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College Athletics Is Changing, Again. But Don’t Allow It To Ruin Your Experience

Doesn’t it feel like just yesterday we were watching a clip of Nick Saban taking a shot at Jimbo Fisher’s roster-building techniques at Texas A&M as NIL first made its way into college athletics?  The entire landscape of sports has changed, and some will argue it has only gotten worse along the way, ever since […]

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Doesn’t it feel like just yesterday we were watching a clip of Nick Saban taking a shot at Jimbo Fisher’s roster-building techniques at Texas A&M as NIL first made its way into college athletics? 

The entire landscape of sports has changed, and some will argue it has only gotten worse along the way, ever since that press conference inside the Aggies’ football facility in College Station, Texas. As we sit here, waiting for July to roll around, with the new era of athletics set to begin, it’s hard not to look back and think about how far we’ve come. 

The problem with looking back, though, is we see how many mistakes were made along the way. How bad leadership at the highest levels turned out to be, given that NIL was rolled out like a game of dodgeball with zero rules. 

Sure, there were some rules put in place, but it was undoubtedly a free-for-all as collectives were formed under the guise of helping athletes procure deals that would see them take part in the local automotive dealership commercial, or one of the many BBQ restaurants located in a college town. 

House V. NCAA Settlement Now Hinges On Roster Limits Being Phased In, Or Judge Will Deny Settlement

While it’s easy to look back while trying to look forward, it’s certainly not very hard to put the blame on the folks who decided to allow NIL to begin, without guardrails that would put us in the spot we are currently in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for these college athletes making the most money they can off their talents that are displayed on a field, or court, during a season. 

Legalizing What Was ‘Illegal’ Just Five Years Ago In College Sports

Clearly, college sports were just late to the party. It’s funny to think about all the fuss that was made over Johnny Manziel making loads of money signing autographs in a Miami hotel room, and the scrutiny that followed. If we’re honest, it’s even crazier to think that just five years ago, Jeremy Pruitt was fired from his job for being involved in payments to athletes, most notably a fast-food bag full of cash given to a parent’s mom. 

Seriously, that’s where we were just five years ago. Trust me, I remember digging up the details of everything that was going on within that football program, only to now think how crazy it is that somebody was fired over paying players. 

Obviously, there were other things that led to Pruitt being fired, which included a hotel scheme that was centered around making sure players weren’t paying for their trips on official and unofficial visits. 

Jeremy Pruitt Sues NCAA, Claiming $100 Million In Lost Wages And That Tennessee Conspired To Have Him Fired

Sure, there’s more to that story, which includes the then athletic director ‘resigning’, but still being paid more than $30,000 a month for a situation that some folks around the program at the time assumed he knew was going on. But that’s certainly in the past. While players on campuses across the country used to drive around in their Dodge Chargers or Challengers, we’re now seeing them drive a Lamborghini or Mercedes. 

Tennessee's Neyland Stadium

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 15: The Tennessee Volunteers run through the T before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)

Pretty crazy how much we can tell athletics has changed just by the car a player is driving, compared to just five years ago. But, we were always headed in this direction. A semi-professional model in college sports that looks more like an NFL roster as the days roll on. 

And while a lot of this might freak you out as a fan, we just have to learn to adapt. Sure, I’m a college sports fan, so I can include myself in this conversation. Hell, I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t, because it sure beats covering politics on a daily basis, but that’s just my preferred choice. Yes, I do love politics as well, but that’s just not my cup of tea when it comes to this profession. 

The President Involved In College Sports? Schools Directly Paying Players?

It’s funny that I bring up politics, because right at this moment there is an athletic director, commissioner or lobbyist talking to a lawmaker about how to ‘fix’ the problems with NIL and college athletics. I’d say it’s a pretty wild coincidence that I’m in some way covering a President, while still focusing on collegiate sports. But that’s where we are right now in this landscape, as leaders look to Congress for help in this ever-changing world where NIL has been at the forefront of nearly every conversation that involves a school. 

I know it’s aggravating for people who think this is a runaway freight train. Trust me, I see the emails you write every day that fill my inbox. Oh, and some of you certainly have some good ideas on how to fix our current situation. 

Texas A&M Goes Full-Send Into NIL Without Fear Of NCAA After President Says There Are ‘No Rules,’ Texas Rolls Out New State Law

Nick Saban has asked Donald Trump for help with fixing NIL. Executive order on the way?

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA – MAY 01: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban as Trump takes the stage to address graduating students at Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Trump’s remarks come the day before  commencement ceremonies. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But, we are headed for more change, and it’s assuredly going to agitate fans even more, which is hard to believe. Schools are about to start cutting weekly or monthly checks to players on a roster. Exactly the thing that coaches have been caught doing, and subsequently fired for over the last few decades, is about to become an everyday occurrence. 

Negotiations for a pay raise, or a contract extension, are going to be held inside the very building where an assistant coach would’ve been given a show-cause penalty if they had slid the top players a few hundred dollars in a manila envelope just years ago. 

That’s insane!

The Landscape Of College Athletics Is Changing, Again. But Don't Allow It To Ruin Your Experiences

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – AUGUST 31: Xavier Restrepo #7 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Sure it is. But don’t let it ruin the sport, as a fan. Players have been paid by schools for decades now. It just used to come in a different way. As everything gets bigger, and players pick schools by how much one is willing to pay over the other, don’t lose sight of why you still love whichever sport that thrills you. 

Let me know what you think. Email me at TREY.WALLACE@OUTKICK.COM

And no, we won’t stop writing about how much schools are spending on a roster, given that’s what collegiate sports have become. We’ve got contracts, negotiations, buyouts, pay-raises, holdouts and just about everything else you see in the professional leagues. 

You’ve Come This Far. Don’t Allow This To Change Your Outlook On College Sports. 

While this might take away a bit of the ‘purity’ of college sports, you’re still going to be infuriated when your team loses. Christmas or Thanksgiving will be miserable if your favorite football team is not in the College Football Playoff. That message board you post on at least five times a day will be humming with some of the funniest or worst takes imaginable. 

The thrill of watching your favorite team run out of a tunnel or dugout will still be the same as it was ten years ago, though it might cost you a bit more to attend those games down the road. Don’t blame me, I’m just the reporter. 

The point is that while the phrases ‘House Settlement’ or ‘front-loaded deals’ will be discussed, along with ‘collective,’ – which is a horrible name, by the way, for a large group of fans and boosters who are renting players – don’t lose sight of why you’re still hanging around. 

Oh, and if you need a quick reality check on why you still love these crazy sports, go attend the College World Series in Omaha, or the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. 

Some say this is the end of college sports. I say we’re just getting started. 

Let me know what you think. Email me at TREY.WALLACE@OUTKICK.COM





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Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler’s petition to play fifth season of college basketball denied by federal judge

Getty Images A request for a preliminary injunction from Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler’s representation seeking a fifth season of college basketball eligibility was denied Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, by U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer. The denial came nearly a week after hearing arguments in the case as Zeigler’s attorneys petitioned the court on the […]

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A request for a preliminary injunction from Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler’s representation seeking a fifth season of college basketball eligibility was denied Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, by U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer. The denial came nearly a week after hearing arguments in the case as Zeigler’s attorneys petitioned the court on the grounds of being unfairly financially restricted by the NCAA’s so-called “four-seasons” rule, which states athletes must compete in four seasons within a five-year window.

Zeigler completed four seasons in four years and is part of the first class post-pandemic that was not granted an additional year of eligibility.

What the court said

His representation filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in May in the case requesting the preliminary injunction citing federal and state antitrust laws were violated. However, Crytzer wrote in her assessment that the argument in which the NCAA unduly restricted him under a violation of the Sherman Act did not hold up.

“This Court is a court of law, not policy,” Crytzer wrote via the Associated Press. “What the NCAA should do as a policy matter to benefit student athletes is beyond the reach of the Sherman Act and TTPA and by extension, this Court.”

The reason why college basketball players with no remaining eligibility are entering the NCAA transfer portal

Kyle Boone

The reason why college basketball players with no remaining eligibility are entering the NCAA transfer portal

Reaction from Zeigler’s legal team

A granting of a preliminary injunction may have been a ground-breaking development in the ever-changing college athletics eligibility landscape. Zeigler is the first non-junior college player to file suit against the NCAA, though Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia — a former junior college product — sued and won in a similar case seeking an additional year of eligibility after arguing the NCAA’s rule counting junior college participation toward overall eligibility violated antitrust laws.

“We are disappointed the Court declined to grant a preliminary injunction on the basis that the NCAA does not directly control NIL compensation, just days after the House settlement confirmed they would do exactly that,” Litson PLLC and the Garza Law Firm, both of which represent Zeigler, said Thursday in a statement. “This ruling is just the first chapter of what we believe will ultimately be a successful challenge. We intend to press forward and are evaluating the best path ahead for Zakai.”

Zeigler, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner and three-time All-SEC performer, played 138 games across four seasons with the Vols. He is unlikely to be selected in this month’s NBA Draft but would have stood to earn millions of dollars the next season, his counsel argued, if he had been given an additional year of eligibility.





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Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly calls out tampering, NIL issues in college softball

Karen Weekly is going hard at tampering issues in college softball. Despite Tennessee’s immense success under her tutelage, the Lady Vols coach has an issue with where the sport stands in 2025. Evidently, Weekly has no issue with NIL in itself, believing it’s a tremendous revelation that women can make money on their collegiate careers. […]

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Karen Weekly is going hard at tampering issues in college softball. Despite Tennessee’s immense success under her tutelage, the Lady Vols coach has an issue with where the sport stands in 2025.

Evidently, Weekly has no issue with NIL in itself, believing it’s a tremendous revelation that women can make money on their collegiate careers. However, her problem is with coaches and recruiters from other programs contacting players before they even enter the transfer portal. That has her calling out any and all tampering.

“I think we can all agree on two things: 1) Women making money in sports is awesome and long overdue,” Weekly posted on X on Friday. “2) Contacting players (directly or indirectly) before their season ends and signing them to NIL deals before they enter the portal is wrong. Money isn’t the issue, tampering is!”

If you’re a fan of college athletics, it feels like this was inevitable. We’ve seen rumors of tampering in a myriad of other sports, and it would’ve certainly been naive to think that college softball was immune to the problem.

Karen Weekly has been around the bend and found success as college softball has evolved on and off the field. This is one change she won’t stand for, and she’s fighting for justice. We’ll see if she calls anyone out by name or if the NCAA takes notice of the Lady Vols’ leader’s warning in the future.

More on Karen Weekly, Tennessee Volunteers

Moreover, Tennessee made the Women’s College World Series for the second time in the last three seasons under Weekly’s guidance. There are plenty of memories that come along with that run, even if the Lady Vols would have preferred to keep things going all the way to the top. Still, she’s grateful.

“My heart is full because of the young ladies to my right and the young ladies in that locker room. They’re sad for all the right reasons,” Weekly stated earlier this June. “It’s not about wins and losses. It’s about the joy they’ve experienced being together every single day, and I think people saw that in the way we played. They saw them bounce back. They saw how resilient, how gritty and tough they were.

“This has been a group that has been just so much fun to coach. Because they allowed us to coach them, and everything we asked of them all through the season, they bought in completely and just made it really, really fun. My office and our clubhouse is right by the front door. And every one of these guys, they walk in, they have a smile on their face and they greet you.”

All in all, Karen Weekly has been leading the Tennessee program since 2002 and has found plenty of success during her time there, going to the Women’s College World Series nine times. Now, she’ll go back to the drawing board and look to put together another great group of Lady Vols to compete for next season. 

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.





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Marshall University

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Women’s Basketball head coach Juli Fulks announced the signing of four transfers for the 2025-26 season.   Emily Bratton, Ni’Kiah Chesterfield, Emari Doby, and Timaya Lewis-Eutsey come to Marshall with college basketball experience.  The four join incoming freshmen Olivia Olson, who was signed last November by Fulks, and Zenthia Stowers, a […]

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Women’s Basketball head coach Juli Fulks announced the signing of four transfers for the 2025-26 season.  

Emily Bratton, Ni’Kiah Chesterfield, Emari Doby, and Timaya Lewis-Eutsey come to Marshall with college basketball experience. 

The four join incoming freshmen Olivia Olson, who was signed last November by Fulks, and Zenthia Stowers, a six-foot forward with international experience playing for the New Zealand U18 National Team. 

Bratton made 18 appearances with the Miami RedHawks as a freshman in 2024-25. The finalist for Ms. Basketball Ohio averaged 23 points as a high school senior. 

Chesterfield has two years of college basketball experience at Tusculum. In 54 games across the last two seasons, the six-foot forward averaged over 15 points per game on 53 percent shooting, and six rebounds per contest.

Doby joins the Herd from Illinois-Springfield, and played at DI Denver University in 2023-24. She averaged 12.0 PPG and 5.0 rebounds per contest with UIS last season. 

Lewis-Eutsey has three seasons of experience at VCU. Two seasons ago with the Rams, she finished on the leaderboard of the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.481), free throw percentage, and steals (45). She was named to the All-A10 Third Team in 2023-24.  

 

For all the latest information about Marshall Athletics, follow @HerdZone on X and Instagram.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.





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Oklahoma softball has what it takes to make another CWS push in 2026

The 2025 Women’s College World Series came to an end late last week and a national champion other than the Oklahoma Sooners was crowned for the first time in five seasons. The Sooners gave way this year to Texas and Texas Tech, both of which posted wins over Oklahoma on the way to the national […]

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The 2025 Women’s College World Series came to an end late last week and a national champion other than the Oklahoma Sooners was crowned for the first time in five seasons.

The Sooners gave way this year to Texas and Texas Tech, both of which posted wins over Oklahoma on the way to the national championship series. In the end, it was the hated Longhorns putting their name on the WCWS championship trophy for the very first time, winning two of three games from a Texas Tech team that was making its very first trip to Oklahoma City and the WCWS.

The looming question in Sooner Nation after an atypical season by Oklahoma standards — the Sooners’ 52 wins in 2025 was the fewest since 2015 — was this just a temporary pause as Patty Gasso and Co. retool and readjust to the new world order in college sports to come back as strong as ever going forward?

More pertinently, can Oklahoma not only make it back to the WCWS again in 2026 — it’s almost as if the Sooners have a contract with the overseers of the WCWS that prohibits them from being excluded — but be in a position to win it all and begin an all new championship run?

The answer to the former is “yes,” and because of that, it’s also “yes” to the latter question. After all, history tells us that when Oklahoma makes it to the Women’s College World Series, it has a really good chance of taking home the championship trophy. The Sooners have made it to the WCWS 18 times since 2000 under Gasso, won the national championship eight times and finished as national runner-up twice during that span.

Oklahoma softball has what it takes to get back to the CWS next season

Until the Sooners don’t make it to Oklahoma City and the WCWS, it would seem pretty foolhardy to count them out. And the 2026 group looks really stacked and seasoned looking ahead to next season.

No one outside of the Oklahoma softball program or perhaps the state of Oklahoma could have imagined in their wildest dreams that a team that had to replace 14 spots on a 22-player roster this past season would be playing in the Women’s College World Series this season, let alone be one of the final four teams left standing and just three wins away from a record fifth straight national title.

Thirteen members of the 2025 Sooner roster were underclassmen, nine of those were freshmen, including three freshmen in the starting lineup. Typically, you wouldn’t consider a team with that many young and new players to be on a par with the best teams in the sport

No team has been more dominant in the past quarter century of college softball than the Oklahoma Sooners. OU has been to the WCWS 22 times in program history. Eighteen of those, including this season, have been since 2000, tied with UCLA for the most of any team over that span.

The Sooners aren’t the only team that brings back offensive firepower and lockdown pitching for the 2026 season. In fact, it’s entirely possible that the eight teams we see in next season’s Women’s College World Series have a very familiar look.

A couple of way-too-early projections we’ve seen have reigning champions Texas, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Oregon and Oklahoma returning to the big stage in OKC a year from now, and could 2026 be the year former Sooner Jordy Bahl makes her WCWS return, but in a different uniform?

Any coach or player will tell you it’s a very difficult road to get to the WCWS, and to be able to do it year after year — let alone win it all — is a truly remarkable accomplishment. Whatever happens next college softball season, it should be another strong year for Oklahoma softball. And let’s be brutally honest: It would be a big disappointment if the Sooners fail to make it back to Oklahoma City.



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Former Vols WR Grant Frerking was a paid UT consultant, media NIL president at same time

Grant Frerking, a former Tennessee Vols wide receiver and paid consultant in Josh Heupel’s UT football program, is alleged of significant financial scams and crimes.  Frerking, who essentially had been the face of On3’s Name, Image and Likeness division since he exited the UT football program after the 2022 season as On3’s President of NIL […]

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Grant Frerking, a former Tennessee Vols wide receiver and paid consultant in Josh Heupel’s UT football program, is alleged of significant financial scams and crimes. 

Frerking, who essentially had been the face of On3’s Name, Image and Likeness division since he exited the UT football program after the 2022 season as On3’s President of NIL University as well as director of athlete network development, was terminated by the company late last month, On3 founder Shannon Terry said in a statement posted to the X platform formerly known as Twitter.

But in explosive reporting from the Knoxville News Sentinel this week, Frerking was revealed to be a contract employee of the University of Tennessee’s athletics department and specifically for Josh Heupel’s Tennessee football program.

Per the report, UT paid Frerking as a contract consultant to the tune of $30,000 for a two-year contract that expires at month’s end. UT officials told the KNS that Frerking no longer worked for UT and “has not done any recent work on campus.”

However, Frerking had still be heavily involved in Tennessee athletics as recently as just six months ago.

Numerous sources told FootballScoop in recent weeks that Frerking was a host at an exclusive event for the University of Tennessee’s fundraising arm, The Tennessee Fund, on the last day of April at Nashville’s posh Hall’s Chophouse. 

Indeed, invited guests received an invitation to the UT event that was to be “graciously hosted by Grant Frerking” and two additional individuals that FootballScoop is not naming at this time. Numerous high-ranking members of the UT athletics department such as basketball and football coaches as well as athletics director Danny White are typical attendees at those events.

Additionally, though he was never classified as an employee of the organization, numerous sources told FootballScoop that Frerking was involved with Spyre Sports, the collective that has been personally endorsed by White, and had attended their tailgates and various other functions. Spyre is the group that has handled virtually all Tennessee football players’ NIL deals now for several years — including the projected $8 million deal for since-departed Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava. 

“Words cannot describe how excited and honored to join the Board of Directors for Volunteer Legacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” Frerking posted to his Instagram page at the time. Frerking recently switched his social media account to private. 

On3’s Terry, who’s been a dynamic force in online coverage of college football and recruiting as a founder of Rivals and 247Sports in addition to On3, has issued several statements that condemned Frerking’s behavior and also shined a light on Frerking’s dismissal from On3.

Terry was particularly direct in light of the Knoxville paper’s report on Frerking’s advisory role for Heupel’s program.

Frerking was spotlighted for his entrepreneurial work with his former company Metro Straw while playing for the Vols as a walk-one wideout through six seasons that ended in 2022. In addition to features from ESPN and The Athletic, Frerking became a media regular on a variety of shows that included the SEC Network staple “The Paul Finebaum Show.”





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Florida State Seminoles baseball transfer portal tracker

Florida State baseball is set to be active in the NCAA transfer portal as head coach Link Jarrett aims to retool his roster with hopes of another deep postseason run in 2026. The Seminoles went 42-16 and lost in the Super Regional rounds to Oregon State after winning the Tallahassee regional with a sweep. In […]

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Florida State Seminoles baseball transfer portal tracker


Florida State baseball is set to be active in the NCAA transfer portal as head coach Link Jarrett aims to retool his roster with hopes of another deep postseason run in 2026.

The Seminoles went 42-16 and lost in the Super Regional rounds to Oregon State after winning the Tallahassee regional with a sweep. In Jarrett’s third season, FSU were led by stars Jamie Arnold, Alex Lodise and Max Willlimas, but of the three, none are expected back on campus come 2026.

With that comes the need to replace production to find ways to compete in the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics. FSU has already been active with a number of departures and a handful of incoming in the transfer portal.

The NCAA transfer portal will be open for players until July 1.

FSU baseball has already landed a pair of transfers

The Seminoles’ season has been over for less than a week, but the program has already brought in a pair of transfers in Davidson infielder Eli Putnam and FAU pitcher Trey Beard.

Beard spent two seasons at Florida Atlantic University, starting in 30 of his 32 appearances for the Owls. He posted a 7-1 record in his sophomore season with a 3.14 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 86 innings of work.

Putnam is a versatile infielder who can play any of the four positions, and he’s a strong bat. He hit .349 in his final season at Davidson with 19 home runs and 62 RBI on 84 hits.

Who has FSU baseball added in the transfer portal

  • Trey Beard, Lhp, Jr – FAU
  • Eli Putnam, Inf, Rs-Sr – Davidson

Which FSU baseball players have left the program

  • Mason McDougall, Lhp, Jr.
  • Hudson Rowan, Lhp, So.
  • Brady Louck, Lhp, So.

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

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