NIL

College basketball coaches have to lead differently now. Just ask BYU's Kevin Young and …

Published

6 months ago

July 12, 2025

College basketball coaches have to lead differently now. Just ask BYU's Kevin Young and ...

Midway through his junior season, Richie Saunders, a 6-foot-5 small forward at BYU, received an unexpected piece of advice from his head coach. Saunders was in the midst of a breakout season, which meant that endorsement offers were starting to surface. However, he worried about distractions, so he wanted to wait until the offseason.

That is, until Kevin Young, BYU’s first-year head coach, told him the financial component was worth prioritizing now.

“He’s kind of helped me see, for example, being a professional basketball player, you have to have these kinds of conversations during the season,” Saunders said in March, during the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16. “And it can’t detract from your focus, but you need to have them.”

Until recently, a college basketball coach encouraging a player to pursue endorsements during the season would have been unimaginable. However, that was before the era of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal.

The birth of paid players and de facto free agency has reshaped college sports in almost every way. It’s also challenged the traditional leadership archetype of a college basketball coach.

Once upon a time, the leadership style of a college coach was simple: intense, demanding, rigid, focused on detail and motivating with more stick than carrot. However, as the college game has become more professionalized, the result is a coaching model that is a little younger, a little more flexible and a little more in line with their NBA brethren.

The evolution has left coaches grappling with a big question: As college basketball players gain more money, more agency and more power, what is the best way to lead them?

In the early 2000s, Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist and science journalist, conceived a framework for leadership, identifying six leadership styles commonly found in the business world. They were, in order: coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching.

Each style included a detailed description, but Goleman offered a useful shorthand.

Coercive leaders demand immediate compliance.

Authoritative leaders mobilize people toward a vision.

Affiliative leaders create emotional bonds and harmony.

Democratic leaders build consensus through participation.

Pacesetting leaders expect excellence and self-direction.

Coaching leaders develop people for the future.

Through research and experience, Goleman maintained that the best leaders toggled between styles, utilizing each one at the appropriate moment, like different clubs in a golf bag.

The classic archetype of a college coach has often leaned on two styles, blending what Goleman called “coaching” leadership with “coercive” leadership. Perhaps most visible in coaches like Bobby Knight, Tom Izzo or Mike Krzyzewski, these styles emphasized discipline, rigid demands and high standards to prepare players for the next level.

However, that style, former college coach and NBA coach Lon Kruger said, is harder to employ in the pros, where players are grown men with lavish salaries and stars often possess more power than the coach. As a result, NBA coaches have usually prioritized other leadership styles, leaning more on Goleman’s “authoritative”, “affiliative” and “democratic” leadership styles.

“With NBA guys,” Kruger said, “it’s more of a communication thing than a challenging or demanding type of thing.”

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks at a news conference during the NBA basketball team’s media day, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

When Brad Stevens transitioned from head coach at Butler University to the Boston Celtics in 2013, he found that the most difficult challenge in the NBA was creating a sense of purpose in a group amid the anticipation of roster turnover. If a player wasn’t sure if he would be back the following season, he was less likely to buy in.

The cyclical nature of college basketball has consistently led to roster turnover. However, the recent addition of unlimited free transfers has created a system with more turnover and more uncertainty than almost any level of professional basketball.

“I get a kick out of people when they say, ‘Man, you’ve got like pro rules,’ ” Izzo said in March. “I always say, ‘Which ones are those? We don’t have free agency. We don’t have a salary cap. We’ve got beyond pro rules.’ ”

Over the years, Izzo is among those coaches who have softened his most grueling methods. In his earliest days at Michigan State, he borrowed football pads from Nick Saban and put their players through the famous “War Drill,” a full-contact rebounding exercise. He eventually stopped using the pads, though not because he worried about his players.

“The lawyers would sue me,” Izzo said. “So I don’t do that anymore.”

Izzo, though, still feels like that drill is essential. When he studies other successful coaches, he sees similar values. Players need to be disciplined, tough, accountable and connected. The difference in the era of NIL may lie in the ways coaches communicate their standards and values to players.

“We go too far to the right or too far to the left when we’re making adjustments,” Izzo said. “And that’s why I vowed that I’m going to do what I believe in.”

Michigan State, which advanced to the Elite Eight last season before losing to Auburn, has retained much of Izzo’s foundational program culture. However, the portal, coaches say, has put more pressure on coaches to create bonds and connections before each season.

“You feel like you can skip steps when you really can’t,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “You have to start from ground zero every summer.”

For years, Scheyer says, the Duke program ran on the idea of empowering players to lead, passing down the culture to the next generation.

“Players teaching players,” Scheyer said.

That changed, in part, with the emergence of one-and-done freshmen, which led to increased roster turnover. And it changed even more as the portal wreaked havoc on continuity. So last offseason, the Duke staff embarked on an unofficial summer class: Duke Basketball 101.

“We went back to the basics this (last) summer of just how to build this team from the ground up, build the connectivity, teach the standards, hold them accountable to what the standards are,” Scheyer said. “And that’s something I know we’re going to have to do each year going forward.”

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan, left, helps introduce former Ute player Alex Jensen as new head coach of the Utah men’s basketball team at the Huntsman Center on Monday, March 17, 2025.

When Alex Jensen became the head coach of Utah in early March, he surveyed the landscape of college basketball: player movement, money, negotiations for what amounted to year-long deals.

For Jensen, previously an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, the system resembled one of his former stops: head coach in the NBA’s G League.

“The college game, I think it’s becoming more and more professional,” Jensen told reporters at his opening news conference. However, Jensen said he thinks most players are still the same.

“They want to know if you care and two, if you know what you’re talking about,” Jensen said.

Jensen, who played at Utah, was the latest NBA assistant to land a Power Four college job (Florida State also hired Luke Loucks, a former Sacramento Kings assistant). The coaches were comfortable with the transactional nature of professional basketball.

In some cases, Jensen says, “it makes it simpler if that makes any sense.”

“That chaos has been my reality,” Loucks said in March. “My reality as a professional coach and a professional player in Europe is constant roster turnover, constant ego management. One player is on a $300 million contract, and the other one is on minimum wage. Minimum wage in the NBA is like $1.2 million, but … there’s egos involved.”

What Loucks learned during his years as an NBA assistant was not that coaches should lower their standards or be overly deferential to players. It was that trust and respect were paramount in building relationships. To lead players at the professional level meant understanding who they were and what motivated them.

“You never want to be friends with your players,” Loucks said. “But you need them to trust you. Or all of your words and all of your teaching, all of your coaching is in one ear and out the other. And it has to be authentic. If you don’t build authentic relationships, you have no chance.”

The trend has not been limited to head coaches.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brooklyn Nets head coach and former Jazz player Jacque Vaughn, in NBA action between the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets at Vivint Arena, on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.

In May, Kansas hired former NBA head coach Jacque Vaughn — a program legend — to fill an assistant coaching opening, while Duke hired Evan Bradds, a 31-year-old assistant with the Utah Jazz. In announcing the hire, Duke touted Bradds’ “player development and NBA coaching experience.”

Meanwhile, Kansas coach Bill Self said that Vaughn “brings immediate credibility to guys that want to be pros out there.”

When Kruger coached in the NBA, he often heard the phrase “players’ coach.” Its definition was always elusive, depending on the source. Still, he came to this conclusion: A player’s coach was a good communicator, honest and empathetic, who always provided a clear path forward.

“My style was not to yell and scream,” Kruger said. “Which I think certainly doesn’t work in the NBA. You have to communicate on a more peer basis rather than saying, ‘I’m the coach and you’re the player and disregard everything else.’ ”

College coaches may soon resemble their NBA counterparts, Kruger says, but the secrets of leading basketball players remain the same, no matter the level: You need to be able to adjust. You need to embody different styles. You need to build relationships.

In other words, you need to be an effective and consistent leader.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

NIL

College football team loses three All-Americans to transfer portal

Published

7 minutes ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Texas capped a program-best 12–2 season with a New Mexico Bowl win, but quickly faced major roster turnover as quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and wide receiver Wyatt Young all entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Mestemaker broke out as a redshirt freshman in 2025, leading the FBS with 4,379 passing yards and 34 touchdowns following Saturday’s 49–47 victory over San Diego State.

He began his North Texas career as a walk-on and earned conference offensive honors and national attention before deciding to test the portal.

Hawkins, the Mean Green’s freshman back, finished 2025 as one of the nation’s most productive rushers, totaling 1,434 rushing yards and leading the FBS with 25 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by a 198-yard, three-touchdown bowl performance to cap the year.

Young, meanwhile, paced UNT’s receiving corps with 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns (ranking among the top three nationally) and earned first-team All-American and All-Conference honors.

Losing the nation’s top passer, the FBS’s most productive freshman runner, and a top-three WR in one offseason represents an immediate top-to-bottom offensive reset for North Texas.

North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker. — North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) scrambles out of the pocket against the Tulane Green Wave | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

For the transfer market, all three are premium, high-demand assets — Mestemaker as a starting QB target for Power-Five teams, Hawkins as a feature back with breakout tape, and Young as a proven perimeter threat.

Mestemaker has already been linked to Oklahoma State (connection via coach Eric Morris), Indiana, Texas Tech, and Oregon, while Hawkins and Young are expected to draw attention from both Group-of-Five and Power-Five programs.

Hawkins, a three-star recruit from North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee, Oklahoma) in the 2025 class, also held offers from Emporia State and Central Oklahoma before committing to North Texas in September 2024.

Young, a three-star prospect from Katy Tompkins High School (Katy, Texas) in the 2024 class, signed with the Mean Green over offers from Rice, Arizona, Memphis, Air Force, and others.

Three top underclass producers hitting the transfer portal at once underscores how quickly the transfer era can reshape a program, leaving Group of Five teams that develop stars grappling with retention issues and the financial pressures of NIL.

NIL

College football team loses starting QB to NCAA transfer portal

Published

1 hour ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In its first year under head coach Scott Abell, Rice finished the 2025 season 5–7 overall (2–6 in the American Conference) but still earned an Armed Forces Bowl invite, where it will face Texas State (6–6) on January 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Across 12 games in 2025, Jenkins completed 119 of 172 passes (69.2%) for 1,025 yards with nine touchdowns against two interceptions, while also carrying the ball 151 times for 531 yards and five scores.

That momentum may be short-lived, however, as Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported on Saturday that Jenkins plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, adding another domino to an already loaded quarterback transfer market.

A Houston, Texas product who signed with Rice in February 2023, Jenkins worked his way into the program as a multi-role quarterback/athlete, appearing in limited action early in his career before being named the 2025 starter.

In his first full year as the starting quarterback, Jenkins earned American Conference All-Academic recognition.

Prior to signing with Rice, he starred at Alief Taylor (Houston), where he threw for 4,735 yards and 46 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 22 varsity games and earned All-District 23-6A honors as a junior.

Jenkins was 247Sports’ No. 93 quarterback in the 2023 class, committing to Rice over offers from Alcorn State, East Texas A&M, Jackson State, and Lamar.

Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins. — Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins (4) throws the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at Rice Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With a 69.1% career completion rate and proven mobility, Jenkins profiles as a strong fit for spread-option or run-oriented Group-of-Five offenses that prioritize efficiency and quarterback movement.

He could appeal to programs seeking an experienced starter while also offering value as depth at the Power-Five level, with his Texas roots strengthening his regional appeal.

Some notable programs that have reportedly shown interest in adding a quarterback through the transfer portal include Florida State, Clemson, North Texas, TCU, Virginia Tech, and Cincinnati.

NIL

$2.4 million QB connected to major college football program in transfer portal

Published

2 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cincinnati closed the 2025 season at 7–5 (5–4 Big 12) and will face Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, marking the Bearcats’ first bowl appearance since joining the Big 12 and since head coach Scott Satterfield took over in 2023.

Cincinnati rattled off seven straight wins midseason but dropped its final four games to close the regular slate before receiving the bowl invitation.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby started 12 games for Cincinnati in 2025 and finished with 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing TDs, and five interceptions (61.6% completion, 155.15 passer rating), adding 100 carries for 580 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

A Denton/Lake Dallas (Texas) product, Sorsby was a three-star recruit who signed with Indiana (redshirted 2022, started in 2023) before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024.

However, Sorsby notified Cincinnati and publicly confirmed on December 15 that he will test the transfer portal while awaiting an NFL draft grade.

Since then, multiple programs have reportedly shown interest, with some NIL offers rumored to approach $5 million, a figure that would rank among the highest in college football.

On3’s NIL tracker currently values Sorsby at approximately $2.4 million, placing him among the higher-valued quarterbacks in the college game.

On Friday, Fox Sports’ Laken Litman included Oregon among the programs expected to pursue a quarterback through the transfer portal and identified Sorsby as a “top quarterback from the portal,” along with Texas Tech, Indiana, and Oklahoma.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up before the game against the James Madison Dukes | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon’s starter, Dante Moore, is widely regarded as a likely high NFL Draft selection and has not publicly committed to returning, stating that he has yet to make a final decision.

With a young and largely unproven group of quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart, speculation has been that Dan Lanning and his staff could pursue a transfer portal quarterback should Moore declare.

If Moore declares for the draft, Oregon would likely seek an experienced, pro-ready signal-caller capable of operating a tempo-based offense while sustaining recruiting and NIL momentum.

Sorsby’s size (6’3″, 235 pounds), proven starter experience, marketplace value, and dual-threat rushing ability, a trait Oregon has used successfully, would make him an immediate candidate.

NIL

Damon Wilson seeks denial for arbitration in NIL dispute with Georgia

Published

3 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 28, 2025, 1:33 p.m. ET

Former Georgia football defensive end Damon Wilson is asking an Athens-Clarke County Superior Court judge to deny Georgia athletics’ attempt to go to arbitration on what it contends is Wilson breaking an NIL contract when he entered the transfer portal.

Georgia sued Wilson, seeking $390,000 in liquidated damages after he agreed to an NIL deal with Classic City Collective and transferred weeks later. He played this season at Missouri where he was second-team All-SEC.

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NIL

Kyle Whittingham reveals if he had any hesitation on Michigan with controversy, investigation around program

Published

4 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michigan has been in hot water the past few years. In 2023, the football program was exposed for participating in an illegal sign-stealing scheme. This year, the school fired head coach Sherrone Moore after he was charged with felony third-degree home invasion and two misdemeanors.

Now, the school is thoroughly investigating its entire football program for any other signs of misconduct. Nonetheless, the program is seemingly heading in a new direction after hiring Kyle Whittingham to be its next head coach.

Whittingham is a well-respected figure in the college football community and was Utah‘s head coach from 2005-25. During his introductory press conference on Sunday, Whittingham revealed whether he hesitated to join the Wolverines due to the controversy surrounding Michigan.

“I didn’t have any hesitation. There’s some issues, missteps that are being taken care of, but the key is the players are solid,” Whittingham said. “The players here are rock-solid. None of those issues, none of those things that we’re dealing with involve the players. And to their credit, they just kept grinding and kept after it.

“I’m so impressed with that because there was a lot of distractions and a lot of adversity, I guess you can say. But, I got no doubt that everything’s going to be handled properly. We’ll see. I’m not knowledgeable enough and privy enough to exactly what’s going on in the details, but I’ve got full confidence that we’ll come out of this just fine.”

Michigan doesn’t have a talent problem. The team posted a 9-3 record in the regular season, including a 7-2 mark in conference play. The Wolverines are expected to return several key players as well, most notably quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Underwood is a freshman this season, but started in all 12 of Michigan’s regular-season games. While Underwood didn’t regularly dominate opponents, he showed promising flashes and will be pivotal to Michigan’s future success.

Kyle Whittingham isn’t allowing any administrative measures to affect his relationships with Michigan’s players. After all, he knows those relationships will be the key to a successful first year in Ann Arbor.

“My culture is going to be with the players. What I’m concerned with is the players,” Whittingham said. “I certainly know the general gist of what transpired, in this series of, I guess we’ll call them unfortunate events, but not really fazing me.

“The players are a great group of kids. They’re hungry. They got a lot of want-to in them and that’s where my focus is. I focus on coaching the team, and everything else be handled in due time and in due process.”

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NIL

Kyle Whittingham introduced as Michigan football coach

Published

5 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 28, 2025, 11:53 a.m. ET

Highlights from the press conference Sunday to introduce Kyle Whittingham as Michigan’s new head football coach:

➤On how someone from the outside will reset the culture: “My culture is going to be with the players.” Whittingham said he knows the “gist” of what transpired in the investigation and firing of former head coach Sherrone Moore, but says his focus is on the players and hopes the university and program will handle the rest.

➤On his conversation with starting quarterback Bryce Underwood: “Quarterbacks have to have that ‘it’ factor, and he has that ‘it’ factor.” Believes that Underwood has potential and can’t wait to work with him.

➤On if his 21 years at Utah prepared him for a top-five job in college football: “Well, I hope so. I definitely learned a lot, it was my first head coaching job. … I don’t care how much you think you’re ready.” Notes how the transfer portal, NIL, etc. have changed the college football landscape, but hopes his lessons have prepared him to be fully equipped for this position.

➤On if he was treated fairly in his final years at Utah: Again states it was his decision to step down at Utah, gives praise to the administration in Utah for being supportive throughout the years. Talks about the community, the sellouts, says it was an enjoyable ride in Salt Lake City.

➤On what he’ll do during the week with the team during their bowl game prep: Currently wants to stay out of the way during the bowl week, has already talked to a few players such as Bryce Underwood and a few coaches, but won’t be hands-on.

➤On expectations: Believes in the 10-win mark, Big Ten championship, and College Football Playoff as expectations during his tenure as head coach.

➤On the type of culture he wants to build: “Family culture, without a doubt.” Whittingham said he wants to build a culture where no one is above the team, and where everyone buys in. Believes in the challenge of roster turnover that other programs face, but wants to retain players currently in the program.

➤On bringing in new staff: “You gotta bring in guys that you’re familiar with that you trust.” Whittingham said he’s talked with Urban Meyer, said there will be a few faces in the current staff that will stay but highly anticipates there will be new guys on staff.

➤On how he’ll use the resources to build and recruit his rosters: “We got excellent resources here.” Talks about the brand and the NIL opportunities that come with being a part of the Michigan brand.

➤On the opportunity to become Michigan head coach after stepping down as Utah’s head coach: Said he didn’t expect the job to open up. Already committed to stepping down as Utah’s head coach a day before the Michigan job became available.

➤What fans can expect from his teams: “Our team will fall in line to what Michigan is used to.” He said he used to watch old Michigan vs. Ohio State games, mostly the battles between Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, wants his teams to show physicality during games.

➤On why he took the job: “It’s obvious, it’s Michigan,” saying it’s one of the top five jobs in the country in terms of college football. States that he wants to retain players currently on the roster and those coming in for their first season.

➤Opening statement: “I can say, without question, what an honor and privilege it is to be the head coach of this program.” Noted that he stepped down from his position in Utah two weeks ago, did not know if he was done coaching, but decided to take the Michigan job.

➤Warde Manuel leads with an opening statement, giving a summary of Kyle Whittingham’s record and success at Utah in his 21 seasons as head coach, highlighting Whittingham’s players in their play on the field and the graduation rate. Manuel noted that Whittingham’s high character came through during multiple conversations through the hiring process.

Press conference preview

Kyle Whittingham is set to be introduced as Michigan’s new head football coach during a press conference on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. The Wolverines are in Orlando for the Citrus Bowl, and they will face Texas on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Camping World Stadium.

Whittingham comes to Michigan after serving as head football coach at Utah for 21 seasons, compiling a 177-88 overall record.

Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill will provide live updates throughout Sunday’s press conference.

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