Longtime ESPN analyst and SEC pundit Paul Finebaum predicts one of the game’s top powers to falter in this season due to challenges stemming from the Name, Image and Likeness world of college football.

Schools have been forced to adapt to a new NIL era in the aftermath of the House settlement. The revenue-share model, allowing schools to allocate up to $20.5 million to athletes this year, is the new status quo.

Despite the settlement’s proposed intention to reign-in the unsustainable NIL spending, those lofty deals, sometimes undeserved in terms of on-field performance, continues to a sticking point.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Finebaum revealed his questions of Georgia and two-time national champion head coach Kirby Smart after an uncharacteristic 2024 campaign.

After not losing a regular season game for the better part of three seasons, the Bulldogs suffered regular season losses to both Alabama and Ole Miss. Smart and Co. responded with their third SEC championship before falling to Notre Dame, 28-10, in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Georgia enters the 2025 season with questions at quarterback after Carson Beck’s transfer to Miami on a reported NIL package worth $4.5 million.

Gunner Stockton is the favorite after replacing an injured beck in the SEC title game and playoff appearance. And his first season as the full-time starter features matchups against playoff contenders like Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas.

Those matchups will come at home, but Finebaum isn’t high on Stockton, or Georgia as a program in the current NIL landscape.

“This year they have those games at home, so they have a chance,” Finebaum said during SEC Media Days. “But I don’t think Georgia has a quarterback, which is what is going to be their undoing. Gunner Stockton did not show me anything in the just epic loss and loss of not only the game, but loss of composure and maybe loss of traction.”

“So I think Kirby Smart has a lot to answer for when he gets here this week,” Finebaum said. “But, NIL is the reason just to double up on what everybody else has said, there’s just so much going on you, you can’t hold on to your rosters, so you’re going to lose critical backup people or starters that may be the difference between an undefeated season and losing two or three games.”

Georgia’s decision to move on from Beck, stick with Stockton and not sign a transfer quarterback will be a talking point all season.

What Smart and his staff do have, as Stockton progresses, is the nation’s No. 2 roster. Only Texas ranks higher than the Bulldogs in blue-chip ratio this year.

That’s due, in part, to dominant recruiting. While talking heads wonder if Georgia can keep up with the NIL surge, the Bulldogs have yet to finish outside of the top five in recruiting in the last nine years and are coming off the No. 2 class in the 2025 cycle.

The talent will be there for Stockton to be successful, and it’s up to the redshirt junior and the Bulldogs to silence the doubters.

That journey will begin in the season opener against Marshall on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m ET (ESPN).

Privacy Manager

It wasn’t all that long ago that Michigan was widely viewed as an underachiever in the world of NIL. Despite having no shortage of wealthy donors and institutional resources, many believed Michigan was a sleeping giant — held back only by the decision-makers in Ann Arbor. But those days are now firmly in the past.

RELATED: Michigan Football: Sherrone Moore says incoming transfer could be Big Ten’s best

Today, Michigan has emerged as one of the major players in the NIL landscape, offering resources that few programs in the country can compete with. This shift in mindset and a more aggressive approach to NIL have resulted in back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes for head coach Sherrone Moore. The most high-profile victory came when Michigan flipped five-star QB Bryce Underwood from LSU, reportedly offering an NIL package worth over $10 million to secure his commitment.

While Underwood’s deal grabbed headlines, Michigan is also closing significant NIL deals with other elite prospects as well.

On Tuesday, On3 released its rankings of the top NIL spenders in college football — and Michigan landed firmly in the Top 10.

NEW: Top 10 Biggest Spenders in College Football this season

(Survey via @PeteNakos_) https://t.co/KSq2X85KFe pic.twitter.com/B6YylQ1djM

— On3 (@On3sports) July 15, 2025

Here’s what On3 had to say about Michigan’s place on the list:

Michigan’s highest-paid player on this year’s roster is well documented. The Wolverines flipped On3’s No. 1 overall recruit from LSU in November. The quarterback inked a multi-year deal that is expected to pay out over $12 million in his career at Michigan. The Wolverines are another program that is expected to cross the $20 million threshold in 2025.

– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –

More Michigan News:

Michigan Football: Sherrone Moore says incoming transfer could be Big Ten’s best

‘Tipped Off’: Connor Stalions issues forceful response to Sonny Dykes’ 2022 CFP claim

Aaron Rodgers links up with Michigan’s 2026 QB commit for workout session

Michigan’s 7-footer looks like a problem in newly released video

ESPN: Michigan running back has one of the most unbreakable college football records

Michigan Football announces ‘Maize Out’ game for 2025 season

LUBBOCK, Texas – Triple Crown Colorado wrapped up its summer ball season with a big win over the Canadian National Team at the 2025 Canada Cup International Softball Championship. TC Colorado featured 11 All-Americans from D1 programs around the country and included two new Red Raiders in Jackie Lis and Taylor Pannell.

Colorado went 5-1 in pool play to advance to the Women’s International Championship bracket. Their 5-1 run included three shutout wins and a 26-0 win over the Greece National Team.

They would drop the first game of the championship bracket to Team Canada but quickly bounced back, winning four games in two days including wins over the British Columbia, Czechia and Netherlands national teams before getting their revenge on Team Canada with a 7-5 win.

Lis hit .440 in both pool and championship play but hit .462 with a 1.358 OPS, four home runs and nine RBI over the whole summer. The incoming senior hit three home runs and drove in six RBI over the championship tournament and posted a 1.080 slugging percentage while also being a perfect 9-for-9 in the field and was named the Most Outstanding Hitter. Lis’s best performance came in game two of the championship tournament against British Columbia. She went 3-for-3 out of the two hole, scoring three runs and launching a solo home run. Lis picked up six total bases to lead the team as they went on to take a commanding 12-0 victory.

Pannell hit .321 over the whole summer including a 3-for-4 performance that featured a grand slam and eight RBI in the opening game of the summer event. On defense, she played a perfect third base during the championship, going 13-for-13 with five assists. Her home run in the top of the fifth gave her team a 6-0 lead and her defense in the bottom of the sixth helped them maintain their 6-5 lead. With one out and runners on the corners, Pannell took a ground ball that was hit to her and got the lead runner out at home and then her teammates were able to get the runner advancing to third. This was a pivotal moment in the game that allowed Colorado to hang on to its slim lead and take the momentum back into their dugout going into the final frame.

Quotes:

“I was really excited for the opportunity to compete against some of the top international teams,” Lis said. “It was such a high level of competition and to come out on top and finally win it all made it even more special. I’m proud of how the team and I performed, and I can’t wait to keep building on that momentum heading into this season at Tech.”

“For me it was cool to play with and meet new girls that play at different schools,” Pannell said. “Also playing national teams in a different country was a once in a lifetime experience.”

“Taylor (Pannell) played outstanding third base all tournament long,” said coach and Triple Crown Founder Dave King. “She snagged a ball that would’ve tied the game but was able to make it a double play which was huge. The Canadian National Team just kept coming back, but Jackie (Lis) was a difference maker. The whole tournament she was hitting for power and line drives and also played a stellar second base.”

 

Few players have been as polarizing and have taken over College Football quite like Johnny Manziel did during his time at Texas A&M. As a Redshirt Freshman, Johnny Manziel went from a relative unknown to a household name with electrifying plays that had everyone dying to watch his next game. During his time in College Station, Johnny Manziel made Texas A&M the best show in the sport bringing never before seen attention to Texas A&M.

If Johnny Manziel played in the NIL and Revenue Sharing era, there may not have been a bigger star as “Money Manziel” was a walking highlight reel constantly finding himself at the top of ESPN shows and all over social media.

This week, Johnny Manziel appeared on Always College Football with Greg McElroy talking about his takeover of College Football. During the interview, Johnny Manziel talked about the current era of College Football and how he feels he would’ve been taking a pay cut to leave for the NFL.

“I tell people this all the time, and they asked me this, I really feel like I would have taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL, I mean, that’s really what it would have been. I mean, it is crazy times that we’re living, and I think, you know, in a lot of areas, still figuring out exactly how to make it work the right way, where it’s not just the biggest boosters and the richest schools. If you look at A&M, you know, I feel like we’ve put a ton of money in it to our NIL, and it hasn’t necessarily translated onto the field. “

Johnny Manziel

At a program like Texas A&M, there’s no doubt that Johnny Manziel could’ve made ridiculous amounts of money especially when you see some of the current NIL deals made for unproven players. The Aggies have famously been one of the biggest spenders when it comes to NIL as Jimbo Fisher and his staff landed one of the most loaded recruiting classes of All-Time.

Johnny Manziel was the Golden Goose for Texas A&M and his play on the field was thanked specifically for helping raise the money to pay for Texas A&M’s renovation of Kyle Field.

“The stars came together. We talked about this project for a long, long time. But none of us were sure how quick we could pay for this project. And because of a young man by the name of Johnny Manziel, we were able to raise all the money in two months. My vision is someday, I hope, the Aggie Nation will come together and decide that we can revise the name of Kyle Field to Kyle Field, the House That Johnny Built.”

Jim Schwertner

While Texas A&M was able to raise enough money to undergo a $450 Million renovation, Johnny Manziel wasn’t able to be paid according to the NCAA’s rules at the time. If Manziel was able to earn NIL money at that time rather than going into the NFL Draft he could’ve earned a jaw-dropping figure to stick in College Station one more year.

Unfortunately for Johnny Manziel, he was ahead of his time but, in this new era of College Football, the next star to transform a program will be able to get his piece of the pie.

More Texas A&M Aggies News:

Image credit:
Tennessee coach Tony Vitello (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ProLook Photos)

The MLB Draft is always a reshuffling of power in college baseball—some programs win big, others lose cornerstone talent and a few do both.

The 2025 edition was no different. From top-heavy draft classes to surprising returns and transfer-class coups, this year’s draft left a clear mark on the college landscape. Here’s a look at which teams (and the sport itself) came out ahead—and which didn’t.

Winners

Tennessee

It felt inevitable that the Volunteers would end up on this list one way or another thanks to having a good chunk of their recruiting class—both high school and transfer—eligible for selection. To say head coach Tony Vitello’s program made out well would be an understatement. 

Relief workhorse and expected 2026 rotation member Brandon Arvidson opted to return for another season. Virginia transfer Henry Ford (Baseball America’s No. 8 overall transfer) went undrafted, a surprising outcome for the draft-eligible sophomore who was widely expected to end up with a pro team this summer. Virginia transfer lefty Evan Blanco went unselected, as well. High schoolers Cameron Appenzeller and Trent Grindlinger are also expected to arrive in Knoxville. Those four alone give a massive boost to a program eyeing a second national title in three years.

Tennessee also had eight players taken in the first three rounds—a testament to the program’s elite development under Vitello and a gleaming pitch to future transfers and recruits.

Looking ahead to 2026, Tennessee once again looks every bit the part of a national title contender.

Texas

Texas had already positioned itself as a draft winner before the first pick was even made. Pitchers Luke Harrison, Ruger Riojas and Max Grubbs all announced their intentions to return in 2026, giving the Longhorns one of the most experienced rotations in the SEC. The program also brings back key 2025 relievers Dylan Volantis and Thomas Burns, further solidifying a pitching staff that looks formidable on paper.

Between those returners, a strong freshman class and impact transfers, Texas has assembled a staff with elite tools. It’s an ideal sandbox for pitching coach Max Weiner, who’s widely regarded as one of the game’s best young minds. His unique approach to pitch calling and shape manipulation has quickly become a hallmark of the program.

The Longhorns also did well on the position player front, with Temo Becerra (Stanford), Josh Livingston (Wichita State) and Cal Higgins (Western Kentucky) all going unselected. While any of them could still sign as undrafted free agents, the odds of them reaching campus improved significantly the moment the draft ended.

Butler transfer Jack Moroknek is expected to sign. Mississippi State transfer Luke Dotson and Georgia State transfer Kaleb Freeman might, too. But Texas is loaded nonetheless.

Georgia

No team had more roster capital at stake in the 2025 draft than Georgia. Between draft-eligible returners, high-profile transfers and high school signees, the Bulldogs had a sizable chunk of their projected roster available for selection. The results broke in their favor.

Draft-eligible sophomore Tre Phelps, who’s hit 22 home runs in just under 100 games as a Bulldog, elected to return. So did Jack Arcamone, a data-friendly catching prospect from Richmond who was widely expected to sign a pro deal. Georgia also secured Matt Scott, a former Stanford righthander whose arm talent is undeniable but who needs refinement to unlock early-round upside.

New Orleans transfer Bryce Calloway, USC transfer Caden Aoki, West Georgia transfer Lane Pearson and others also went unselected and are expected to reach campus barring a significant free agent offer.

After being eliminated in its own regional in 2025, Georgia is eyeing its first trip to Omaha since 2008. The outcome of this year’s draft only strengthens that pursuit.

Arizona State

Arizona State is less a winner for what it retained—though its impressive transfer haul remains almost entirely intact barring undrafted free agent signings—and more for what it lost. All nine of the Sun Devils’ draftees came off the board in the top 10 rounds, tying Arkansas for the most of any program in the country. That total also matched the mark set by ASU’s 1981 team, which went on to win the national title.

This year’s result was a bit more complicated. Unlike in ’81, the Sun Devils failed to host a regional and were eliminated in the opening round. The contrast is sharp, and while it’s tougher to win now than it was four decades ago, the expectation at a program with ASU’s draft pedigree should be more than just sending players to pro ball.

Still, the foundation for a turnaround is in place. Arizona State brought in a strong and deep transfer class, including PJ Moutziridis (Cal), and it also returns Cole Carlon and Landon Hairston—three players with top-of-the-draft upside. Talent will return to Tempe en masse. In 2026, the Sun Devils will have every reason to expect results to match.

College Baseball

It’s a broad category—especially given that this entire exercise is built around college baseball winners and losers—but it’s hard to come away from the 2025 draft without feeling like the sport itself came out ahead.

While the total number of college players selected in the top 10 rounds didn’t quite match last year’s all-time high of 254, this year still marked the fourth-most in the bonus pool era (since 2012) with 247. More notably, three of the four most college-heavy top-10 rounds have now occurred in the last four drafts, solidifying a clear and continued shift in MLB’s preferences.

The trend echoes a belief shared widely by coaches across the country: MLB increasingly sees college as a premium development pipeline. That’s reflected not just in draft behavior but in debut timelines, too. More players are reaching the majors within two years of their draft season than ever before—and the overwhelming majority of them played college baseball.

No matter which programs won or lost the most, college baseball itself remains sharply on the rise.

Losers

LSU

Calling LSU a draft “loser” feels like a stretch for a program coming off its second national title in three years, led by arguably the best coach in the sport, with a strong transfer class and a notable portion of its championship roster returning. The Tigers will be elite again, and their draft outcomes don’t change that.

But in a vacuum, the toll on their recruiting class was severe—enough to land them on this side of the ledger.

Eight signees were drafted and are expected to sign: Brady Ebel (No. 42 on the BA 500), Briggs McKenzie (No. 46), Jaden Fauske (No. 54), Quentin Young (No. 56), Miguel Sime Jr. (No. 88), Dean Moss (No. 97), Landon Hodge (No. 131) and River Hamilton (No. 171). Most weren’t expected to make it to campus, but the sheer volume is hard to ignore.

LSU did hold on to key names like William Patrick, Marcos Paz, Reagen Ricken and Omar Serna, and it returns Zac Cowan, Chris Stanfield and Jaden Noot, none of whom were drafted. 

The Tigers will be fine. But their recruiting class took a hit few others could withstand.

Clemson

Clemson didn’t bring in a particularly deep transfer class, nor was its high school crop loaded with top-end draft talent. But the Tigers still took two significant hits—one from each group.

Ryan Wideman, a dynamic outfielder from Western Kentucky, was selected in the third round and is now unlikely to reach campus. So is Dax Kilby, Clemson’s top high school commit, who was taken 39th overall.

It wasn’t a catastrophic draft, but it stung in the two places that mattered most.

Florida State

No program lost more to the 2025 draft than Florida State. The Seminoles had a nation-leading 11 players selected—Jamie Arnold, Alex Lodise, Cam Leiter, Max Williams, Drew Faurot, Peyton Prescott, Joey Volini, Evan Chrest, Gage Harrelson, Jaxson West and Maison Martinez—and nearly all are expected to sign. Even if a few return, FSU is still likely to lose the bulk of its starting lineup, two-thirds of its weekend rotation and several key bullpen arms.

Replacing that kind of production is a monumental task. The Seminoles will lean on a solid transfer class headlined by former FAU lefthander Trey Beard, but many of their incoming pieces are stepping up significantly in level of competition—a gamble for a team with so much to replace.

Head coach Link Jarrett has brought stability and national relevance back to the program he once played for. But given how much just walked out the door, 2026 may present his toughest challenge since he inherited the storied program.

Arkansas

Coming off a run to the national semifinals, Arkansas is now staring down one of the most significant roster overhauls in the country. The Razorbacks lost Gage Wood, Wehiwa Aloy, Zach Root, Charles Davalan, Christian Foutch, Aiden Jimenez, Landon Beidelschies, Brent Iredale, Ben Bybee, Justin Thomas and Parker Coil to the draft. That’s the entire weekend rotation, a Golden Spikes Award-winning shortstop, multiple key lineup bats and much of the bullpen.

All gone.

To their credit, the Razorbacks have reloaded with an impressive transfer class and remain one of the best-coached teams in the country under head coach Dave Van Horn. But like Florida State, they face a massive rebuild and are still chasing that elusive first national title.