Earlier this week, it was reported that rising-senior Oregon football receiver Evan Stewart would miss most of the 2025 football season, if not all of it due to a summer injury. On Saturday evening, Evan Stewart went to social media to confirm the injury and thank fans for their support. He shared this message on Instagram.

“Thank you for all the well wishes. I’m on the road to recovery. Don’t put a timeline on me. Following God’s Plan! Thank you for the Prayers! – 7,” posted Stewart.

There hasn’t been a confirmation from Oregon that states how long Stewart will be out of action, and there isn’t expected to be one from head coach Dan Lanning till likely August when fall camp opens up.

Following the injury, DuckTerritory.com’s Erik Skopil broke down how the Ducks could get by this upcoming season if they have to play without their expected star receiver.

Little details are currently known of the injury, aside from that it was to his knee. The initial report from College Football Headlines suggested it could cost him the entire season.

With Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden gone, Stewart acted as the team’s leading returning receiver after catching 48 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Formerly a 5-star recruit who began his career at Texas A&M, he was entering his senior season with the Ducks and had been expected to be among the team’s top targets this fall.

A lower back injury forced him to miss the final game of the 2024 season, a loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs. He did not participate in April’s spring game either.

With Stewart gone, the Ducks will be forced to rely on a less experienced group of wide receivers. Upperclassmen Gary Bryant Jr. and Justiuis Lowe each have recent starting experience, but the pass game’s success will likely come down to the readiness of wide receivers like true freshman Dakorien Moore, redshirt freshmen Jeremiah McClellan and Dillon Gresham and unproven older players like Kyler Kasper, Jurrion Dickey and Florida State transfer Malik Benson.

The long-awaited approval of the $2.8 billion House settlement was passed, allowing universities to pay their players directly. This sweeping change took five years to complete and was largely hung up on roster limitations, among other minor details.

Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach Tony Vitello provided a brief statement on the House Settlement’s approval. His response, directly following Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regionals, may surprise you.

“Yeah, I don’t have anything specific. Tight game, so we’ll look back and see how I can do a better job,” Vitello said during his opening statement. “I know it was good to get to the park today. That deal last night (House settlement) was the dumbest thing I’ve ever been involved in my life. And I lived at the Lake of the Ozarks one summer. So it was just good to get here and play, get the series underway.”

It’s unclear based on Vitello’s initial vague comments whether he’s referring to his involvement in the matter, it’s prolonged outcome, or the contents of the settlement itself. Either way, it appears he’s glad that it’s over.

The overall response to the settlement has been a positive one, as it ushers in a new era with NIL in college athletics. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey provided a statement of his own on behalf of the entire conference on Friday.

“The approval of the House settlement agreement represents a significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports, two of the Southeastern Conference’s priorities,” Sankey said in a statement following the settlement. “As the journey to modernize collegiate sports continues, we remain focused on identifying and implementing innovative opportunities for our student-athletes across all sports while maintaining the core values that make collegiate athletics uniquely meaningful.”

The fallout from the approval will see schools be able to share $20.5 million with athletes beginning July 1. Football will receive 75% of the allotted amount, followed by men’s basketball (15%), women’s basketball (5%) and the remainder of the institution’s sports (5%). It’s expected that power conference football programs will have between $13 to $16 million to spend on rosters for the upcoming season.

Moreover, the NCAA will have to pay $2.776 billion in back damages over the next decade to former college athletes who had competed after 2016. The aforementioned roster limits and new NIL clearinghouses were all a part of the settlement as well.

College sports will enter a new era of NIL following the approval of the house settlement this past week. Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo to provide his thoughts on the ever-evolving situation.

The house settlement allows the NCAA to implement guardrails on NIL for teams and players. Players will continue to earn money for their performance on the court, but there will be a limit on how much universities can spend to land players on their respective teams.

Prior to the settlement’s approval, Izzo provided his thoughts on the NIL situation during Michigan State’s introductory press conference of incoming Athletics Director J Batt on June 4. He has been outspoken on the topic, mentioning it several times throughout the season and NCAA Tournament. This time, he set the record straight on his thoughts despite what some may think.

“People act like I don’t accept it, or I’m old school, and that’s a crock,” Izzo said. “I understand where we are, but I also understand what I think is best for a student athlete. We have not yet seen these guys that are making money and all of a sudden go back to $50,000 jobs. What it’s going to do? … I get sick of people acting like I don’t want to embrace it. But I want to do what’s right for the student athlete.

“I’m all for it, but it’s also going to be right for the program. It’s going to be right for the university, and it’s got to be right for the future.”

What lies ahead for Tom Izzo, Michigan State

Article Continues Below

Tom Izzo has been with the Michigan State Spartans for three decades. As a veteran head coach in college sports, he has witnessed the many changes the NCAA went through in this span. The NIL discussion is no different, as the 2025-26 season will see huge changes on how teams will approach the concept.

Izzo has been successful in adjusting to the original effects of NIL, handling departures of key players by making his efforts in recruiting. While the portal was an area he used occasionally, he proved that he will succeed regardless of the challenges that come his way.

He is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he led the Spartans to a 30-7 overall record, including a strong 17-3 display in Big Ten Play. His efforts helped the squad reach the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, their best run in the last 10 years since their Final Four appearance in 2019.

Izzo will look to build on that momentum going into next season. Regardless of his thoughts about NIL, he will do what needs to happen to have the Spartans become national championship contenders.