Sportico in June 2024, the top patch valuation for a college football program is $6 million. For men’s college basketball, it’s $2.2 million.

The range for the upper tier of football programs is between $3.5 million and $6 million, with an average valuation of $4.6 million. For the top 10 men’s basketball programs, the range is from $754,000 to $2.2 million, with an average valuation of $1.2 million.

Among all 50 programs for both sports, the average valuations are $2.2 million for a football team and $590,000 for a men’s basketball team.

Notre Dame Lands Third 2026 Prospect with NFL Bloodlines

At some points in life, you have those “Wow, I’m getting old” moments. It happens far too often nowadays, and the last few days have been another example of that. This past week, Notre Dame football landed two 2026 recruits with NFL bloodlines, giving the Fighting Irish three commits in the cycle who are sons of former NFL stars:

  • Three-star wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, the son of Larry Fitzgerald
  • Four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finley, the son of Jermichael Finley
  • Four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., the son of Thomas Davis Sr.

Fitzgerald, Notre Dame’s latest commitment, explained that having a former NFL star as his father helps tremendously in the recruiting process.

“Having my dad there to help me throughout the recruiting process has been great,” he told ESPN. “He knows what’s important. You want to go somewhere you feel like you belong and where you fit in.”

Texas State Joins Pac-12

While conference realignment has slowed down quite a bit this offseason, the Pac-12 has continued to add universities to its conference after Oregon State and Washington State were the only two remaining in the conference last year.

Texas State officially joined the Pac-12 last Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State will remain in the Sun Belt Conference through the 2025-26 athletic seasons before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Bobcats will pay a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference.

ICYMI

Ohio State Tight End Bennett Christian Using Time at the “Very Bottom” to Inspire Others

Bennett Christian is drawing on his experiences at the “very bottom,” a year-long suspension in 2023, to play a leadership role in Ohio State’s crowded tight end room.

What to Know About Revenue Sharing, Ohio State’s Approach As New Era of College Sports Begins

As the new era of college sports officially begins, we take a look at how Ohio State is approaching revenue sharing, NIL, roster limits and its commitment to keeping 36 sports.

Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Vows to Beat Michigan the Rest of His College Career: “For The Next Two Years, I Promise You, I Will Not Lose to Them”

Jeremiah Smith says he hates Michigan and vows not to lose to the Wolverines the rest of his career: “For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them.”

What’s Next

  • 55 Days: Ohio State kicks off the 2025 football season against Texas
  • 118 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
  • 146 Days: The Game





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A CFB commissioner and the Presidential Commission are beginning to look like pipe dr

As the era of NIL, the transfer portal, and now revenue share started to bubble over nearly out of control, it looked like help was on the way with the announcement of a Presidential Commission on College Sports in May 2025. When it was announced that the legendary Nick Saban was going to co-chair this […]

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As the era of NIL, the transfer portal, and now revenue share started to bubble over nearly out of control, it looked like help was on the way with the announcement of a Presidential Commission on College Sports in May 2025.

When it was announced that the legendary Nick Saban was going to co-chair this committee, even more hope blazed throughout the country, as it seems we were about to lasso in some of the madness.

Joining Saban was Texas businessman Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech offensive lineman, whose experience with the Texas Tech NIL collective would have brought real world experience to the committee.

Most could see (and hoped for) Saban moving from a seat on the committee to eventually becoming the first (and sorely-needed) college football commissioner. But, as with most things that have government ties, things have not progressed in an expeditious manner.

Shortly after the announcement of this commission, the White House brought the idea to a grinding halt, citing Senate negotiations regarding payments to college athletes as the reason for the stall.

Those Senate negotiations were over the NCAA settlement, which was finally announced in late June, and has now taken effect.

With that settlement now in the rearview, and the fall quickly approaching, we find ourselves in an all-too familiar position. A toothless NCAA making little effort to improve the situation, a transfer portal that has spiraled out of control, and players being promised more money than that might make in their NFL or NBA rookie deal before they’ve played a single minute of college ball.

The idea of real leadership for both college football and basketball seems to have become more of a dream than a balanced federal budget, and while the settlement temporarily solved some issues, it has also raised more questions and created its own set of problems.

Ask any international player who would like to profit from his name, image and likeness. Per sports business expert Kristi Dosh, author of The Athlete’s NIL Playbook, there are many limitations that international athletes face that are not obstacles for those in the United States. Varying Visa types, passive vs active income-generating activities, and other risks make it nightmarish for those outside the U.S. borders.

“Unfortunately, navigating NIL opportunities as an international athlete ultimately boils down to your risk tolerance because of the lack of clear guidance from the federal government on these issues,” Dosh stated in her book.

This is one of the many problems that a Presidential Commission could work to solve. But instead, the student-athletes are once again left to navigate their own way through unfriendly obstacles.

Why isn’t it happening? Follow the money would be the most obvious reasons. Who stands to benefit, and who stands to lose if the current unstable, yet somehow profitable (for some) situation?

The longer things go on, the more our hope for strong leadership becomes a pipe dream, and the more damage will be done to collegiate sports. We seem to be approaching a point of no return already.



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Hugh Freeze Blames NIL Shadiness, Not Golf, For Recruiting Woes

© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Audio By Carbonatix The Auburn Tigers are struggling to recruit ahead of Year 3 in the Hugh Freeze era. The program, which often finds itself in the top half of the SEC rankings, is rated near the bottom of the Power 4. The Tigers‘ […]

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Hugh Freeze Blames NIL Shadiness, Not Golf, For Recruiting Woes

Hugh Freeze greets Auburn football fans.

© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Audio By Carbonatix

The Auburn Tigers are struggling to recruit ahead of Year 3 in the Hugh Freeze era. The program, which often finds itself in the top half of the SEC rankings, is rated near the bottom of the Power 4.

The Tigers‘ 2026 class currently sits at 85th nationally in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings. That’s good for dead last in the Southeastern Conference.

Some of that is due to quantity. Auburn has a league-low seven commitments this offseason and is the only school in single digits.

Some has to do with quality. The Tigers’ average prospect rating is 88.99, which ranks 11th out of 16 SEC teams.

What gives? Freeze was hired in large part due to his recruiting prowess. The Tigers took a chance despite his checkered past. To this point, it hasn’t paid off.

The team is 11-14 across two seasons with the head coach at the helm. Still, they’ve had back-to-back Top 10 recruiting classes to fall back on. That’s changed this summer.

With struggles now being seen both on and off the field, Auburn football supporters are growing anxious. It’s led to over-the-top criticisms from the fanbase.

Hugh Freeze golfs too much!

At least according to some fans. They believe he’s prioritized his golf game above recruiting. Those claims cite his 10 trips to the links over the first 20 days of June.

Auburn’s recruiting ranking alone was enough to cause uneasiness. Rival Alabama’s dominance has fans spiraling.

The Crimson Tide boast a Top 5 class. They’ve swiped a pair of five-star prospects from the Tigers’ grasps in the last week.

Cedarian Morgan, the top-ranked player in the Yellowhammer State, committed to Alabama on July 2nd. Three days later, Jireh Edwards chose the Crimson Tide after taking an official visit to Auburn.

Alabama has been stuffing Auburn in a locker on the recruiting trail. Hugh Freeze says golf isn’t to blame for his poor recruiting. Instead, he referenced shady NIL practices from his competitors.

@auburn_football Hugh Freeze on how the House settlement’s approval of revenue sharing in June has caused new challenges in the ever evolving world of recruiting. #auburn #auburnfootball #nil #recruiting #wareagle #wde #collegefootball #ncaa #nationalsigningday ♬ original sound – Auburn_Football

“We’re doing things the right way,” he said when discussing the House settlement surrounding player payment. “At the end of the day, that’s really what we have to do, in my opinion. We can’t put ourselves in jeopardy…

“If others are operating in a manner not with that, I’m hopeful that they’ll be called out on that at some point… We’re going by what we believe to be the accurate interpretation of [the settlement]. It’s not really to our advantage to what we’re doing right now because others, I think, are operating in a different manner.”

That sudden attention to rule following came off as ironic given his previous firing from Ole Miss. Still, Hugh Freeze believes he’s been put at a disadvantage. He hopes that changes in the coming weeks.

Auburn is struggling to recruit. Should they experience a third straight losing season, criticism of the head coach will grow. But hey, maybe this latest excuse can buy him another few rounds of golf!

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