NIL
Clemson's NIL collective helped Dabo Swinney retain his 2025 roster. But what about 2026?
“It’d be nice to be a football fan again and not have to run through calculations in my head every time I see somebody score a touchdown,” Davies said.”I just think having third parties out of this will be best when it’s the right time.”Davies is perfectly fine being pushed out, though, if it means […]
Davies, a longtime banking executive who has spent his pre-retirement years boosting his alma mater’s NIL efforts, would gladly not spend his Saturdays assessing players’ market value.
As general manager of the booster-funded collective 110 Society, Davies assisted Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in retaining most of his roster ahead of the 2025 season. He helped to put forward competitive name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals that staved off poachers from deep-pocketed schools.If the main thrust of NIL post-settlement is just athletes being paid to represent brands, not collectives essentially paying athletes salaries, then 110 Society isn’t necessary. Clemson itself can facilitate brand deals.Neff has innovated for what’s to come, but Davies also credits Swinney for sticking to his principles. His athletes came to Clemson because they were sold on relationships, not a transaction. They tend to think long-term, Davies said, which has made roster retention simpler.
“The communication was nailed down very well,” Davies said. “You see it with all the people staying and being bought in.”Clemson and its collective are in lockstep, which wasn’t necessarily the case when NIL started. NCAA rules and South Carolina law built a firewall between universities and collectives — and Clemson had two, TigerImpact and Dear Old Clemson, which competed for the attention of donors who were still receiving calls from the school’s athletics fundraising arm IPTAY.There is a chance 110 Society exists beyond July, to help Clemson keep up with the NIL collective Joneses, and Davies can’t retire.
There isn’t 100 percent clarity on what’s next, but Davies thinks Clemson has a clearer picture of how to maneuver in the NIL space as long as it continues in its current form.”You’ve got to have all your irons in the fire so you can be nimble,” Davies said.Clemson lost about a dozen players to the transfer portal in each of the previous two offseasons, which is still a relatively small total. Five scholarship departures, though, is infinitesimal.
In the fall, athletic director Graham Neff announced a new revenue-generating arm, Clemson Ventures, to bolster the athletic department’s coffers. That entity includes an in-house agency, run by Everett Sports Marketing, which will help athletes find “fair-market” NIL deals beyond revenue-sharing dollars.
Because if revenue-sharing between universities and athletes begins in July, as expected, and pay-for-play NIL deals are stamped out by new rules, as planned, 110 Society will cease operations.
Revenue-sharing is coming, and it promises to bring a new operating procedure.Fans wanted to give money to IPTAY because that’s where they receive priority points for tickets and parking spots.
Clemson officials very much hope they are in the “back 20 percent of insanity,” as Swinney put it, and the university’s NIL operation has waded through an unrestrained era of athlete pay dominated by collectives.Now, there is just 110 Society, and state law changed to allow IPTAY to fundraise on the collective’s behalf and offer priority points for NIL donations. A promise of points has bolstered Clemson’s NIL war chest, along with an anonymous donation in November of million to “emphasize” the points program.
There are separate NIL and rev-share contracts, but they are presented to athletes as a total package. There were even clauses built into the 110 Society’s deals, Davies said, which say the collective will pay athletes additional dollars if the settlement falls apart and revenue-sharing doesn’t start in July.But it was mostly “smooth,” he added. The Tigers secured poach-worthy talents like D-linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and wideouts Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore. Quarterback Cade Klubnik, receiver Antonio Williams, and offensive tackle Blake Miller decided to stay at Clemson rather than jump to the NFL.It’s not a certainty. But it’s a preferred outcome.
“We’re not a program where we push people out to bring people in. Stability is really important.”
Of the 70 teams ranked in On3’s transfer portal tracker, only 10 have single-digit losses. Only four programs have five players transferring out or fewer, including Clemson, SMU, and CFP semifinalists Penn State and Notre Dame.CLEMSON — At this moment, C.D. Davies is key to Clemson’s success.Clemson football’s general manager, Jordan Sorrells, came into December with a good understanding of how much each player should be paid, not only in NIL from 110 Society but in revenue-sharing deals with the university that are being signed ahead of the House settlement’s expected approval.”It’s funny, I run a collective but I’m not really in agreement with collectives,” Davies said. “If your collective has a bunch of money, and they’re at odds with what’s going on at the university, or they don’t agree, that could be a problem. Luckily, we don’t have any of that.Davies knows there have been frustrations with Clemson’s NIL approach, at times, because the university has been “reactive” as it tries to follow an ever-changing set of rules, “skating to where they think the puck is going to be.”
NIL
ESPN predicts Michigan basketball’s Yaxel Lendeborg’s draft status following combine
With the NBA Draft Combine in the books, Michigan fans are waiting word on what UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg is going to do. Will he come to Ann Arbor for a year and play under Dusty May, or will he stay in the draft and live out his dreams? June 15 is the deadline, and […]
With the NBA Draft Combine in the books, Michigan fans are waiting word on what UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg is going to do. Will he come to Ann Arbor for a year and play under Dusty May, or will he stay in the draft and live out his dreams? June 15 is the deadline, and this could play out until then, but Lendeborg had a great combine according to plenty of scouts, and in ESPN’s post-combine mock draft, Lendeborg is a first-round pick.
ESPN has Lendeborg being selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 26th pick. Last year with UAB, the big man averaged 17.7 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game. He showed off his range from deep and his athleticism during the NBA Draft Combine. But with a big NIL deal on the table from Michigan, the top-ranked transfer has a lot to think about.
“Lendeborg faced one of the highest-profile, stay-or-go decisions among prospects at the combine, measuring quite well and turning in a solid, if not spectacular, showing in scrimmages, with Michigan coach Dusty May and members of his staff in Chicago to support him,” wrote Woo. “NBA teams are aware Lendeborg has a multimillion-dollar NIL package to attend Michigan next season, and it wasn’t clear by the end of the week as to whether he had done enough to secure the type of guarantee that might keep him in the draft.
“He was highly productive last season at UAB and will step into a huge role with the Wolverines as the ostensible replacement for Wolf, giving him an opportunity to improve his draft stock if he withdraws now.”
If Lendeborg goes to Michigan next season, the Wolverines could be on the cusp of competing for a national title with one of the most skilled bigs in college basketball.
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NIL
College Baseball Rankings: D1Baseball releases updated Top 25 at conclusion of regular season
What a wild ride this regular season has been across college baseball. This weekend’s games brought the end of it, and D1Baseball has updated its top 25 rankings as we shift focus to conference tournaments and postseason action. 12 teams entered Saturday facing a rubber game with the series on the line in a 1-1 […]
What a wild ride this regular season has been across college baseball. This weekend’s games brought the end of it, and D1Baseball has updated its top 25 rankings as we shift focus to conference tournaments and postseason action.
12 teams entered Saturday facing a rubber game with the series on the line in a 1-1 deadlock. Of course, the weekend was moved up a day to Thursday through Saturday due to conference tournaments beginning early in the next week. Eight teams were already 2-0 with a series win coming out of Friday, while five were down 0-2 with a series loss.
We didn’t have quite as many top 25 series this weekend as we have in past weeks, though that didn’t take away from the excitement. Just four ranked matchups headlined this weekend slate; No. 4 North Carolina at No. 2 Florida State, No. 17 Tennessee at No. 8 Arkansas, No. 18 Alabama at No. 23 Florida, and No. 19 Southern Miss at No. 22 Troy.
There’s still a lot to play for over the next week as teams try to fight their way into the NCAA Tournament. For now, though, D1Baseball’s latest top 25 rankings show that there’s still a lot up for grabs with plenty of movement.
Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-13 (19-11 in SEC)
LSU was D1Baseball’s new top-ranked team in their top 25 this week, but the week started off on the wrong note for the Tigers. They lost 6-5 against South Carolina in Thursday’s series opener, before winning 8-1 on Friday to set up a Saturday rubber game with the series on the line. There, LSU won 7-3 to secure the series victory.
Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-11 (22-8 in SEC)
After struggling over the past couple of weeks, Texas wanted to end the regular season on a high note. In Thursday’s series opener at Oklahoma, the Longhorns won 7-4 to start off strong. The Sooners took Friday’s game 8-6 to even the series, setting up a rubber game on Saturday. There, Texas won 9-1 in a game that was impacted by a late-inning weather delay.
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 39-12 (18-11 in ACC)
The ACC was wide open entering the final weekend. North Carolina made a lot of noise, defeating No. 2 Florida State 8-3 on Thursday and 11-1 on Friday to take the series and move into first place in ACC standings. Entering Saturday’s finale, UNC wanted a sweep, but instead lost 5-4, narrowly missing out on the regular season ACC crown.
Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 41-13 (22-8 in Big Ten)
This weekend’s series between Oregon and Iowa had massive ramifications for the Big Ten regular season title. After the Ducks won 10-0 on Thursday and 9-6 on Friday, those two teams moved into a three-way tie alongside UCLA entering Saturday. In Saturday’s finale between the Ducks and Hawkeyes, Oregon won 13-4 and won the top seed in the Big Ten.
Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+3)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 43-12 (20-10 in SEC)
Arkansas was looking to strengthen their case for a top eight seed this weekend against No. 17 Tennessee. The two teams split the opening two games, with the Razorbacks losing 10-7 on Thursday before winning 8-6 on Friday. That set up a rubber game on Saturday with big D1Baseball top 25 implications, where Arkansas won 8-4 to clinch the series.
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-4)
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 37-13 (17-10 in ACC)
After moving up to No. 2 in D1Baseball’s top 25 entering the week, Florida State wanted to pick up a massive series win at home vs. No. 2 North Carolina. Instead, it went the other way. The Seminoles lost 8-3 on Thursday and 11-1 on Friday to drop the series. Looking to avoid the sweep in Saturday’s finale, FSU won 5-4 to at least salvage a win.
Previous Ranking: No. 7
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 41-12-1
Oregon State defeated Portland 5-3 on Tuesday to kick off its final week of the regular season, and then hosted Long Beach State over the weekend. The Beavers won 2-1 on Thursday and 12-8 on Friday to take the series, and wanted to end with a sweep on Saturday. There, Oregon State dominated in a 13-0 victory.
Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 38-17 (17-13 in SEC)
Auburn’s week started with a 19-1 win over Jacksonville State on Tuesday, and they then hosted Ole Miss to conclude the regular season. The Tigers dropped both of the first two games to lose the series, falling 9-2 on Thursday and 15-11 on Friday. In Saturday’s series finale, Auburn salvaged a 13-8 win to end the series.
Previous Ranking: No. 9
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 39-16 (19-11 in SEC)
Vanderbilt came out on top against Kentucky this weekend, but it was a fun series. On Thursday, Kentucky led late before Vanderbilt walked things off to win the opener 8-7. Friday was the same story, with the Commodores coming back to walk it off 9-8 and clinch the series. In Saturday’s finale, Vanderbilt won 5-3, coming back from down multiple runs for the third game in a row.
Previous Ranking: No. 10
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-14 (18-12 in SEC)
Georgia needed to win its final series against Texas A&M to strengthen its case as a national seed. The Bulldogs won 10-6 in the series opener on Thursday, before being shut out in a 6-0 loss on Friday. In Saturday’s pivotal rubber game with the series on the line, Georgia won 7-5 to take the series, and solidify its postseason resume.
D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25
11. Coastal Carolina
12. Southern Miss (+7)
13. UCLA (+1)
14. Clemson (+1)
15. Florida (+8)
16. Georgia Tech (NR)
17. Ole Miss (NR)
18. Dallas Baptist (+6)
19. Northeastern (+6)
20. UC Irvine (-8)
21. Tennessee (-4)
22. NC State (-9)
23. Alabama (-5)
24. TCU (NR)
25. Kansas (NR)
With four new teams featured in this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings, four teams had to fall out. Those teams are West Virginia (previously No. 16), Duke (previously No. 20), Louisville (previously No. 21), and Troy (previously No. 22).
NIL
2025 NCAA Softball Tournament: Super Regional matchups, schedule, TV officially set
The first stage of the NCAA Tournament has concluded, and we are one step closer to crowning a champion of college softball. Following an exciting Regional round this weekend, the Super Regionals are set. The second stage of the tournament will feature eight best of three series between Regional champions. These matchups will begin play […]
The first stage of the NCAA Tournament has concluded, and we are one step closer to crowning a champion of college softball. Following an exciting Regional round this weekend, the Super Regionals are set.
The second stage of the tournament will feature eight best of three series between Regional champions. These matchups will begin play on May 22 and conclude on May 26, if a game three is necessary. The winners of these two cities will meet in Oklahoma City at the 2025 Women’s College World Series later this month.
One of the biggest storylines to follow coming into the tournament is whether or not Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners can win a fifth-straight NCAA Championship. In their first-year in the SEC, they won the regular season outright and were co-SEC Tournament champions with Texas A&M after a weather delay turned into a cancellation of the conference championship game. Their road to the College World Series is not yet paved, though, and they’ll have some stiff competition if they want to achieve the ultra-rare five-peat.
2025 NCAA Softball Super Regional matchups
Eugene Super Regional: Liberty vs. No. 16 Oregon
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
Norman Super Regional: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Alabama
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
Gainesville Super Regional: No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 11:00 a.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 11:00 a.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
Fayetteville Super Regional: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
Tallahassee Super Regional: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 12 Texas Tech
Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 3:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD
Austin Super Regional: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson
Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD
Knoxville Super Regional: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 5:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
Columbia Super Regional: No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA
Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD
All times ET.
2025 Women’s College World Series
May 29 through June 5 or 6 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
NIL
Tennessee passes NIL legislation
https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2025/05/16/state-vs-settlement-tennessees-new-nil-law-breaks-from-ncaa-agreement/ Here are the key takeaways: Tennessee schools can directly arrange and provide NIL deals to athletes unless they’re explicitly blocked by federal law or a binding court order.The NCAA can’t punish schools in Tennessee (i.e., Tennessee, Vanderbilt, or Memphis) for participating in NIL activities that are legal under state law.Athletes can’t lose eligibility over […]
Here are the key takeaways:
Tennessee schools can directly arrange and provide NIL deals to athletes unless they’re explicitly blocked by federal law or a binding court order.
The NCAA can’t punish schools in Tennessee (i.e., Tennessee, Vanderbilt, or Memphis) for participating in NIL activities that are legal under state law.
Athletes can’t lose eligibility over NIL income, and their scholarships won’t be impacted by it either.
The law protects schools from lawsuits for their involvement in NIL deals and shields internal NIL records from open records requests—meaning it’ll be harder for the public to see where the money’s going.
Private colleges (like Vanderbilt) can opt out of parts of the law if they agree with the NCAA to follow its rules instead.
NIL
One-Year UNC Basketball Wing Now ‘On the Rise’ as NBA Draft Prospect
UNC basketball is likely to see only one of its 2024-25 players come off the board at the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 25-26. But that lone projected pick of the Tar Heel variety is promising one-and-done forward Drake Powell, who now pops up in position to potentially end the three-year […]
UNC basketball is likely to see only one of its 2024-25 players come off the board at the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 25-26. But that lone projected pick of the Tar Heel variety is promising one-and-done forward Drake Powell, who now pops up in position to potentially end the three-year drought in Chapel Hill when it comes to the blueblood producing a first-rounder.
ALSO READ: Hubert Davis Watches Early Tar Heel Target Dominate in Memphis
As the official UNC basketball account noted in the following post to help promote Powell’s “on the rise” tag as an intriguing early NBA Draft entrant, the mere 19-year-old from Pittsboro, N.C., finished among the top 10 across five leaderboards at last week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
His marks included both the No. 1 max vertical leap at 43 inches and standing vertical leap at 37.5 inches.
And ESPN’s first post-combine mock draft released on Monday seems to be in support of a Drake Powell stock bump, even if only to a small degree, as the site’s experts, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, moved him up one notch from last week.
They now project him to hear his name at No. 31 overall — the first pick of the second round — to the Minnesota Timberwolves (via the Utah Jazz).
What the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Powell lacks in height, he makes up for with his explosive hops. His momentum-changing athleticism and budding skillset were on display at times as a Tar Heel, albeit not consistently enough to average more than just 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game.
All in all, given his undisputed potential to eventually soar as a lockdown perimeter defender and foul-drawing slasher on the NBA stage, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American climbs as high as the low 20s on mock drafts and big boards over the next five weeks.
Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball news.
NIL
Latest NCAA Baseball Rankings – Georgia Bulldogs Stay Put Ahead of SEC Tournament
The Georgia Bulldogs stayed put in the latest NCAA baseball rankings. The final weekend of the regular season wrapped up and now it is postseason play time. The Georgia Bulldogs ended their regular season on a good note as they took the series against Texas A&M by winning game three on Saturday. However, the series […]
The Georgia Bulldogs stayed put in the latest NCAA baseball rankings.
The final weekend of the regular season wrapped up and now it is postseason play time. The Georgia Bulldogs ended their regular season on a good note as they took the series against Texas A&M by winning game three on Saturday. However, the series win didn’t do anything for them in the latest rankings.
Georgia did earn the fifth seed for the SEC tournament that is this week in Hoover, Alabama. The Bulldogs will play the winner of Kentucky and Oklahoma and the winner of Georgia’s game will move on to play Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.
While the SEC tournament provides one last shot for teams give a good final impression, all that matters is where they are seeded next Monday during the field of 64 selection show. The Dawgs are in a good spot and will likely earn a top seed which will allow them to host the regional and super regional rounds.
Last season, Georgia advanced to the super regional round and faced off against NC State, but fell one game short of making it to Omaha. This season, they will look to final punch their ticket to the College World Series.
In the latest rankings though, there isn’t much of an update for Georgia as they stayed right where they were last week.
- LSU
- Texas
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Arkansas
- Florida State
- Oregon State
- Auburn
- Vanderbilt
- Georgia
- Coastal Carolina
- Southern Miss
- UCLA
- Clemson
- Florida
- Georgia Tech
- Ole Miss
- DBU
- Northeastern
- UC Irvine
- Tennessee
- NC State
- Alabama
- TCU
- Kansas
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