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NiJaree Canady Lands Record-Breaking New Partnership

NiJaree Canady has officially changed the landscape of college softball. In 2025, she signed the sport’s first-ever $1 million NIL deal, aligning with The Matador Club and launching new branded apparel. The record-setting agreement puts Canady at the top of the NIL charts and signals a major shift in what’s possible for women’s sports.

This player spotlight breaks down Canady’s journey, what NIL means for softball, her record deal, the impact she has made at Texas Tech, and why this deal matters. Want access to more exclusive athlete stories and rankings? Become a member of Extra Inning Softball today.

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Illinois basketball has been able to see great success throughout the history of the program.

One of the reasons the Illini have won games is due to players transferring in. Some of the best players in program history didn’t start out in Champaign.

In recent years, the transfer portal has heated up even more. Despite it being a trendy thing, transferring has been a thing for decades now.

Here are the top 10 Illinois basketball transfer portal additions of all time

10. Shelly Clark

Not a lot of love is given to those who came before the 2020 burst of the transfer portal. In the early 1990s, Illinois was able to land a solid transfer who helped anchor the paint.

Shelly Clark started his college career at Indian Hills Community College. He was sensational there and then made his move for his final two seasons of college ball to Illinois.

With the Illini, Clark had a two-year average of 10.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. His best season came in 1994-95 when he dropped 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest.

Illinois made the NCAA tournament both years Clark was with the program, but we never made it out of the first round.

9. Rayvonte Rice

I thought Rayvonte Rice was going to be the shot in the arm John Groce needed at Illinois. That didn’t end up being the case, although Rice was a very good player.

Rice transferred to Illinois after two seasons at Drake. He didn’t miss a beat going up a level, as his numbers were very similar to when he was with the Bulldogs. Rice finished his two-year Illinois career averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.6 assists per game.

The biggest reason Rice isn’t higher on the list of top transfer portal players of all-time is the fact that Illinois missed the NCAA tournament in both seasons he was in Champaign. At no fault of his own, Rice’s standing on this list was hampered by the coaching staff.

8. Kylan Boswell

There is a new name on the top transfer portal additions of all-time. Kylan Boswell has entered the chat, as he had a solid first season in Champaign.

I don’t know what it is about spending two seasons at another team before transferring, but Boswell fits the mold as the first two players. He spent two seasons at Arizona before deciding to bolt the program and come back home to Illinois.

In his first season in Champaign, Boswell averaged 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He helped lead Illinois to the second round of the NCAA tournament as well.

The book isn’t fully written for Boswell on this list. With a big senior campaign, he can easily work his way up into the top five, if not higher.

7. Craig Tucker

There are a few players on this list who started in the junior college ranks. That is where Illinois found Craig Tucker.

Tucker started his college career off at Coffeyville Community College. He was a star there, and that helped him get noticed by Lou Henson and the Illini.

After two seasons at Coffeyville, Tucker transferred out and landed at Illinois. He had two great years with the Illini, as his best season came in 1981-82 when he averaged 15.5 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game.

With the help of Tucker, Illinois made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. He would later get drafted into the NBA.

6. Alfonso Plummer

Illinois had a big-time shooter in Alfonso Plummer join the team for one solid season. He was arguably one of the best shooters I have seen in Champaign in my lifetime.

Plummer spent two seasons with the Utah Utes before transferring to the Illinois program. While it was only for one season, Plummer lit up the scoreboard. He averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting a blistering 40.8% from three-point range.

There was hope that Illinois would make a run in the 2022 NCAA tournament, but we fell short in the second round to Houston. Plummer was a great scorer for the Illini team, though.

5. Marcus Griffin

There was a legendary trio that came out of Peoria in the 1990s. Marcus Griffin was a part of that Peoria Manual squad.

Griffin had to make a quick pitstop at Lincoln College before traversing to Illinois for his great career. Griffin ended up spending two seasons at Illinois, where he would help the program reach great heights.

Both seasons’ numbers were very similar for the talented big man. His two-year average at Illinois was 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. The fact that Illinois saw success with Griffin as a main piece helped his top-five standing.

Illinois was able to get to the second round in year one with Griffin. In his final season, the Illini made it all the way to the Elite 8 only to lose a close game against Arizona.

4. Ken Norman

Illinois had some special moments in the 1980s. Ken Norman walked so the Flyin’ Illini could run.

Norman started his college career at Wabash Valley Community College. He spent one season there before transferring into the Illinois program.

With the Illini, Norman had some special seasons in the mid-1980s. As a senior, he averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. He was also an All-American.

That season, Illinois was upset as a No. 3 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The only reason Norman isn’t higher is due to that bad postseason showing.

3. Marcus Domask

Brad Underwood has been able to find some nice diamonds in the rough, and Marcus Domask fits that mold.

Southern Illinois got the first four years of Domask’s career, and then he transferred up to the big leagues for one final season.

The lone season at Illinois was pretty special, though. The Illini needed some help, and Domask came to the rescue. While most players’ numbers would drop going from a mid-major to a Big Ten program, Domask’s numbers held strong. He averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in his lone season at Illinois.

Illinois also saw great success with Domask as a key cog. The program made a run to the Elite 8, and he was a huge part of it.

2. Terrence Shannon Jr.

The No. 1 and No. 2 spots were tough. I think they are interchangeable. I have Terrence Shannon Jr. taking the No. 2 spot, though.

Shannon could have picked Illinois out of high school but didn’t. He played three seasons at Texas Tech before coming to Champaign. The wait was well worth it, though.

As soon as Shannon got to Illinois, he hit the ground running. His first year was solid, although Illinois didn’t fare well in the postseason. Year two is what put Shannon on the map.

In his final season at Illinois, Shannon averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He was an All-American, and Illinois saw great success with Shannon leading the way. He was the rock on the Illinois team that made it to the Elite 8.

Kenny Battle

And with the top spot on the top transfer portal additions of all-time, Kenny Battle takes the cake.

Battle started his college career off in the state of Illinois. It just happened to be Northern Illinois instead of the Illini. Battle spent two great seasons with the Huskies before transferring out and committing to Illinois.

Lou Henson saw instant success with Battle leading the way. He spent two seasons in Champaign, and both years were great. For his two-year stint, Battle averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 assists per game.

Illinois made it to the second round in year one with Battle. The following season, the program had an incredible run to the Final 4, only to fall just short to Michigan.

Battle would go on to be a first-round NBA Draft pick. He had big numbers at Illinois and led the program to a Final 4. That is why he is the top transfer of all time.

The universe of name, image and likeness continues to alter college athletics at every turn. NIL has changed the game.

It’s mostly an incentive by collectives to raise money for the purpose of enticing recruits to sign with a respective school.

Some of these deals have reached astronomical levels, with the best of the best athletes receiving millions of dollars.

But that might change if and when the House vs. NCAA antitrust case is decided, if schools are allowed a revenue-sharing system to compensate athletes directly.

It could also have important implications for the future of NIL. It could include a central clearinghouse to review and assess all NIL deals. But make no mistake, NIL in some form or fashion is here to stay.

And it could remain the same for years depending on the appeals certain to come with the House decision.

Friends of UNILV is the collective for the Rebels, the outside arm that raises money for the purpose of earning the interest of recruits who have UNLV on their list of prospective schools.

Bill Paulos leads the NIL efforts for UNLV. The Review-Journal recently chatted with Paulos about his role and that of NIL at the university.

RJ: What is the overall goal for NIL specific to UNLV?

Paulos: The goal of UNLV NIL is to get into a power conference like the Big 12. That’s the goal. If we want to do that, we need to act like a power conference school. That’s UNLV’s goal. That’s my goal. That’s everyone’s goal here.

But these power conferences need to know we can raise money for NIL, that we can compete at that level.

RJ: Is that plausible? What have you seen in your numbers to make you believe that level of resources can be raised?

Paulos: It is absolutely plausible. We’re having more success this year than we’ve ever had. Major companies in town are supporting us. And in order for us to get coaches of the stature of (Dan Mullen in football and Josh Pastner in basketball), we had to assure them we could raise NIL money so they could compete.

If you go out and hire a coach today, the first question isn’t necessarily how much money they’re going to make. It’s about how strong is your NIL.

RJ: How have you been selling your top programs to donors?

Paulos: Basically, it’s like this: You may not like what NIL is today, but we need to explain to everybody it’s going to morph into a much better situation. It’s giving back to the university through the athletic department.

We know in the 1980s and 1990s UNLV became UNLV because of Jerry Tarkanian and Runnin’ Rebel basketball. The last two years, when we had incredible national exposure with our football team, our registrations with the university went up 6 percent. That’s real money.

Should we get into a conference like the Big 12, we now get millions of more a year through television revenues, and Las Vegas gets a tremendous amount of exposure. That’s what we sell — it’s a major economic benefit to Las Vegas and UNLV.

RJ: What in your mind will change with NIL at UNLV should the House vs. NCAA settlement end with schools being permitted to provide direct financial payments to student-athletes?

Paulos: It’s not going to eradicate the use of outside funds and collectives like NIL in order to help the university raise money. It will just help schools monitor their payments to report outside NIL agreements. There will be more regulation when it comes to NIL deals. I believe you’re not going to see the $5 million quarterback for much longer.

RJ: You earlier said it was a goal to double the $1.5 million raised for basketball last season and to increase the $3 million for football. Will you make those numbers?

Paulos: We haven’t missed yet, and we don’t intend on missing this year. There is new wealth in Las Vegas, small companies that are doing very well. We’re getting more and more people interested in helping UNLV succeed.

You look at stories of (Power Four) conference teams, when their athletic departments became the front porch of their universities. They’ve all exceeded their wildest expectations, That’s our hope — 100 percent.

This is a passion for me and, quite frankly, those we sit down with and ask to donate. They’re doing it to get recognition for the university and to get us into a power conference, Which would mean so much to the city as a whole.

RJ: Has the NIL collective at UNLV gone the way you first imagined?

Paulos: It’s hard to believe, but this is our fifth year raising funds. We have doubled our fundraising almost every single year, and this year we’ll triple it. We give to all sports — any sport that signs up with the collective. We’ll help anybody. You tell me where the money goes. I don’t tell you.

We’re the most attractive person at the dance right now. If you want your athletic department to be successful and competitive and keep moving forward, there is no choice. You have to pay. The horse has left the barn. This is here to stay.

If you want something to happen like UNLV getting into a power conference, this is what you’re going to have to do.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.