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Student Athletes In Beverly Hills To Be Equipped By Nike In TK

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Student athletes in the Beverly Hills Unified School District will be decked out in Nike equipment as part of an agreement inked between school officials and the iconic sports brand that covers students from elementary through high school. The five-year partnership between the district, Nike and BSN Sports, see the district’s […]

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Student Athletes In Beverly Hills To Be Equipped By Nike In TK

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Student athletes in the Beverly Hills Unified School District will be decked out in Nike equipment as part of an agreement inked between school officials and the iconic sports brand that covers students from elementary through high school.

The five-year partnership between the district, Nike and BSN Sports, see the district’s sports teams wear official Nike gear for games, practices and events beginning with the 2025-26 school year, officials announced this month.

“This partnership is a major step forward for BHUSD,” Superintendent Alex Cherniss said. “Our student-athletes will now compete in the highest quality gear available, and our entire community will benefit from enhanced branding and spirit wear that reflects the pride we have in each school.”

Officials said not announce the financial details of the contract.

Under the deal, BSN Sports will be the exclusive provider of Nike products and athletic equipment across the district. The partnership also features a guest speaker event and a visual branding package designed to create a cohesive athletic identity across all campuses, officials said.

“This is more than uniforms, it’s a symbol of unity. Nike represents athletic excellence on a global scale, and BHUSD represents educational excellence in one of the most iconic communities in the world. Together, this partnership says our students deserve the best. It’s about uniting every campus, every sport, every family around a shared commitment to greatness. We are proud to lead, proud to win, and excited to do it together,” Board of Education member Russell Stuart said.

Community members will also be able to purchase BHUSD-branded Nike merchandise via an online store.

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What Gavin McKenna’s commitment means for the NCAA, CHL, Penn State, NIL and more

It has been eight months, almost to the day, since the NCAA voted to open up eligibility to Canadian Hockey League players. We’re now weeks away from the official Aug. 1, 2025 date set by the Division I Council. The flow of college hockey commitments from OHL, QMJHL and WHL players is now ramping up […]

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It has been eight months, almost to the day, since the NCAA voted to open up eligibility to Canadian Hockey League players. We’re now weeks away from the official Aug. 1, 2025 date set by the Division I Council.

The flow of college hockey commitments from OHL, QMJHL and WHL players is now ramping up as each school’s admittance deadline for the fall semester approaches — as are CHL clubs’ efforts to develop relationships with agencies and NCAA programs and recruit players across the border in the other direction from U.S. minor hockey, Canadian Jr. A and the USHL.

On Tuesday night, when the reigning CHL Player of the Year and No. 1 prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft class, Gavin McKenna, announced on ESPN’s SportsCenter his decision to commit to play his draft year at Penn State University, it marked the biggest decision since November’s rule change and arguably the biggest freshman recruitment in the history of college hockey.

Here’s where the landscape stands and what it means for the NCAA, CHL, Penn State and the rippling impact of NIL money in the sport.


Different approaches around the NCAA in new era

Penn State’s approach in this new era of recruiting has been pretty clear: The Nittany Lions have positioned themselves and their NIL pot as a major player financially and are looking to capitalize on the momentum of a Frozen Four appearance to sell their first-class facilities, coaching staff (led by head coach Guy Gadowsky) and Hockey Valley as a new top destination for players.

But more interesting than that to me over the last several months has been the different ways schools are going about their sales pitch. Michigan State has really sold its coaching staff under Adam Nightingale and the renewed history and facilities at Munn Ice Arena to successfully recruit top classes and transfers. I heard a lot about Boston College, Boston University and Maine spending time in QMJHL rinks this year, and Maine has had some positive early successes tapping into Quebec and eastern Canada for players. Colorado College under Kris Mayotte has smartly recruited mid-round picks who were top players for their CHL teams, but are maybe not marquee names. Nebraska-Omaha is trying to carve out a reputation as a U Sports recruiter and has successfully recruited a class of former top CHLers who didn’t get pro deals and were stars at Canadian universities last year. North Dakota is using geography, history and a new staff structure to go after the top players in western Canada and has already landed two big ones in top 2026 prospect Keaton Verhoeff and 2025 first-rounder Cole Reschny. And there are other programs, like the University of Minnesota which has so heavily focused on players from within the state for so long, that haven’t yet made the same kind of inroads.

Who has success doing what is going to be one of the fascinating stories of the next few years in college hockey.

The CHL will still be the CHL

I think there’s been a bit of hyperbole and conjecture in all of this about the ultimate fate of the CHL.

There have been a little over 150 commitments made by CHL players to the NCAA. Of those, roughly 85 percent are graduating or 19-year-old players, meaning only a little over 20 players aged 17-18 have so far made the move for next year. In the last couple of weeks, several first-rounders who had interest from top NCAA programs, including Jake O’Brien, Benjamin Kindel and Lynden Lakovic, have decided to return to the CHL and sign entry-level contracts with their NHL clubs. (Look out for a few more in the next couple of weeks.)

It’s still a sensitive topic and time for the leagues, their teams and owners and fans in 61 hockey markets.

The counterflow back the other way and into the CHL has been real as well, though. More than 25 USHL players made the move to the CHL this season, and others, like Sharks second-rounder Haoxi Wang, made the move out of Canadian Jr. A and into the league. In the fall, college-bound USHL players like Blake Montgomery and Lev Katzin made quick decisions to come north. Other top young Canadian players like Adam Valentini and Caleb Malhotra, who didn’t previously have the CHL as an option after they made NCAA commitments, are now choosing it as their preferred path into college. A record number of American players were taken in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. Some of the bigger programs think they can challenge the U.S. NTDP for top American talent now. The Quebec Remparts were aggressive in the QMJHL draft, targeting prospects in the U.S. The Saint John Sea Dogs have a history of pulling American players from the northeast of the U.S. that they can now lean on. The Penticton Vees, the CHL’s newest franchise, have a similar history out west and established relationships with NCAA programs. I’ve heard that franchises like Portland, Moncton and Kitchener have also worked hard to establish lines of communication with agencies and schools.

“There’s this big thing that we hate them and they hate us, but we’ve all got buddies who coach in the NCAA,” one OHL general manager told The Athletic.

“In my eyes, build a good program, have good coaching, development, communication, then why would they leave? It’s the best development league in the world,” said another OHL general manager.

Just last week, the Brantford Bulldogs secured USHL and Czech national team star Adam Benák, a Wild prospect, in the CHL Import Draft. The Regina Pats drafted USHL goalie and Red Wings prospect Michal Pradel. The Sea Dogs drafted Olivers Murnieks, a potential top-two-rounds pick in 2026, who played last season in the USHL. On Monday, I got a text about Nikita Klepov, another potential top-two-rounds pick in 2026 who played in the USHL last season and may end up in Saginaw next year. The list goes on.

“Once everything kind of settles, is it a bad thing? I don’t know if it’s a bad thing,” said a QMJHL head coach.

The $ — and NIL — of it all

Money talks.

It has always talked loudly in hockey, an expensive sport made up predominantly of well-to-do people.

But it’s talking louder than ever in the sport right now, and McKenna’s package from Penn State has set a new bar. Not that long ago, top NHL prospects were telling me they were getting branded sweaters and free meals at local restaurants as their NIL packages. McKenna’s package, all in all, is rumored to be upwards of $700,000 USD — or in and around a million CAD. (I haven’t been able to verify that number with people connected to McKenna, but it’s the biggest package ever given to a college hockey player.)

The CHL’s three leagues remain in good positions to hold their standings as the NHL’s top leagues for developing players. Several markets, including Brantford and Ottawa, have new arenas in the works. On Tuesday morning, at the height of McKenna Watch, the Drummondville Voltigeurs announced a complete overhaul of their Centre Marcel Dionne. There is big money behind organizations like Moncton and Saint John. In May, players’ area upgrades were announced for The Aud, Kitchener’s legendary arena. Other teams have reached out to their municipalities for the first time in decades in an effort to take this moment to improve their facilities and offerings.

“It puts a little bit of the onus on the owners of upscaling what they have to offer for facilities,” one OHL coach told The Athletic.

However, many CHL clubs can’t compete with the money and facilities offered at the big American schools. I’ve been to dozens of the CHL’s rinks and virtually all of the NCAA’s big schools. I’ve been behind the scenes at Wisconsin’s Kohl Center and Labahn Arena, and Michigan State’s newly upgraded and iconic Munn Ice Arena. I know what they’re up against. But where the money goes, the players will benefit. That’s true in both the NCAA and CHL, where the developments of the last year are only positive for what they mean for the pockets of the players and the amenities and paths they’ll have available to them on either side of the border.

There’s fear within the CHL and the NCAA that the rich will get richer and smaller markets and schools will have an even tougher time competing with the likes of London in the CHL and the powerhouses in the Big Ten or Hockey East than they already do, but smart hockey and business minds will find niches and avenues forward.

A program-shaping time for Penn State

The Nittany Lions didn’t become a Division I hockey program until 2011. When they did, they brought in Guy Gadowsky, previously of Princeton and Alaska-Fairbanks. In their second season as a Division I program, they played as a conference-less independent school. They’ve yet to produce an NHL player of note. But after a stunning run to the Frozen Four following a difficult, testy start to last season, they’ve now suddenly emerged, with their big-money backing (and their Pegula Ice Arena — with all of its bells and whistles — named after it), as a front-runner in the recruiting race for top talent. Last year’s team helped turn Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink into one of the country’s top scorers and overager Charlie Cerrato into a second-round pick, but they’ve never had a best-in-class freshman class, or even a freshman class of any notoriety. Now, after landing big transfer portal gets like Mac Gadowsky, Guy’s son, and goaltender Kevin Reider, they’ve also lured freshmen like Blue Jackets first-rounder Jackson Smith, Flames prospect Luke Misa and now McKenna.

And it cannot be overstated what McKenna does for the Nittany Lions. Not only is it a transformational time for the program and its boosters, it could create another potential giant in a Big Ten conference that had already had quite the glow-up over the last several years thanks to the re-emergence of Michigan State and the continued relevance of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin (albeit with mixed on-ice results for the latter).

A player like McKenna in Hockey Valley was unthinkable a short time ago. Part of the impetus of his decision was to put his mark on the program he chose. In choosing Penn State, he changes everything for them.

(Photo: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)



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Kentucky Wildcats Football: Phil Steele 2025 Forecast

Phil Steele gave his 2025 forecast for the Kentucky Wildcats this upcoming college football season and the veteran writer expects a bit of improvement from the ‘Cats. The 2025 college football season will be the most important of the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky, as it suffered their worst season since 2013 in 2024 (4-8). Kentucky […]

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Phil Steele gave his 2025 forecast for the Kentucky Wildcats this upcoming college football season and the veteran writer expects a bit of improvement from the ‘Cats. The 2025 college football season will be the most important of the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky, as it suffered their worst season since 2013 in 2024 (4-8).

Kentucky stunned No. 6 Ole Miss on the road last season, but lost its other eight game against power-four programs. It heads into this season with a new quarterback, Zach Calzada from Incarnate Word, but returns 14 starters from last year’s team.

“Mark Stoops opened with three losing seasons (1 play away from bowl in both ’14 and ’15) but delivered 8 straight bowls,” Steele wrote. “In 2021 UK finished in sole possession of 2nd place in the SEC East for the first time ever at 10-3. In ’22 Cats fans beat me up all summer for having them #35 in my preseason rankings. UK entered the season ranked (#20) for the first time since 1978 (4-6-1 that yr) and they opened 4-0 and #7 AP, but they went 3-6 and were not among the 40 teams that drew a vote in the final AP poll. In ’23 they opened 5-0 and rose to #20 AP, but lost 5 of their next 6 before upsetting #9 [Louisville] (Stoops was 2-18 vs top 10 teams prior) and finished 7-6 again.”

Steele expects Kentucky to be better on both sides of the ball

Prior to the 2024 season, Kentucky had appeared in a bowl game in eight consecutive seasons with four wins.

Kentucky has had just two winning seasons in SEC play since 1977 (both under Stoops, both 5-3). The Vegas Over/Under for Kentucky was 6.5 in ’24. UK opened 1-2 with a blowout loss to South Carolina then beat #6 Ole Miss the highest ranked team they beat on road since 1977 (Penn State) to move to 3-2. UK lost their remaining 6 games vs FBS foes (beat 1-10 Murray State) losing the last 5 by 20 PPG. UK is 2-12 in its last 14 SEC home games! They are 7-18 in the SEC since their 2021 Citrus Bowl win.”

“This year they have 14 returning starters but were -100 mpg in SEC play last year. The Vegas Over Under for the Cats is just 4.5 after their 4-8 year. There are plenty of indicators pointing up, like a +3.0 on my Stock Market indicator, they were -7 TO’s and -3 Net upsets. This team figures to be better on both sides of the ball but not enough to make my Most Improved list.”

Kentucky will open the season against Toledo on August 30th. Its first conference game takes place against Ole Miss on September 6.



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You need a sense of humor to cope with NIL football deals

The mere mention of “NIL” raises the blood pressure of many football fans, who bemoan the fact that college sports are now “all about the money.” But this didn’t happen overnight. In fact, college football has been all about the money for a while. You just had to look in the right places to notice. […]

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The mere mention of “NIL” raises the blood pressure of many football fans, who bemoan the fact that college sports are now “all about the money.” But this didn’t happen overnight.

In fact, college football has been all about the money for a while. You just had to look in the right places to notice. Coaches and schools were cashing in long before players were allowed to capitalize on their name, image and likeness.

Fans have become accustomed to even incompetent coaches amassing great wealth. But they’re still adjusting to teenagers striking it rich before they ever play a down of college football.

Just last week, Texas Tech received a commitment from an offensive lineman named Felix Ojo. In return, the Red Raiders will provide him with a $5.1 million NIL deal.

You shouldn’t have been shocked by the amount of the deal or the school behind it. Texas Tech already has a million-dollar softball pitcher on its payroll. The way the Red Raiders are spending, they’re bound to win a championship in something – or maybe, everything.

If you are perplexed – outraged, even – I can help. After all, compassion is one of the cornerstones of this column, which is why I’ve encouraged frustrated fans to focus on the game itself, rather than the cash flow that often seems so overwhelming. Fixating on the money prevents you from realizing the game is still as entertaining as ever.

Humor also will help you cope. I’ve become increasingly amused by various aspects of NIL-related developments.

For example, take Texas Tech’s aforementioned “big buy.” Guess whom it outbid for Ojo? None other than college sports superpower Texas.

Isn’t that worth a chuckle?

This is worth more than a chuckle: College sports programs want to keep revenue-sharing and NIL deals secret. Their concern is for team chemistry, as if team chemistry already hasn’t been impacted.

Players will find out how much other players make. To think otherwise is laughable.

And even if players turned mute on all things financial, others would talk. How did we find out about Ojo’s oh-my deal? His agent told ESPN.

Why wouldn’t he? One mega-deal can lead to more mega-deals for agents. Self-promotion is their lifeblood.

One of my biggest sports laughs this summer was provided by the NCAA and is indirectly related to NIL.

The NCAA launched a public service announcement called “Don’t be a loser,” which targeted fans who lost bets and then unleashed their wrath on “student-athletes” via social media.

The funniest part of the commercial: the NCAA still referring to its participants as “student-athletes.” That’s as out of date as leather helmets. They’re pros now, which means they’re being paid to perform.

If a subpar performance costs a bettor, the pro athlete shouldn’t expect to be thanked on social media for giving it the “old college try.”

You don’t have to lose a bet to lose money on college sports these days. Schools are charging more for tickets to help finance revenue-sharing with their athletes.

And if your school’s pro athletes are costing you bets or victories, you could lose your sense of humor.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.





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Kansas State thinking College Football Playoff after Avery Johnson passed on NIL offers

Of course it came back around. All it took was Chris Klieman to admit it, and open yet another window to the absurdity of the now transactional sport of college football. Fortunately for Kansas State, star quarterback Avery Johnson didn’t bite at NIL offers from bigger schools.  Because pushing out a championship starting quarterback last year […]

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Kansas State thinking College Football Playoff after Avery Johnson passed on NIL offers


Of course it came back around. All it took was Chris Klieman to admit it, and open yet another window to the absurdity of the now transactional sport of college football. Fortunately for Kansas State, star quarterback Avery Johnson didn’t bite at NIL offers from bigger schools. 

Because pushing out a championship starting quarterback last year for his potentially rare backup, only to have the potentially rare quarterback leave a year later, would’ve been peak transfer portal nonsense. 

Instead, there was Johnson, representing K-State at Big 12 Media Days, setting lofty goals for Year 2 as a starter. And maybe finally reaching those Johnny Manziel comparisons.

“I can’t wait for the season to begin,” Johnson said Tuesday, July 8 at Big 12 Media Days. “We’re shooting for a Big 12 championship. Anything else would be a letdown.”

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) scores a touchdown against Rutgers during first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix.

And speaking of letdowns, get a lot of this drama: It was prior to last season when Klieman – one of two coaches in school history to win a conference championship in the modern era – gambled on Johnson by placing the program in his hands.

Will Howard had one season of eligibility remaining, and was a year removed from leading K-State to its first Big 12 championship since 2012. He and Klieman met, and they decided maybe both needed a fresh start.

Johnson led K-State to nine wins in 2024, and had the Wildcats in the College Football Playoff hunt until the last week of the regular season. 

Howard led Ohio State to the national championship.

BIG PLANS:The billionaire booster who wants to save college sports

TOP 25: Ranking the best college football quarterbacks

In a not so surprising twist of irony, when the offseason arrived, guess who was fielding transfer opportunities from major Power conference teams? That would be Johnson — the same quarterback Klieman elevated over Howard in 2024 to prevent Johnson from leaving for the transfer portal in the first place.

Look, it’s a business now. A crazy, unbridled mess of a business. “But he likes it here,” Klieman said of Johnson, who threw 25 touchdown passes in 2024, and rushed for more than 600 yards in his first season as a starter.Really, he does. Johnson grew up in Wichita, about two hours south of the campus in Manhattan. He knows Kansas, he has lived Kansas. More important: Kansas loves him. Johnson has an impressive NIL portfolio, which recently added deals with CVS and a regional telecommunications provider. This on the heels of a deal last year with a local car dealership, which paved the way for him to drive around Manhattan in a lavender Corvette Stingray and black Mercedes AMG GT. Not only that, you, too, can swig Johnson’s favorite drink (strawberry lemonade) thanks to an NIL deal with a local drink manufacturer. So yeah, life is good in Kansas. Now it’s time to make it even better on the field. 

Johnson says he has gained “10-12 pounds” in the offseason, has built strength and hasn’t lost what makes him so dangerous: speed and dynamic athleticism. 

He says the game moves slower now, and Klieman added more pieces around Johnson with key transfer portal additions to further develop the pass game. Three of K-State’s top four receivers arrived this offseason from other schools.

“The best supporting cast I could ask for,” Johnson said. “It’s a different feeling now. I’m so much farther ahead of where I was at this time last year.”

Last month, Johnson was invited to the Manning Passing Academy, an invitation typically reserved for the elite of the game. He roomed with Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) and Austin Simmons (Mississippi).

“An SEC room,” Johnson joked. 

Who knows just how close he came to joining that conference, and competing in the quarterback-heavy league. How close K-State went from experiencing both sides of transfer portal turnover at the most important position on the field. 

From a difficult choice one year, to a difficult departure the next. From learning on the job one season, to improving his completion percentage, and making better decisions post snap.

He understands the position and the concepts. Now it’s all about refining his game, and reaching the massive expectations coming out of high school.  

“I love this team, I love the chemistry we’re building,” Johnson said. “Everybody should be excited.”

Because Johnson didn’t bite — and allow what goes around to come back around. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

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TCU Olivia Miles One of Three Big 12 Athletes Announced As Venmo Brand Ambassadors

On Tuesday morning, Venmo/PayPal announced its partnership with the Big 12, and TCU guard Olivia Miles was among the three student-athlete brand ambassadors along with Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady. The Big 12 and school-branded Venmo Debit Mastercards will allow students and fans from participating schools to access ticket […]

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TCU Olivia Miles One of Three Big 12 Athletes Announced As Venmo Brand Ambassadors

On Tuesday morning, Venmo/PayPal announced its partnership with the Big 12, and TCU guard Olivia Miles was among the three student-athlete brand ambassadors along with Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady.

The Big 12 and school-branded Venmo Debit Mastercards will allow students and fans from participating schools to access ticket giveaways and other events and perks. Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, and West Virginia will all have team-branded Venmo debit cards. The cards will be available for access beginning on August 11, with the physical cards scheduled to ship in September.

Miles, the Horned Frogs’ prized possession out of the portal and former Notre Dame basketball star, decided to forgo the WNBA Draft and transfer to TCU in large part because of the financial opportunities that exist in the new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era.

“Partnering with Venmo allows me to take more ownership of my financial journey as a student-athlete,” said Miles. “With the TCU Venmo Debit Card, I can spend my NIL earnings in so many ways – whether it’s helping to cover travel to support my family, giving back to the community, or just handling everyday essentials like groceries and training meals. What makes this partnership even more special is being able to share what I’ve learned about the Venmo Debit Card benefits and financial responsibility to guide the next generation of student-athletes.”

In 2024 with the Fighting Irish, Miles averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game, shooting 48.3% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 79% from the free throw line. She also added 5.6 rebounds per game, 5.8 assists per game and 1.4 steals per game. In 2023, Miles set career highs in both rebounds and assists per game with 7.3 and 6.9 respectively.

KillerFrogs.com talked to Olivia Miles on Tuesday afternoon, discussing her deal with Venmo and her decision to transfer to TCU.

Q: Olivia, how did you first get involved with PayPal?

A: I first got involved when I was in middle school, traveling a lot with basketball tournaments. I needed ways to buy Gatorade and snacks or whatever it may be, so I used it ever since I was young.

Q: What does it mean to be able to represent those national brands as well as a national brand like TCU?

A: I mean it’s incredible. NIL has gifted us so many oppurtunities with this one being one of them. It’s just incredible to partner with such a well known brand that does such great work in the communitiy and aligns with my beliefs and my values. Sam’s a great ambassador as well so I’m excited to work with him?

Q: Has your usage of Venmo changed with this deal at all?

A: No, it’s been pretty consistent. I use it at least a few times a week to do some transactions. With this deal they’ll be sending a few of my NIL payments through Venmo so it will be cool to use it that way. I’ve never used it that way actually. I’m excited to learn a new way to use the system.

Q: They mentioned earlier today that there would be an app where athletes can moniter their NIL brand? Have you gotten any word on that?

A: I haven’t but I do hear it’s in the works. I’m excited for new developments like that and hopefully I can work with them on that a little bit.

Q: What does it mean to have an app like for the financial literacy of all student-athletes?

A: It’s incredible. NIL can get very confusing especially when you’re getting a lot of deals or you’re trying to build your brand. Keeping up with it can be pretty tough so having an app where your brand is centralized will be really helpful for athletes to not get confused or lost and to keep their brand in one place.

Q: Women’s basketball, especially recently, has been a sport where there have been a couple of teams at the top dominating. What gives TCU the potential to enter that realm, and how do you think TCU does that?

A: I think with the increase in NIL oppurtunites and revenue sharing, it allows the not traditional schools like TCU to compete with the traditionally big schools like UCONN and Tennessee or whoever it may be. So it kind of levels the playing field. It allows for schools to compete with whoever they want in this day in age.

Q: What have your first impressions been of Mark Campbell?

A: My first impressions were when I was younger in high school when he recruited me to Oregon. But my first impressions of him here are amazing. He was just with me in Chile when we won gold. He’s a very supportive coach, father husband and he’s a great role model for us. He empowers young women and I love that.

Q: This year, TCU is going to have three players that are 6-foot-7 or taller, making you guys the tallest group in the country. How easy does that make your job in terms of finding them and opening up the court?

A: As long as they can set screens and catch the ball, it’s gonna make my job really, really easy. I’m excited to play with such great players. Mark did a great job recruiting players that make sense in our system and players that make sense with the players around us. You can’t teach height. We’re just excited to have such great targets on our team.

Follow KillerFrogs on X to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well.

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Felix Ojo’s agent sets the record straight on the biggest rev-share deal in college f

Five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo is the centerpiece of the largest revenue share deal in college athletics after committing to Texas Tech. The Mansfield, Texas, native ranks as the top player at the position and one of the highest-touted recruits in the 2026 class. Multiple major college football programs were in the hunt for Ojo’s […]

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Five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo is the centerpiece of the largest revenue share deal in college athletics after committing to Texas Tech.

The Mansfield, Texas, native ranks as the top player at the position and one of the highest-touted recruits in the 2026 class. Multiple major college football programs were in the hunt for Ojo’s services, but it was the Red Raiders that outbid some of the biggest spenders in NIL for his commitment.

The lucrative deal is worth $5.1 million over three years for the highest-rated commit in Texas Tech history. And this comes in the aftermath of the House settlement, which capped schools at $20.5 million to field rosters this year.

Larger programs like Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Ole Miss and Ohio State, among others, weren’t able to sway Ojo from the Red Raiders, backed by The Matador Fund collective that is driven by billionaire booster Cody Campbell.

Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, confirmed the reported numbers around Ojo’s revenue share deal on Monday before revealing that his other offers decreased “overnight” as the new NIL model was instituted on July 1.

“What a lot of schools are going to do is allow that House settlement cap to lower the numbers,” Shelby said via Front Office Sports. “We’ve seen that with Felix. Some numbers went down overnight, based on the House settlement.”

Schools now face the challenge of maintaining competive football rosters while also backing other sports, including those in the non-revenue space.

“And I understand that,” Shelby continued. “When you have $20.5 million that you can spend, football is probably going to average $16 million, and there is 105 players. So, you really have to have a good GM and a good staff to really be able to manage that money.”

Supporting head coach Joey McGuire, general manager James Blanchard has put a significant stamp on the program’s best recruiting run, featuring the top transfer class in the 2025 cycle over major powers like LSU, Ole Miss, Oregon and Miami.

As Felix’s other NIL packages began to dip in light of the revenue share cap, Blanchard and Co. stuck to the original figure. And that seems to have been a major factor in the decision.

“So a lot of the numbers will go down,” Shelby said. “In Felix’s case, that stayed the same. So, he didn’t lose anything (with Texas Tech) overnight with the House settlement, and that eventually won out with Felix.”



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