DAYTON, Tenn. – Derek Rodriguez and Gavyn Rapp of the Adrian College bass fishing team collected new gear last week on Chickamauga Lake in the Bassmaster Lunkers #3 event. The duo earned a brand new MEGA Live 2 and XPLORE 12 from Humminbird by placing the highest in the event of boats that use Humminbird and Minn Kota equipment.
 
In the event, Rodriguez and Rapp caught 15 pounds, 8 ounces of fish.
 
The MEGA Live 2 is a live sonar transducer that features enhanced and vivid clarity of fish and structure. It mounts to a trolling motor shaft and delivers with three viewing modes: forward, down and landscape. The forward-facing sonar will improve target separation, provide next level clarity and detail, improve bait tracking, and increase depth and range.
 
The XPLORE Series is lightning-quick and laser-focused on anglers’ favorite features. It assists in finding the best fishing spots faster with included LakeMaster and CoastMaster charts. The anglers will get the clearest picture of what’s below with compatibility for MEGA Live 2 forward-facing sonar. It will connect to Minn Kota products and control them on command – from enabling Advanced GPS navigation to deploying shallow water anchors.
 
The Adrian College bass fishing team fully utilizes its resources live the new MEGA Live 2 and XPLORE 12 to compete at the highest level and continue to win championships.
 

In the ever-evolving landscape of college sports, the NCAA has taken yet another hit. The introduction of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rights has already dismantled the foundation of the NCAA’s long-standing amateurism model.

Now, in a further blow to the organization, the NCAA and the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC) have agreed to terms in the Grant House vs. NCAA lawsuit. A federal judge has officially approved the $2.8 billion antitrust settlement, marking a significant turning point in the governance of college athletics.

Since 2021, NIL payments through third-party collectives have allowed schools to indirectly compensate their athletes. Now, with this latest development, schools can legally pay players directly under NIL guidelines, while the existing collectives continue operating alongside this new system. It marks a monumental shift in the landscape of college athletics.

Reactions to this landmark decision have poured in from across the college sports world, and Paul Finebaum was quick to weigh in. The longtime analyst didn’t hold back, calling it the final nail in the NCAA’s coffin. According to Finebaum, the NCAA has a history of resisting change and wielding immense power over colleges and student-athletes. It is nothing more than a tournament organizer.

He emphasized that the NCAA no longer holds any real authority over college sports. However, Finebaum also cautioned that this new system won’t benefit everyone. The settlement requires schools to contribute to a centralized pool to pay athletes, a system that will only widen the financial gap between powerhouse programs and smaller programs.

“I couldn’t help but think about ten years ago when Mark Emmert essentially said college athletes will be paid over my dead body. He is still alive, but the NCAA is dead. This was supposed to level the playing field. Everyone pays the same into the kitty and then divies it up. But it will do anything but. The big will get bigger, and small schools will simply slip away. It’s going to be big schools on top and the rest of the college athletics is going to suffer.”

Women’s sports, despite their recent and rapid growth, could be among the hardest hit. As athletic departments divide up limited resources, Finebaum believes men’s football and basketball will continue to receive the lion’s share, leaving women’s sports underfunded and marginalized in the process.

Top college athletes were already cashing in through NIL deals, and with schools now allowed to pay them directly, their earnings will go through the roof. In the first year under the new model, schools will divide roughly $21 million among all their athletes. But with some quarterbacks commanding upwards of $2 million per season, they will consume a significant portion of this pool, along with a few other top talents.

Still, this marks a historic shift—one that moves college sports closer to fairly compensating athletes for the revenue they help generate.

That said, schools must be strategic. If the majority of this $21 million ends up in the hands of football and basketball players, it could undermine the system’s broader goals. While NIL collectives continue to play a role, schools need to collaborate to ensure they don’t exhaust their limited resources on just a few star athletes.

Sharing the financial burden to retain top talent would help maintain balance, ensuring athletes from smaller programs and less-publicized sports, who haven’t benefited as much from NIL, also receive their fair share.

Bryan Seeley, who has been Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Legal & Operations since March 2022, has been named the CEO of the newly formed College Sports Commission, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Passan.

The news arrived after Judge Claudia Wilken approved the $2.8 billion House vs. NCAA settlement, which now allows schools to pay student-athletes directly.

A press release via Big Ten Communications stated the College Sports Commission’s role.

“Overseeing this model will be the newly established College Sports Commission –an independent body that will be responsible for implementing the settlement terms governing revenue sharing, student-athlete Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and roster limits. The Commission will investigate any potential violations of these rules, make determinations regarding potential rules violations and penalties, provide notice and opportunity to be heard, participate in the arbitration process and ultimately administer penalties for violations of these rules.”

Thamel and Passan provided more context on the CSC’s role.

“The CSC is the new era’s enforcement arm that will have final say in doling out punishments and deciding when rules have been broken. It’s one of the most important roles in this new era, as the industry has been craving some type of guidance since the advent of name, imagine and likeness has made the descriptor ‘wild, wild west’ a common one in regard to the generally unregulated college sports industry.”

Per ESPN, college sports’ four power conference commissioners (ACC’s Jim Phillips, Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, Big 12’s Brett Yormark and SEC’s Greg Sankey) hired Seeley.

Per a press release, Seeley previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. from 2006-2014. MLB later hired him as its Vice President, Investigations & Deputy General Counsel. Per ESPN, MLB added compliance and security responsibilities under his purview in 2018 before he became the EVP of Legal and Operations in 2022.

“I am honored to serve as the first CEO of the College Sports Commission at this pivotal moment in the history of collegiate athletics,” Seeley said in a press release. “I look forward to implementing a system that prioritizes fairness, integrity, and opportunity, while preserving the values that make college sports unique. I am energized by the work ahead and excited to begin building out our team.”

Per sources to ESPN, Seeley is expected to make a seven-figure salary in this role, and he “has been the target” for the job “for weeks.”

The next class of WWE stars have been announced.

The promotion company announced it’s fifth NIL (Next In Line) class on Friday night and had several notable college athletes that include a few second generation WWE members.

Among the most notable names are Jacob Henry, the son of Mark Henry, Brock Rechsteiner, the son of Scott Steiner, and T.J. Bullard, son of Titus O’Neil.

Jacob Henry was a football player and wrestler at Oklahoma. His father is a former WWE Heavyweight champion and is in the companies Hall of Fame.

Rechsteiner played two seasons at Jacksonville State as a wide receiver. He made 17 catches for 246 yards and two touchdowns during the FBS portion of his collegiate career. His father was a WCW world champion and formed a legendary duo with his brother, Rick Steiner.

Bullard was a three-year player for UCF and recorded two total tackles during his career. His father is a current WWE member and is a global ambassador for the company.

The other members of the class are ice hockey player Madison Kaiser, lacrosse player Gareth Beck, field hockey player Bianca Pizano, basketball players Gina Adams and Fatima Katembo and track athletes Zuriel Jiménez, Kerrigan Huynh and Meghan Walker.

There is no hotter name in the NHL scouting world right now than Gavin McKenna. Despite not being eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, McKenna is widely viewed as the top prospect out there regardless of classification. And after destroying the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, it’s easy to see why.

However, there are questions about where McKenna will play during the 2025 season. Speculation has surrounded leaving the WHL in favor of college hockey in the United States. One NHL insider, Elliotte Friedman, has even labeled one Big Ten program as the favorite to land him.

“I was asking a few people around hockey what they thought,” Friedman said via 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. “And informal straw poll, I would say Penn State. That’s who the favorite is but nothing is done until it’s done. I was told it would be premature to make an enormous proclamation but I asked around and said, ‘If you had to pick where he’s going to play next year,’ most of them said Penn State.”

NIL has completely changed the college hockey world, offering money to players who would otherwise play in other leagues before moving to the NHL. Reported offers have been in excess of $200,000 for guys who were previously in the CHL. For the most part, Big Ten schools have been in the middle of it all.

No reported numbers are out there on McKenna, who will have more options than Penn State. Friedman pointed out how the WHL wants him back in the league for one last go-round. Stateside schools are hoping they can pry him into college.

McKenna put up absurd numbers during the 2024-2025 season despite only being 17 years old. In 56 games played, he recorded 129 points with 41 goals and 88 assists. For a comparison, recent No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard put up 100 points in the WHL a year removed from being drafted back in 2021-2022, scoring 51 goals and assisting on another 49.

As for Penn State, they finished last season with a 22-14-4 record, finishing fifth in the Big Ten. They made their way into the NCAA Tournament before going on an incredible run to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history. A dream journey with wins against Maine and UConn was unfortunately halted by Boston University in St. Louis in the semifinals.

NHL teams will be crossing their fingers that ping pong balls bounce in their favor next summer to earn the No. 1 overall pick. McKenna will almost assuredly hear his name called, completely changing a franchise moving forward.

Until then, one more season is required before making the jump. As of now, Friedman likes where Penn State sits for McKenna.

His first had given the Panthers a 4-3 lead in the second period, an advantage that stood up until Edmonton’s Corey Perry scored with 18 seconds left in the third to force overtime.

Anton Lundell gained control of the puck in the Panthers zone and fed a flying Marchand, who kept control despite a backcheck by Leon Draisaitl and somehow beat Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner for the victory two days after the Oilers’ overtime win in game one.

“It’s just obviously a fortuitous bounce and we’ll take it,” Marchand told broadcaster TNT.

Teammate Evan Rodrigues said it was the kind of play the Panthers have come to expect from 37-year-old Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins in March and who now has 10 career goals in Stanley Cup Final games.

“A hell of a play by him. He had a backcheck on him and still found a way to put it in,” Rodrigues said.

“Clutch, right?” he added. “No moment seems to be too big for him.”

The best-of-seven championship series — a rematch of last year’s Final won by the Panthers — now shifts to Florida for games three and four on Monday and Thursday.

– Frenetic first –

Edmonton emerged from a frenetic first period with a 3-2 lead.

Red-hot Sam Bennett put the Panthers up 1-0 at 2:07 of the first period, grabbing his 13th goal of the playoffs — his 12th on the road.

Evander Kane was called for high-sticking and Nate Schmidt found Bennett, whose goal ended the Oilers’ nine-game streak of scoring first.

Kane atoned with a goal that made it 1-1, and Evan Bouchard put the Oilers up 2-1, ripping a shot past Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after his initial shot was blocked by Aleksander Barkov.

Seth Jones had pulled the Panthers level at 2-2 when Bennett was called for goaltender interference and 24 seconds into the ensuing power play Draisaitl scored to make it 3-2 on a stunning pass from Connor McDavid.

McDavid squeezed past Barkov and wrong-footed Aaron Ekblad before finding Draisaitl — the overtime goal hero in game one — in the right circle.

It was the highest-scoring first period in a Stanley Cup Final game since the Sharks and Penguins combined for five goals in game five in 2016.

Dmitry Kulikov pulled the Panthers level at 8:23 of the second with a wrist shot from point. After Florida’s Niko Mikkola was called for holding, Marchand, fed by Lundell, scored on a short-handed breakaway to put the Panthers up 4-3 and they took that lead into the final period.

The lead stood up until the waning seconds of the third, when 40-year-old Perry struck for his ninth career goal in a Stanley Cup Final.

Both teams had chances to end it in the first overtime, but goalies Bobrovsky and Skinner stood tall to force a second extra session for the first time in the title series since 2020.

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