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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 […]

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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 the settlement passed, rules are in place, and collectives are less relevant.

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.

“I’m not worried about one person popping up and saying, ‘You know, X, Y, Z school is going to give me five times more money,’ because that’s just not something we’ve seen,” Davies said. “We’ve always felt like we have to be competitive in (NIL), and it’s got to make sense. But it comes from the top (with Swinney), that relationship has a lot to do with retention.The football team’s offseason of retention speaks to that. 

“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.

But plans are coming to fruition.Davies, however, is a “worrier.” He knows there is no guarantee the NCAA’s settlement of antitrust lawsuits will be approved, in full, by Judge Claudia Wilken in April. The deal includes a much-scrutinized provision for a clearinghouse to vet third-party deals and assure they are “fair market value.”

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.

But it’s entirely possible an offseason of uncommon success — with only a handful of athletes transferring out of Clemson, and a rare trio on the way in — could be something of a grand finale for Davies.It was a “hectic” week, Davies said, after Clemson was bounced from the College Football Playoff on Dec. 21, just a week before the transfer portal closed. Deals were hammered out during Christmas.

“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.”

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Tennessee Coach Reflects on Nico Iamaleava’s Departure After Reported NIL Dispute

The Tennessee Volunteers underwent a massive change this offseason as quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly ended up hitting the transfer portal. Iamaleava spent his first two seasons with Tennessee, but amid reports that he was looking for a bigger NIL deal with the Volunteers, he skipped practice the day before the team’s spring game, and Tennessee […]

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The Tennessee Volunteers underwent a massive change this offseason as quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly ended up hitting the transfer portal.

Iamaleava spent his first two seasons with Tennessee, but amid reports that he was looking for a bigger NIL deal with the Volunteers, he skipped practice the day before the team’s spring game, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel decided they would be moving on from him. Iamaleava has since transferred to UCLA, which is also close to where he grew up.

Heupel, who notably said, “no one is bigger than the Power T” in the wake of the drama surrounding Iamaleava in the spring, addressed his departure again during SEC Media Days this week. Heupel reflected on why it was hard to see Iamaleava leave, but also expressed that he believes the quarterback will still have a great career.

“Our football team, they cared about Nico,” Heupel said on the set of SEC Now, via Creg Stephenson of Alabama.com. “Nico’s going to be a great player and he’s going to have a great career. I love Nico. It was hard for the players in that moment, but in leadership of any kind, having clear, consistent transparent communication and also timely, in that it allows your people to handle it the best that they can.”

Heupel shared some nice sentiments toward Iamaleava, but made it clear that their focus is now on who’s taking over the quarterback position, not the events that unfolded this past spring.

“It’s quarterback, it’s unique in some way, but you’ve got to have a ‘next man up’ mentality,” Heupel said, via Stephenson. “It’s going to happen to every team in college football across the landscape of the season. Quarterback’s no different in that way. Our guys have handled the change, transition — whatever you want to call it, in a very positive way. Outside noise, you try not pay to much attention to it. Expectations may have changed from outside the building after that moment, but they haven’t changed inside the locker room.”

Heupel reinforced that “next man up” mentality during his time at SEC Media Days. The Volunteers have not selected their starting quarterback, and will have a competition featuring Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger, and George MacIntyre as fall camp gets underway. Aguilar notably transferred to Tennessee after Iamaleava left for the Bruins, and is the most experienced quarterback of the three.

Whichever quarterback wins the job will be tasked with leading Tennessee as they open the season against Syracuse on Aug. 30.

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Gonzaga to participate in new revenue sharing model

Gonzaga has officially entered the new era of college athletics. Gonzaga and the other eight full-time members of the West Coast Conference — Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Pacific — have decided to participate in the new revenue sharing model that’s been implemented for the 2025-26 academic […]

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Gonzaga has officially entered the new era of college athletics.

Gonzaga and the other eight full-time members of the West Coast Conference — Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Pacific — have decided to participate in the new revenue sharing model that’s been implemented for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the College Sports Commission, the new organization in charge of overseeing NIL deals.

Starting July 1, schools that opted into the new revenue-sharing model spelled out in the landmark House v. NCAA settlement are allowed to share up to $20.5 million per academic year directly with their student-athletes. While a majority of institutions aren’t expected to reach that number, those in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC plan on it, with football players likely to receive a majority of the funds.

According to the College Sports Commission — assigned to facilitate and regulate NIL deals in the wake of the House settlement — schools outside the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will have the option to opt in to or out of revenue sharing each year. That’s significant for Gonzaga and the other future members of the Pac-12, as the league’s standing in the college sports hierarchy has been in limbo for roughly a year now. The College Sports Commission’s announcement is the closest the Pac-12 has come to being mentioned as an autonomy conference since the league lost 10 members to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, reducing its count to just Washington State and Oregon State for one more season before welcoming seven new schools to the mix in 2026.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Utah State and Texas State join Oregon State and Washington State to form a new-look Pac-12 conference on July 1, 2026. All nine schools opted into the revenue-sharing plan for this season.

Seattle U, which is set to become a WCC member in 2026, has also opted into the revenue-sharing plan heading into its final season as part of the Western Athletic Conference.

The revenue-sharing cap is expected to increase by around 4% — about $1 million — each year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, ending at an estimated $32.9 million in 2034-35.

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Notre Dame is a top spender, but not close to the top in an On3 survey

College football has made a huge evolution over the past few years with the adaptation of Name, Image and Likeness, with more teams opening up the pocketbooks for players, something that Notre Dame has been a bit reluctant to do. Yes, many of the Irish players have NIL deals, and are getting paid a good […]

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College football has made a huge evolution over the past few years with the adaptation of Name, Image and Likeness, with more teams opening up the pocketbooks for players, something that Notre Dame has been a bit reluctant to do.

Yes, many of the Irish players have NIL deals, and are getting paid a good amount to play in South Bend, but according to a survey done by On3’s Pete Nakos (subscription required), Notre Dame is not near the top of the biggest spenders list in the sport. The highest was Texas, followed by Texas Tech (who has gotten more than a few commitment from players that previously wouldn’t have considered them), Ohio State, Oregon and Texas A&M.

The Irish are on the list, but tied for No. 17, meaning they don’t spend nearly as much as some of the other schools across the country. Multiple teams in the top-10 didn’t even make the College Football Playoff last year, like Texas Tech, the Aggies, Miami, USC, Michigan and Auburn.

It goes to show you that Notre Dame isn’t just throwing around NIL funds, they’re recruiting players who they believe will utilize everything that the program has to offer, which is clearly more in future earnings than in the present.



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The brave new world of NIL in college sports

If you liked NIL money and its ugly stepsister, the Transfer Portal, you are going to love Revenue Sharing for college student athletes. Remember the golden days of long ago when college players stayed at their schools long enough for fans of other schools to hate them? What Carolina fan did not enjoy wishing missed […]

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If you liked NIL money and its ugly stepsister, the Transfer Portal, you are going to love Revenue Sharing for college student athletes.
Remember the golden days of long ago when college players stayed at their schools long enough for fans of other schools to hate them? What Carolina fan did not enjoy wishing missed free throws on Dook’s Bobby Hurley or Christian Laettner? It was a wonderful part of basketball.
But on 1 July, 2021, all that delightful ill will ended when NIL came into effect.
Some background info about NIL and the Transfer Portal. For those who came in late, NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness for college players. They are officially allowed to be paid by third parties for endorsements, sponsorships, and business ventures.
6Before NIL, none of these activities had ever occurred at any college. Not one. All colleges played by the same rules. Coincidentally, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
Some soreheads contend that NIL stands for “Now It’s Legal.” The Transfer Portal is where college players go at the end of each season to auction off their talents to the highest bidder. School loyalty is a moldy artifact of the past. Money talks and everybody walks to the next school. It is hard to remember their names after one season when they are one and done, gone on to another school or the NBA.
The newest plan to turn college sports into free-range pro teams is Revenue Sharing. Colleges can now pay players in addition to third-party NIL money. Ponder what this portends.
UNC’s esteemed Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham issued a statement regarding what Revenue Sharing will mean for the Tar Heels.
Author’s Note: Bubba will soon be kicked upstairs to make room for a new UNC Athletic Director who has a 15-year background in NASCAR marketing.
Here is what Bubba sez: UNC will pay $20.5 million each year to athletes with most of it going to the revenue-generating sports of men’s football and basketball.
“Women’s basketball and baseball players are receiving some revenue share, as well.”
“ Some” in this context means “a whole lot less.” The cap on the number of scholarships is removed with UNC increasing all sports scholarships from 338 to 532 paid positions. The sports budget at UNC will increase from $150 million to about $180 million next year. That is a lot of bucks. From whence shall these dollars arise?
Funny you should ask about money? UNC recently appointed a new Money Czar with the colorful title of Chief Revenue Officer “to investigate and initiate new revenue opportunities, including naming rights, field sponsorships and jersey patches… More aggressive ticket sales initiatives (higher prices). Additional funding allocated by the State of NC from gambling revenues may also assist our efforts.” {Emphasis Added)
What does this mean in English? Lots of cool stuff coming down the pike to raise bucks. Naming rights mean the Bank of America-Tar Heel football team may be playing on the Preparation H Hemorrhoid Cream Field in the beautiful Tidy Bowl-Kenan Stadium.
Companies will jump at the chance to sponsor football penalties announced to TV audiences such as the Clearasil Acne Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Tampax illegal block in the back, Raid Roach Killer Roughing the Kicker, Charmin Toilet Paper illegal formation, Ex-Lax False Start, d-Con Rodent Killer Holding Penalty, and the Old Spice Antiperspirant Personal Foul.
Imagine the thrill of watching the Heels play basketball in the Weed Eater-Dean Dome! Basketball penalties offer similar sponsorship opportunities. Could we hear calls for the Oral-B Flagrant Foul, the Chanel Number 5 Fragrant foul, the Equate Flushable Wet Wipes Double Dribble, the Ozempic Traveling Penalty, or the Draft Kings 5 Second Inbounds Violation? The possibilities are endless.
Jersey patches on football players and basketball players are going to be a thing of beauty. The Heels will end up looking like NASCAR drivers with patches for Camel Cigarettes, Champion Spark Plugs, Bud Light beer, Smirnoff Vodka, etc., covering their baby blue uniforms. Pure class.
The most exciting thing is Bubba’s passing mention that the Tar Heels may end up getting Gambling Money from the State. What could go wrong? Gamblers never try to fix games. If you are older than dirt, you might remember the old Dixie Classic Basketball tournament back in the ‘50s when UNC, Dook, Wake Forest, and NC State played 4 really good out-of-state teams. It ended ingloriously when players were caught shaving points. Of course, that could never happen again.
Bring on the Fan Duel NIL sponsorship of players. Place bets at your seats. It’s gonna be yuge.

(Illustration by Pitt Dickey)



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Have NIL Deals Affected the MLB Draft for the Hokies?

NIL (name, image, and likeness) is in front of our eyes, transforming the world of college sports. Whether you agree or disagree with NIL, collegiate athletes have a tougher choice when deciding between college and the pros nowadays. On July 1, 2021, the NCAA announced an interim policy that allowed college athletes to profit off […]

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NIL (name, image, and likeness) is in front of our eyes, transforming the world of college sports. Whether you agree or disagree with NIL, collegiate athletes have a tougher choice when deciding between college and the pros nowadays.

On July 1, 2021, the NCAA announced an interim policy that allowed college athletes to profit off their NIL rights.  This transitioned a step further with the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, 2025, officially enabling universities to pay their athletes directly and removing the scholarship limit. Part of the settlement resulted in a trimming of baseball roster sizes from 40 to 34, but it now means that more of those players can be under scholarship.

Larger universities with better outreach and more NIL opportunities can use this as a selling point in landing many high school recruits. This gives the new incoming class of recruits expectations of what they can earn while playing in college — while at the same time developing their game at a collegiate level and obtaining an education while enrolled.

During interviews at the combine that MLB organizations hold with prospects, players now have the leverage of naming their price based on what they would earn in college. Organizations can then decide if a prospect is worth the pick value.

Before the draft each season, MLB announces slot values for each draft slot. That is the maximum amount of money a particular draft pick can earn based on their selection. Compared to last season, according to MLB.com, the average pick’s value has increased by 4.8% from 2024. The number one pick in 2025 is now worth a slot value of $11,075,900.

Every selection in the first 10 rounds has an assigned slot value, the lowest being pick number 315 at a slot value of $187,300, a high value that even the most prestigious baseball NIL deals cannot match. 

The highest NIL baseball deal is with the No. 4 overall draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, Ethan Holliday. With his NIL deal not reaching the seven-digit count, and the Rockies slot value for the selection being $8,770,900 — leaving an obvious route for the talented prospect.

Baseball America’s Kyle Bandujo interviewed former Oklahoma State and Brewers minor league pitcher Jonathan Perrin for insight about NIL deals:

“This also affects the draft decision for high school prospects. Initially at the onset of the NIL era, some draft-eligible players were asking for higher figures to sign because they had NIL leverage. But the increased age of Power 4 rosters could lead some players to opt for the clearer developmental path of pro ball. 

“It’s really hard for freshman right now to get playing time, especially at P4 schools. Agents and parents are starting to realize that, ‘Wait a second, if my end goal is to get to the big leagues, what is the best opportunity to make that happen?’

“That $150,000 bonus is not what it used to be. There are a lot of kids in college baseball this year who are going to make more than that … If you’re getting $150K to go play for the Royals, and Arkansas or LSU are paying you $250K to stay here, I can’t speak for everybody, but I’m going back to school in that situation.”

The Hokies have seen two commits in both the 2024 and 2025 draft fall and go undrafted after landing in the mid-100s on many draft prospect boards. Catcher Anderson French dodged the draft in 2024 and joined Tech’s 2025 roster, just as pitcher Ethan Grim will do this year. This comes despite Grim’s invite to the 2025 MLB Draft Combine.

Baseball NIL deals cannot rival those of college football, with numerous athletes comfortably bringing in deals worth seven figures. With the final 10 rounds of the MLB Draft having no slot value, these contracts are closer to the average rookie-ball contract, closer to the average NIL baseball agreement at a Power 4 university.

For players in farm organization complex leagues up to low single-A action, contracts on average range from $4,800 upwards of $26,200, leaving little leverage for athletes wanting to compete at a P4 level.

Signing bonuses play a factor in whether athletes make the decision to venture into the professional landscape. With a favorable signing bonus and access to professional development strategies, athletes may still be eager to test the waters in the minor leagues.

With the current value of MLB selections and the current NIL deal market, for most P4 programs, athletes outside of the top 10 rounds will likely receive the same value for either choice, making the option more personal: either trusting in one’s self in the professional circuit, or holding back and developing alongside other college athletes in the hopes of raising draft stock.



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Paul Finebaum emphatically pushes back on Brian Kelly hot seat talk: ‘Read my lips, that is not happening’

LSU finished shy of its ultimate goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. After a promising start to the season, many fans were disappointed with the Tigers’ 9-4 finish last year. It marked the first time in three seasons that Brian Kelly hadn’t led LSU to a 10-win season. Given his reputation […]

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LSU finished shy of its ultimate goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. After a promising start to the season, many fans were disappointed with the Tigers’ 9-4 finish last year.

It marked the first time in three seasons that Brian Kelly hadn’t led LSU to a 10-win season. Given his reputation as one of the longtime successful coaches in the sport — it wouldn’t come as a surprise that some fans are getting impatient in Baton Rouge. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum doesn’t see Kelly on any time of hot seat, however.

“Read my lips, that is not happening,” Finebaum said during an appearance on McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning. “What has happened is that, because of who he is and where he came from, people expect instant success, which is fine, that’s expected of everyone at that level. And I think most would agree, including Brian Kelly, that last year was a setback.

“I mean, there were some games when they just looked miserable, notably the Alabama game, other games, Texas A&M in the second half. So I think because of this, because of who he is, people are going to say, well, he hasn’t gone to the playoffs.”

Kelly’ Tigers are coming off a 2024 season in which LSU jumped out to a 6-1 start, which saw them win six straight after dropping the season opener. The Tigers looked to be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff before three consecutive losses in SEC play hindered their postseason bid.

LSU ended up finishing the season with a 9-4 record during quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s first season as starting quarterback. However, his numbers were among the best in the SEC last season. Nussmeier is expected to lead the high-powered LSU offense to great heights in 2025. There are still questions surrounding the defense, but all signs point toward the Tigers being in the mix in 2025.

Additionally, Kelly and his staff have pieced together the No. 2 overall transfer portal class this offseason. LSU also has the No. 9 incoming recruiting class, so there is expected to be no shortage of talent throughout Kelly’s roster this season.

The Tigers will kick off regular season action on the road against the Clemson Tigers during Week 1. LSU’s highly-anticipated true road game is set for Aug. 30, and Clemson is an early favorite to win the matchup according to FanDuel Sportsbook.



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