In the Wild, Wild West that is college athletics, there’s a new sheriff in town.
The College Sports Commission (CSC) was created this summer as a result of the House settlement that ushered in revenue sharing and, for the first time, created some guardrails for NIL.
It has been tasked with issuing tickets to those programs operating in what Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek recently described as the shady “third lane.”
However, nearly three months into the current era of revenue sharing, it might as well be the Autobahn with no posted speed limits.
Speaking at the Hawgs Illustrated Sports Club earlier this week, CBS national college football reporter Brandon Marcello confirmed as much, telling the group that the CSC doesn’t “have a penalty structure installed yet.”
And even if they did, there aren’t many state troopers available to help enforce it.
“As of three weeks ago, they had four employees overseeing all the power conferences and any other conference’s schools that opt-in to the House settlement,” Marcello said. “Can you imagine four or five employees overseeing, individually, every single NIL deal over $600 that gets filed to them?
“That’s over 3,000 NIL deals they’ve had to look over with their own hands and eyes. It’s a problem. So they haven’t even had time to think about ‘What kind of penalty structure are we going to have in this?’”
With little oversight, schools with mega boosters and/or strong collectives are using NIL to essentially circumvent the cap of $20.5 million in revenue sharing that schools are permitted to pay athletes.
Texas Tech Shows NIL Still Exists
Marcello specifically pointed out Texas Tech and mega booster Cody Campbell, who he said helped the Red Raiders spend $55 million in NIL on top of the $20.5 million in revenue sharing. Most of that went toward building a loaded 2025 football roster, which has Texas Tech 4-0 and ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll.
Of course, a lot of that was front-loaded before the House settlement kicked in this summer, but the Red Raiders aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.
Former Arkansas player Marcus Campbell told Best of Arkansas Sports that Texas Tech offered his son, four-star wide receiver Chase Campbell, significantly more money than his alma mater and money is believed to have played a role in the Red Raiders flipping four-star offensive lineman Bryce Gilmore from the Razorbacks earlier this month.
“There’s no teeth to anything right now,” Marcello said. “If you are a football program right now — Texas Tech was wise to this — you have an opportunity here to go win a championship and go spend some money and not have to be tied to all these rules because there’s not a lot of enforcement going on and there probably won’t be until at least next year.”
The CSC actually tried to eliminate collectives entirely in its first few days of existence, but quickly revised its stance after pushback. They are still permitted, albeit with new guidelines, as deals struck through collectives still must meet certain “valid business purpose” benchmarks, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger.
Looking at Arkansas Edge
Hunter Yurachek and Sam Pittman have been vocal about their belief that the House settlement will even the playing field.
At the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week, in comments quickly overshadowed by his Admission Heard ‘Round the World, the Razorbacks’ AD hinted that may not be the case by saying the UA could explore that “third lane.”
Even when clarifying his national championship comments to the UA Board of Trustees on Friday, Yurachek admitted to inequities when compared to the rest of the conference.
“The investment that we’re able to make in our football program right now puts us toward the bottom of the SEC in many budget categories, such as recruiting, travel, operational expenses, support staff salaries, assistant coach salaries and head coach compensation,” Yurachek said, according to WholeHogSports.
Not included in that laundry list is one potential key to Arkansas’ dabbling in the so-called third lane: NIL.
The UA does have an official NIL collective in Arkansas Edge, but it seems to be hamstrung by the same thing as the CSC. While the group had as many as six employees at one point, it currently has just one full-time employee listed on its official website. That is Alex Harper, who is listed as the Director of Corporate Partnerships.
The Edge has been without a permanent executive director since Kyle May resigned in February. Marcus Madlock is listed as the interim executive director, but is based in Norman, Okla., according to his LinkedIn profile. He also serves as the Vice President of Client Partnerships for Blueprint Sports, the third-party service the UA hired to run Arkansas Edge.
That’s a stark contrast to other collectives across the country. Some of them do not have a staff page, but here is a sampling of a few that do and how many employees they list:
The Bulldog Initiative (Mississippi State): 5
Florida Victorious (Florida): 8 (not including 9 former Gators who serve on their Advisory Board)
On To Victory (Auburn): 7
Texas One (Texas): 5
Yea Alabama (Alabama): 5
As hard as it is to patrol a nationwide interstate with only four or five state troopers, it’s just as hard to merge into the third lane without a vehicle.
***
Brandon Marcello discusses the current NIL climate at 16:38 below:
***
More coverage of Arkansas football, NIL and revenue sharing from BoAS…
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dante Moore wanted to clear things up regarding Troy Aikman’s remarks about an NIL donation the pro football Hall of Famer made a player at UCLA.
During an interview on the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch earlier this month, Aikman said he is “done with NIL” after not receiving any gratitude for a “sizable check” he donated to UCLA for a player who later transferred.
“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”
Though Aikman did not name Moore, many assumed it was the former five-star recruit, who transferred from UCLA to Oregon after his freshman year.
The Los Angeles Times reported UCLA’s collective, Men of Westwood, did not disclose donor information to players receiving NIL deals and that Aikman was thanked by then-coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond.
Moore said he has never spoken to Aikman, but expressed gratitude to the former UCLA and Dallas Cowboys legend if he was who Aikman was referring to.
“If he sent it to me, I didn’t know it was him,” Moore said. “I didn’t see it. When it comes to people thinking it’s me, of course, everybody’s going to think it’s me. It’s quarterback-to-quarterback. I don’t want that false narrative being put out there that I didn’t say thank you. I didn’t hear nothing from him. I didn’t see nothing from him. So, if he sent it, thank you, but I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1) vs. No. 5 Oregon (12-1)
When: Thursday, January 1
Time: 9 a.m. PT
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: ESPN and ABC
Stream: You can watch this game on DIRECTV (free trial) or with Sling (a Sling day pass to watch this game and more is just $4.99). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech was back in the national spotlight Tuesday ahead of its first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl, meeting with media who have arrived in Miami Gardens from across the country.
The 45-minute media session was an opportunity for many of the Red Raiders to see Hard Rock Stadium for the first time ahead of Thursday’s 11 a.m. CT kick in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Oregon. The Ducks followed later in the day to close out the Media Day portion of the Orange Bowl festivities.
The Red Raiders previously held a nearly hour-long walkthrough practice earlier in the morning on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. It was one of two practices the Red Raiders will have in Florida ahead of the Orange Bowl as Texas Tech will go through its typical “Fast Friday” workout Wednesday morning similar to its schedule during the regular season.
Below is coverage of the Red Raiders from Media Days as well as behind-the-scenes footage from our TexasTech+ cameras.
RED RAIDERS IN THE NEWS
Dec. 30, 2025 – “We found our guy:” Texas Tech’s gamble on HS legend pays off (ESPN.com)
Dec. 30, 2025 – ‘It’s like euphoria’: How Jacob Rodriguez mastered the art of the punch-out fumble (CBSSports.com)
Dec. 30, 2025 – How Skyler Gill-Howard remains one of Texas Tech’s best leaders while injured (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Dec. 30, 2025 – Behren Morton and the journey that shaped him (Dave Campbell’s Texas Football)
Dec. 30, 2025 – Caleb Douglas back in Florida, excelling with Texas Tech (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Dec. 30, 2025 – Why former Texas star is backing Texas Tech in CFP (Houston Chronicle)
Dec. 30, 2025 – How Bryce Ramirez turned a walk-on opportunity into a Texas Tech legacy (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Dec. 30, 2025 – Which Texas Tech team is better – 2008 or 2025? (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Dec. 29, 2025 – Behren Morton carries name for two families (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Dec. 29, 2025 – Big time boosters transformed Texas Tech, but that’s not all it took to reach CFP (The Athletic)
Dec. 29, 2025 – Ben Roberts and the making of a Red Raider Dynasty (Dave Campbell’s Texas Football)
Dec. 29, 2025 – Can Texas Tech’s Cody Campbell fix college sports? (ESPN.com)
Iowa State finished the 2025 campaign with a winning record (8–4 overall, 5–4 in the Big 12), highlighted by a five-game win streak to start the season, but an uneven finish set the stage for major staff turnover.
On December 8, head coach Matt Campbell was officially named Penn State’s head coach, departing Ames after 10 seasons as the program’s winningest coach (72–55 overall).
Iowa State moved quickly, naming Jimmy Rogers as head coach on December 6.
Rogers comes from Washington State, where he led the team to a 6–6 record in the 2025 season, and previously held assistant and defensive coordinator roles at South Dakota State and Florida Atlantic.
Since the coaching change, multiple Cyclones have entered the transfer portal, most recently wide receiver Chase Sowell on Monday.
He becomes the 41st player from Iowa State to enter the portal and the 16th starter, according to analyst Josh Pate.
NEW: Iowa State WR Chase Sowell plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Sowell totaled 500 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns this season.https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/pvDDRTrDHy
Sowell was Iowa State’s second-leading receiver in 2025, tallying 32 catches for 500 yards and two touchdowns, after spending two seasons at East Carolina (2023–2024) and one at Colorado (2022).
Since Campbell’s departure, several other high-impact players have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal, including starters QB Rocco Becht, RB Carson Hansen, TE Ben Brahmer, and WR Brett Eskildsen, as well as multiple defensive backs and linemen.
As Pate noted on his podcast, top cornerbacks Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper have also announced their intention to enter the transfer portal and are currently ranked sixth and seventh among available players.
Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys | William Purnell-Imagn Images
The departures remove several established starters and depth, including the starting QB, lead rusher, lead receiver, and multiple starters on both sides of the ball, creating an urgent rebuild task for Rogers and his new staff.
Practically, that means accelerated recruiting/portal work, accelerated opportunity for younger players, and a likely short-term performance reset.
Read More at College Football HQ
Major college football program linked to 1,800 yard RB in transfer portal
No. 1 transfer portal player heavily linked to major college football program
$2.6 million QB ranked as No. 1 transfer in college football
25-touchdown RB shares farewell note after entering college football transfer portal
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been trying for years now to get more regulations around name, image and likeness (NIL) deals in college sports, saying back in 2023 that the landscape was “in peril.”
Now, in 2025, Cruz sees college football specifically as a “disaster.”
Cruz responded to a post on X, which called the “current college football landscape…unsustainable.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrives to a hearing in the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Federal Aviation Administration hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation focused on evaluating progress, ensuring accountability and results.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The post pointed out that the Iowa State Cyclones, who just lost longtime head coach Matt Campbell to the vacant Penn State Nittany Lions job, only has 17 players remaining on their roster for next season. Among those players, only one was a starter.
Essentially, the Cyclones will have to field an entirely new roster and team and hope they can jell heading into 2026.
SCORE ACT RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM OVER 20 CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AS NIL REFORM FIGHT REVS UP
Cruz slammed the fact the NCAA allows this.
“An absolute crisis,” he wrote on X. “Congress NEEDS to act. For months, I’ve been working night & day to try to bring Republicans and Democrats together to save college sports.
“If we fail to do so, it will be an utter tragedy. And it’s happening right before our eyes.”
Cruz introduced a bill in 2023, two years after NIL was born, in hopes that tighter regulations would help college sports nationwide. Instead, we’ve seen programs paying for top players through NIL deals, while the transfer portal has allowed players to move from school to school each year.
Cruz is one of the top lawmakers in support of the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, which would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the organization from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.”
FILE – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland.(Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
“The SCORE Act is the free market, individual liberty, limited government fix to the ‘name, image, and likeness (NIL)’ issue in college athletics,’” a letter addressed to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., read earlier this month.
The groups in favor of the SCORE Act said the bill is the “common-sense way” to establish rules and preempt confusing state laws in the NIL era.
“H.R. 4312 prohibits trial lawyers from suing under federal or state antitrust law. It also provides that athletes receiving NIL compensation need not be employees of these universities, protecting them from compulsory unionization. This means student-athletes can be treated as small business owners, not unionized workers,” the letter added.
The conservative groups framed the SCORE Act as being a better plan than the “Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act,” which has mostly been backed by Democrats. The SCORE Act has at least scored some bipartisanship support in the House.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) holds a press conference with families who lost loved ones in the January 29, 2025, DCA plane crash on Dec. 15, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The bipartisan press conference addressed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) language, which changes military airspace policy.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The SCORE Act also calls on schools to share revenue, per terms of the House settlement to the tune of 22% “if such rules provide that such pool limit is AT LEAST 22 percent of the average annual college sports revenue of the 70 highest-earning schools.”
Finally, the SCORE Act prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
Texas football HC Steve Sarkisian details crazy state of NIL, transfer portal appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Even big programs like Texas struggle to keep up with the current state of NIL and the college football transfer portal. After five years with the Longhorns, head coach Steve Sarkisian admits he sometimes struggles to stay up to date.
Advertisement
Sarkisian, who is now in his third decade as a head coach, leads one of the most-funded organizations in college football at Texas. He still recognizes that there is often a “bottom dollar” that he cannot reach, which can often complicate his offseasons.
“We got to have our list of needs, our list of wants, and our list of luxuries, and then what’s the dollar sign next to all that?” Sarkisian told reporters ahead of the 2025 Citrus Bowl. “And then what’s the bottom dollar from an organizational standpoint. The idea that I can sit up here in 2025 and talk about money and players, it’s pretty crazy. I’m probably going to be on the phone with an agent today that’s gonna throw a number at me that I’m going to be like, ‘Good luck. I hope you get it. If you don’t, call us back, but I can’t do that number.’”
NCAA programs are hit hardest in the offseason, when every player essentially becomes a free agent. The college transfer portal is particularly active in football, with schools rostering more athletes on the gridiron than any other sport.
Advertisement
That process has already hit Sarkisian and Texas hard in the 2025-2026 offseason. The Longhorns have already lost several key players to the portal, namely leading rusher Quintrevion Wisner.
Texas is also currently responsible for the highest-paid NIL athlete in college sports, with quarterback Arch Manning making an estimated $5.3 million in 2025-2026. Manning is reportedly taking a pay cut to remain in Austin for his redshirt junior season, but he is still set to make a pretty penny in 2026-2027.
Related: Ole Miss football rumors: Officials allege tampering with Lane Kiffin, 6 assistants going to LSU
Related: Penn State RB Kaytron Allen declares for NFL Draft
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas athletic department’s evolving investment in the name, image and likeness realm is expanding on the cusp of the new year.
The Razorbacks announced Tuesday a new partnership with TheLinkU, which the department hopes will facilitate and streamline operations in the NIL space beyond the school’s revenue-sharing commitment with its roster of athletes.
The announcement came about 2 1/2 months after Arkansas ended its relationship with Blueprint Sports. That move was an outgrowth from the House v. NCAA settlement that allowed participating schools to dole out about $21.5 million per year to athletes through revenue sharing. Arkansas assumed all NIL agreements July 1 following the settlement.
According to a UA release on the partnership with TheLinkU, the agreement “will power the NIL efforts of the Arkansas Front Office to generate legitimate above-the-cap revenue for Arkansas athletes.”
The UA also announced in a release that TheLinkU platform will provide “immediate opportunities for local businesses, brands and donors to engage Arkansas Athletics to partner with athletes” in multiple ways.
“Our partnership with TheLinkU makes us better in a number of ways very quickly,” UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “This helps our student-athletes with legitimate NIL opportunities — both locally and nationally — while also giving our fans and donors the opportunity to easily support our teams or specific athletes.”
TheLinkU was started in 2022 by a group including former University of Houston quarterback Austin Elrod, who is the company’s chief executive officer.
According to the UA release, TheLinkU provides a portfolio of more than 30 national brands and businesses in the realm of technology, finance, apparel and consumer goods.
The outfit also is expected to “simplify the process of working with athletes to promote their businesses,” according to the release.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Arkansas Athletics to build upon the momentum surrounding Razorback student-athletes,” Elrod said in a statement. “Arkansas possesses all the necessary elements to be elite in the NIL era: a passionate fan base, a powerful statewide brand and a connection to some of the world’s most successful businesses.
“Our NIL Ecosystem, led by our national partnership network, brings significant revenue opportunities that benefit student-athletes while providing alumni, fans and business leaders with meaningful ways to participate in the success of the program. Throughout this partnership, we will bring a relentless work ethic that focuses on adding real value to the Razorback network and community.”
