Share Tweet Share Share Email What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage. This week, Texas Tech softball is making waves again and the reality is much more interesting than the controversy. TEXAS TECH […]
What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, Texas Tech softball is making waves again and the reality is much more interesting than the controversy.
Texas Tech softball just wrapped up an epic season in which it won its first Big 12 title, reached the Women’s College World Series for the first time and reach the WCWS championship series, where Tech lost to Texas in three games.
So, what did Texas Tech do for an encore? Attack the transfer portal like Tom Cruise plans Mission: Impossible stunts.
By Thursday, the Lady Raiders had done this in the transfer portal.
That’s four of the Top 30 players in the transfer portal. Then, late Thursday, they made waves again by luring Tennessee transfer Taylor Pannell, a fourth Top 10 transfer.
That got folks up in Knoxville all up in their feels. How dare a Lady Vol head to … Lubbock?
Naturally, everyone thinks it’s about NIL money and, well, that’s not entirely inaccurate.
Maren Angus-Coombs at Softball On SI wrote about Texas Tech’s work in the transfer portal she put together a solid piece on how it’s all gone down. Yes, NIL is part of the deal. But some on social media have accused Texas Tech of tampering with players.
She reported that Texas Tech was not contacting players while they were still at their schools. But she also reported this:
The Matador Club, Texas Tech’s Name, Image and Likeness collective, and coach Nathan Nelson of Hotshots Fastpitch, a travel organization based in Texas, have reportedly been heavily involved in this process.
There are NCAA rules preventing schools and coaches like Tech’s Gerry Glasco from contacting players at other schools. Those same rules apply in professional sports. But third parties aren’t barred from doing so. Angus-Coombs made that clear in her reporting, too. So, you may not like it, but there’s no rule against it. Her reporting was extensive. Another paragraph:
Ten sources confirmed with Softball On SI that Nelson or The Matador Club also contacted Taylor Pannell, Isa Torres, Dakota Kennedy, Reese Atwood, Kasidi Pickering, Maci Bergeron, Dez Spearman, and Tori Edwards.
The article made clear that Texas Tech hasn’t broken any rules. The Matador Club hasn’t, either. It’s a loophole. As you might expect, there were plenty of takes. I have a few.
First, the pearl-clutching is on a level that is hard to wrap one’s brain around. I mean, we’re going to act like this isn’t happening in every major college sport? How on earth do you think Lincoln Riley got from Oklahoma to USC so fast a few years ago? His agent laid the groundwork for two months. That’s how it works for coaches. That’s why they have agents.
Many of these players have representation now. It’s not their right to allow their agents to work for them while they play to see if there is a better deal out there? I’ve covered college and pro athletes for decades. They can survey the field and still stay focused on their job. It’s actually not that hard.
This sort of thing been happening since NIL started. While I’m certainly a rule-follower, the rules around NIL since the Alston ruling in June of 2021 have basically been non-existent. Even now, with the House settlement complete and NIL Go getting on the ground, many things are still up in the air.
Second, Nelson’s reported involvement got a lot of attention (he didn’t comment for the story). He coached four of the players with Hotshots, per the article.
So? Do we need to discuss AAU basketball coaches “directing” players to certain programs for the past three decades? Or how new college football head coaches hire sitting high school head coaches for credibility with in-state recruits?
How do you think Joey McGuire got his foot in the door? Former Baylor coach Matt Rhule hired him out of Cedar Hill High School because he knew the respect level for McGuire in-state was off the charts. Same went for UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, then at Gilmer High School, when he was hired by Charlie Strong at Texas.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Texas Tech just gave the country the best recruiting pitch possible. Texas Tech nearly won a national title and has the top pitcher in softball returning in NiJaree Canady on a reported $1.2 million NIL deal. Who wouldn’t want to play alongside her next season?
Will Howard didn’t just go to Ohio State because he knew he wasn’t going to play at Kansas State in 2024. He wanted a shot at a national title. And he got one. Winning is still the ultimate aphrodisiac.
So, what is this REALLY about? To me it’s about two things — it’s not football and it’s TEXAS TECH?! Yes, it’s Texas Tech, and they’ve been building for this right under your noses.
I’ve lived in Texas most of my life. Growing up, it was either Texas or Texas A&M for most kids, unless they had a direct tie to a school like Tech. When you become an adult, that changes. For instance, my niece just graduated from Tech with a degree in Kinesiology. She’s Guns Up all day now. But before that? She barely talked about Tech. She got there because her high school powerlifting coach went to Tech. Yes, my niece can probably beat up your niece.
We forget that it’s been four years since Texas and Oklahoma announced they were leaving for the SEC. That was the same year as the Alston ruling. After the Big 12 opted to stay together and expand, some programs started to figure out there was a void to be filled. Tech was one of the first to start building for this new world.
That new football facility at Jones AT&T Stadium? That didn’t sprout up like a chia pet. That took years to accomplish, and athletic director Kirby Hocutt started planning for that shortly after the UT/OU schism.
The Matador Club got started on NIL shortly after the Alston ruling. But, unlike most collectives at the time, it didn’t just focus on football. The Matador Club focused on football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball to begin with. It distributed equal stipends to athletes in those sports. Word started getting around.
When I talked to Lady Raiders basketball coach Krista Gerlich about it a few years ago at Big 12 media days, the appreciation was clear. So was the acknowledgement that, at the time, most of her other colleagues didn’t have that level of support.
This isn’t happening just because uber-booster Cody Campbell has a bag (well, he actually has bags to spare these days). This is happening because that community is committed to each of its sports, not JUST the ones that bring in all the revenue. Yes, the football transfer portal class at Tech is insane too. Should Tech’s softball transfer class be just as loco?
That’s where the other double-standard comes in. Much has been written about Tech’s football transfer class, including here at Heartland College Sports. It’s been written about like “this is just how it works now” and that’s true. Between NIL, recruiting pitches and impending revenue-share the Red Raiders put together a mammoth class.
But, this is softball, so heaven forbid a school attack the portal with the same vigor, right? And heaven forbid it be a school like Texas Tech, which isn’t a “university of.” And the NIL money? Gulp. Shouldn’t that go to football? It almost feels like there’s a hint of “know your place” going on here.
So, what’s good for football isn’t as good for softball? No, sir. It’s just as good for both, and if Tech’s collectives want to bankroll both, what’s the problem?
I think that’s part of the problem — the acceptability of spending on football and not on other sports.
I’m sure the rules around third-party involvement in these recruitments will change at some point. That’s how this works. Loopholes are found, exploited and closed.
But, for now, no one is really doing anything wrong here. They’re not breaking the rules. We can have a longer discussion about ethics, if you like. But this is what every athletic team and program has done since sports started — they’re pushing the envelope.
So while Tech’s building a softball superpower, make sure you don’t clutch those pearls so tight. They’re liable to leave a mark.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
With inflation and rising food costs still impacting everyday Americans, the price of attending college football games isn’t always front of mind for even the most diehard sports fans. Still, as Oddspedia’s recent survey unveils, costs are going up everywhere, including across the college football landscape. Part of those rising prices can be attributed to […]
With inflation and rising food costs still impacting everyday Americans, the price of attending college football games isn’t always front of mind for even the most diehard sports fans. Still, as Oddspedia’s recent survey unveils, costs are going up everywhere, including across the college football landscape.
Part of those rising prices can be attributed to college programs fully embracing revenue-sharing with its college athletes, especially when it comes to college football, with the House v. NCAA settlement. Now that Power Four schools can provide as much as $20.5 million to student-athletes, the price of doing business is trickling down to fans far and wide.
In an effort to measure those costs for college football fans, Oddspedia surveyed all the top programs to determine the most expensive and cheapest game day experiences, which they identified as the cost of two tickets, two beers, two sodas, two hot dogs and parking. And while overall ticket prices saw a slight 2.7% decrease from 2024, the cost of everything else went up, including a 18.7% increase in parking fees.
And as evident by Oddspedia’s Top 10 most expensive college game day experiences, the SEC continues to reign supreme, even if it hasn’t won a College Football Playoff national championship since 2022.
Home: Folsom Field (Boulder, Colo.) | 2024 rank: No. 4
The Deion Sanders effect is real … and costly. With the sport’s most expensive ticket price at $228 for two people, Colorado is college football’s richest game day experience entering Year 3 under Coach Prime. This increase comes despite its two biggest stars — reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders — gone to the NFL. Now it’s officially Coach Prime’s show in Boulder.
Home: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) | 2024 rank: No. 9
Nick Saban has been gone for more than 18 months, but a trip to Tuscaloosa on Fall Saturdays will still cost the average Alabama fan a pretty penny. It’s now Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era, and while he’ll be breaking in a new QB1, 18-year-old sophomore WR Ryan Williams is a SportsCenter Top 10 play waiting to happen. The only issue is watching him make those plays in person will run you $220 for two tickets.
Home: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) | 2024 rank: No. 6
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the price of attending games at DKR. The Longhorns are finally unleashing 2023 No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning on the masses as its QB1 in 2025, and the nephew of former NFL QBs Peyton and Eli Manning is already drawing major Heisman hype. And, while parking in Austin remains its own endeavor at $50, two tickets to DKR will cost the average Longhorns fan $212.
Home: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.) | 2024 rank: tied at No. 7
The Fighting Irish won 13 straight games last season before ultimately succumbing to reigning champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national title game. Entering Year 4 under Marcus Freeman, the former assistant-turned-head coach clearly has something working at Notre Dame. While the Irish will be breaking in a new QB1 this season, star RB Jeremiyah Love is a big play waiting to happen.
Home: Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.) | 2024 rank: tied at No. 15
Attending games Between the Hedges just got a lot more expensive. Georgia rounds out the Top 5 with the second-highest year-over-year increase among the Top 10, due in large part to the country’s third-most expensive game ticket at $218 for two people. To help make the cost of attending games in Sanford Stadium go down easier, UGA lowered the cost of two hot dogs to $6 for CFB’s second-cheapest ‘dogs.
Home: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 2024 rank: No. 1
Playing inside the home of The Granddaddy of Them All comes with a hefty price tag for Bruins fans, still tipping north of three bills for the total in-person experience. But after featuring the sports’ most expensive ticket last year, as well as significant increases from others in the Top 10 combined with a small 4.9-percent price drop in 2025, UCLA’s game day experience became slightly more affordable.
Home: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, S.C.) | 2024 rank: tied at No. 7
The Gamecocks finally appeared to breakout in Year 4 under Shane Beamer, closing out the regular season on a six-game win streak to make a serious Playoff push. But with uber-talened, dual-threat QB LaNorris Sellers back for his second season as QB1, South Carolina enters 2025 as a serious SEC contender with Playoff aspirations. It’ll just cost fans $186 for two tickets to watch him in-person.
Home: Kyle Field (College Station, Texas) | 2024 rank: No. 5
The cost to attend games inside the swaying Kyle Field stands doesn’t come cheap, but the experience is unlike any in college football, especially when combined with the infamous Yell Leaders and the famed 12th Man. Also helping matters is the nominal 4.1-percent year-over-year cost increase, which was the lowest increase among the Top 10. Still, tickets for two will cost $218, in addition to $40 for parking.
Home: Kenan Memorial Stadium (Chapel Hill, N.C.) | 2024 rank: tied at No. 56
The Bill Belichick era is here in Chapel Hill, and it’s going to be a costly one. After a season away from coaching following five decades in the NFL, Belichick lands in college for the first time in his illustrious career. And while much of the offseason talk around North Carolina had nothing to do with football, Belichick’s $10 million/year salary comes with a steep 36-percent increase in the game day experience.
Home: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (Lawrence, Kan.) | 2024 rank: No. 23
Much like UNC, Kansas is still widely considered a basketball school. But that doesn’t mean Jayhawks fans get a discount for attending football games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Two tickets to games will run fans $200, a steep price for a team that’s only won more than six games once in the last 16 seasons when it went 9-4 in 2023, Lance Leipold‘s third season at the helm.
100. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers — $84 (-69%) | 2024 rank: 75
99. Arkansas State Red Wolves — $86 (+18.6%) | 2024 rank: 95
98. Ohio Bobcats — $100 (+2%) | 2024 rank: 97
97. North Texas Mean Green — $106 (+13.2%) | 2024 rank: 98
96. Northern Illinois Huskies — $107 (+21.5%) | 2024 rank: 100
95. Marshall Thundering Herd — $110 (-45.5%) | 2024 rank: tied at 63
94. Wake Forest Demon Deacons — $114 (-49.1%) | 2024 rank: 58
93. Miami (Ohio) RedHawks — $119 (-10.1%) | 2024 rank: tied at 82
92. Jacksonville State Gamecocks — $120 (+18.3%) | 2024 rank: 96
91. Toledo Rockets — $121 (-3.3%) | 2024 rank: 86
91. Tulane Green Wave — $121 (-1.2%) | 2024 rank: 88
Unrivaled is expanding its reach to include women’s college basketball players. Among them are stars like Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts, and Hannah Hidalgo. Other 13 women’s college hoops players have signed NIL deals with the league. The 3×3 league was founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart as a way to allow professional […]
Unrivaled is expanding its reach to include women’s college basketball players. Among them are stars like Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts, and Hannah Hidalgo. Other 13 women’s college hoops players have signed NIL deals with the league.
The 3×3 league was founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart as a way to allow professional players to keep in competitive shape during the offseason, without having to leave the United States.
In a recent interview in “A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe”, Collier spoke about the new NIL deals and why she and Stewart decided to bring in college players into the fold:
“Really bridging the gap. So, that was like one of the things internally that we wanted to make kind of one of our pillars for why we created Unrivaled. There’s such a gap between like the college player and the professional player, which you don’t see that in the NBA a lot. You see them promoting them on their pages. They have like training camps and all these things like bridges between next steps. High school, college, professional. And we wanted to make that too.” (41:14)
According to Collier, the goal at Unrivaled is to make the college basketball players household names before they arrive in the WNBA. It seems that they’re trying to pick up where the WNBA has failed to lead.
Some would argue that the NCAA is doing a fine job on its own. During their time in college, players like Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers were more famous nationwide than the leading WNBA players at the time.
Unrivaled announced its decision to invest money in the college side of the game earlier in July. At the time, Luke Cooper, the company’s president of basketball operations, said the following about the move in a press release.
“Investing in elite women’s basketball talent is central to Unrivaled’s mission,” Luke Cooper said. “This transformational, first-of-its-kind initiative brings together the best of the best and reflects our deep commitment to elevating the women’s game and holistically supporting athletes.”
UCLA is the best-represented school on the list, with three players: Lauren Betts, Sienna Betts, and Kiki Rice. The second place is a tie between UConn and Notre Dame, with two players each.
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More and more college football players are beginning to give back to their hometowns in the Name, Image and Likeness era, and South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor has joined the club. The star wide receiver is coming off a career year as a sophomore in 2024, hauling in 26 passes for 376 yards with three touchdowns […]
More and more college football players are beginning to give back to their hometowns in the Name, Image and Likeness era, and South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor has joined the club.
The star wide receiver is coming off a career year as a sophomore in 2024, hauling in 26 passes for 376 yards with three touchdowns for the Gamecocks, which posted their best season (9-4) since 2017.
Harbor signed with head coach Shane Beamer and South Carolina as one of the most coveted prospects in the class of 2023. A standout at Archbishop Carroll High School (District of Columba), the track and football star was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 athlete in his class.
Holding an On3 NIL valuation of $369,000, Harbor has used his five-star pedigree and a breakout sophomore campaign to build an NIL portfolio that includes deals like Beats by Dre, TruSport, EA Sports and Champs Sports.
Harbor’s latest NIL move is a charitable one, as the rising junior donated $10,000 to Archbishop Carroll High School’s athletic department as a part of the inaugural Nyck Harbor Community Day.
Harbor returns for his junior season as one of the SEC’s top playmakers and a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. His attention has seemingly shifted solely to the gridiron after electing to pass up sprinting this spring in order to maximize his football career.
Harbor and the Gamecocks will open the 2025 season at home against Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Ogden (Utah) Fremont elite athlete Salesi Moa, a top-50 player nationally in the 2026 class, revealed his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel. Facing a choice between staying home and carving out his own path in the SEC, elite athlete Salesi Moa has opted to chase a […]
Facing a choice between staying home and carving out his own path in the SEC, elite athlete Salesi Moa has opted to chase a childhood dream. The two-way star from Ogden (Utah) Fremont revealed his commitment to Tennessee live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel, choosing the Volunteers over longtime suitor and legacy program Utah.
Here is everything you need to know about the massive addition for Tennessee out West:
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Data provided by Student Athlete Score (July 31st, 2025) – Another week, another wave of athlete-brand collaborations reshaping the college sports economy. From high school football stars locking in major endorsements to powerhouse gymnasts and basketball players aligning with national brands, this week’s NIL recap—powered by data from Student Athlete Score—spotlights a wide-ranging mix of […]
Data provided by Student Athlete Score
(July 31st, 2025) – Another week, another wave of athlete-brand collaborations reshaping the college sports economy. From high school football stars locking in major endorsements to powerhouse gymnasts and basketball players aligning with national brands, this week’s NIL recap—powered by data from Student Athlete Score—spotlights a wide-ranging mix of athletes capitalizing on their name, image, and likeness. Explore the deals that defined the week of July 21st, 2025.
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