NIL

NBA players and shoe deals

Published

7 months ago

June 15, 2025

The NBA Finals are basketball’s ultimate competitive showcase, including the sneakers worn on the court. Historically, that’s been a showcase run predominantly by Nike, which includes a large roster of the NBA’s biggest and highest-profile players, in addition to still producing merchandise under the Jordan Brand and Kobe Bryant.

It’s impossible to watch the NBA without seeing the Nike influence. Nike is the league’s official uniform partner, so the logo is on every player, down to the socks.

The 2025 finals, however, aren’t about the biggest shoe brands. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton used Game 1 to debut his first signature shoe with Puma: the Hali 1. Oklahoma City Thunder star and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is signed to Converse, a subsidiary of Nike.

Two small-market teams are providing a big stage for shoe brands other than Nike and Adidas, which have dominated the conversation in basketball shoes for decades. Michael Jordan signed with Nike in 1984, setting the stage for its rise to the top. Adidas has a long basketball history, and has maintained the second spot in the market thanks to deals with the likes of James Harden, Damian Lillard and Tracy McGrady. Bryant also began his career with Adidas.

But as more athletes have sought more input and control over their brands, they are turning to brands without the mainstream clout, or they’re starting their own shoe lines.

After Haliburton hit a game-winning jump shot in Game 1, he brought a pair of his signature Puma sneakers to his postgame news conference. Decked out in all white with black sunglasses and a smile that stretched from ear to ear, Haliburton, who signed with Puma in October, placed the pink basketball shoes on the podium. As he took questions and cameras flashed, Haliburton seized the opportunity to showcase his new shoes.

Later, Haliburton tweeted an ode to a popular Air Jordan slogan. It was the perfect moment for a sneaker debut.

Tyrese Haliburton unveiled his first signature shoe for PUMA the “Hali 1” and credits them with his game-winning shot over OKC in Game 1 👟 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sDsClzk8la

— Ball Exclusives (@ballexclusives) June 6, 2025

The greats have their own signature shoes. Bryant, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Kevin Durant are among the NBA’s top names from the past and present with signature shoe lines that have become part of on and off-court fashion.

For many years, the path to a signature shoe was having a brand like Nike or Adidas — another former league uniform partner — to sign the athlete and make him or her a part of the exclusive club of players with a signature shoe. There are additional ways to make that happen while also having a bigger say in the process and a bigger role with the company beyond wearing apparel.

In some cases, players such as Haliburton opt to go with companies looking to reestablish themselves in the market like Puma, which has leaned into nostalgia with Clyde Frazier, the first NBA player with a signature shoe when the Puma Clyde was released in 1973, and is finding ways to connect with a new generation with LaMelo Ball.

Haiburton’s playoff run couldn’t come at a better time for Puma.

“I heard many rumblings through my last year with my previous brand around brands that potentially could be interested in me, and Puma was a name that always came up,” Haliburton told The Athletic. “I didn’t know how I felt about it until I met them (and) got to know them better. I feel really good about it.”

Others have found homes with newer companies, such as Kyrie Irving with Anta. And it’s not just All-Star players. Cleveland Cavaliers wing Isaac Okoro has found a home with Holo and has a signature shoe.

Irving is one of the biggest names to step away from Nike. He and the company mutually parted ways in December 2023 amid controversy over his sharing an antisemitic film on social media. He signed with Anta in July 2024 and currently serves as the brand’s chief creative officer. The China-based company already had Klay Thompson among its signature athletes.

Irving said he enjoys the creative process, but he also values ownership of his ideas. Nike owned his logo, which meant his children couldn’t benefit financially from it. He’s happy to represent Anta and also see other players exploring ways to have a presence in the sneaker world.

He likened shoe contracts to a 360 music deal, when artists surrender profits from all streams of income, even those not related to music.

“Being able to redefine this basketball shoe design space or signature athlete space, it’s been a great ride, and I’m enjoying it,” Irving said during NBA All-Star Weekend. “You’re seeing others take the same blueprint, create their own, and more kudos to them. I feel like I’m an adviser at this point, too, because I’m not really in competition with my peers in the shoe space as much as people think.”

Jaylen Brown has been a critic of the sneaker industry and believes being left off the 2024 U.S. Olympic team was partly because of his critiques of Nike. Brown has worn Nike and Adidas, among other brands, in the NBA.

He chose to start his own company, 741 Performance, giving him control and ownership of what he wears.

“I’ve been the CEO of my company and the CFO since the season started, so I’ve been really busy,” Brown said in February. “But I did that on purpose so I can be able to explain to the next generation what it takes, how much time it takes, how much money. I’m very, very informed, and I can’t wait to share with the next generation.”

Okoro is one of those players actively practicing the lessons Irving and Brown want their peers to learn. Okoro said he was approached by Holo last year. He didn’t have a signature shoe, much less a company offering to allow him to have input, company equity and royalties for sales.

Okoro said signing with Holo was a “no-brainer.”

“Being able to actually be in the meetings and the discussions of how we would design the shoe, what colorways I want and just seeing the process of how shoes get designed was definitely eye-opening,” Okoro said.

Okoro is involved in more than designing. He tested his shoe to make sure it worked for him.

“Being able to actually put the shoes on and tell them this feels good, this doesn’t feels good (was important),” Okoro said. “Then them going back and actually fixing those problems and then coming back and giving me the shoe again … it actually fits perfectly and feels great to play in. Also, just getting all the nicks and stuff out of it.”

This generation isn’t the first to go against the grain in signing shoe deals. During the 1980s, when Converse was the top shoe, James Worthy signed with New Balance in ’82 and had the company’s first signature basketball shoe and a deal worth $1 million.

Hakeem Olajuwon signed with Etonic in 1984 for something “fresh” when Converse or Nike seemed like logical choices, given he was the first pick in the NBA Draft, followed by a deal with L.A. Gear. He later had a shoe deal with Spalding, the company best known for making basketballs, which released the shoe in 1995. Olajuwon wanted to offer an affordable shoe option with Spalding at a time when there were reports of deaths involving sneaker thefts.

LA Gear (1990)
ft. Hakeem Olajuwon & Joe Montana pic.twitter.com/Z9T1RLi3aK

— 90s NBA (@NBA90s) June 3, 2024

Shaquille O’Neal had a signature shoe with Reebok but still managed to produce a more affordable line of his own, Shaq shoes. Stephon Marbury also bucked tradition with his affordable Starbury shoes. Dwyane Wade established a partnership with Li Ning, something other players have done, as well, including Golden State’s Jimmy Butler and D’Angelo Russell.

Steph Curry left Nike to become Under Armour’s signature basketball player in 2013. Instead of being one of many Nike players, he became the top player for Under Armour and would have a signature shoe. By 2015, he was an NBA champion and one of the league’s premier superstars. Curry is now president of Curry Brand, which signed De’Aaron Fox as its first signature athlete in October 2023.

Kawhi Leonard left Nike for New Balance and has become a face of its basketball division. Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, signed with New Balance to become the first woman to sign with the brand.

All-Stars Joel Embiid and Julius Randle both play in Skechers. The Denver Nuggets duo of Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon and Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie all have shoes through 361 Degrees. Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has a signature shoe with Rigorer.

Reebok is working its way back into the mix after being acquired by Adidas in 2005. Reebok was sold to the Authentic Brands Group in 2021. O’Neal and Iverson are still the biggest names associated with basketball shoes; O’Neal serves as president, and Iverson is vice president.

Much of what Reebok is doing to make a dent in the industry is included in the Netflix docuseries “Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal.” Reebok is trying to find the next big star, similarly to what Puma has done for Haliburton this month. Reebok has signed two top WNBA players in Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington and is trying to make inroads in the NBA with high-flying Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis and potential risers like G Leaguer Dink Pate and Tennessee Volunteers signee Nick Ament. Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky told The Athletic that Reese’s signature shoe would be released later this season, and the plan is to grow with emerging young players.

“The players that we’ve signed, like Nate Ament and Matas, these are young kids that we really feel speak to who we want to be as a brand,” Krinsky said. “We didn’t want to go out right away first day and sign some big NBA player. We wanted to connect a little more emotionally with some of the work you’re seeing, have younger players wear the product first and then start to build the roster. We’re hoping that a lot of the young players we’re signing: grow with us and become big NBA players. But we’re in year one of a pretty long journey, and the goal was to be young.”

The same could be said of Converse, which is owned by Nike. Before Nike’s ascension, Converse was a top brand. It’s the shoe Worthy wore when playing for North Carolina. It had the classic 1986 commercial featuring Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, Mark Aguirre, Bernard King and Larry Bird, the NBA MVP. It’s also had relationships with league players such as Wade and Dennis Rodman, but Gilgeous-Alexander is giving the brand a modern-day elite-level talent to carry it.

Puma had a presence at NBA All-Star Weekend with Ball and his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed collection, but it couldn’t ask for a bigger spotlight than what it has with Haliburton, who has raised his profile with last-second, game-winning shots in each round of the postseason, including Game 1 of the finals.

“We had a great dinner, great meeting. (Footwear designer) Salehe Bembury is the new head of creative for basketball, and he obviously has a very big following and is well-knowledged in the game of sneaker designing,” Haliburton said. “For him to bring that mindset where he’s had so much success into basketball, and I was going to be his first basketball shoe, that was really exciting for me. I think that was appealing.

“For me, I wanted to go somewhere I was valued, and I think Puma from the jump just showed how much they valued me.”

For Haliburton, being empowered to be a part of the creative process in designing the sneaker, as well as everything being an extension of his personal basketball story, was important. His involvement in the design can be seen in the unique rounded edges of his “TH” and “Hali” logos, in addition to the hibiscus pink colorway.

“There’s a bunch of different colorways that we have in our planning moving forward, but the pink was important to me because my first pair of real basketball shoes, my first organized pair, was a pair of pink basketball shoes,” Haliburton explained. “That was, like, fourth grade, at a time where wearing pink shoes wasn’t a thing. ‘Hey, that’s the kid who wears pink shoes.’ … We wanted to do something that was kind of a nod.”

Haliburton said he wanted everything about his debut shoe to be “different,” and he feels the switch to Puma allowed him to do so. Doing things differently has worked for Haliburton.

For other players daring to be different, there are now more ways than ever to carve out a niche in the sneaker world.

(Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: David L. Nemec / NBAE via Getty Images)

NIL

Indiana & Miami advance to Natty + QB transfer portal madness

Published

6 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

The National Championship Game is set! Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey look ahead to the final matchup of the season by reacting to both semifinal matchups. They first talk about Indiana’s dominating performance over Oregon. Will the Hoosiers’ execution and talent win them a national title? How does Indiana stack up with the historically dominant national champions of the past? Then, they discuss the much more exciting semifinal matchup that saw Miami come out on top. How can Miami upset Indiana? What kind of advantage will playing in their home stadium create for the Hurricanes? Plus, will Oregon ever win a national championship?

Then, the guys look at some things happening off of the field in the college football world. After their loss to Miami, Ole Miss found out that Trinidad Chambliss’ request for another year of eligibility has been denied by the NCAA. However, this is not the end of the story as Chambliss will now sue the NCAA for damages spawning from the money he would make in NIL with that additional season. The guys discuss if Chambliss’ has a chance in this case, or if there is another motive behind the lawsuit.

Finally, the guys look at the madness of the transfer portal. First, they discuss the Demond Williams drama. After trying to enter the transfer portal, and Washington refusing to enter his name due his signed contract, Williams has now returned to the Huskies. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss what all happened in Seattle. Then, they look at the College Sports Commission’s investigation into how schools are writing NIL contracts. How will these contracts continue to evolve over time?

Get ready for the Natty with College Football Enquirer.

Miami and Indiana advance to Natty

Photo by CFP/Getty Images

Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images — Miami and Indiana advance to Natty Photo by CFP/Getty Images Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

(Photo by CFP/Getty Images Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

0:00:00 – Indiana dominates Oregon

14:37 – Miami advances over Ole Miss

24:51 – Will Oregon ever win a Natty?

29:46 – Trinidad Chambliss’ fight for a 6th year

40:49 – Demond Williams drama

52:12 – College Sports Commission investigation

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

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NIL

$1.8 million QB set to visit fourth college football program in transfer portal

Published

60 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Missouri finished the 2025 campaign as an interesting mix of promise and turnover under sixth-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

The Tigers posted an 8–4 regular-season record, going 4–4 in SEC play, and leaned heavily on a dominant run game led by sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, who finished with 1,649 rushing yards (second most in college football) and 16 touchdowns on 256 carries (6.4 yards per carry).

However, the quarterback position quickly became a central offseason storyline when starter Beau Pribula re-entered the transfer portal.

On3’s Pete Nakos has tracked Pribula’s early January visit cycle, which included stops at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, followed by a visit to Washington as the Huskies navigated uncertainty surrounding Demond Williams.

On Friday, Nakos also reported that Pribula is expected to visit Tennessee, adding another SEC program to his growing list of suitors.

Pribula began his college career at Penn State, where he redshirted and served as a backup from 2022–24 before transferring to Missouri for the 2025 season.

In 2025, he completed 182 of 270 passes (67.4%) for 1,941 yards, 11 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions across 10 games, while adding 297 rushing yards and six rushing scores on 95 carries, making him one of the more intriguing dual-threat quarterbacks available with both Big Ten and SEC experience.

That experience, paired with his production, has also made Pribula one of the more marketable players in the portal, with an NIL valuation reported in the neighborhood of $1.8 million as he navigates a crowded quarterback market this offseason.

A Central York (PA) product, Pribula was a three-star high school prospect and the No. 27 quarterback in the 2022 class per 247Sports, signing with Penn State over more than a dozen offers, including Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Syracuse.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula. — Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) throws during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

All four programs Pribula has been linked to make sense for different reasons.

Virginia Tech stands out as a logical reunion target, as James Franklin’s staff has been actively pursuing quarterbacks and has prior Penn State ties to Pribula, while Georgia Tech is looking to replace the expiring Haynes King era after losing depth when backup Aaron Philo transferred to Florida.

Washington, meanwhile, has hosted multiple quarterback visitors amid uncertainty surrounding Williams, as the Huskies look to stabilize the position within a program that offers Power-4 exposure and strong NIL opportunities.

At Tennessee, Josh Heupel’s offense has historically prioritized mobile playmakers, and ongoing quarterback turnover makes a veteran option like Pribula appealing, particularly with senior starter Joey Aguilar expected to move on.

NIL

SEC’s Reign Collapses Under NIL

Published

2 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Over the past few years, the SEC’s reputation has not matched its on-field results. The conference’s reign atop college football has now officially come to an end. The debate over whether the SEC is still the most dominant conference in college football is over. The SEC’s failure to place a team in the national championship game for a third consecutive year has settled it.

For nearly two decades, the SEC ruled the sport under the conference mantra “It Just Means More.” The mantra was built by the conference’s superior talent and its unmatched level of passion. Their dominance was largely driven by the perceived recruiting advantage resulting from their geographical location. Proximity to recruiting hotspots in the South has enabled programs to consistently accumulate elite talent year after year.

That advantage led to an SEC team being crowned the national champion 13 of the last 19 years. However, the SEC’s dominance has slipped away over recent years. Why? July 1, 2021. The date the back door closed and the front door opened.

The SEC’s biggest advantage was never geographical location or its mantra of just meaning more. It was the SEC acceptance of if you’re not cheating you’re not trying. The understanding within the SEC that bending and sometimes breaking the rules was acceptable allowed the SEC to thrive for two decades. What most programs in other conferences frowned upon was overlooked in the SEC.

The instituting of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) took away the SEC’s biggest advantage. Every school could now use monetary resources to get top talent to commit to their programs. And with it, the SEC’s ability to stockpile talent evaporated.

Recruiting Edge Lost With NIL

How does the SEC dominate for two decades with no end in sight, then tumble back to reality in just three years? Simply, they lost the paid-to-play advantage. There was a belief that the SEC was using NIL before NIL was something you could use. But no one could say for sure, that is, until former LSU coach Ed Orgeron let the cat out of the bag.

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On an appearance of “Bussin’ With the Boys,” Taylor Lewan got the dirt from Orgeron.

“We all know that the SEC was NIL before NIL,” Lewan said. “We’re way past it. Can we now just admit it?”

“They say, ‘Hey, coach. You know, you’ve been out of coaching for a while. How are you going to adjust to NIL?’” Orgeron said. “‘Well, it’s a minor adjustment.’ They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Back then, we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now, we just got to walk through the front door with the cash.’”

You can’t assume that every team was using the back door for recruiting. However, what else in the last four-and-a-half years could have changed the hierarchy of college football?

Trophies Define Conference Supremacy

There is no arguing that the SEC is the deepest conference in college football. But it’s not about being deep when arguing which conference is the best. To be considered the best, it’s putting trophies in the trophy case and playing for national championships. Something the SEC has not done in three years after Ole Miss was eliminated from the College Football Playoff. The only thing that matters is which teams are in the CFP.

Using meaningless losses in bowl games as a talking point that really has little to no impact on being the best conference. Bowl games are nothing more than spring games against other teams. Most teams bear little resemblance to what they were during the regular season. What really matters is how teams perform in the College Football Playoff against programs with equal or superior talent.

In the first nine years of the CFP, the SEC failed to have at least one team in the final. This year’s national championship will be the third straight year the SEC has failed to have a team advance to the final. The Big Ten, on the other hand, has had and will have a team playing in all three. The Big Ten has also won the last two national championships.

The SEC plays semantics in its effort to stay atop of college football. But the “best” means producing elite national championship contenders capable of winning it all and actually doing it. Something the Big Ten has accomplished each of the last two years, Michigan two years ago, Ohio State last season, and now Indiana has a chance to make it three straight for the Big Ten. The SEC is the deepest conference, considering five teams reached the College Football Playoff. What the SEC failed to do was to create a truly elite team that made it.

Moving forward, being a blue blood no longer matters. The only thing that matters now is being a “Green Blood.” A university with ultra-rich alumni willing to invest, with the only reward being wins. The days of “Bob’s Used Cars” putting cash in fast food bags are gone. Now it’s about billionaires and multi-millionaires like Mark Cuban or Nike founder Phil Knight handing over seven-figure checks, and there’s no conference with more than the Big Ten.

And if no rules exist, it is only a matter of time before the Big Ten becomes the deepest conference as well.

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NIL

UCF, others tout no state income tax as college football portal season gets weird

Published

3 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

College football’s transfer portal season has taken some odd twists and turns this year. Now it’s entering … tax season?

In one of the latest oddities, schools in certain states began trading “no state income tax” social media posts as a way to entice players in the portal. Currently, nine states don’t levy income taxes: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

The Houston Cougars, UNLV Rebels and UCF Knights — all universities within one of those nine states — posted about their lack of state income taxes on X on Saturday, featuring an image of either a mascot or cheerleader lifting a comically large bag of cash above their heads.

UCF started the movement with a post on Saturday morning featuring its mascot, Knightro. Houston and UNLV soon followed suit, as did the UTEP Miners, FIU Panthers and North Texas Mean Green.

🤝 https://t.co/rqQdM0cpCQ pic.twitter.com/OgtMjGVhdx

— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) January 10, 2026

How effective will that pitch be? UCF, Houston and UNLV were all outside the top 40 of 247Sports’ portal rankings as of Saturday night, so any little bit helps. Central Florida was the highest at No. 47 in the 247Sports rankings, followed by Houston at No. 49 and UNLV at No. 86. Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Houston were all in the top 10 of On3’s portal rankings.

College athletes are not only taxed on their NIL earnings, but also on anything they receive of value. If an athlete receives a new car, for example, they have to pay taxes on it in accordance with its value.

Arkansas has tweaked its tax code so that NIL income is tax-exempt as an incentive to induce athletes to sign at the University of Arkansas or other in-state schools.

There was no indication that income taxes were the reason behind another buzzy portal storyline earlier this week: Quarterback Demond Williams changing his mind about entering the portal and deciding to stay with the Washington Huskies. On Tuesday, Williams announced he was entering the portal — four days after signing with the Huskies, a Washington source close to the negotiations told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. On Thursday, he said he was “excited to announce that I will continue my football journey at the University of Washington.”

The Huskies were prepared to pursue legal action against Williams to enforce the contract, a source briefed on the situation told Feldman. Williams could have owed the school up to $4 million for transferring, according to Big Ten rules that state that if a player intends to transfer before the end of a payment period, he owes the remaining amount on his contract, unless the school agrees to accept a buyout from the player or the player’s next school.

Williams and his team ultimately decided to stay in Seattle — where he won’t have to pay state income taxes.

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NIL

College football team loses 29 players to transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Boston College finished the 2025 season 2–10 (1–7 ACC) in what was a down year for the program under former NFL head coach Bill O’Brien.

The Eagles had gone 7–6 in back-to-back seasons, including O’Brien’s first year in 2024 after arriving from Ohio State, where he served as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

However, the 2025 campaign marked Boston College’s worst season since 2012.

Despite the disappointing results, athletic director Blake James announced that Boston College will retain O’Brien for a third season and increase its financial investment in the football program ahead of 2026.

Still, with both the offense and defense struggling to produce consistent results throughout the year, a wave of players elected to seek new opportunities via the transfer portal, including redshirt-junior wide receiver Ismael Zamor, who announced his decision to enter the portal on January 6.

Zamor, listed at 6-foot, 193 pounds, enrolled at Boston College in 2022 out of Everett (Mass.) High School, where he was rated a three-star prospect and the No. 129 wide receiver nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He chose the Eagles over nearly a dozen other scholarship offers, including Michigan, Syracuse, Temple, Buffalo, and UMass.

Despite being viewed as an intriguing developmental prospect coming out of high school, Zamor primarily contributed on special teams during his time at Boston College, appearing in limited games and failing to record a reception across four seasons with the program.

He now enters the transfer portal as a redshirt junior.

Aside from Zamor, who saw limited action during his time in Chestnut Hill, Boston College has now seen 29 players depart via the transfer portal, including several notable contributors.

That group includes wide receiver Reed Harris (committed to Arizona State), running back Turbo Richard (committed to Indiana), tight end Ty Lockwood (committed to Arkansas), tight end Stevie Amar Jr. (committed to UCLA), and safety Omarion Davis (committed to Penn State), among others.

Richard was the Eagles’ leading rusher in 2025, totaling 749 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 145 carries (5.2 yards per carry), while also adding 213 receiving yards and two receiving scores.

Harris, meanwhile, finished as the team’s second-leading receiver, recording 673 yards and a team-high five touchdowns on 39 receptions (17.3 yards per catch).

Boston College Eagles running back Turbo Richard. — Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles running back Turbo Richard (2) reacts to his touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the first half at Alumni Stadium. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

This level of turnover following a 2–10 season is significant for two primary reasons.

First, it strips Boston College of experienced contributors across multiple position groups, most notably at the skill positions, tight end, and throughout portions of the defensive front seven and secondary.

Second, it signals a program reset of sorts, as more than two dozen players are effectively voting with their feet in search of better fits, greater stability, or clearer paths to playing time.

NIL

Fernando Mendoza Spurned Miami’s $3 Million Offer To Join Indiana

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Getty

Fernando Mendoza turned down major NIL offer from Miami to join Indiana.

Fernando Mendoza has become the top quarterback in college football. The Indiana Hoosiers star captured the Heisman Trophy and is now one win away from leading Indiana to its first national championship in program history.

Indiana will meet the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on January 19, a matchup that adds an extra layer of intrigue.

Not only is the national championship game being played in Miami’s home stadium, it also represents a homecoming for Mendoza. He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, where he won a state championship — the same school Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal attended.

Mendoza’s father was teammates with Cristobal at Christopher Columbus, while his mother played college tennis at the University of Miami. Mendoza grew up just a mile from the university’s campus.

That background raises a natural question: How did Mendoza end up at Indiana instead of Miami — and now find himself facing the Hurricanes in the biggest game of his career?

More Indiana football on Heavy: Indiana Football Accused of Cheating as Wild Social Media Rumor Spreads

Fernando Mendoza Wasn’t Offered by Miami

Coming out of high school, Mendoza was a three-star prospect, ranked as the No. 135 quarterback in the country and the No. 250 overall player in Florida, according to 247Sports. Despite his local ties, the only Power Four program to offer him a scholarship was California Golden Bears, where he ultimately committed.

At the time, then-Miami head coach Manny Diaz and his staff never extended an offer and were even hesitant to bring Mendoza on as a walk-on, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Fernando Mendoza returning to his hometown Miami to play the Hurricanes for the National Championship is straight out of a Hollywood script:

– Mendoza grew up a mile from Miami’s campus.
– Mendoza won a state championship at Miami’s Columbus High, the alma mater of Mario

Mendoza entered the transfer portal last December, and many believed he could land with his hometown team, which was searching for a replacement for Cam Ward. That scenario never materialized, even though Miami eventually made an offer.

Miami Was Turned Down by Fernando Mendoza

Miami was desperate to replace its Heisman Trophy finalist from the 2024 season and reportedly made Mendoza a lucrative NIL offer, according to Newsweek’s Ben Dogra.

“Mendoza made $2.3 million from Indiana, but he only made $100,000 at Cal,” Dogra said. “But he was offered more by the University of Miami and turned it down. That’s why they got Carson Beck.”

So why didn’t Mendoza choose Miami? Dogra said the decision had everything to do with development, despite the Hurricanes’ larger offer.

“Let’s just say Indiana was a better fit,” Dogra said. “If you’ve got a kid from Florida that goes to Cal broke for three years and then transfers to Indiana, and his NIL money is going significantly up — let’s say $2 million-plus — but he was offered $3 million-plus at Miami, his hometown, there’s a reason he didn’t take it.

“The reason he didn’t take it is because he had a better chance to become a more successful quarterback and grow to get ready for the next level. And that’s exactly what happened. So that’s coaching.”

Mendoza is now widely viewed as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, a selection currently held by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Before the draft becomes the focus, Mendoza has one more goal: leading Indiana to its first national championship. At this point, he is already considered a Hoosiers legend. If he delivers a title in his hometown — against the team that once passed on him — that legacy will only grow larger.

Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker

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