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The next conquest: El Paso’s Jake Fette charts new NIL frontier

Of all the stellar throws Jake Fette made in 2024 — and there were a bevy of them during the Del Valle High School quarterback’s junior year, a campaign that saw the Conquistadores complete their first undefeated regular season in more than two decades — it was a set of tosses during a seemingly innocuous […]

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Of all the stellar throws Jake Fette made in 2024 — and there were a bevy of them during the Del Valle High School quarterback’s junior year, a campaign that saw the Conquistadores complete their first undefeated regular season in more than two decades — it was a set of tosses during a seemingly innocuous January workout that have reverberated. The plays touched off a frenetic 16-month period that placed the 17-year-old football phenom amid a national conversation.

That day, Kirk Bryant, then an assistant coach at Texas Tech, was in El Paso with a small contingent of Red Raider coaches to scout potential high school talent. As Del Valle head coach Rudy Contreras recalled, Bryant was getting ready to catch a flight out of the city on the heels of a conversation about a “pretty good quarterback” Contreras wanted him to see. Bryant’s flight, however, got delayed. And he reached out to Contreras to ask if he could make an unplanned visit to the Del Valle campus.

“I said, ‘We’re about to go out here and throw a little bit,’” Contreras said. “Yeah, come back.” 

Bryant did more than see. 

Del Valle High School quarterback Jake Fette throws a pass as the team warms up for a spring scrimmage, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

“After about four throws,” Contreras said, “(Bryant) said, ‘Hold on,’ and took out his phone, started recording.” 

Bryant began FaceTiming other Texas Tech coaches, offering them a virtual glimpse of the 6-foot-2, 180-pound player who threw for 2,488 yards that fall en route to a third consecutive District 2-5A title. After the session, the coaches convened and Bryant told  Contreras, “This kid is the real deal. He could be at Texas Tech and be our third best quarterback right now.”

Before the group headed back to the airport, Texas Tech extended an offer, the first of numerous schools over the last year-and-a-half that offered Fette a scholarship to play collegiately. Bryant also had some prophetic parting words for Contreras.

“He said, ‘Coach, I want you to remember we were the first ones to offer him because it’s going to get crazy here in the next couple of years,’” Contreras said. “I thought he was exaggerating. I was thinking maybe we get a couple more schools. But, two years later and, yeah, it’s been crazy.”

Fette’s story captures a transformative moment in high school and college football. As he prepares to compete this week in the prestigious Elite 11 Finals quarterback competition, he’s also navigating a recruiting process shaped by seismic shifts in college athletics. The rise of name, image and likeness compensation has rewritten the rules of recruitment and athlete branding. 

Setting the stage

As a junior, Fette was unflappable, throwing for 32 touchdowns and rushing for 11 more in leading Del Valle to its second undefeated regular season in school history. In the UIL Class 5A state football playoffs, the Conquistadores became the first El Paso program to defeat Abilene Cooper in the postseason. Fette threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns while also running for two scores. He threw his lone interception of the season in the subsequent area-round loss to Lucas Lovejoy.

Jake Fette, the Del Valle quarterback who is currently ranked 4th nationally, walks off the field during a spring scrimmage, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

Fette’s story took another major turn in September 2024, just as the season was getting underway. With Del Valle off to a 3-0 start and Fette already compiling 612 passing yards and 148 rushing yards — including wins over Franklin and Canutillo — he announced his verbal commitment to Arizona State on social media.

This week, Fette will be in Los Angeles to compete in the Elite 11 Finals — one of the country’s most prestigious quarterback competitions for high school seniors. The invite-only event June 17-19 at Mira Costa High School will bring together 20 of the nation’s top prospects for advanced training, on-field evaluation and leadership development. Fette is the only quarterback from the El Paso area selected to compete and will represent Del Valle among peers already committed to programs such as Texas, Clemson, Penn State and USC.

Fette chose ASU over offers from Kansas, SMU, Houston, Texas Tech, New Mexico State, Texas State, California and UTEP. His feats on the field have drawn national renown. This spring, Fette was named the No. 4 quarterback prospect in the nation in the Class of 2026 by On3 Recruits, a leading sports publication that tracks high school and college athletics. 

“Jake is a great person, and he’s a great college prospect,” Contreras said. “This is a decision he took time in making and he’s got our full support here at Del Valle. He has so much promise as a player and he puts in the time to get better. He is a leader for us.”

Players to watch

Other El Paso high school football seniors drawing interest from Power Four college football programs: 

Justin Morales

  • School: Franklin
  • Position: Offensive line/defensive line
  • Size: 6-foot-4, 265 pounds
  • Recruited by: Arizona, California, Kansas State, Michigan State, Oregon State, UTEP, Wisconsin
  • Verbal commitment: Kansas State 

Ryan Estrada

  • School: El Dorado High School
  • Position: Running back
  • Size: 6-foot, 195 pounds
  • Recruited by: Alabama, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin
  • Verbal commitment: None

Fette’s journey is unfolding in an era of historic change in college athletics. Since 2021, NCAA rules have allowed college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness — a legal right often referred to as NIL. This means student-athletes such as Fette can now earn income through endorsements, social media, autograph signings and personal appearances, all while in college.

For top-tier prospects, NIL is a key part of the recruiting conversation. College programs are increasingly evaluated not just for their coaching and facilities, but for the strength of their NIL infrastructure — including what kind of opportunities and support they offer athletes. While Texas currently does not allow high school athletes to enter into NIL deals, prospects such as Fette are already being recruited into environments where those opportunities are front and center.

Athletes and their families must now navigate an unfamiliar mix of traditional sports decision-making and modern brand-building. For Fette and his family, this balancing act has played a central role in the decisions they’ve made and how they’ve approached the spotlight.

From the ground up: Early days and athletic roots

Jake Fette’s athleticism showed itself early, according to his father. From YMCA basketball games to flag football and soccer, he dabbled in everything. 

“He was always good at sports,” said Rick Fette. “Always a little bigger, faster than the other kids. It was just fun. He had fun doing it and we had fun watching him.”

The elder Fette recalled Jake’s transition to quarterback came unexpectedly. In 2019, Del Valle’s previous head coach, Jesse Perales, left for the same position at Garland Naaman Forest. Perales’ son, DeAngelo, was the quarterback of the sixth-grade youth team where Jake played wide receiver. 

“They tried out a few guys and realized (Jake) could throw a lot farther than they could,” Rick said. 

Initially, the position change was jarring for the younger Fette. 

“To be honest, I didn’t even like it at first,” Jake Fette said. “But, being able to control the game, I really like. I like having the ball in my hands and I get to make the decisions that choose the outcome of the game.”

The Del Valle High School football team stretches before a spring scrimmage, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

Rick Fette, who played at UTEP, was cautious but observant as the years progressed. 

“I knew very little about quarterbacking,” he said. “But, I saw he looked like one of the better ones. Strong arm, moved well, decent size.”

That mix of tools, versatility and parental guidance became more evident as he reached high school. 

“His coaches liked him,” Rick Fette said. “We knew that people were going to be more receptive to a kind, polite kid that’s got his manners.”

A coach and a father

Rick Fette brings a unique perspective — he is both Jake’s father and one of his team’s coaches. The elder Fette, who played football at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, has been an assistant defensive coach at Del Valle for 16 years. 

He arrived in El Paso to play defensive end for UTEP in 1999 and was part of the Miners’ 2000 Western Athletic Conference championship team. Rick Fette said he chose UTEP over North Texas, Air Force and SMU because of the demeanor of then-defensive line coach Lorenzo Constantini, but also because of what he perceived as the success of the school’s strength and conditioning program. 

“I thought, ‘Man, the guys are huge here,’” Rick Fette recalled of former UTEP players such as Brian Young and Paul Smith, both of whom played in the NFL. “It felt like an impressive club to be a part of.”

Rick Fette was part of stalwart defensive line units that produced NFL draft picks Leif Larsen and Menson Holloway. He said apart from his teammates, he was also impressed with the school’s amenities. 

“It felt really big-time,” Rick Fette said. “When I was at UTEP, we had trainers giving us water. We had cold water in all our drills. It felt like I was in the NFL.”

That sense of professionalism, structure and preparation has shaped how he has helped guide his son through the recruiting and NIL maze.

“There’s two ways we could probably do it right now,” Rick Fette said of NIL. “You can go get an agent and have that agent go to work for you and shop you around to the highest bidder … or you go where you want to go.”

Rick Fette said they preferred the second approach — focusing on fit, relationships and values. 

What Rick Fette saw in Arizona State was a program that was building the right way. 

“Their background in general … what they were talking about and what they were doing even before they had a really good season, it all kind of made sense,” he said.

Jake Fette, the Del Valle quarterback who is currently ranked 4th nationally, has verbally committed to Arizona State University, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

The Arizona State commitment

Jake Fette committed to Arizona State as his junior year at Del Valle got underway — before the Sun Devils’ surprise run to the 2024 College Football Playoff.

At the time, ASU was coming off a 3-9 season and was picked to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference in preseason rankings. But as the 2024 college football season unfolded, the Sun Devils shocked the country.

Behind the leadership of second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham and breakout performances from players such as quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo, ASU won the Big 12 championship and earned a berth in the inaugural postseason tournament. In the Peach Bowl quarterfinal, they pushed national powerhouse Texas to double overtime before falling 39-31.

Leavitt’s postseason success elevated him to national prominence — and, according to On3, a top-10 NIL valuation of $3.1 million.

Despite the meteoric rise of ASU and Leavitt’s emerging stardom, Jake Fette said he has not wavered in his commitment even as schools continue to make overtures. 

“I was committed to stay committed,” he said. “I wasn’t looking to flip or anything. You know, for them to have a season like they did, it just made me more and more excited to be a part of that program.”

Jake Fette said he was impressed not just by the system, but by the authenticity of the coaches. In addition to Dillingham, Fette was courted by offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Marcus Arroyo, who has coached numerous NFL quarterbacks, including the San Diego Chargers’ Justin Herbert. 

“They’re gonna tell you what it is and how it is,” Jake Fette said. “I really appreciate that. Just telling me, like, I’m not guaranteed to play or any of that, but just the fact that they’ll work with me and not lie to me.”

Contreras saw the effect ripple beyond just Jake. 

“Jake Fette is spearheading that ’26 class,” Contreras said. “Now, they have a lot of commits because of Jake Fette, so they’re going to be very talented in the upcoming future.”

Jake Fette (6) receives a snap during a Del Valle High School scrimmage, May 22, 2025. Fette is nationally ranked in 4th place and has verbally committed to Arizona State University. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

NIL in focus

As the family learned more about NIL, they stayed focused on the long-term benefits rather than immediate payouts, Rick Fette said.

“Now you’ve got to basically show proof of value,” Rick Fette said. “They’re trying to follow kind of an NFL model on it.”

He pointed out that most players aren’t raking in millions — despite headlines. 

“That’s a very, very select view of, like, five-star guys that they think, ‘This guy’s generational,’” he said.

On June 6, a major shift in the NIL landscape was made official with the ratification of the House v. NCAA settlement. The class-action lawsuit, brought by former college athletes including Arizona State swimmer Grant House, challenged the NCAA’s longtime restrictions on athlete compensation and forced a landmark agreement that will allow schools to share revenue directly with players for the first time. 

Starting July 1, universities will be allowed to directly pay athletes through revenue-sharing agreements. Power conference schools such as Arizona State are expected to allocate up to $20.5 million annually across their athletic departments, with football projected to receive the lion’s share. 

The Sun Angel Collective, the official NIL collective of Arizona State athletics, did not respond to a request for general information on how it will conduct operations during the 2025-26 athletics season. 

This pay-for-play model marks a new era in college sports. Compensation is expected to be governed by a College Sports Commission, which will enforce caps and ensure NIL deals meet fair market standards. While athletes will remain classified as non-employees, their compensation could reach levels once unthinkable in college athletics. NIL contracts will be vetted through a clearinghouse run by Deloitte, with booster-funded deals facing increased scrutiny.

Del Valle High School football players run onto the field before a spring scrimmage, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

For Jake Fette, this means he will enter college amid a structured, high-stakes NIL system. While he has not spoken publicly about pursuing NIL deals, the infrastructure surrounding him will change significantly by the time he arrives in Tempe.

And through it all, the family’s guiding principle has remained steady: “He made that decision for the right reasons early on,” Rick Fette said.

Contreras agreed. 

“The process and the steps that Jake has taken to get to where he’s at … he’s never asked about money,” he said.

Lessons from the past: Advice from El Paso’s quarterback trailblazers

Jake Fette isn’t the first El Paso quarterback to draw national attention — but his journey is unfolding in a landscape far different from those navigated by Steven Montez and Ed Stansbury.

Montez, also a Del Valle alumnus now living in northern California, graduated in 2015 and played at the University of Colorado and later in the NFL with the Washington Football Team. He sees continuity in the school’s culture of quarterback development.

Steven Montez

“Even before me, Del Valle was already kind of a powerhouse and a QB factory,” Montez said. “Jordan Baeza, Tury Rios, Adrian Gonzalez — all those dudes had really good runs into the playoffs and played high-level football.”

Montez believes the longevity in the school’s coaching staff is at the heart of that legacy. 

“They’ve managed to keep that staff relatively intact. We had a ton of high-level coaches who taught us how to play the game and play it at a high level.”

Asked about Fette, Montez didn’t hesitate: “He’s a phenomenal player in his own right. His accuracy at his age is much farther along than I was. He spins the hell out of the ball. There’s really no weaknesses in his game.”

Stansbury, who graduated from Irvin High School in 1997, and played at UCLA and in the NFL with the Houston Texans, also sees Fette’s character as a difference-maker. 

Ed Stansbury

“He’s active on social media, but he’s in no way showing off or taking advantage of the situation,” Stansbury said. “It’s been all business for Jake.”

Stansbury said his own recruiting journey was different: “A lot of my success and my exposure was due directly to my high school football coach (Tony Shaw) … he spent countless hours sending out VHS tapes.”

Now, watching NIL transform the landscape, Stansbury said Fette is handling it the right way.

“What parents and players can take away from Jake is how he has conducted himself,” Stansbury said. “The humbleness he’s carried throughout this speaks volumes.”

These lessons carry personal relevance for Stansbury, too. His son, West Stansbury, is an up-and-coming quarterback at Coronado High School. As West enters his sophomore year and begins what could become his own recruiting journey, Ed is already thinking about how to prepare him for a future that includes the realities of NIL.

“We’ve built his brand pretty good for what he’s done so far,” Stansbury said. “Now the second part is being a productive, good athlete that colleges want. The NIL opportunities will follow if those things are done. Jake’s journey shows how to do it right.”

Both Montez and Stansbury emphasized that the spotlight brings pressure, but Fette appears well-prepared.

“Just don’t let anybody take your confidence away,” Montez said. “He knows he’s a great quarterback. He just has to keep pushing to be great — and he will.”

What comes next

Jake Fette will graduate in December and enroll at Arizona State in the spring of 2025, giving him a head start to learn the playbook and adjust to the pace of college football. But before that, he has one final high school season to complete.

Del Valle High School quarterback Jake Fette, ranked 4th in the country, spins a ball as his team warms up for a spring scrimmage, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

“Last season doesn’t matter anymore, so we’ve got to prove that we’re good again,” Fette said. “I don’t think anyone’s expecting us to be as good as we were last year with all the graduates, but we’re reloaded. We’re not rebuilding.”

His preparation for his senior season, which begins Aug. 29 against Montwood High School, continues. 

“I’m just gonna stick to what I’ve been doing,” he said. “Regularly work out and just get my mind ready to go.”

Contreras is already thinking ahead. 

“We’re gonna miss his talent and everything he does on the field, but we’re also gonna miss the way he represents Del Valle football, the leadership he brings to this team in the locker room, the way he carries himself in the building,” he said.

As for Jake Fette, he remains focused on what matters most. 

“At the end of the day, I’m going to college to play football because I love football,” he said.

For his school, his city, and the next wave of El Paso athletes, he has shown what the new standard can look like.

“Football ends at some point or another for everybody,” Contreras said. “But to know that he has some money to kind of start his life on — his adulthood on — who knows, maybe the rest of his life. It’s a good deal for them. And we’re proud.”

Jake Fette (6), the Del Valle quarterback who is currently ranked 4th nationally, kneels for a moment of silence with his team, May 22, 2025. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)



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Four big takeaways from Judy MacLeod’s speech at CUSA Media Day

Conference USA Media Day kicked off on Tuesday, and Commissioner Judy MacLeod addressed a multitude of topics surrounding the conference. Here are four of the most interesting things she said during her speech. On the changing times in athletics: “I don’t think there’s a day goes by that there isn’t something about one of the […]

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Conference USA Media Day kicked off on Tuesday, and Commissioner Judy MacLeod addressed a multitude of topics surrounding the conference. Here are four of the most interesting things she said during her speech.

On the changing times in athletics:

“I don’t think there’s a day goes by that there isn’t something about one of the topics – whether it’s the House Settlement, Congressional activity, eligibility litigation, college sports commission, NIL Go, other litigation, Presidential activity, the College Football Playoff, transfer portal. I could take my entire 10 minutes up here and just rattle off the list, but I’ll stop there.”

“Obviously it’s a new time, it’s a transformational time in college athletics with so much happening so quickly. We need to continue to modernize and evolve. It’s something that college athletics has been slow to do in the past. It’s been forced on us, for good reason. It’s really important that we have standards and we have rules. That’s going to be a challenge going forward. The opportunity to work with young people and have an impact on them, to work with them towards earning a degree, completing a degree, is still going to be very central to our mission.”

“We need things like the College Sports Commission and NIL Go to work. We need that to work. I know there are naysayers, I know there are people that want it to fail out of the gates, but we need that to work. We need Congressional help. We also need to keep including our student athletes and their voice in our decision-making processes moving forward. It’s taken a ton of work to get to this point, it’s going to take a ton more, but I believe college athletics is worth it. It’s going to take everybody to do that. That’s a tall task, but I think those of us involved in it, that have dedicated our lives to it, believe in that and will work hard to achieve those goals.”

On the 2025 football season:

“We are really excited to welcome our two new schools – Delaware and Missouri State. We have a big game week zero, not too far away. We have a conference matchup that could turn into a real critical game for the standings in Sam Houston and WKU.”

“People ask me, ‘Who is going to be your good team this year?’ It’s really hard to tell these days. There’s a stat for everything these days, we have average returning production of 54%, which leads our peers. That tells me we do have a lot of veteran talent coming back that can help guide our teams and help those teams gel a little more quickly.”

“I have a lot of faith in our coaches. We have had some turnover. We have six new coaches this year, that includes the two that are not new to their school, but are new to Conference USA with Delaware and Missouri State. These men get it. They get why they’re doing what they’re doing. They are ultra competitive and have had success at many places. We are confident with that group.”

On the future of the conference:

“Our media package with CBS Sports Network and the ESPN Family of Networks is entering year three. About half of our games will be on linear and half will be on ESPN+. It’s made it very easy for our fans to find our contests. We continue to embrace and build on weekday CUSA. We didn’t want you guys not to have anything to do on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday so we added some games for you. Last year, we had eight games during that period decided by single digits. We also had seven games with 60 or more points. It is a really exciting brand of football. You get to go unopposed. Sometimes you are the only game on TV. That exposure has been really incredible for us as we continue to build the conference.”

On realignment:

“Realignment is hard. I don’t think it ever gets any easier, but I do feel like we’ve done a great job of rebuilding and continuing to position the conference well. I have to give a ton of credit to our Board of Directors which is composed of all our Presidents. They are in charge of membership, and they have been very thoughtful. I do believe the FCS schools that we have brought in to transition have had a lot of success. I’m obviously biased, but I feel like we’ve made a lot of great choices. We have programs that have histories of success. A lot of times it’s a lot easier when you have a program that’s had success at other levels to transition that success forward, but our staff has done a great job with the administrations of each school and really tried to help them. Help them understand what that step is. I don’t know if that’s something we want to be known for – of transitioning schools, but we have had success and we’re excited with the new two that are coming aboard as well.”

“As far as future, we have membership on our board agenda every time we meet. We have a membership committee. It’s active. It’s always looking at different data and doing it for research about what may happen. We are really excited about the 10 we have moving forward. Unfortunately, I can’t predict things. I don’t think anything is going to happen in the time I’m sitting here, but you never know. I put my phone on silent so I wouldn’t get interrupted. You never want to walk out and get surprised, but I do feel very good about our core schools and continuing to grow.”



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John Calipari projects game with Duke will be the highest-rated game in a decade

John Calipari believes a Thanksgiving Day game between Arkansas and Duke will make college basketball history. In a recent interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Razorbacks coach predicted that the matchup would be the most-watched in the past decade. Calipari pointed to the huge viewership when Arkansas played Illinois last season on Thanksgiving […]

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John Calipari believes a Thanksgiving Day game between Arkansas and Duke will make college basketball history. In a recent interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Razorbacks coach predicted that the matchup would be the most-watched in the past decade.

Calipari pointed to the huge viewership when Arkansas played Illinois last season on Thanksgiving Day. That game averaged 5.1 million viewers, making it the second-most watched regular season game since 2008. With as big of a following as Duke has, the holiday and the fact that it will be televised on CBS, Calipari sees it as a recipe for an even bigger number this season.

“Our game last year with Illinois was the highest-rated regular season game,” the coach said. “This game with Duke, my guess is it might be the highest regular season game in the last decade. When it’s played, where it is, who we’re playing. So I’m excited.”

John Calipari directed Arkansas on a run to the Sweet Sixteen this past year in his inaugural season with the program. They finished with a 22-14 record and have a lot of positive momentum heading into Year 2 of his tenure.

According to ESPN, the Razorbacks have the most returning production of any team in the SEC. That includes guard DJ Wagner and forward Karter Knox, both starters. Arkansas also added a pair of five star freshmen in Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas, as well as several transfers.

With his team much more solidified entering this season, Calipari wanted to create a challenging schedule. In addition to the game against Duke, Arkansas also faces Louisville, Texas Tech, Houston and Michigan State on its nonconference schedule.

“I did that schedule because I felt comfortable with my team,” Calipari said. “Last year, we had a schedule, but I wasn’t so comfortable because I didn’t know the guys. We were trying to figure each other out and we were injured like crazy. Hopefully we stay away from that bug this year. Last year, we practiced with five guys a month. Thank God I had GAs that could still play.”

Calipari has had success everywhere he’s been from Massachusetts to Memphis to Kentucky and now hopes to build a new dynasty in Fayetteville. Part of that is getting attention outside of your own fan base, and a game against a blue blood like Duke on a prime time sports viewing day is a great way to drum it up.



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Minnesota high school baseball players score in college via transfer portal

The college baseball transfer portal has changed everything. What used to be a relatively quiet offseason process with a few players changing schools has evolved into a high-stakes, fast-moving marketplace, one in which proven performance, power-conference opportunity and NIL money often outweigh player development or long-term fit. Programs with national title aspirations aren’t waiting for […]

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The college baseball transfer portal has changed everything.

What used to be a relatively quiet offseason process with a few players changing schools has evolved into a high-stakes, fast-moving marketplace, one in which proven performance, power-conference opportunity and NIL money often outweigh player development or long-term fit. Programs with national title aspirations aren’t waiting for talent to mature; they’re buying experience and betting on immediate impact.

That dynamic has made it increasingly difficult for mid-major schools, even some Big Ten programs, to hold on to their best players. The portal is active. The incentives are obvious. And Minnesota is feeling the effects. Players with Minnesota ties are on the move.

Take Eagan’s Danny Lachenmayer, a lefthanded pitcher who, two summers ago, was throwing under the radar at Prep Baseball Minnesota’s State Games, the marquee midsummer showcase for high school players. Now, after a strong freshman season as North Dakota State’s bullpen ace (nine saves and 56 Ks in 38 innings), he’s off to LSU. Yes, that LSU. The Tigers needed arms. Lachenmayer had receipts.

He isn’t alone, not even on his own team. North Dakota State’s impressive postseason push — the Bison went 21-34 overall but finished strong, winning the Summit League tournament championship and a game in the NCAA tournament before being eliminated — came at a cost because players drew attention. Nolan Johnson, a lefthanded pitcher who played at Lakeville North in high school, packed his bags for TCU after leading the Bison in innings pitched last season and going 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA.

The transfer portal cuts both ways. The Bison reloaded, adding Anthony Pardo, a righthanded pitcher who played for Andover in high school and for Illinois State in 2025, and Matthew Totten, who is from Prior Lake and spent 2025 at Purdue. Just another Tuesday in the portal era.

St. Thomas, still finding its footing in NCAA Division I, lost Riane Ritter, a righthanded pitcher from Rogers who went 6-1 as a freshman at UST, to Kansas, but picked up Sam Stockman from Utah. Stockman is a lefthanded pitcher from Elk River who’s pitching this summer for the Mankato Moondogs in the Northwoods League.

Over in Dinkytown, the Gophers lost some program cornerstones. Drew Berkland (Wayzata) took his bat, which produced a .293 average and 14 home runs last season, to Notre Dame. Kristofer Hokenson, who was the Star Tribune’s Metro Player of the Year after his senior season at St. Louis Park in 2022, jumped to College World Series darling Murray State. But the U answered back, landing two live arms: Isaac Morton (Spring Lake Park via Texas A&M — with a Brewers draft pick pedigree) and Josh Kirchhoff (Concordia Academy of Roseville and Missouri). Both are high-upside, power-armed righthanded pitchers with plenty to prove.



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Former Mississippi standout inks with Unrivaled

Former Mississippi high school basketball standout and current Texas star Madison Booker is part of a group of college basketball players to sign NIL deals with Unrivaled. The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league was created in 2023 by WNBA stars Naphessa Collier and Breanna Stewart. One of the main goals is to provide a way to […]

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Former Mississippi high school basketball standout and current Texas star Madison Booker is part of a group of college basketball players to sign NIL deals with Unrivaled.

The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league was created in 2023 by WNBA stars Naphessa Collier and Breanna Stewart. One of the main goals is to provide a way to compete and earn money while remaining in the United States.

Booker, the reigning 2025 SEC Player of the Year, was the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year while leading Germantown High School to the first Class 6A state championship in program history as a senior.

She was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, committing to the Longhorns over offers from Duke and Tennessee among others. 

Booker was immediately placed in the starting lineup as a freshman, moving to the point guard role that year after an injury. She was named the Big 12 co-Player of the Year in 2024 and an All-American after averaging 16.5 points with five rebounds and five assists.

Last year, Booker continued to dominate, averaging just over 16 points with 6.6 rebounds and almost three assists per game, becoming a first-team All-American by the Associated Press.

Booker already has four gold medals in international play on her resume, helping the United States claim the FIBA AmeriCup, FIBA Under-19 World Cup, FIBA Under-17 World Cup and FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.

Along with Booker, Audi Crooks, JuJu Watkins, Lauren Betts, Hannah Hidalgo, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Olivia Miles, Madison Booker, Kiki Rice, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Ta’Niya Latson, Syla Swords and Sienna Betts were all signed to deals by Unrivaled.



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ACC commissioner urges ‘cooperation’ between schools, conferences

David HaleJul 22, 2025, 11:22 AM ET Close College football reporter. Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of the University of Delaware. In his remarks to open the ACC’s annual kickoff event in Charlotte, commissioner Jim Phillips emphasized a need for “restraint” and “cooperation” by schools and conferences as college athletics works to create a framework […]

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In his remarks to open the ACC’s annual kickoff event in Charlotte, commissioner Jim Phillips emphasized a need for “restraint” and “cooperation” by schools and conferences as college athletics works to create a framework for the future.

Phillips said he has urged coaches and athletics departments to abide by new restrictions imposed in the wake of the House vs. NCAA settlement that allows schools to spend up to $20.5 million annually on direct athlete compensation while also creating oversight of name, image and likeness contracts — effectively putting a soft cap on what athletics department can spend on talent acquisition.

“It’s about setting up a standard with transparency,” Phillips said. “We haven’t had that in the NIL era. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves. People know what the rules are relative to the $20.5. They know what legitimate NIL is. You can play in the gray area if you want but all that does is undermine the new structure.”

Phillips reiterated a need for government oversight, too, and said he continues to advocate for federal legislation that would, among other things, codify that student-athletes are not employees.

Phillips’ comments echoed a larger narrative he pushed Tuesday about a need for a unified vision for the future of college athletics that prioritizes both the enterprise as well as individual schools and conferences.

“I’ve always tried to be part of solutions and collaboration,” Phillips said. “We all have a responsibility to our conference, and I certainly do for the ACC, but I also know we have a responsibility to the enterprise — whether it’s what’s happening now with [the College Football Playoff] or what we do with a new governance structure or how we formulate the [College Sports Commission]. I’m pretty strong in my convictions but try to bring people together. The best way to get a deal done is maybe relent a little bit and give up a few things but keep an eye on what we’re trying to achieve.”

The potential expansion of the College Football Playoff remains one of the biggest sticking points among individual commissioners, with the Big Ten pushing for a model that includes automatic bids for the top four teams in its league, while the SEC and Big 12 have advocated for a 5+11 model that would give berths to five conference champions and 11 wild cards.

Phillips did not support a specific plan, but he said he wants to see conference championships rewarded and is in favor of increased access, suggesting he’d be open to a 14- or 16-team playoff that did not guarantee more than one berth for any conference.

Part of the playoff negotiations is a renewed focus on strength of schedule, with the SEC wanting guarantees from a playoff selection committee on specific metrics that will be utilized to ensure teams with more difficult schedules will be rewarded for playing tougher games. An agreement on those metrics could open the door for the SEC to move to a nine-game conference schedule — similar to the Big Ten and Big 12 — which, Phillips said, could force the ACC to follow suit.

“I like where we’re at with eight games,” Phillips said. “We’ll adjust if we have to, but I think some of those traditional [non-conference] rivalry games that we really enjoy could go away.”



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Kentucky Prioritizing Basketball Over Football With NIL Spending? Well, Somewhat

If Kentucky is actually spending more on the basketball team compared to football, they are not alone in this mindset PublishedJuly 22, 2025 11:46 AM EDT•UpdatedJuly 22, 2025 11:54 AM EDT Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link One of the tougher decisions that athletic departments have to make right now in this era of revenue-sharing in […]

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If Kentucky is actually spending more on the basketball team compared to football, they are not alone in this mindset

One of the tougher decisions that athletic departments have to make right now in this era of revenue-sharing in college athletics is which sport will receive a majority of the money available to share with athletes. For Kentucky, it sounds as though that decision has been made for the upcoming year. 

Over the past year, athletic directors have sat down with coaches across college campuses and discussed how they would spend allocated money on sports that generate revenue. For some schools, it’s more important to spend on building a football roster compared to basketball, and for others, it’s the opposite. 

At Kentucky, there has reportedly been a decision made on how much of a percentage will be allocated towards Mark Pope’s basketball roster, which many would assume won’t sit well with football coach Mark Stoops. 

CBS Sports reported on Monday that Kentucky is giving 45% of its revenue-sharing budget to the basketball program, which is just over $9 million. This number is drastically higher than what other schools within the SEC are allocating to their basketball programs, just off the cap that was put into place. 

While there was talk of SEC programs agreeing to an equal revenue-sharing cap for basketball, there were some schools that fought back on this idea, given that you cannot force schools to make these decisions with their allocated money. 

Just because one school in the conference decides to prioritize one sport compared to others doesn’t mean that they have to follow the same formula as their foes. And this is where the problems will arise for plenty of athletic departments across college athletics. 

If Kentucky decides to spend $9 million on its roster, while Georgia might only allocate $3 million, that’s not the Wildcats problem to deal with. But, this is also where schools will have to rely on boosters to narrow the gap, especially if one program is spending almost triple the amount of others on one sport. 

Which Sport Will Boosters Decide To Spend Money On? Lingering Debate Continues

Sources have told OutKick that the 45% number that was reported on Monday is not quite the exact figure that Kentucky is allocating to basketball. The most important aspect of this moving forward is that the Wildcats have plenty of boosters that are willing to give the basketball program money for a shot at a national championship. 

In reality, it’s not that tough of a decision for boosters to make, given the history of Kentucky basketball, compared to the football program. The same could be said for Arkansas under John Calipari, which had a very expensive roster last season, thanks in large part to John Tyson, who is the founder of ‘Tyson Chicken’. 

Moving forward, these are the dilemmas that will force tough decisions to be made by those outside the program on how to spend their money. What’s more likely? Kentucky winning a national championship in basketball or football? That is certainly not a shot at the Wildcats, but more so the question that plenty of wealthy boosters are asking themselves when approached to donate money towards athletic programs. 

There is certainly a lot of backdoor lobbying that is occurring around college campuses right now, and it will only continue in the coming years. 





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