NIL

Hailey Van Lith Is a 'Sports Illustrated' Cover Star — and This Is How It Happened

Published

8 months ago

April 9, 2025

Hailey Van Lith Is a 'Sports Illustrated' Cover Star — and This Is How It Happened

Few afternoon emails get the blood pumping like one from a prominent monthly publication on deadline. Just ask Alex Catterton, the director of content and public relations at Visit Fort Worth, who received precisely one of these in late February. As it turns out, Sports Illustrated, the national magazine that practically invented long-form sports journalism, was coming to Fort Worth to photograph Hailey Van Lith, TCU’s star guard and a rising celebrity in the growing sport of women’s basketball.

If you happened to peruse the internet yesterday, you might’ve come across Sports Illustrated revealing the cover star for their digital Swimsuit Issue. And if this is the case, you know the photoshoot the email references was far from your typical magazine shoot — it wasn’t a single page or spread to simply acknowledge Van Lith and her final NCAA stop. No, this shoot was for the cover. And the cover of the Swimsuit Issue, no less.

That’s right, folks. Hailey Van Lith is on the cover of the digital Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. No singular volume of a magazine is more iconic, lauded, or gazed upon. And landing on the cover puts one in rarefied air — it’ll attract as many eyes as Time’s Person of the Year or People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Van Lith now belongs to a club of cover stars that includes Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Ronda Rousey, and Beyonce.

And such shoots require their fair share of masterminding to execute. From securing locations and scheduling to catering, transportation, and even a little entertainment, successfully pulling off a photoshoot of this magnitude requires boots on the ground and people with local know-how.

This is where Catterton and the Visit Fort Worth team came in.

The photoshoot would take place in Fort Worth in 15 days, and Sports Illustrated made no bones about leaning on Visit Fort Worth to plan and execute the logistical nightmare that would include photographing multiple athletes — the shoot also included two other Big 12 athletes — in multiple locations. The magazine would bring the talent, and Visit Fort Worth would provide the place.

To put the entire experience concisely, Catterton says, “We scouted the locations, changed locations, had dinner at Joe T’s, woke up at 4 a.m. for breakfast, did a full-day shoot, wrapped the shoot at six that evening, and most of their team flew out that night at seven.”

A lot of work, but the payoff was worth it: Cowtown gets on the cover.

With a quick turnaround, Catterton, working hand in hand with Visit Fort Worth’s director of sports marketing Becca Berger, hit the ground running. “We built a team internally [the day they contacted us] to start prepping,” Catterton says. “I had our social media manager out the following day scouting locations and taking current photos to show [Sports Illustrated]. I wanted them to give us two more weeks so we could’ve had bluebonnets, but they needed [the shoot done] in March.”

The team pitched several locations — many you might easily guess — but we’re not going to travel the road of could-have-beens. After a myriad of emails, texts, calls, and Zoom meetings, the magazine ultimately chose three locations: the Trinity Art Court (the painted basketball court under Lancaster Avenue Bridge), the Crescent Hotel (which is where the visitors stayed), and the Museum of Modern Art.

The court required a fresh coat of paint, which also required approval from the city’s graffiti abatement supervisor — approval that wouldn’t come in time. “Thank goodness,” Catterton says. “It rained the weekend before, and we would’ve never had time to get it done. So, then we were going to line the entire court with vinyl, but it was going to be outrageously expensive. So, we cut that and ended up doing three vinyl circles that would be good for certain shots.”

When SI’s team of 25 — photographer, hair, makeup, wardrobe, editors, assistants, etc. — arrived in Fort Worth the day before the scheduled shoot, they elected to nix the basketball court idea.

Too obvious to shoot a basketball player on a basketball court? One must suppose, but the team was now down a location.

That night, the evening before the shoot, Visit Fort Worth planned a welcome dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s for the entire SI crew and models. The dinner included local tequila from Sarah Castillo’s La Pulga and a custom hat bar pop-up from Brittany Cobb’s Flea Style. But not long after their arrival, upon walking through the iconic outdoor space, the editor-in-chief, MJ Day, and photographer, Taylor Ballantyne, found their replacement: They want to shoot at Joe T’s.

A call to Kelly Lancarte, daughter of Lanny Lancarte and head of marketing for Joe T’s, ensured the space was available for a shoot in the morning. So, new plan: Joe T Garcia’s in the morning and The Modern in the afternoon. The crew began shooting at the Mexican restaurant as the sun came up at 7:43 a.m. and would continue their session at Joe T’s until 3:30 p.m. “It was incredible,” Catterton says. “They shut down the whole back half of the restaurant for us to shoot at all day long.”

The shoot would then move to the The Modern, which came with its own set of obstacles, including some unsightly construction and an event in the café at 5:15 p.m. — “and we had people outside in bathing suits,” Catterton says. But The Modern is where Ballantyne would take the image that now graces the digital cover of the Swimsuit Issue. According to Catterton, all of the solo snaps of Van Lith were taken at The Modern, while group photos of the Big 12 athletes were taken at Joe T’s, which are still included in the magazine.

We’ll be the first to tell you that any project involving a magazine will include more than its fair share of hurdles, but Fort Worth seems to have cleared any and all snags with ease.

Others who contributed to the SI cover shoot include Mackenzie Hughes and the folks at Fort Worth Camera who donated all of the production equipment for the shoot, Henry Abuto who provided the catering for breakfast, Tim Love who catered lunch, Mercedes Maddox and American Hat who provided hats for the athletes, and Lizzy Chestnut Bentley and City Boots who provided boots for the athletes.

“The team in Fort Worth came together,” Catterton says. “I mean, every person that was asked [to do anything] was saying yes and being helpful.”

And Fort Worth sure made an impression on the SI team (check out this glowing write-up). To put things in perspective, according to Catterton, the SI crew of staff and freelancers were in Switzerland the week before heading to Cowtown — they’re accustomed to jaw-dropping locales. And the city might’ve even converted a gal or two to the charms of Western duds. Those Flea Style custom cowboy hats the SI team got the night before? Well, word has it the editor-in-chief was wearing hers the entire day of the photo shoot.

Related Topics:art bar Basketball big camera equipment event group late magazine marketing media new night photo production show social sports sports marketing team working

Up Next

Women's Water Polo Will Have a 12

Don't Miss

Above the Rim Summit helps prepare women's basketball standouts for professional sports careers

Click to comment

NIL

Miami Selected to College Football Playoff – University of Miami Athletics

Published

3 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

Link

NIL

Forget Kiffin — NIL is the real villain here

Published

56 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

Link

NIL

John Calipari Said What? Must-Hear Quote About NIL Era Goes Viral After Arkansas Video

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

Link

NIL

College Football Playoff Top 25: Final Official 2025 CFP rankings revealed

Published

3 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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.

Jeremiah Smith-Ohio State-Ohio State football-Buckeyes — Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (Birm/Lettermen Row)

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 QB Dante Moore — (Ben Lonergan | The Register-Guard | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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 QB John Mateer — Brianna Paciorka | News Sentinel | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love — © Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

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

Link

NIL

Texas Tech lands No. 4 seed, trip to Orange Bowl

Published

4 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will make its first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day as the Big 12 champion Red Raiders were announced Sunday as the No. 4 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

The Red Raiders will receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff and await the winner of the 5/12 matchup between No. 5 Oregon and No. 12 James Madison. Oregon (11-1) was an at-large selection into the College Football Playoff and will host James Madison (12-1), the champion of the Sun Belt Conference, in the opening round at a date and time to be determined later this afternoon.

Kickoff between the winner of that game and the Red Raiders is slated for 11 a.m. CT on Jan. 1 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Hard Rock Stadium is also the site of this year’s CFP National Championship Game, which pits the winner of the semifinal matchups at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

“This has been the goal of this program the entire season – to win the Big 12 title and play in the College Football Playoff,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “To be able to achieve that goal and play in such as prestigious event like the Orange Bowl is an added chapter to the story this team continues to write. We’re thankful to get a first-round bye to be able rest our team and get ready for either a very talented Oregon or James Madison team.”

Texas Tech’s path to the College Football Playoff is one rarely seen in college football season with 12 victories by 20-plus points. The Red Raiders, who improved to 12-1 overall with a 34-7 victory Saturday over previously-No. 11 BYU in the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship, joined the 2018 Alabama team as the only programs in the Associated Press era (since 1936) to record at least 12 wins in a season by 20-plus points prior to the bowl game.

Texas Tech’s second win over BYU this season Saturday secured the Red Raiders’ first Big 12 title and their first outright conference crown since winning the Border Conference in 1955. The win placed Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff for the first time, continuing a memorable season for the Red Raiders, who have already set a new school record with 12 wins behind a stifling defense and a high-scoring offense.

“On behalf of our entire athletics department and university, Texas Tech is excited to make its first appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “As a former resident of the Miami area, myself, I know Red Raider Nation will enjoy the hospitality and entertainment the Orange Bowl is known for and turn South Beach into West Texas.”

Ticket requests for the Capital One Orange Bowl are now being accepted from Red Raider Club members and current season ticket holders. Due to limited ticket inventory, Texas Tech will allow only eight requested tickets per Red Raider Club account at the $5,000 level or above and then four tickets for all other accounts. As a reminder, College Football Playoff tickets are not guaranteed and will be filled based on Red Raider Club priority points, while tickets remain.

Red Raider Club members and current season tickets holders can submit ticket requests now by logging into their account on TexasTech.com. The Texas Tech Ticket Office will open at 8:30 a.m. Monday and can be reached at 806-742-TECH for any College Football Playoff ticket information.

Link

NIL

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss Announces Career News Amid College Football Season

Published

6 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss Rebels capped the regular season with a Week 14 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The victory was almost overshadowed by the drama of coach Lane Kiffin leaving for the LSU Tigers vacancy.

However, at 11-1, the Rebels’ national championship hopes are very much alive. ESPN’s FPI gives Ole Miss a 100% chance of making the College Football Playoff.

Much of the team’s success is tied to Chambliss. He has completed 218-of-333 passes for 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 157.6 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns on 118 carries.

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Rebels’ successful season has created numerous name, image and likeness licensing opportunities for the redshirt senior. On Thursday, he teased a new partnership. Chambliss revealed his newest NIL deal with AT&T in a joint Instagram post on Saturday.

“Y’all had eyes on the wrong transfer #ATTInfluencer #ad,” the caption read.

Link