Top five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell recently announced his college football commitment to the Miami Hurricanes, and his reported NIL deal is under the spotlight.

Cantwell chose the Hurricanes over the Georgia Bulldogs, and one of the reasons was said to be a landmark NIL package for the high school offensive tackle, reportedly upwards of $2 million per year.

It led to Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart sharing his recruiting philosophy while licking the wounds of losing out on Cantwell, declaring that he doesn’t want to be in a landscape where a freshman recruit comes on campus making more than a senior.

Although Cantwell has stated that the name, image, and likeness deal was not the primary reason for his commitment to Miami football, as reported by the Springfield News-Leader, the value of his deal remains a central topic of debate among college football personnel.

Chris Hummer of 247Sports (subscription required) sought the opinions of Power Four personnel and coaching staff on the Hurricane’s NIL strategy of spending top dollars on star targets, including quarterbacks Cam Ward and Carson Beck.

Those moves were made in an unrestricted NIL era that is set to change upon approval of the House settlement.

The revenue-sharing structure will have a cap, and that’s what’s causing pause among personnel in the sport regarding Cantwell’s NIL deal.

“If it’s coming out of the rev share, there’s no [expletive] way,” the same SEC director of player personnel said. “That’s a quarterback or a starting left tackle. Cantwell is going to start his career and be at best a quality starter. Not a great one. Not an elite one.”

Cantwell’s NIL lawyer, Darren Heitner, told 247Sports that it’s fair to assume that payment won’t come until he enrolls, which would seem to be in the revenue-sharing era.

The details are not public, and some wonder if the deal could be under the “old rules” of NIL if signed before the settlement’s July 1 effective date.

Regardless of whether it falls under cap compliance or not, the deal is sparking more debates around positional value and the fact that much of the salary cap is being spent on a high school offensive lineman who has yet to take a college snap.

The majority answered no, with an ACC director of player personnel giving a bit more open-minded perspective.

“Yeah, but you can only have one of them,” they said. “You have to invest up front, and that’s what the market is around.”

Of course schools want premier left tackles, but the cap will require more thoughtful divvying of resources.

Despite acknowledging the positional value, the majority of those surveyed contend that they would be better off allocating their resources elsewhere, particularly at the quarterback position.

Some, ultimately, shared Smart’s philosophy on not wanting to pay that much to an incoming freshman. In Cantwell’s case, he’d stand to make more than 95% of the roster.

The position is intricately linked with the starting quarterback. In going all out to land Beck in the transfer portal, the move might be of value if Cantwell can make the jump to starter.

If he hits, no one will be looking back on this move with much criticism at all.

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Just be present. That’s what Quinn Ewers has to say.

Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers offered advice to aspiring college football players during this week’s NFLPA Rookie Premiere, emphasizing the importance of consistency and presence amid the pressures of recruiting and the ever-evolving landscape of NIL deals.

Ewers, a former Texas Longhorns standout and the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2021, spoke with On3 about his journey and the lessons he hopes to impart to the next generation of athletes.

“Just be present, especially if you’re in high school and you’re not receiving as many offers or whatever it is-coaches aren’t recognizing you as much,” Ewers said. “Just remain present and continue to be consistent. As long as you stay consistent, you’re going to end up where you want to be, at the end of the day. That’s just how it goes.”

Ewers, who began his collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas, acknowledged his own privileged position as a highly recruited player. “I was lucky enough to be a highly recruited guy, but I just tried to stay as consistent as I could as long as I could, which, at the end of the day, helped me a ton,” he said. “That’s all it is about-remaining present and taking care of business and letting all the other stuff fall in line, because it will if you really put the work in.”

His message comes at a time when young athletes face unprecedented opportunities and distractions, from social media attention to lucrative NIL deals. Ewers’ advice to “take care of business” and trust the process is a reminder of the fundamentals that underpin long-term success.

After leading Texas to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, Ewers chose to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of eligibility and a reported $8 million in potential NIL earnings. Despite sliding to the seventh round, he signed with the Dolphins and is expected to make his professional debut in the preseason. The four-year deal Ewers accepted will reportedly be worth $4.3 million. For Ewers, the next step is clear: stay present, work hard, and let the results speak for themselves.

President Donald Trump can be seen at college football games, UFC events, and even NASCAR races. Trump enjoys appearing at sporting events, and recently has entered himself into the college athletics space, attempting to create order in a wild west that is college sports.

It was inevitable that the NIL system currently in place was going to cause issues. This spring marked the first player to sit out of practice over money disputes. The players currently have all the power and there are no guardrails on how much schools can pay players, making it unfair in some sense.

NIL hasn’t been used like it’s intended so far. Originally, NIL was put in place so players could make money off autographs and jerseys with their name on them. But now, it’s used by boosters to pay players to play for their alma mater.

Trump is stepping in. Trump is reportedly creating a College Sports Commission, which will reportedly be led by former West Virginian and college football legend Nick Saban and Texas businessman Cody Campbell. The commission will regulate the transfer portal, boosters and college athlete employment.
This would be the first leader of college sports and potentially create a system that has structure.
Saban might not be the only West Virginian on the commission. In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Rich Rodriguez showed interest in helping his friend, Saban.

“I’m going to give him my cell number if they want an active coach on the deal,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll be on that sucker. I’ve got some experience. I can help from a current standpoint. I don’t know if they need me, though.

Like Saban, Rodriguez has been coaching for a long time, not as long as Saban and a lot fewer championships, but he’s seen the change and evolution of the sport.

All spring, Rodriguez voiced his problems with the NCAA. Rodriguez didn’t like the roster limit to 105, how there’s a spring portal, where a player you coached all spring can just leave, and how there are no limitations to how much a player can be paid.

Rodriguez has the background to be a candidate for the commission.

So far, it sounds like Saban will lead. Rodriguez agrees it should be the greatest college football coach of all time as the leader.

“He is the greatest college football coach of all time,” Rodriguez said. “He has a great grasp of the game in general… He’s truly about college football.”

Almost all professional sports leagues have a commissioner who settles issues throughout the league. College football doesn’t because it’s governed by the NCAA. After NIL was passed, the NCAA lost all its power, leaving it to the schools and players, creating chaos.

There’s no movement to create guardrails, and it’s starting to get out of hand. So much, that Trump felt the need to step in.

College sports, and more specifically college football, is a billion-dollar entertainment business. There needs to be structure before it falls apart even further. Saban’s the favorite to lead the next generation of college athletics, and West Virginia’s very own, Rodriguez, could be helping out, too.

“College football is such a great entity, it’s hard to screw it up,” Rodriguez said. “You can do whatever you want. There’s still going to be that passion for your school and that level of athletes. We’ve done enough things to screw it up in the last couple of years.”

Mark Pope plucked a pair of highly valuable transfers right from within his own conference.

One, Alabama’s Mo Dioubate, made it to the Final Four two seasons ago and then an Elite Eight this past season, while the other, Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen, helped the Gators win a national championship just a little over a month ago. When it comes to bringing in talented transfers with a winning pedigree from a power conference, you won’t do much better than what Kentucky did in the portal than these two.

And considering the SEC is expected to take a step backward in 2025-26, Pope having two seasoned intranconference veterans on his second roster at Kentucky is no small note — especially after they battled and thrived in what was labeled as one of the best single season runs (2024-25) we’ve ever seen from a conefence in recent memory.

“The SEC guys know the league and they know the physicality,” Pope said of his two incoming SEC transfers during his Tuesday press conference. “And they know the talent, and they kind of know the flow and venues are going to be familiar to them, and all those things are advantageous, but mostly I’m just excited about the guys that we got.”

Dioubate and Aberdeen are both a bit different than the caliber of player Pope targeted in the portal last offseason. They’re defensive-minded athletes with specific offensive skills. But more importantly, they have SEC experience using those traits. Together, they’ve played 75 games against SEC opponents across five total seasons. Dioubate, in particular, went 3-0 against Kentucky last season.

But as Pope has harped on since taking over as Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, it’s not only about basketball when it comes to playing for the Wildcats.

“This Mo Dioubate, man, I think he’s a special person,” Pope said. “Like, I don’t know, his second or third conversation, we were talking about his family and his history and his faith and his commitment to all three of those things… And he wasn’t talking about that, he was talking about his life and how he thought about the world and his decision-making, but it was so clear and transparent that it’s all built on those three foundations.

“I think he’s special. I think he’s special. And then his skill set fits us in a brilliant way. I just can’t wait to see what he can do for us on the court. He’s coming from an incredible program and incredible coaching staff and we’re going to get to enjoy some of the fruit of all the labors that have come with him and by him before he got here. But really excited about him.”

Pope continued by sharing similar thoughts about Aberdeen.

“And this Denzel Aberdeen. I mean, he’s coming here wearing a big, fat, giant ring,” Pope said, referring to Florida’s 2025 national championship run where Aberdeen was a key backcourt piece. “And there’s no way to replace that type of experience. And he’s a beautiful kid, man, like spending time with his parents was really special. Comes from a military family background, and he cares about people, and he’s an incredibly talented basketball player.”

High-level basketball players? Check. High-level people? Another check. And now they get to see what it’s like to bring those traits to a Blue Blood.

“Specifically, those two guys, I can’t wait to get them here,” Pope added. “And I can’t wait for them to come experience basketball at the University of Kentucky, because it’s just different. And even being in this league, I’m excited for those guys, because they get to walk in the doors and then learn how this is so different here.”

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CINCINNATI, Ohio – K-State could not overcome the early seven runs Cincinnati put on the board, as the Bearcats dealt the Wildcats a 7-0 loss to clinch the final regular-season series Friday night at UC Baseball Stadium.
 
Cincinnati (31-22, 16-13 Big 12) spotted starter Michael Quevedo for all seven runs, as the senior lefty suffered his second consecutive loss, moving to 6-3 on the year.
 
Tanner Duke, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Baylor, held the Bearcats scoreless through six innings after entering the game in the third. The right-hander retired 11 of the first 15 batters he faced, including setting down the Bearcats in order in the fifth and eighth innings. Duke’s six innings marked his longest relief outing of the year.
 
“It was really disappointing that we couldn’t take advantage of Tanner Duke’s outing,” said seventh-year head coach Pete Hughes. “He was really good after getting settled in and gave us chance to get ourselves back in that game.”
 
“We’ll have the bats ready tomorrow. We’ll be ready. I have a strong belief in these guys,” Hughes added.
 
Cincinnati utilized four pitchers in the shutout, combining for 12 strikeouts, with Brandon Scheurer picking up the win. The reliever limited the Wildcats to just two hits in his 2 2/3 innings (3-0).
 
Five different Wildcats generated a hit in the game highlighted by doubles from Seth Dardar and Shintaro Inoue, who each went 2-for-4. Maximus Martin, Bear Madliak and David Bishop all singled on the night.
 
Four of the Bearcats’ 10 hits were for extra bases, including home runs by Kerrington Cross and Cal Sefcik.
 
K-State was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight runners on base.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati opened with a 3-0 lead in the first inning, led by a solo shot from Cross, the Big 12’s batting average leader (.414).
 
The Bearcats tagged Quevedo for four runs in the second to stretch their lead to 7-0, capped by a two-run homer from Sefcik.
 
Bishop and Inoue pieced together a pair of two-out singles in the third, ending starter Carson Marsh’s no-hit bid, but the runners were left stranded with a chopper to third.
 
Back-to-back hits from Martin and Dardar positioned K-State on first and second for the second consecutive inning, until Dee Kennedy lined into a double play to keep the Cats off the board.
 
Inoue led off the eighth with the Wildcats second extra-base hit of the game, lacing a double off the wall in left field. Keegan O’Connor reached on an error before Martin was issued the only walk by the Bearcats’ pitching staff, but reliever Michael Conte fanned the final batter to end the threat and preserve the shutout.
 
INSIDE THE BOX

• K-State produced seven hits with no errors committed and stranded eight on base.
• Cincinnati scored seven runs on 10 hits, committed one error and left seven on base.
• Five different Wildcats generated a hit, led by two each from Inoue and Dardar.
• Quevedo (6-3) was tagged for the loss, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in his 1 2/3-inning start.
• Four UC pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.  
• Scheurer was awarded the victory in relief, scattering just two hits in 2 2/3 innings of work (3-0).  
• K-State hit ..167 (2-for-12) with runners on and was 0-for-9 in scoring position while UC was 5-for-15 (.333) with men on base and and 3-for-9 (.333) in scoring position.
• The Wildcats were 2-for-10 with two outs, while UC was 4-for-11 (.364) and drove in three RBI with two away.

 TEAM NOTES

• Cincinnati leads the all-time series 3-2, with a 2-0 advantage in games played in Cincinnati.  
• K-State and UC are tied sixth in the league standings.  
• Duke’s six innings marked his longest relief outing at K-State.  

 UP NEXT
Sunday’s series finale and final game of the regular season is scheduled for noon CT/1 p.m. ET at UC Baseball Stadium.

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State knocked off Arizona State by a score of 9-6 Friday night at O’Brate Stadium to clinch its third-straight conference series win.
 
With the victory, the Cowboys improved to 26-22 overall and 14-12 in Big 12 play, while ASU fell to 35-20 and 18-11 in the league. OSU will go for the series sweep Saturday, with first pitch for the finale scheduled for noon.
 
The Cowboys had a pivotal four-run fifth inning to take the lead and had big offensive contributions from Brayden Smith, who went 4-4 with a home run, Kollin Ritchie, who had three hits and three RBIs and Nolan Schubar,t who had a three-run homer.
 
Mario Pesca made his seventh start of the season and worked five innings, picking up the win to improve to 6-2. The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out three.
 
Pesca gave up a run in the top of the first on a fielder’s choice but struck out Brandon Compton to strand a pair of Sun Devils in scoring position to end the inning.
 
In the bottom of the third inning, Smith deposited a ball into the Cowboy bullpen in left field to even the scoring at one.
 
ASU answered back, scoring three runs between the fourth and fifth innings, highlighted by an Isaiah Jackson homer, to take a 4-1 lead.
 
The Cowboy bats responded with a big inning in the fifth. Drew Culbertson led off with a walk, followed by a single by Smith, and one batter later, Schubart walked to load the bases. Ritchie then hit a two-out, two-run double to left field to put the Pokes within one. Up next, Ian Daugherty followed suit with a two-run double of his own to give OSU a 5-4 lead.
 
Drew Blake took over for Pesca in the sixth inning and worked a clean inning that included a pair of strikeouts.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Schubart crushed a three-run home run to right field to push the Pokes’ lead to 8-4. The long ball was Schubart’s 16^th of the season and 56^th of his career, putting him into sole possession of fourth place in Oklahoma State history. The three RBIs also put Schubart over 50 on the season with 52.
 
After Blake’s second scoreless frame in the seventh inning, Ritchie blasted a ball out of the stadium for his ninth home run of the season to push the lead to five.
 
Following a leadoff double in the eighth, Matt Brown came out of the OSU bullpen and issued a walk before picking up a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to end the inning unscathed.
 
The Sun Devils made things interesting in the ninth. After three-straight singles to open the inning, back-to-back sacrifice flies made the score 9-6 before Brennan Phillips got Josiah Cromwick to strike out with a runner on second to end the game.