The USC Trojans landed a major recruiting victory with the commitment of five-star tight end Mark Bowman, a Mater Dei standout and the No. 1 player at his position in the 2026 class. Bowman’s decision to join the Trojans not only strengthens USC’s grip on the top recruiting class in the country, but it also comes with one of the more lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) projections ever for a high school football player.

According to reports from On3’s Scott Schrader, Bowman could earn between $8 million and $10 million in NIL during his time spent at USC. Schrader made clear that those figures were not confirmed by USC or Bowman directly, but the offers being discussed would place him among the highest-valued high school athletes in the modern NIL era.

The financial package reportedly includes structured payments that could begin before Early National Signing Day, with additional benchmarks throughout his collegiate career. That puts Bowman in rare territory, with an NIL opportunity on par with or even exceeding what most college skill players make over a full four-year span.

Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee’s Immediate Reaction to Friend’s College Acceptance originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Olympic gymnast Suni Lee was right by her best friend Katie Fang’s side for a major milestone.

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On Monday afternoon, Fang, a 19-year-old influencer, posted a TikTok capturing the moment she learned she’d been accepted into New York University. Sitting beside her in her NYC apartment, Lee joined in the celebration as the two screamed with excitement and hugged in pure joy.

“I know you don’t like being touched, but can we hold hands?” Fang asked Lee right before opening her letter. The duo held hands and counted down from five before the influencer opened her decision portal.

When the two realized Fang got in, the two friends screamed, jumped around with joy and hugged each other. At one point, Fang ran back to her computer to reread the acceptance letter, then turned toward the window, lifted her shirt and flashed her neighbors. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old gymnast starts laughing right in front of the camera, clearly just as thrilled.

Minutes after the video was shared to social media, Lee commented on Fang’s post, saying “go bobcats !!!” with two purple hearts. In less than twelve hours of the TikTok going live, it has hit almost one million views and 200,000 likes.

Fang and Lee have been close friends since the 22-year-old gymnast moved to New York in the fall of 2024. They frequently post with each other on TikTok and Instagram, plus recently got tattoos together.

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After a successful run at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where Lee won a bronze medal in the uneven bars final and helped Team USA secure gold, the gymnast is now living her life in the Big Apple. She was born and raised in St Paul, Minnesota.

Related: Simone Biles Had Four Words for Suni Lee in New Post

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.

**Release courtesy of Colorado College Sports information

–Current four-year women’s lacrosse assistant coach, Ashley Johnson, has been named the second head coach in Colorado College women’s lacrosse history, Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine announced Monday, June 2.

Johnson has spent the last four seasons as the top assistant under Susan “Stuey” Stuart, who retired at the end of the 2025 season after 31 years as the program’s only head coach.

 

“Women’s Lacrosse has an incredible history of success here at Colorado College and has established itself as one of the best in the nation,” Irvine said. “AJ has been a huge part of that momentum during her recent time here and is absolutely ready for this opportunity. I look forward to honoring the legacy that Stuey helped build while working with AJ to leverage the foundation to continue to chase championships.”

 

Originally from Arvada, Colo., Johnson has over 15 years of coaching experience at the DIII, DI, and national team levels. In her four seasons as the assistant coach at CC, the Tigers compiled a 51-28 record, culminating in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2024.

 

“Passing the torch to AJ makes me so excited for her and the lacrosse program,” Stuart said. “She is an exceptional coach who has elevated the program since she arrived because of her attention to detail in all aspects of the job. Her understanding of life on the block plan and how to recruit student-athletes who will thrive in the high-energy environment of Colorado College will make the transition seamless for our incoming class and our current players.”

 

CC has gone 34-19 in the last two years and won consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. In 2025, the Tigers tied a program record for wins in a season with an 18-4 record and Johnson and Stuart were named the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

 

“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Stuey,” Johnson said. “Her leadership, friendship and belief in me as an assistant coach have helped prepare me for this next step. Her dedication to this program is a prominent foundation, with over 30 years of tradition, and that is something to cherish. I know I am stepping into something special, and I don’t take that lightly. I look forward to elevating and empowering our current student-athletes and leading this team into its next great chapter.”

 

Johnson has helped produce three All-Americans, 28 all-region selections and 25 all-conference honorees. CC has had eight players win major conference awards between the SCAC and WIAC.

 

“I want to also sincerely thank Lesley Irvine for her support and trust in my vision for the future of CC women’s lacrosse,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to lead Colorado College as the next head coach. This transition is exciting, and I deeply value our shared vision for excellence and support of our student-athletes on and off the field.”

 

Before Colorado College, Johnson spent six seasons at the University of California-Davis, where she served as the top assistant since the fall of 2015. While at Davis, Johnson was the offensive coordinator, draw specialist and goaltender coach, as well as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

 

In 2021, she helped guide the Aggies to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship as well as their third consecutive No. 1 seed for the MPSF Tournament. She helped lead UC Davis to a 12-4 record, the program’s best since 2004, and coached the league’s player of the year as well as seven first-team all-MPSF selections.

 

Prior to Davis, Johnson served two seasons as the assistant at Marist College (2013-15) and three at Wagner College (2010-13), where she began her coaching career as a graduate assistant and was quickly promoted to first assistant.

 

Johnson has coached at the national team level most recently with Team Mexico in the 2024 U20 Women’s Lacrosse Championship in Hong Kong. She was also the assistant coach of the Ugandan National Team in 2020.

 

She played DI lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s University, where she was named a first-team All-NEC selection as an attacker in 2010 and a midfielder in 2008.

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Michigan State has hired Georgia Tech’s J Batt as its newest athletic director. 

Batt replaces Alan Haller, who held the position for four years before being let go last month. MSU was seeking an athletic director who would revitalize fundraising and modernize the athletic program’s revenue. 

Batt did so at GT, where he helped fundraise and improve the football and basketball programs in Atlanta. Many, including former MSU football head coach Nick Saban, have had good things to say about the Spartans’ newest athletic director. 

MSU has not been competitive on or off the football field in the last few years. Whether that is because of the product on the field, a lack of competitiveness in the NIL department, or both, the hiring of Batt should shore up at least one of these issues. 

Middlebury women’s tennis seniors Nina Farhat and Sahana Raman have been lauded with College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America accolades. The pair capped their careers together last week, finishing as the NCAA Runner-Up in the doubles bracket with a record of 30-4 this season.
 
HONOREE HIGHLIGHTS

• Farhat
  • Farhat is a molecular biology and biochemistry major with a 3.97 grade-point-average (GPA).
  • The Panther concluded her time in the navy and white with a 72-16 mark in doubles play and a 45-10 singles record.
  • Recently named the ITA’s Most Improved Player, Farhat also tallied All-NESCAC First Team Doubles honors alongside Raman. 
• Raman
  • Raman graduated with a degree in neuroscience and boasted a GPA of 3.82.
  • The Panther becomes the first women’s tennis player to earn the prestigious award twice, securing honors a season ago.
  • Raman finished with a 99-30 mark in tandem action and 84-30 in singles, marking what is believed to be the most wins in both in Middlebury history.
  • The ITA Northeast Region’s Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award was presented to Raman at the end of the season.
  • The Panther became the fifth women’s tennis competitor in Middlebury history to garner NESCAC Player of the Year honors, while earning her fourth-straight first-team all-conference laurel.

With Farhat and Raman’s accomplishments, Middlebury now has 61 Academic All-America selections. The full list of women’s tennis honorees can be found here.