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The closest Bryan Seeley has been to working in college sports was spending 40 hours a week covering them for the Daily Princetonian during his days as an undergraduate at the Ivy League school.

Now, the longtime head of investigations for Major League Baseball is about to step into a brand-new role, leading a brand-new organization, which could make him one of the most powerful people in college sports.

On Friday night, Seeley, 46, was named the chief executive officer of the College Sports Commission, the enforcement agency launched by the wealthiest and most powerful conferences to oversee and implement the system that will allow direct payments from NCAA schools to athletes for the first time.

The formal announcement of the CSC and Seeley’s hiring came about two hours after a federal judge approved the $2.8 billion settlement of a trio of antitrust lawsuits facing the NCAA and major college conferences.

A self-described lifelong college sports fan, Seeley brings more than a decade of experience in compliance, enforcement, investigations and policy-making at MLB, along with eight years with the U.S. Department of Justice and a law degree from Harvard.

He said he was drawn to the job by the opportunity to shepherd college sports through a period of transition and into a new era.

“I view this as an area where I can really add value,” Seeley told The Athletic on Sunday in his first interview since a press release announced his hiring.

College sports has a long history of inconsistent enforcement and skirting rules to gain a competitive advantage. The NCAA will still oversee rules related to academics and eligibility, but systems installed to regulate the revenue-sharing cap schools must adhere to, evaluate fair-market value of name, image and likeness deals between athletes and third parties and monitor roster limits will be under the purview of Seeley and the CSC.

He will report to a board made up of the power conference commissioners.

“I think this is a good, new starting point. So whatever existed beforehand does not need to be what exists going forward,” Seeley said. “Culture doesn’t change overnight. I don’t expect that to happen overnight, but I do think that the schools that have signed on to the settlement want rules and want rules to be enforced. Otherwise they wouldn’t have signed on to the settlement. I think student-athletes want a different system. So I think there is a desire for rules enforcement. There’s a desire for transparency.”

Seeley doesn’t have an official start date, but there is no time to waste. Universities can begin directly sharing revenue with college athletes starting July 1. The clearinghouse for evaluating third-party NIL deals for athletes worth at least $600, run by accounting firm Deloitte, goes live Wednesday.

Schools in power conferences are expected to sign formal agreements to abide by rulings made by Seeley and outside arbitrators.

“I haven’t been given assurances of anything, but I do know from my read on this, there is buy-in from the institutions,” Seeley said.

Seeley built the investigations unit at MLB, staffed with lawyers and former law enforcement officers.

“During his time at MLB, Bryan demonstrated unparalleled integrity, a commitment to fairness, and the ability to navigate complex challenges with precision and care,” Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “I have no doubt he will bring the same level of excellence to the College Sports Commission. College sports will greatly benefit from Bryan’s expertise and vision.”

Seeley’s first task at CSC is to again build a staff.

“These are going to be more private-sector investigations, right?” Seeley said. “We don’t have subpoena power. We don’t have search-warrant power. I’ve operated in that system for over a decade, so I’m well-suited to continue to do that with college sports.”

He added, “I think I’m one of the few people in the country who’s probably led investigations into salary-cap circumvention, and so in terms of the subject matter, at least for part of this, I have a lot of experience.”

MLB teams do not operate under a hard salary cap, but there is one for the league’s international amateur talent acquisition system.

One of the most prominent cases Seeley investigated came in 2017, when the Atlanta Braves were found to have circumvented international amateur signing rules over a three-year period. Braves general manager John Coppolella received a five-year ban for his role in the violations. In a separate investigation, Seeley’s group found the Boston Red Sox had also cheated in the international amateur market. Punishment in that case was handed down in 2016.

While the highest levels of college sports are becoming more similar to professional sports, Seeley pushed back on the notion that the power conferences are trying to create another pro league.

“College sports is its own unique thing, and what makes college sports great needs to remain,” Seeley said. “Some of the system we’re going to bring for enforcement is a system that has been used in the pro sports world, but it’s been used in other worlds, too. … But I don’t view this as the professionalization of college sports. Working with schools and working with student-athletes is going to be quite different than working with professional sports teams and professional athletes.”

— The Athletic’s Evan Drellich contributed reporting.

(Photo: Phil Didion / Imagn Images)

Class rankings in college basketball have long been reserved for high school recruiting, where we compare each program’s group of incoming college freshmen. But with the increased focus on the transfer portal and the majority of high-major programs opting for the older players over high school seniors, we’ve added transfer class rankings to the offseason rotation.

In certain ways, doing these is more difficult than for recruiting classes. First-year coaches are bringing in eight to 10 transfers. Other programs might need only one or two players to round out the roster. Some were looking for depth, some for high-end talent. Some were going for one-year players with experience, others are looking for younger players with room to grow.

Nevertheless, we’re giving it a go, with a Rick Pitino vs. Kentucky battle for No. 1 to kick off this first edition.

Bryce Hopkins (17.0 PPG at Providence)
Oziyah Sellers (13.7 PPG at Stanford)
Joson Sanon (11.9 PPG at Arizona State)
Ian Jackson (11.9 PPG at North Carolina)
Dylan Darling (19.8 PPG at Idaho State)
Dillon Mitchell (9.9 PPG at Cincinnati)
Handje Tamba (10.5 PPG at Milligan – NAIA)

St. John’s narrowly got the top spot. The Red Storm had huge success last season leaning on a talented perimeter group built from the transfer portal, and they’re hoping to do the same in 2025-26. Rick Pitino landed five top-100 transfers, led by former first-team All-Big East selection Hopkins and former top-25 recruits Jackson and Sanon. Sellers adds shooting, and Mitchell brings an intriguing amount of versatility. Jackson and Sanon are not natural point guards, so Darling provides insurance at that position.

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Ian Jackson’s best plays of the season

Take a look at Ian Jackson’s top moments with UNC this past season after news of his transfer to St. John’s.

Jayden Quaintance (9.4 PPG at Arizona State)
Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt)
Denzel Aberdeen (7.7 PPG at Florida)
Kam Williams (9.3 PPG at Tulane)
Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG at Alabama)
Reece Potter (6.5 PPG at Miami (OH))

Mark Pope also landed five top-100 transfers, and if it were guaranteed that Quaintance would be healthy for the start of the season, the Wildcats might have the top spot. They’re also relying more on leaps from rising sophomores and steps forward from last season’s rotation players. But this group has the right mix of talent and proven production, and Pope will likely start up to four of the transfers. The key to the season could be Quaintance, who could miss time after suffering a torn ACL in late February.

Yaxel Lendeborg (17.7 PPG at UAB)
Elliot Cadeau (9.4 PPG at North Carolina)
Morez Johnson Jr. (7.0 PPG at Illinois)
Aday Mara (6.4 PPG at UCLA)

Dusty May had Danny Wolf, one of last season’s most impactful transfers, and he should have one again in Lendeborg, who withdrew from the NBA draft at the deadline despite being a projected first-round pick. He’s likely to be one of three transfer starters for the Wolverines, who are bringing in four players ranked in the top 51 of ESPN’s top 100 transfers. Johnson and Mara are poised for breakout seasons, while Cadeau holds the keys to Michigan’s 2025-26 season.

Editor’s Picks2 RelatedRyan Conwell (16.5 PPG at Xavier)
Adrian Wooley (18.8 PPG at Kennesaw State)
Isaac McKneely (14.4 PPG at Virginia)

Pat Kelsey’s incoming transfer class isn’t as deep as some of the other teams on this list, but all three are from the top 35 — and all bring much-needed perimeter shotmaking ability. Conwell was a third-team All-Big East pick who shot better than 41% from 3; Wooley was first-team All-Conference USA and shot 42.2% from 3; and McKneely was one of the best shooters in the ACC last season, knocking down better than 42% from deep. Two of the three will likely start alongside freshman Mikel Brown in an elite backcourt.

Xaivian Lee (16.9 PPG at Princeton)
Boogie Fland (13.5 PPG at Arkansas)
AJ Brown (13.2 PPG at Ohio)

Two of Florida’s incoming transfers are ranked among the top 30 and should comprise one of the most effective playmaking backcourts in the country. Lee was first to commit to the Gators; he’s a two-time, first-team All-Ivy League selection, thanks to stuffing the stat sheets at Princeton. Fland’s decision vaulted Florida into these class rankings — and near the top of the Way-Too-Early top 25. He’s a former five-star prospect and was one of the best freshmen in the country before suffering an injury in January.

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Xaivian Lee’s top plays of the 2024-25 season

Check out Xaivian Lee’s top plays of the 2024-25 season as the Princeton standout transfers to the University of Florida.

Wesley Yates III (14.1 PPG at USC)
Desmond Claude (15.8 PPG at USC)
Quimari Peterson (19.5 PPG at East Tennessee State)
Jacob Ognacevic (20.0 PPG at Lipscomb)
Lathan Sommerville (8.2 PPG at Rutgers)
Bryson Tucker (5.4 PPG at Indiana)
Christian Nitu (1.9 PPG at Florida State)
Mady Traore (juco)

After finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten in Danny Sprinkle’s first season at the helm, Washington needed to upgrade its roster. The Huskies should have one of the most talented perimeter trios in the conference with former USC guards Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude to go along with SoCon Player of the Year Quimari Peterson from East Tennessee State. Yates and Peterson are knockdown shooters, while Claude gets to the rim. Jacob Ognacevic was the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and shot better than 40% from 3. Rising sophomores Lathan Sommerville and Bryson Tucker are upside plays.

Lamar Wilkerson (20.5 PPG at Sam Houston)
Reed Bailey (18.8 PPG at Davidson)
Nick Dorn (15.2 PPG at Elon)
Tucker DeVries (14.9 PPG at West Virginia)
Jasai Miles (15.4 PPG at North Florida)
Tayton Conerway (14.2 PPG at Troy)
Josh Harris (13.4 PPG at North Florida)
Jason Drake (11.1 PPG at Drexel)
Conor Enright (7.5 PPG at DePaul)
Sam Alexis (4.7 PPG at Florida)

For a second consecutive season, Darian DeVries is overseeing a complete overhaul at a new job. Except for a couple of returnees hoping for waivers to play another season and freshman Trent Sisley, the rest of the roster consists of the above names. There are eight double-figure scorers in Indiana’s group of incoming transfers, including a trio in the top 50: DeVries, Wilkerson and Bailey. Indiana focused on perimeter shooting in the portal, a stark contrast to recent years in Bloomington, but the Hoosiers hope their new point guards, Conerway and Enright, will lead the way.

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Xzayvier Brown (17.6 PPG at Saint Joseph’s)
Tae Davis (15.1 PPG at Notre Dame)
Derrion Reid (6.0 PPG at Alabama)
Nijel Pack (13.9 PPG at Miami)

This is a pivotal season for Porter Moser, and he accordingly recruited four top-60 transfers — three having high-major experience and three having played at least two seasons. All four should start from Day 1, too. Pack has started 121 college games and brings Final Four experience to the Sooners, while Davis took a big jump last season. Reid is a former five-star recruit with first-round talent, while Brown might make the biggest impact of the quartet. A bona fide post player would have helped Oklahoma, but this is a great core.

Jordan Marsh (18.8 PPG at UNC Asheville)
Rodney Rice (13.8 PPG at Maryland)
Ezra Ausar (12.5 PPG at Utah)
Chad Baker-Mazara (12.3 PPG at Auburn)
Amarion Dickerson (13.2 PPG at Robert Morris)
Jacob Cofie (7.2 PPG at Virginia)
Jaden Brownell (14.0 PPG at Samford)
Gabe Dynes (6.8 PPG at Youngstown State)
Ryan Cornish (17.1 PPG at Dartmouth)

Eric Musselman was on the ground floor of the transfer movement, building his rosters in this fashion even before the portal existed. The result is another deep group for his second season in Los Angeles, highlighted by perimeter players Rice and Baker-Mazara. The former was one of the best offensive players in the Big Ten late last season, averaging 18.8 points and 45.1% from 3 during an eight-game stretch in January and February. The latter brings two-way ability and Final Four experience. Cofie, Ausar and Dickerson are all impact players up front.

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Raise the roof! Baker-Mazara slams home a big-time and-1 for Auburn

The crowd erupts as Chad Baker-Mazara slams home the and-1 to pad the Tigers’ lead late in the second half.

Bennett Stirtz (19.2 PPG at Drake)
Alvaro Folgueiras (13.8 PPG at Robert Morris)
Brendan Hausen (10.9 PPG at Kansas State)
Tavion Banks (10.1 PPG at Drake)
Ashton Williamson (7.3 PPG at FIU)
Cam Manyawu (7.1 PPG at Drake)
Isaia Howard (4.5 PPG at Drake)
Kael Combs (3.8 PPG at Drake)
Joey Matteoni (redshirt at Drake)

First-year coach Ben McCollum brought several players from the team he guided to the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament with him to Iowa. The key man for him is Stirtz, a potential All-American and one of the premier players in the portal. Folgueiras was the Horizon League Player of the Year and is highly skilled up front, while Hausen should fit perfectly in McCollum’s offense as a knockdown 3-point shooter: He shot 39% from 3 over three seasons at the high-major level.

Blake Harper (19.5 PPG at Howard)
Nik Graves (17.5 PPG at Charlotte)
Owen Freeman (16.7 PPG at Iowa)
Josh Dix (14.4 PPG at Iowa)
Liam McChesney (6.5 PPG at Illinois State in 2022-23)
Austin Swartz (5.9 PPG at Miami)

With program stalwarts Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth, among others, gone after last season, Creighton needed to reload quickly. It didn’t replace its departing stars, but it grabbed top talent. Freeman was one of the best big men in the portal and a capable shot blocker, while Harper and Graves are talented scorers with playmaking promise. Throw in sharpshooter Dix, and Greg McDermott should have one of the best offenses in the Big East. There could be questions defensively, however.

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Keyshawn Hall (18.8 PPG at UCF)
KeShawn Murphy (11.7 PPG at Mississippi State)
Kevin Overton (7.8 PPG at Texas Tech)
Elyjah Freeman (19.3 PPG at Lincoln Memorial – D-II)
Abdul Bashir (juco)
Emeka Opurum (juco)

Last season’s Final Four Tigers relied heavily on transfers, and Bruce Pearl is hoping to replicate some of that portal magic. He landed three top-60 transfers, including Hall, a talented scorer, and Murphy, a proven SEC big man. The intriguing addition is Division II transfer Freeman, a terrific offensive player who brings size and versatility to the wing. We’ll be watching how his production translates to the SEC. Overton could force his way into a starting job, too.

Darrion Williams (15.1 PPG at Texas Tech)
Tre Holloman (9.1 PPG at Michigan State)
Ven-Allen Lubin (8.7 PPG at North Carolina)
Terrance Arceneaux (6.5 PPG at Houston)
Jerry Deng (7.0 PPG at Florida State)
Quadir Copeland (9.2 PPG at McNeese)
Alyn Breed (17.5 PPG in two games at McNeese)
Colt Langdon (redshirt at Butler)

It was clear NC State would take big swings in the transfer portal under new coach Will Wade, and though it took until late May, the Wolfpack came away with one of the best transfers in the country in Williams. He’s versatile, he’s a mismatch for most opponents and he gives Wade a go-to guy for his first season in Raleigh. Wade surrounded his star player with proven high-major talent, including NCAA tournament starters Holloman and Lubin. Arceneaux has a tantalizing ceiling on the offensive end. Two players from Wade’s McNeese roster have also come along.

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