NIL
College hires new marketing professor

Neil Watson has worked for Ave Maria College, Adidas, Tillamook Creamery, and TaylorMade Golf in senior marketing management positions. He will join Hillsdale College as an instructor of marketing in the fall. Courtesy | Ave Maria College
The Economics, Business, and Accounting Department hired Neil Watson as an instructor of marketing.
Chairman of Economics and Associate Professor of Finance Robert Atra said Watson will supplement Professor of Marketing Susan King.
Watson will teach a Sports Marketing class in the fall and plans to teach both Digital Marketing and a class for nonprofit marketing, Atra said.
“It’s traditional business corporate marketing, like working for a publicly traded corporation. These are typical of the way we think of college classes,” Atra said. “I think there’s probably a lot of interactions between business and other areas of the college and this would be one of the ways we could do it.”
The marketing department has not previously offered sports or nonprofit marketing classes, but is looking to expand into more non-traditional businesses.
Courses like the nonprofit class are meant to reach more than just marketing majors.
“We believe the sports marketing class will interest sports management majors, and charter school educators will benefit from a nonprofit marketing class,” King said. “These new classes are designed for both business and non-business majors.”
According to King, Watson will bring prolific business experience to the EBA department. He has worked for Ave Maria College, Adidas, Tillamook Creamery, and TaylorMade Golf in senior marketing management positions. In addition, he has international and small business experience.
Junior Summerlin Williams said she met Watson when he came to campus for an in-person interview in January.
“He’s a very nice guy from everything that I spoke with him about,” Williams said. “He is insightful and listens well. He definitely seems willing to adjust as he learns how students work, the college works, and how we work in class.”
Williams said she is excited for the new professor because his addition will add more flexibility and variability to the marketing major as well as a different perspective from the existing faculty.
“There’s a different connection you can have with a professor at a different age and understanding,” Williams said. “I think having a younger professor in a different area of business will be able to convey information in a different way.”
With a younger professor who aims to teach both marketing and non-marketing majors, Williams said she hopes he will bring more intrigue to the marketing major itself.
“Marketing has so many different pieces to it,” Williams said. “I think you can find anything you want. The new faculty and expansion of courses will enable the marketing department to become bigger.”
![]()
NIL
UGA suing former Bulldog, Missouri DE for transfer damages
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A University of Missouri defensive end is now at the center of what could become a landmark legal battle in college football.
The University of Georgia has filed a lawsuit against former Bulldog Damon Wilson, seeking nearly $400,000 in damages after the player transferred schools.
Wilson, who spent his first two seasons at Georgia, signed a new NIL agreement with the school in December of last year. However, shortly after finalizing the deal, he entered the transfer portal and committed to Missouri about a month later.
According to court documents, Georgia paid Wilson $30,000 of what was structured as a $500,000 NIL contract before his departure. The university argues that because Wilson left before fulfilling the terms of the agreement, he now owes the school a $390,000 lump-sum repayment.
The case highlights the growing tension and legal complexity surrounding NIL contracts and player mobility, and could set a precedent for how schools and athletes navigate similar agreements in the future.
This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
NIL
IU football is No. 1 seed in College Football Playoff, headed to the Rose Bowl – The Daily Hoosier
Indiana football is three wins from a national title, and they’ve earned the most favorable path to get there.
After a perfect 13-0 season and Big Ten title, IU is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers are also the No. 1 team for the first time ever in the new AP Poll released Sunday afternoon.
The CFP bracket was revealed live on ESPN Sunday afternoon and can be seen below.
In the Rose Bowl, Indiana will face the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama. The Rose Bowl kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 (ESPN).
If the Hoosiers advance to the national semifinals, that game will be the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 9. Texas Tech, Oregon and James Madison are the possible opponents in that game.
Three teams from the Big Ten were in the national top-5, as Ohio State (No. 2) and Oregon (No. 5) were also included in the CFP.
FINAL CFP BRACKET
FINAL CFP RANKINGS
| RANK | TEAM | OVERALL RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana | 13-0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 12-1 |
| 3 | Georgia | 12-1 |
| 4 | Texas Tech | 12-1 |
| 5 | Oregon | 11-1 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 11-1 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 11-1 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 10-2 |
| 9 | Alabama | 10-3 |
| 10 | Miami | 10-2 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 10-2 |
| 12 | BYU | 11-2 |
| 13 | Texas | 9-3 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt | 10-2 |
| 15 | Utah | 10-2 |
| 16 | Southern California | 9-3 |
| 17 | Arizona | 9-3 |
| 18 | Michigan | 9-3 |
| 19 | Virginia | 10-3 |
| 20 | Tulane | 11-2 |
| 21 | Houston | 9-3 |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | 9-3 |
| 23 | Iowa | 8-4 |
| 24 | James Madison | 12-1 |
| 25 | North Texas | 11-2 |
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
Related
NIL
Miami Selected to College Football Playoff – University of Miami Athletics
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes football program was selected Sunday to the 2025 College Football Playoff, receiving an at-large bid to secure the team’s first-ever trip to the CFP.
The Hurricanes are seeded tenth in the CFP field and will travel to College Station, Texas, to face seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Saturday, Dec. 20, at noon ET on ABC.
“We are excited to be making our first appearance in the College Football Playoff,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “Congratulations to Mario Cristobal, our coaching staff and our student-athletes on a terrific regular season that was justly rewarded by the CFP Committee. We look forward to facing Texas A&M in the opening round and I know Miami fans will make their presence felt in College Station.”
Miami (10-2) closed the regular season as one of the most complete teams in the country, ranking second in the ACC in scoring offense at 34.1 points per game while leading the league in scoring defense at just 13.8 points allowed per contest. The Hurricanes also led the ACC in total defense, surrendering only 277.8 yards per game.
On offense, Miami averaged 425.8 yards per game. The Hurricanes posted 5,110 total yards with 50 total touchdowns across 12 games, including 27 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing scores.
Through the air, Miami led the ACC in passing efficiency at 165.47 while completing 73.88 percent of its throws for 3,310 yards. Defensively, Miami held opponents to just 86.8 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the ACC, while allowing only 190.9 passing yards per contest.
To stay up to date with the University of Miami football team, be sure to follow @canesfootball on Instagram, X and Facebook.
NIL
Forget Kiffin — NIL is the real villain here
I am not an Ole Miss fan… Hail State. So, when Lane Kiffin left for LSU, “ne’er a tear fell.” Most likely, the same could have been said about our Egg Bowl rivals when Dan Mullen left MSU to go coach at Florida in 2017, leaving the Dawgs without a head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl.
It’s just something about having a winning season that gets our Mississippi coaches snapped up for bigger and better things.
As history has shown us, however, these grandiose positions don’t always pan out. But as luck would have it for these men, the money keeps rolling in thanks to lucrative contracts that payout even when you’re fired.
Life is just not fair!
I guess some of you may be curious as to why I am even bringing up this topic. It’s not like I am any kind of football fanatic or guru.
Sure, I enjoy watching a game now and again, particularly when Mississippi State is having a winning season — I guess you can deduce that it’s not been too often these days — but what little enjoyment I have had in the past is certainly waning. And it seems this Kiffin contract is becoming the nail in the coffin.
NIL
John Calipari Said What? Must-Hear Quote About NIL Era Goes Viral After Arkansas Video
Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari expressed a desire for the NCAA to adjust its eligibility rules when talking Saturday about aging rosters in the era of NIL and revenue sharing.
Calipari was asked Saturday what he thought about recent upsets including Gonzaga’s Friday blowout of Kentucky, Louisville’s Saturday upset of Indiana and Iowa State’s dominant Saturday win over Purdue.
“There are a lot of older gentlemen with beards playing basketball in college right now,” Calipari answered after the Razorbacks’ 82-58 Saturday win over Fresno State. “There are. So, the one that’s crazy, and the guy comes in, and he’s waving to his kids up in the seats. And you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. The guy’s got two kids. He’s still playing college basketball.’
“Crazy thing. He’s using NIL for his first wife’s alimony, and now he’s still playing college basketball. Are we nuts? So now you have these kinds of games, and these kind of scores.”
Calipari went on to estimate that the Razorbacks will be “one of the three youngest teams in the SEC” this season.
The head coach told reporters that creates mismatches with older teams both on mental and physical levels.
“Last year every team was old in our league. They were old,” Calipari said. “And so now, you’re going to have those kind of things. And you’re also going to have a team, like a Fresno, beat somebody because they’ve got all grad students, seniors, and their average age is 25, and your average age is 19 or 20.
“So, until we fix the eligibility thing, this is what it is.”
Average ages in men’s college basketball have been trending upward for the past decade.
The average age of starters in the Sweet 16 rose from 20.8 to 21.6 between 2019 and 2025, per Lev Akabas of Sportico.
Auburn’s starters had an average age of 23.2, which made the Tigers rotation older than the starting lineups of five NBA teams at the time, per Akabas.
That trend could become even more dramatic if the NCAA considers giving athletes an additional year of eligibility without a redshirt, which The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. and Ralph D. Russo reported in October some football and basketball coaches were expecting in the near future.
The NCAA answered with a memo in October stating that current eligibility rules giving athletes five years to play four seasons would remain in place at least through the 2026-27 academic year, per Khan and Russo.
NIL
College Football Playoff Top 25: Final Official 2025 CFP rankings revealed
The final College Football Playoff rankings have arrived, revealing the 12-team field selected by the committee along with the teams which just missed the cut. As conversation rages on about multiple bubble teams and their case to play into the postseason, the bracket is now set in stone.
The five highest-rated conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the field, but not a first-round bye. The remaining seven bids will be filled by seven at-large qualifiers who can be slotted according to their ranking.
A slight shift from last season’s format, this brings added clarity to the process throughout the season and ensures the top teams will benefit from their resume. Those who finish between 5-12 will participate in the first round, hosted by the higher seed before subsequent rounds are played at traditional bowl sites.
With all the data in, here is how the selection committee ranked the Top 25 teams and their spot in the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff. Even with everything set, there is sure to be plenty more debate over the decisions.
Indiana finishes the season 13-0, winning its first Big Ten Championship in more than 50 years over Ohio State. For Curt Cignetti’s team, that victory all but sealed the No. 1 overall seed as the only undefeated team left in college football.
Now, they’ll top the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time. This team is firmly in the national title race.

Ohio State suffered a loss in the Big Ten Championship, dropping them to 12-1 on the season. Ryan Day’s team falls from the No. 1 spot it held for most of the season but remains high enough to secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Just like last season, they’ll go into the bracket with a loss in their final game before the postseason. Is it time to say, “repeat season?”
Georgia was crowned the SEC Champion after avenging its only loss of the season against Alabama, bringing them to 12-1 in total. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs will lock up a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as a result.
Georgia looked dominant in their win over the Crimson Tide. That’s the type of defense that can win you a national championship as Smart looks for his third as head coach.
Texas Tech picked up a second win over BYU this season, helping the Red Raiders lift the Big 12 title at 12-1. Joey McGuire’s team will secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as a result, paving their path forward in the postseason.
Speaking of a defense that’s dominant, Texas Tech has it. Jacob Rodriguez is in the Heisman conversation and he’ll look to add a national title to the Red Raiders trophy case.

Oregon is the top-ranked team which sat idle on conference championship weekend, standing behind their 11-1 record. Dan Lanning and his team will be able to host a first-round matchup as a result of the seeding.
Eugene should be on fire for the College Football Playoff in a couple of weeks. After getting a bye last season, Oregon will go right away in this year’s postseason.
Ole Miss finished 11-1 before head coach Lane Kiffin left for the LSU job, leaving the postseason in flux. Now, Pete Golding leads his team into the College Football Playoff with a chance to host the first round in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Aggies finished 11-1 this season and a loss to Texas kept them out of the SEC Championship. Still, they have made the College Football Playoff for the first time and will get a home game in College Station.
Mike Elko and crew will have a chance to rectify any errors at the end of the regular season. And if they win at home, they’ll take on the defending national champs: Ohio State.

Oklahoma finished the regular season 10-2, a good enough mark to keep them safely in the postseason picture. Brent Venables’ team will now host a first-round matchup after seeing the teams behind them playing in championship weekend lose.
Oklahoma gets the spot above Alabama, whom they will play in the first round in Norman. The Sooners beat them in the regular season so it’s officially time for a rematch for the right to play Indiana.
Alabama lost in the SEC Championship, dropping their final record to 10-3 before the selection committee met to rank the Top 25 teams. The Crimson Tide pitched their case behind Kalen DeBoer and argued conference championship weekend as additive.
They weren’t penalized though and DeBoer returns to the College Football Playoff, this time in Crimson colors. They’ll have a chance to get payback against Oklahoma in the first round.
Miami has made its head-to-head case throughout the season against Notre Dame, with the selection committee answering for the movement each week. Mario Cristobal’s team sat idle on conference championship week, but continued to be the center of bubble conversation.
So now, they’ll be in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Because of the conference championship results, the committee ultimately decided to reevaluate the bubble teams and came to the conclusion the Hurricanes were worthy this year.

The Fighting Irish were the first team left out of the College Football Playoff. Due to their head to head loss against Miami back on August 31st, the committee reevaluated the data as they were pitted against one another Sunday.
Since the rankings dictated both the Hurricanes and Irish were right next to each other, Miami would get the nod due to their win. The Irish won 10 in a row to conclude the year, but they’ll be subject to a high profile bowl game instead of the CFP.
BYU’s loss in the Big 12 title game basically ended any hopes of a College Football Playoff bid this season. The Cougars had to beat Texas Tech in order to get into the bracket.
They were on the outside looking in going into Saturday, so they would’ve needed some sort of miracle in order to land a bid this year. Kalani Sitake’s crew will go into a bowl game at 11-2.
13. Texas
14. Vanderbilt
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Arizona
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Tulane (College Football Playoff No. 11 seed)
21. Houston
22. Georgia Tech
23. Iowa
24. James Madison (College Football Playoff No. 12 seed)
25. North Texas
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoFirst Tee Winter Registration is open
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoFargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoCPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
-
Sports3 weeks agoVolleyball Recaps – November 18
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoF1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
-
Sports2 weeks agoTwo Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
-
Sports2 weeks agoUtah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
-
Sports2 weeks agoSycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
-
Motorsports1 week agoRedemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
-
NIL1 week agoBowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14





