College sports continue to rapidly change, with coaches and administrators looking to stabilize the sport. Now, former head coach Mack Brown feels he has a solution to at least the chaos of the Transfer Portal. That’s cutting it down to one window in the winter.

As of now, there are two windows for football players to enter the Transfer Portal. One comes in December, following the regular season. The other is following spring practice. Brown, as he explained on See Ball Get Ball, thinks keeping that to just the winter, and adjusting the schedule is key for college football.

“Right now, I would move the Playoff back as far as I could, and I would have one window,” Mack Brown said. “And I would have it in January, and I would try to have it after the national championship game, and before school starts the next two or three weeks. Then, you have your team for the spring.”

The Transfer Portal windows have already been cut down significantly in how long they’re open. Coaches haven’t been done there, though, and many have advocated for further changes, including going down to one window. Others have advocated for an April-only window. Regardless, most want some kind of change.

The challenge of the spring window, in Mack Brown’s mind, is highlighted by the current situation at Cal. The Golden Bears saw their roster get raided this offseason, including some massive losses to the running back room in the spring. That group of outgoing backs included star Jadyn Ott.

“Cal, I was told, lost five running backs after spring practice. How do you lose five running backs and replace them? You can’t,” Brown said. “So, we don’t need people tampering with guys all spring. We don’t need guys out in spring practice that are thinking about leaving. And we don’t need coaches that are coaching kids that aren’t gonna be there.”

The winter calendar has largely been discussed as being chaotic. Between high school recruiting, bowl prep, the College Football Playoff, and the Transfer Portal, things can be chaotic. Mack Brown knows this, which is why he’d address that by rearranging the schedule as much as possible. That could go so far as to even cut back on the number of games played so that players can make their transfer decisions while keeping in line with academic calendars.

“So, let’s go through our season. Let’s do the best we can do. Probably gonna have to cut back on some games during the Fall or move them back a little bit,” Brown said. “But let’s try to get the season over where we have a window where you can still transfer if you want to, because the top kids know where they’re going anyway. They’ve got agents now. I don’t think they even call it tampering anymore because usually when the kid said, ‘I’m in the portal, but listen, I don’t want any contact.’ Well, yeah, he knows where he’s going.”

The House Settlement, which was recently approved by the judge overseeing the case, is going to be the next major change to college sports. Seeing how that impacts the Transfer Portal will probably need to come first, at least for a short period, before any major changes like removing a window are made.

With the House vs. NCAA settlement approved, college athletics is about to begin the latest chapter in its long history of attempting to interfere with the market for athletes’ services.

Let’s see if this version holds up better in court than all the ones before it.

As you know by now, the House settlement has given birth to a new system by which schools for the first time can directly pay their athletes up to $20.5 million this coming school year. The schools will insist these are purely NIL deals and do not constitute “pay-for-play,” but of course, they are entirely contingent on the athlete playing for that university. And that’s fine. Nothing wrong with paying someone for their services.

But where the settlement veers into outright market manipulation is the establishment of a new NIL Go clearinghouse, operated by Deloitte, by which athletes must submit all deals they receive from outside sources that exceed $600. Which, in the major sports, is pretty much all of them. If Deloitte deems, say, a running back’s $1 million deal from a school’s collective to be above “fair market value,” he cannot accept it.

In every other industry in this country, “fair market value” is whatever someone is willing to pay you. Just ask the many mediocre football coaches who make $6-8 million a year. Or the athletic directors who make $1.2 million a year to hire those mediocre coaches. No clearinghouse for those folks.

Every legal expert I’ve spoken with about this subject thinks there’s little chance this clearinghouse would survive a legal challenge. It sure sounds like yet another instance of competitors (in this case, the Power conferences) conspiring to limit athletes’ compensation. Go back and read the Supreme Court decision in Alston v. NCAA to see how the highest court in the land feels about restrictions on athletes’ compensation.

It’s somewhat poetic the House settlement got approved during Game 3 of the WCWS, where $1M pitcher NiJaree Canady nearly led Texas Tech to an improbable national title.

Because the purpose of the new Deloitte NIL clearinghouse is to stamp out collectives like Texas Tech’s.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) June 7, 2025

Nevertheless, the Power conferences — it’s them, not the NCAA driving this — are pressing ahead. On Monday, they proudly unveiled their newly created enforcement entity, the College Sports Commission, led by former Major League Baseball executive Bryan Seeley, who is likely being paid seven figures to make sure college athletes stop getting paid seven figures. Presumably, they’ve consulted with their lawyers, who have told them the thing is ironclad. The next Judge Wilken will be totally fine with it.

By now, you may be asking yourself, “Why are they doing this? Who exactly is being harmed by a transfer quarterback getting $3 million from a school’s collective?” Athletes going into the portal at any moment is an understandable source of frustration, but the House settlement does nothing to address that issue. It just wants to curb how much one gets for going into the portal.

The stated reason, as Nick Saban, for one, has said 1,000 times, is the need for a “level playing field.” It’s not “fair” that Texas Tech has an oil billionaire willing to spend $10 million-plus on the transfer portal if Alabama doesn’t have one. How many times have we heard: This is not what NIL is intended for.

It doesn’t particularly matter at this point what NIL was intended for. This is what it’s become. Collectives became a thing specifically because schools didn’t want anything to do with paying athletes. Now that they’re forced to, they want to unwind time and reverse things.

But what’s really rich is the whole “level playing field” thing.

There has never, ever been a level playing field in college recruiting. The schools with the most money have always held an advantage over everyone else. They have the most history, the biggest stadiums, the best-paid coaches and the most lavish facilities. Ohio State was dominating Purdue in recruiting long before there were ever NIL collectives, and the Buckeyes will keep dominating in the revenue-sharing era. You could set the cap at $60.5 million, not $20.5 million, and there’s still no scenario where the Boilermakers would be able to outspend the Buckeyes.

Meanwhile, people have been so busy the past few years shouting that the sky is falling that they’ve failed to notice that NIL may be the first development in history that’s actually given a larger pool of teams a chance at landing top talent.

The top quarterback in the portal this offseason, Tulane’s Darian Mensah, did not go to Georgia or Ohio State. He chose Duke, where he’s getting a reported $4 million NIL deal. The nation’s No. 1 men’s basketball recruit, A.J. Dybantsa, is not going to North Carolina or Kansas; he’s going to BYU, for a reported $5 million deal. And last year, softball phenom NiJaree Canady turned down that sport’s biggest juggernaut, Oklahoma, in favor of Texas Tech, which gave her that sport’s first-ever seven-figure deal. Earlier this month, she and her team ended the Sooners’ reign — and she signed another deal.

All of those deals got done before the House settlement was approved. Had they not, theoretically, Deloitte could flag them for being too far above “market value.”

Clearly, booster-driven collectives aren’t going away. If Oracle founder Larry Ellison wants to give the next Michigan quarterback recruit $4 million, it seems highly unlikely someone could tell him no. Either the collectives will get more creative in how they structure their deals, or someone is going to sue and succeed in getting an injunction.

Neither the schools nor the athletes would be the ones filing that suit because they’re bound by the settlement. But boosters aren’t bound by it. Companies aren’t bound by it. And, most concerning to the conferences, state attorneys general aren’t bound by it. They’re the folks who succeeded in getting both the NCAA’s booster restrictions and transfer restrictions shot down.

We know this much: Most schools that plan to offer the maximum $20.5 million in House payments are following a formula by which they’ll allocate around $13 million for football and $3 million for men’s basketball. Ohio State last year spent $20 million on football alone, and many schools are spending way more than that this year. Kentucky is one of several programs planning to spend more than $10 million on men’s basketball.

Coaches’ and administrators’ salaries have only gone up and up and up over time, but the powers that be seem to think they can make athletes’ unofficial salaries go down with their magic clearinghouse.

That’s not generally how markets work.

(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

To have and to hold…and the question of how much NIL money will it take to recruit, develop, and maintain a college baseball roster in the future. And does education even matter, anymore?   (Press Pros File Photos)

It would appear that this year’s College World Series might be dominated by schools who’ve spent heavily on their roster, even those out-of-the-way schools like Coastal Carolina and Murray State.  Which leaves the question…what chance does anyone have in the future if you don’t?

During Sunday’s telecast of the Tennessee-Arkansas super-regional game, one of the commentators was want to dwell on the impact of NIL and this year’s College World Series.

And in fact, heavy hitters like LSU, Arkansas, Arizona, Louisville, Duke and UCLA are in the field, predictably.  In fact, the two surprise teams not there is the defending champ, Tennessee, and 2019 champion Vanderbilt (the #1 overall seed) who were both knocked out in the super-regional and regional round, respectively.  And both are said to be among the most creative in finding financial sponsors for its baseball players.

But during his commentary analyst Kyle Peterson also made the point that it’s not necessary to spend big on NIL to make the Final Eight, apparently, considering the ascension of lesser-known schools like Coastal Carolina,  and Murray State who played Duke Monday night for the eighth and final berth.  Coastal Carolina actually won the CWS back in 2016, and Murray State would be making its first appearance as a member of the Missoui Valley Conference, and with an impressive record of 42-14.

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UCLA, if you think of it in Big Ten terms, is the only Big Ten team at the tournament, having beaten tiny University of Texas-San Antonio (enrollment 34,000), on Sunday in the deciding game of the super-regional hosted by UCLA.

Peterson should have checked his math more earnestly.  Coastal Carolina, according to most sources, is the most lucratively endowed baseball NIL school in the Sun Belt Conference.

However, it’s hard to believe that in a football and baseball-crazy state like Texas there’s much in the way of NIL left for a school like Texas-San Antonio who has to compete with Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, SMU, Baylor, and Texas Tech.  But hey, they finished with a record of 47-15 and knocked Texas, itself, out of the tournament with back-to-back regional wins.

But Murray State, according to online sources, is known for its robust NIL initiatives, having raised a total of $21.4 million dollars in 2024 (NIL and donations), alone, and is said to more generously share that loot to ensure the competitiveness of its baseball program.  In fact, the Racers are known throughout the nation as a leader (proportionate to size) in fund-raising initiatives.

So, that said, how is it that Murray State can raise that kind of money with a priority for baseball, and Big Ten schools like Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Rutgers cannot?

“Baseball’s always been a campus priority at Murray State,”  a friend and graduate from nearby Nashville told me over the weekend.  “Even when I played there during the Ohio Valley Conference days, baseball had immense popularity with administration, students and alumni.”

This, despite the fact that Murray State has had only one significant baseball alum with big league time…former Atlanta Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis, who spent eight seasons with Atlanta and Montreal.

Former OSU shortstop has entered the transfer portal and is leaving South Carolina after just one season.  He hit .315 with 6 homers and 28 RBIs. (File Photos)

Coastal Carolina, similarly, is thought of as being the richest NIL school in the baseball-crazy Sun Belt Conference, and is said to be generously endowed despite only a handful that have played in the Major Leagues.  Current Cubs infielder Tommy LaStella is probably the most recognized.

But my friend’s comment about priority should not be taken lightly.  By contrast, there is no football profile at Murray State and Coastal Carolina as compared with Michigan or Ohio State…Arkansas or LSU.  So $21 million does a lot more for baseball at Murray State than $30 million does for baseball at a Big Ten School.  And chances are it will always be that way.

Peterson also added this, which most of us will appreciate if your head spins over paying a college baseball player $300,000.

“I miss it when kids actually went to school because they liked the school and education was an important factor in why they chose that school.”

Amen.

And reportedly, former Ohio State shortstop Henry Kaczmar has determined that one year at South Carolina is enough.  He’s listed as having entered the transfer portal after hitting .315 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs for the 28-29 Gamecocks (6-24 in SEC).

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Wide-open tournament…..

A contact from upstate called last week to ask if I thought there was a prohibitive favorite to win any of the seven divisions in baseball this weekend in Akron and Canton.

And actually, no, in my opinion, as this will be one of the most wide-open tournaments I can think of since I started going on an annual basis…the most interesting Finals in a decade with some compelling matchups.

Senior Lou Magoto is Minster’s most experienced, and dependable arm in the tournament

Starting with…the closest thing to a favorite in my book, Hamilton Badin (Division III), who I expect to face Wapakoneta in the Division III Finals.

But certainly Minster vs. Russia, from a local standpoint, in the Division VII semi-final Thursday (4 pm, Akron) is the game that everyone wants to see, or hear about.

“They’re pretty close, aren’t they,”  he asked.

“About ten minutes apart,”  I said.

“No, I mean in talent,”  he corrected.

And a game that might be just as good is Coldwater against state #1 in Division V, Waynedale, a two-time champion, Friday at 4 pm at Canal Park, in Akron.  Coldwater seeks its eighth all-time baseball title.

There are other good teams, and no doubt there’ll be some exciting games.  But those five teams – Badin, Russia, Minster, Coldwater and Wapakoneta – are five that I expect to come with their game face.  Licking Valley, Graham, Lynchburg-Clay, Unioto and Indian Hills will have the challenge of having to play beyond their first-game nerves.

By the way, the contact called me back about ten minutes after we hung up.

“Google Maps says that it’s twenty minutes between Russia and Minster,”  he said.  “Thought you’d like to know.”

Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA sports and the Buckeyes for Press Pros Magazine.

A sure sign of the Apocalypse…..

While Los Angeles is burning again and the governor and the mayor say it’s mostly peaceful…in the NCAA regional baseball tournament over the weekend Duke University outfielder AJ Gracia hit a home run and was ejected by the umpires for wearing a construction hard hat as he rounded the bases…instead of a batting helmet.

The umpires, in their infinite judgment, threw him out for taunting.

And it’s twenty minutes from Russia to Minster……

Thought you’d like to know.

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The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2025 take place at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene from Wednesday, June 11, through Saturday, June 14.

Featuring the best college track and field student-athletes attending university in the United States, the championships are a chance for these athletes to make their marks.

Action will be broadcast and streamed in the U.S. on the ESPN network.

Discover the full schedule of events and the top three results from every single final below.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women’s volleyball announced its 2025 schedule comprised of seven non-conference contests and its annual 14-match Ivy League slate.  With nine contests set to be played inside the Malkin Athletic Center, the Crimson will look to make its return to the Ivy League Tournament as it returns to action in less than two months. 

Harvard’s season will begin on the road as the Crimson heads to the Sunshine State to compete at the UNF Invitational.  The Crimson’s season and the tournament will kick off as Harvard faces the host North Florida Ospreys on Friday, September 5.

Harvard will compete on its home court for the first time on Friday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET as Washington State travels to Cambridge.  The Crimson will then host Seton Hall to close out the weekend on Sunday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. ET. 

The Crimson’s final non-conference contests will take place just down the road as it meets with a trio of New England teams in Chestnut Hill, Mass. including the host Boston College (Sept. 18), Bryant (Sept. 19), and Stonehill (Sept. 20). 

Following its non-conference season, the Crimson will begin its quest for an Ivy League Championship against Dartmouth on Sunday, September 28 at 4:00 p.m. ET in Hanover, NH.  During the first half of conference play Harvard will host Penn (Oct. 10) and Princeton (Oct. 11).

A majority of the Crimson’s home action will come in the second portion of Ivy action as Harvard will then host the Big Green (Oct. 25), Columbia (Oct. 31), Cornell (Nov. 1), Yale (Nov. 7), and Brown (Nov. 8) in five straight matches. 

With the addition of five first-years and the leadership of its co-captains Brynne Faltinsky and Yvette Easton, the Crimson will look to return to the Ivy League tournament for the first time since 2023.  The postseason playoffs will be held on the campus of the top seed and will be held on November 21 and 22.