NIL

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham touts college football exhibition model

Published

4 months ago

August 26, 2025

College football’s second-longest tenured head coach, Kyle Whittingham has seen pretty much everything as he enters his 21st season atop the Utah program.

But with what he considers an unsustainable present in the sport, Whittingham is sounding the call for change — and sooner than later. In his Monday press conference ahead of Utah’s Saturday trip to face UCLA in the Rose Bowl, Whittingham was asked about the ability to retool rosters in this NCAA Transfer Portal era but also if there perhaps should be some more binding contracts.

Mulitple players throughout college football on this full opening weekend are projected starters or contributors while being on their third, fourth and even fifth teams. Kentucky is starting quarterback Zach Calzada after he began his career at Texas A&M, transferred to Auburn, left there for Incarnate Word and arrived at Kentucky earlier this year.

Miami is expected to start James Brockermeyer at center for the 10th-ranked Hurricanes’s offensive line; Brockermeyer is in his first year at The U after beginning his career at Alabama and earlier transferring to TCU.

And, in Whittingham’s own locker room, the Utes enter this season with 22 players new to the team via the Transfer Portal and expect significant offensive contributions from wideout Tobias Merriweather, who spent two seasons at Notre Dame, last season at Cal and now is on his third team in as many years.

“Multi-year contracts, I think there’s some merit to that, but, you know, I think somehow we’ve got to get to the point where, and again, I say minor league NFL, not technically, but theoretically, we’re the same type of setup, same structure, salary cap, that type of that,” said Whittingham, who noted 50 percent of his current team didn’t experience last year’s “debacle.” “Which, with it, will probably come a union, players union, all that.

“What we do right now is not sustainable. I don’t believe it is personally. And, so, they’ve got to figure out a way to get some sanity to the whole thing. The prices are spiraling out of control for the NIL, it’s not NIL now, it’s rev-share monies now. It’s still in place where I don’t think it can continue this way without some major changes.”

Ever composed and measured, Whittingham — Utah’s all-time winningest coach with 167 victories entering this season — referenced two Portal windows as complicating roster management and retention at the collegiate level; he also noted that NFL franchises have dedicated salary cap specialists, an area college programs essentially also are encountering.

“First of all, with two Portal windows, it’s tough to sometimes manage a roster because you’ve got to do it twice a year and you don’t know exactly what you’re going to come away with,” Whittingham, who’s engineered 17 winning seasons since 2005, said. “But, the roster, the Portal, definitely cuts both ways. We feel like we did a good job in the Portal this year. Then, of course, finances come into play as well.

“Quarterbacks are more expensive than retaining your own guys. But, you can’t just retain your own guys or you’ll run out of guys because eventually they’ll graduate and you’ve got to continually replenish with new guys. Typically high school guys are priced pretty high as well. It’s a balancing act.

“The NFL has a capologist, guys that manage the cap, and that’s essentially what we have to do. It’s a challenge, it’s a challenge, but the Portal certainly allows you to go out and cover up – not cover up – but replenish if you’re thin at a position or whatever. Helps you in that regard, but certainly different ballgame than it used to be. It’s not going to return to how it used to be … I guess it could, but they’re going to have to have a major overhaul of the rules and how things are structured.”

One on-the-field change that Whittingham floated? Preseason games, such as the three-week slate of exhibitions that NFL teams just concluded before the pro season opens Sept. 4.

“I don’t know if college is going to ever go to a preseason, like NFL, and that wouldn’t be a bad idea in my opinion,” he said. “Have a couple of preseason games that don’t count on the record, but we’ll see.”

Saturday’s game at UCLA won’t count in the conference standings, but is a chance for the Utes to score an early-season non-conference win against a Power Conference foe — a metric key for College Football Playoff contenders. The Bruins are coached by DeShaun Foster, a former UCLA standout who signed Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava via the spring Transfer Portal window. Whittingham called Iamaleava a “specimen” and compared him to ex-Auburn and NFL star Cam Newton.

“I don’t really have any thoughts on his hold out [at Tennessee],” Whittingham said after being directly asked. “That’s his business. I wasn’t real close to that situation, monitoring it or anything. I don’t really have a take on that.”

But he doesn’t regret coming back for his 21st season at the helm and his 41st year in coaching.

“If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t have come back,” Whittingham said. “If I wasn’t having the passion for the game and the energy, because you better have a lot of energy for this job, you know that. So, no second-thoughts whatsoever. I’m excited to get the season going and watch these guys play and see what we can do.”

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NIL

Nick Saban’s new role with the Nashville Predators

Published

4 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nick Saban knows his strengths with seven national championships as a college football coach. He also understands how to put coaches and athletes in the best position to succeed.

That’s what he hopes to bring to the NHL’s Nashville Predators after joining the franchise as a minority owner.

“I’m no expert in hockey, so don’t look at me like I’m going to make some huge impact coaching around here because that’s not going to happen,” Saban said Monday. “But I do have a pretty good idea of what it takes to have successful organizations.”

Saban made his first appearance Monday in his new role as a minority owner alongside Predators chairman Bill Haslam.

The Predators announced Saban’s purchase Dec. 16 through Dream Sports Ventures LLC, an entity controlled by Saban and business partner Joe Agresti. That business group features 10 car dealerships, including two in Nashville.

Haslam, a former Tennessee governor, was working on a possible WNBA expansion franchise when Saban told the Predators controlling owner that he also might be interested in hockey.

“I thought, ‘Well, that’s the greatest no brainer of all time,’” Haslam said. “You have somebody who understands building a championship culture, who understands, I think, better than almost anybody in sports the process that’s needed to get to where you can compete as a champion.”

Saban grew up in West Virginia with no hockey around. He became interested in hockey when coaching at Michigan State and became friends and shared ideas with that team’s coach. Saban called this an opportunity to be involved with a team for the first time since he announced his retirement Jan. 10, 2024.

So what will Saban bring to the NHL and the Predators in his newest role?

His experience building programs both in college football and six seasons in the NFL working for Bill Belichick in Cleveland and as head coach of Miami. A “transformational leader” as Saban put it. Once college football season ends, Saban said he will be involved as much as Haslam wants.

Saban already has spoken to coaches and some players during what he called a minicamp. Saban also has met a couple times with general manager Barry Trotz, saying his goal is to support Trotz and everyone else with the Predators.

Nashville won the Western Conference before losing the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 to Pittsburgh in six games. The Predators won the Presidents’ Trophy for the 2017-18 season but ranked 26th out of 32 NHL teams Monday five points back of the second wild-card spot in the West.

“To be a part of the hockey team here is something special, and we’d love to build it into a championship,” Saban said. “We’d love to partner with Mr. Haslam to do anything that we can do to help this organization be successful.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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NIL

Missouri linebacker Damon Wilson II accuses Georgia of illegal punishment in transfer portal lawsuit

Published

5 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II claims that the athletic department at Georgia is trying to illegally punish him for entering the transfer portal in a lawsuit filed by the linebacker in state court Tuesday in Boone County, Missouri.

Wilson transferred to the Tigers last January after signing a 14-month deal with Georgia’s booster collective to capitalize on his name, image and likeness. He received $30,000 in an initial payment on a $500,000 deal before entering the transfer portal.

Georgia filed a lawsuit last month claiming that Wilson owed its athletic department $390,000 in liquidated damages for leaving the team. Wilson’s countersuit claims that his former school is using such damages to “punish” him for his decision to leave.

Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said the school had no comment because it involves pending litigation.

“When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same,” Drummond said upon the school’s initial lawsuit in early December.

Wilson had nine sacks and an interception this season for the Tigers. They will play Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Saturday.

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NIL

Dylan Stewart, top 2027 NFL prospect, stays with Gamecocks, lands major NIL deal

Published

6 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — One day after South Carolina received word that star quarterback LaNorris Sellers was staying in town, another star said he plans to return to the fold.

Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks’ star edge rusher, announced he is returning for his true junior season in 2026, according to Pete Thamel, ESPN’s college football insider.

Stewart has 11 sacks in his two seasons at South Carolina and has forced 6 fumbles. Among ESPN’s draft projections, he appears to be a top prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft.

READ MORE | “South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers stays put, vows stronger return for 2026 season.”

The former five-star recruit and rising SEC pass rusher chose continuity over the transfer portal, agreeing to an NIL deal that places him among the highest compensated non-quarterbacks in college football, according to ESPN’s reporting.

South Carolina’s defense is back in reliable hands, as the Gamecocks ready themselves to bounceback from a 4-8 season.

After the pitiful finish, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer shook up his coaching staff.

South Carolina is also expected to hire Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes as the defensive end and outside linebacker coach.

He’s been Penn State’s defensive line coach the past three years and worked with the line there since 2020. He coached Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac.

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READ MORE | “South Carolina to kick off 2026 football season at home against Kent State.”

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NIL

Michigan coaching search: Rece Davis advises Wolverines to keep waiting if they want Kalen DeBoer

Published

7 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Until Michigan officially hires a head coach, the name Kalen DeBoer is going to be mentioned with the search. Even after DeBoer released statements saying he would stay with Alabama, rumors are out there. Folks in Ann Arbor might have been cheering for Oklahoma on Friday night to potentially speed up the process.

Instead, Alabama is heading to the Rose Bowl to face Indiana on Jan. 1. So, if DeBoer was going to be Michigan’s hire, the wait will continue. Which is exactly what ESPN’s Rece Davis believes the Wolverines should be doing in this situation.

“From Michigan’s standpoint, if that’s the guy you want, wait,” Davis said via the College GameDay Podcast. “If it takes waiting until they finish, if they were to upset Indiana, wait if that’s the guy you want. Why settle? One portal class, one recruiting class is not worth settling for a program like Michigan. Now, I understand the concept that there’s no guarantee you’re going to get him. I get that. But if you are convicted that this is your guy, wait it out. See what happens, push forward.”

If Alabama were to win in Pasadena, the next College Football Playoff date would be Jan. 8 or 9. A run to the national championship means DeBoer would not be done coaching the 2025 season until Jan. 19. But Davis mentions no singular NCAA transfer portal and/or recruiting class is as important as getting the right guy for Michigan.

When it comes down to it, Davis does not think DeBoer will leave Tuscaloosa this offseason. Those released statements were viewed as pretty telling in Davis’s eyes. And at the end of the day, DeBoer is still looking to prove to be the guy who can replace Nick Saban at Alabama.

“I do not think Kalen DeBoer will take the job,” Davis said. “Ultimately, because I don’t think he wants to be perceived as running from what he ran to. Michigan’s a great job. If he does, he does, and great for him if that’s what he decides. I don’t think he will end up doing that. Maybe he will.”

The latest update on where the Michigan coaching search came from On3’s Pete Nakos on Saturday. Nakos outlined who the top candidates are at the moment, mainly after Kenny Dillingham signed an extension to stay in Tempe with the Arizona State Sun Devils not too long ago.

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NIL

Damon Wilson ll files countersuit against UGA, claims NIL contract non-binding

Published

8 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Georgia Bulldogs

Wilson’s lawsuit states that UGA’s attempt to collect the $390K lump sum was a ‘strong-arm tactic.’

Damon Wilson II played 417 defensive snaps for UGA during the 2024-25 season. He transferred to Missouri. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Damon Wilson ll, who transferred from Georgia to Missouri, is suing the University of Georgia Athletic Association and the Classic City Collective claiming the term sheet he signed to remain with the program is not a legally binding agreement.

The 42-page lawsuit, acquired by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after it was filed in the circuit court of Boone County, Mo. on Tuesday, seeks to grant Wilson relief from UGA seeking a $390,000 lump sum it claims Wilson owes by contract and hold defendants liable for “damages sufficient to compensate him for the financial and reputational harm” suffered.

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Mike is in his 10th season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 25 years of CFB experience. Mike is a Heisman Trophy voter and former Football Writers President who was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.

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NIL

$2.5 million QB linked to unexpected college football program

Published

8 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A multitude of college football players are set to look for a new home for the 2026 college football season.

In the weeks before the NCAA transfer portal opens, quarterbacks across college football have expressed their desire to explore new destinations. These quarterbacks include DJ Lagway of Florida, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, Josh Hoover of TCU and Brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati.

One intriguing name in the portal quarterback is former Nebraska signal caller Dylan Raiola. He will enter the transfer portal with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Raiola is expected to command around $2.5 million in NIL compensation from whatever school he lands at.

One school that has entered the sweepstakes for Raiola is Louisville. Steve Wiltfong of On3 mentioned the possibility of Raiola joining the Cardinals in a recent edition of “Wiltfong Whiparound.”

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) runs off after scoring a touchdown against USC | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“They can be a program to keep an eye on for Dylan Raiola,” Wiltfong said.

In the three seasons Jeff Brohm has coached at his alma mater, Louisville has not started a quarterback it recruited from high school.

Former Purdue and California quarterback Jack Plummer transferred to Louisville and started for the Cardinals in 2023. The Cardinals acquired a former Oregon and Texas Tech quarterback from the portal to be their starter in 2024. Brohm brought in former USC quarterback Miller Moss to be the Cardinals’ starter in 2025.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder arrived at Nebraska as a freshman in 2024 as one of the highest-rated recruits in the country. Raiola started all 13 games for the Cornhuskers and set a program record for passing yards by a freshman with 2,819 yards to go along with 13 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.

He guided Nebraska to its first bowl win since 2015 with a defeat of Boston College (20-15) in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

A broken fibula cut Raiola’s 2025 season short after nine games in early November. He passed for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions in his abridged season with the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska (7-5, 4-5) will face No. 15 Utah (10-2, 7-2) in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31 to end the season (3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN).

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