Images via Victory Snacks. Photo illustration by Cecilia Lopez

Fresno State is one of several universities discussing joining Victory Campus, a new initiative from Victory Snacks and NIL platform TheLinkU.

The program is designed to support student-athletes by offering school-branded snacks and beverages. A portion of revenue is directed toward name, image, and likeness (NIL) efforts.

Houston University, which recently appeared in the NCAA Basketball Championship Game, was announced as the first official partner, launching a line of “HoustonTX Snacks” that includes jerky, nuts, corn puffs, gummies and more. Products are available online and are expected to roll out at campus stores and sporting venues.

Victory Campus plans to develop similar snack lines designed for each school’s branding. In addition to Fresno State, other schools in talks include Alabama, Florida Atlantic University, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

“Our goal is to create a sustainable revenue stream that supports student-athletes through everyday products,” said Grant Cohen, chief growth officer at Victory Snacks, in a news release.

According to TheLinkU, the program is intended to help universities expand NIL funding opportunities while engaging with alumni and fans.

No formal agreement has been announced yet between Victory Campus and Fresno State. Updates are expected as the program expands later this year.

“By delivering premium, American-produced snacks and beverages that carry the pride of each school’s brand, we are creating a new model for how NIL programs can thrive while celebrating what makes college athletics truly special,” Cohen said.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Following standout performances against UTEP, Macie Harter has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week, and Leila Ammon has been named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Friday, May 2.

It marks the first career weekly award for Harter. For Ammon, it’s her first time being named Pitcher of the Week, having previously earned Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors twice earlier this season.

In MTSU’s sweep of UTEP, Harter posted a .556 batting average, recorded two extra-base hits, and drove in five runs. She notched a slugging percentage of .889 and tied the MTSU program record for triples in a single season with six — a mark that also led Conference USA. The freshman recorded multi-hit games in two of the three contests and maintained a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Harter concluded her season with a team-high .341 batting average in conference play. She added eight extra-base hits, 10 RBI, and a 1.000 fielding percentage. Overall, she finished the season with a .280 batting average.

From the circle, Ammon posted a 2-0 record in the sweep of UTEP. She pitched 12.0 innings, allowed just one run (0.58 ERA), and struck out 13 batters. The freshman held Miner hitters to a miniscule .163 batting average and opened the series with a complete game shutout, tallying six strikeouts. In the series finale, Ammon tossed another complete game — shortened to five innings due to the run rule — and struck out seven.

Ammon ends her freshman season with a team-best 3.12 ERA across 136.2 innings pitched. She struck out 91 batters, held opponents to a .283 batting average, and recorded eight complete games.

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When Brian Kelly walked into the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas to check in on a Sunday afternoon last summer prior to his appearance at SEC Media Days, he did so in stealth mode. He shook hands with a league administrator near the registration counter, placed his luggage on the floor and greeted the concierge with brief pleasantries.

Free of the customary throng of fans asking for autographs after his arrival, absent were media crews huddled in the corner waiting for comments, and there was no group of LSU handlers around him protecting every move.

This wasn’t Tom Cruise being spotted inside of a local coffee shop with paparazzi in pursuit ahead of a giant movie premiere. No, this might as well have been Kelly back at Cincinnati prior to his run at Notre Dame, unrecognizable to many simply finishing out travel day in Texas.

Delivering this with respect given his track record of success elsewhere, Kelly is still small potatoes within college football’s most competitive conference. Until he wins a league championship or makes his first playoff appearance at LSU, Kelly is just another handsomely paid coach hoping to strike gold with a transfer-infused roster the Tigers have exhausted resources to bring to the field.

Kelly toppled Nick Saban during his first season in Baton Rouge, but the memorable wins have been few and far between since. LSU is 2-7 against ranked competition since Kelly’s dice roll in overtime against the Crimson Tide in 2022 triggered pandemonium inside Tiger Stadium and placed the program in the thick of the playoff conversation.

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A flat performance at Texas A&M followed, and a blowout loss to Georgia in Atlanta marked a low point for Kelly to end his first season. The stakes haven’t returned to that level since.

Until now.

Sunday night’s commitment from former All-Big 12 Houston safety A.J. Haulcy brings another immediate-impact starter to LSU’s roster ahead of the 2025 season, further strengthening a group that is undoubtedly Kelly’s deepest of his tenure.

The Tigers beat known big spender Miami for Haulcy, stiff-armed several elite programs for edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State) and Jack Pyburn (Florida) this cycle and were first in line to welcome pass-catchers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) to upgrade their wideout room.

Haulcy is the second of two post-spring additions for Kelly, who also signed USF defensive tackle Bernard Gooden, one of the top-rated players available and explosive piece on the interior within LSU’s nickel and dime packages.

The Tigers are one of college football’s “haves” in the NIL arms race, and part of that accomplishment came via Kelly, who agreed in December to personally match up to $1 million in contributions to LSU’s NIL fund.

“LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs in college football,” Kelly said in a statement. “In order to remain among the nation’s elite in this new world of college athletics, we have to be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing all that we can to win championships at LSU.

“While we are not permitted to financially support our NIL efforts directly, (wife) Paqui and I can certainly match this tremendous fanbase’s generosity by investing in the future of LSU Athletics through the Tiger Athletic Foundation.”

Kelly’s yearning to win big at LSU is indisputable. The pressure to guide LSU to its first playoff appearance since 2019 this season increases with every additional recruiting victory. As it stands, 29 wins over three seasons fails to meet program expectations when the three coaches who preceded Kelly all won national championships in Baton Rouge.

Right now, LSU’s trophy case has only added Citrus, ReliaQuest and Texas Bowl trophies to its expansive case. This is a group in 2025, anchored by potential 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Garrett Nussmeier, that is capable of bringing Kelly his first national title and punctuating his career with a new defining moment.

Kelly’s coaching seat in the SEC would cool and he’d have to hire a security team for his next media days appearance as a reigning champion.

Editor’s note: This is a column and does not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Barometer.

Since its inception, Name, Image and Likeness has caused several headline events to happen every year amongst the college landscape. 

Now, Oregon State finds itself looking at the future with the NIL program and asking, “What’s next?” 

NIL has influenced a change in college athletics. For the last half decade, NIL has helped finally return some of the billions of dollars in revenue that universities have made from their student athletes. This gives the opportunity to allow these young men and women to make a financial gain off their likeness and reputation. 

However, the longer it has remained, the more it has changed. 

Institutions are now giving almost full-blown professional-level contracts to their players to keep them playing at their schools. We see bigger schools giving bigger opportunities, so where does that leave OSU?

This current offseason saw new quarterback, Maalik Murphy, be awarded an NIL deal of over one million dollars to become a Beaver. This type of large incentive has now become the standard in the recruiting and scouting environment for collegiate sports.

OSU does not though possess the type of deep pockets as other schools. Take for example the neighbors down the highway, the University of Oregon. The Ducks have spent in this last year alone, over 23 million dollars on NIL deals, that’s 20% of the schools revenue. 

However, the results showed, as their football team flourished with several stars being brought in. Most notable are their last and next starting quarterbacks; Dillion Gaberial previously with Oklahoma, with a deal of a little over two million dollars, and nineteen year old sophomore, Dante Moore, receiving a deal of a little over 340,000 dollars. 

So how could OSU match this? 

The Beavers coaching staff across the board have some fantastic names. Both basketball coaches have been loyal to the Beavs for over a minimum of a decade. The head coach of the football team, Trent Bray, is already showing great signs of being a fantastic leader and recruiter. 

The foundation of leadership and commitment is here from the coaches, and several players have already seen it. And there are no signs of that stopping. As Murphy himself, due in part to the coaches and culture they have created, toured OSU twice, with this second now seeing him land on a decision to commit. 

A recent proposal by the NCAA, has pitched the idea of direct payments to players, another step to making NIL deals look more like real pro contracts.  Whether or not this gets passed, it would make OSU incentivising players a lot easier. And therefore, making competing with top schools for top recruits easier as well. 

OSU will soon begin summer camps for several sports and will begin to process all of the newly signed NIL deals as well.

It’s uncertain how the state of NIL will look further down the road, as new curveballs are thrown almost every day now. However, the future of OSU being able to compete in this ever changing landscape looks brighter than ever. 

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Tulane Athletics has received a transformative $3.5 million gift from longtime supporters Don and Lora Peters to continue upgrading its sports facilities and launch the Green Wave Talent Fund, an initiative to expand Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities and other benefits for Tulane student-athletes.

“Tulane Athletics has entered a new era and is on an upward trajectory, along with the entire university, as it pursues academic and competitive excellence at the highest levels with a premier infrastructure and outstanding coaching staffs,” Tulane President Michael A. Fitts said. “This gift will continue the Green Wave’s ascent and further support our student-athletes by providing them state-of-the-art facilities and resources to ensure that they benefit from NIL opportunities.”

“This fund is a game-changer for Tulane Athletics, courtesy of two of our most generous supporters,” said David Harris, the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics. “Don and Lora Peters have stepped up time and time again over the years, and their leadership sends a strong message: Tulane is committed to empowering its student-athletes to thrive both on and off the field. Their generosity will help us attract and retain top talent while maintaining our tradition of integrity and excellence.”

Don Peters is a 1981 alumnus and member of the Board of Tulane and the Tulane Intercollegiate Athletics Committee. He and Lora are also members of the Olive & Blue Society. Among their other leadership roles at Tulane, they serve on the National Campaign Council for Greater D.C. as part of the university’s Always the Audacious fundraising campaign. Their lifetime giving to Tulane exceeds $20 million and their latest gift raises their total commitment to Tulane Athletics’ Investing in Excellence fundraising campaign to almost $16 million. This includes their $10 million gift to modernize the university’s sports medicine and training facilities and establishing the Don and Lora Peters Academic Center, for student-athletes’ academic success.

“NIL has reshaped college sports, and Tulane must remain competitive in this new landscape,” said Don Peters. “This initiative ensures Tulane stays ahead in the evolving landscape. It’s about empowering student-athletes to succeed in their sports, their academics and their future careers.”

The Peterses’ latest gift comes with the rising stature of Tulane Athletics, including the Cotton Bowl Championship in 2023, three consecutive football conference championship appearances, back-to-back American Athletic Conference baseball tournament titles, and a national championship in sailing in 2022. The men’s cross-country team and the women’s indoor track and field teams have also recently won conference championships. Tulane’s student-athletes maintain a 95 percent Graduation Success Rate, the highest in Louisiana and in the American Athletic Conference, and consistently earn strong Academic Progress Rates.

Through the Investing in Excellence campaign, Tulane Athletics has renovated it headquarters, the James W. Wilson Jr. Center; upgraded the turf at Benson Field at Yulman Stadium and the turf and dugouts at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. It has also established a multipurpose headquarters for the Green Wave sailing team and community partners known as the Libby and Robert Alexander Community Sailing Center, renovated the Reily Student Recreation Center’s natatorium and is installing a new enclosed practice field and building a new tennis complex.

INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indy’s Molly Kable earns her second Horizon League softball Player of the Week award after leading the Jags to a weekend sweep over Detroit Mercy.
 
Kable, a junior from New London, Wisconsin recorded a .556 batting average (5-for-9) with six RBI, five runs, two home runs and a double in the Jags’ sweep. She knocked a two-run homer in the first game of the series to tie the game before the Jags went on to win 6-5. She then went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI with a home run and a double in the series finale.
 
Kable has started in every game for the Jaguars, making 46 starts hitting a team and league-high .427 with 46 RBI and nine home runs. She also leads the Horizon League with an on base percentage of .491.
 
This marks the second Horizon League Player of the Week award for Kable as she also earned the honor on March 18.
 
Kable and the IU Indy softball team will now prepare for the Horizon League Tournament this week. The Jags secured the No. 3 seed and will face the No. 6 seed, Green Bay on Wednesday at 2:30 PM.