By: D. Scott Fritchen All eyes turn to Arlington, Texas.
Kansas State ended its Big 12 Conference season with a 9-5 win at Cincinnati, giving the Wildcats a school-record 17 conference wins, and K-State, 31-23, currently own a 35 RPI and appear in a good position for a berth in the NCAA Regionals, which […]
Kansas State ended its Big 12 Conference season with a 9-5 win at Cincinnati, giving the Wildcats a school-record 17 conference wins, and K-State, 31-23, currently own a 35 RPI and appear in a good position for a berth in the NCAA Regionals, which will be revealed on May 26.
But for now, K-State turns its attention to the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington, starting on Wednesday. No. 6 seed K-State, 17-13, will face No. 11 Houston, 12-17, at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The K-State/Houston winner will move on to play No. 3 seed TCU on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The games will be shown on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
The 2025 Big 12 Championship, which features an increase to 12 teams, will be played in a single-elimination format for the first time.
K-State Sports Extra’s D. Scott Fritchen spoke with longtime K-State baseball broadcasters Brian Smoller and Matt Walters about the Wildcats, their season, and beyond.
D. Scott Fritchen: Every team is different. In your eyes, what is most unique about this 2025 K-State baseball team?
Brian Smoller: Good question. They are a competitive bunch. They’re so competitive at times that when they went through a slow part or low part of the season, they’re so competitive that they got down on themselves. Emotion in baseball is never a good thing. But for a team that’s relatively new with a lot of first-year guys that have transferred in, they’re remarkably close. I don’t know that I’ve been around a team that’s been this close to each other with a group of first-year players or transfers as this group is. They’re pretty tight. They do it all together. When they’re all hot, they’re all hot together. They’re on the upswing so that’s a good thing.
Matt Walters: The first thing that comes to mind is K-State has a large group of guys from the portal that have shown up in Manhattan from smaller Division I schools and have produced the most home runs in a season in school history and brought the threat of the home run to the plate in so many spots in the order.
Fritchen: What are your biggest takeaways from the Cincinnati series?
Smoller: The big takeaway is that the K-State bullpen stepped up. The bullpen had a 1.08 ERA. The development and performance of Tanner Duke and Ty Ruhl and Tazwell Butler, that gives you a very encouraging sign going into the postseason. There was one question mark going into Cincinnati and that was who they were going throw behind their starters to get some consistency in the bullpen. Some of the matchups on paper actually favored K-State’s starting pitching, and it actually ended up to be the opposite. Lincoln Sheffield was OK on Saturday but the bullpen being as good as it was is a great sign for K-State going into the post season.
Walters: Getting out with a win. I was concerned that if K-State got swept at Cincinnati that it might put K-State in harm’s way regarding the NCAA Tournament. Thursday was a game K-State could’ve easily won and things didn’t go well Friday, and to bounce back and jump on Cincinnati early, set a tone, and finish it off with a 9-5 win was huge. That meant that K-State in the last nine games of the regular season, the last nine conference games, went 5-4 and finished above .500, which sets a much better tone than going 4-5 to finish off the regular season.
Fritchen: What did this K-State team show you in its last home series against No. 12 West Virginia?
Smoller: Faced with a must-win series against a team that was playing pretty well, K-State showed great resolve and had a never-say-die attitude, and of course, the Friday night game was one of the greatest wins in that stadium’s history, coming back from six in the ninth. It just shows you how tight this team is that they have great belief in each other and in their coaches. It’s fun when teams like that, that try that hard and care that much, when it actually pays off and you get wins like that. We saw great performances from Seth Dardar and Keegan O’Connor and all the guys who’ve hit so well at home, and then the pitching performances that the Cats got. It’s fun. It’s a great ride as a broadcaster and a great ride as a fan to see teams that care have it all pay off. That was the culmination of West Virginia, and it really cemented their place in the postseason.
Walters: This has been one of the most special teams at home I can ever recall. This is a team that’s a different team at home for whatever reason. They believe they can come from behind and score and do the necessary things to win games, and against West Virginia they showed that. It’s not the best of habits to fall behind by 5, 6 or 7 runs against a team like West Virginia, who’s had an incredible year. But to be able to move the line, to stretch some things together, and to produce some home runs in there to eradicate a big deficit in the first ballgame of the series, and then to have your heart ripped out late in the ballgame in the Sunday contest and to hang a seven spot on the board screams volumes about this team. They only lost three times in Manhattan all year, which is a spectacular accomplishment.
Fritchen: What most makes this K-State squad a dangerous team heading into the Big 12 Tournament?
Smoller: One of the positives is K-State tries to play a game in Globe Life early in the season, so the surroundings aren’t new. Teams get in there and they’re wowed by the Major League ballpark and the aura of being in the home of the Rangers, and they’re in their locker room, and in their cages. Everything is first rate. So, some of that can kind of distract you from the mission at hand. I don’t think K-State will be distracted. They know they’ll be playing next week. They go in and they’re playing some teams that they’ve played before, and they’ve won in that park already this year. They’re a pretty confident group going into Arlington and feel like they have a chance to make some noise.
Walters: If most everybody is clicking and this team is on the same page, not just in the Big 12 Tournament but in the postseason, it can be very dangerous because of the long-ball potential really anywhere in the order, once again. It’s a team that if you make mistakes, they can make you pay in a big way. If K-State is getting guys on base at the top of the order and guys are driving them in and they’re able to run a little bit and just playing the game like they did at home much of the year, they’re going to be a load to beat. K-State just has to go about its business, not think too much, just play the game. You’ve won 30-plus games and are going to be the field of 64. Just be smart, play smart, do the right thing, and you’re going to have a chance to win some ballgames.
Fritchen: In your mind, why is K-State a NCAA Regional team this year?
Smoller: The schedule has played out exactly as you’d hoped if you’re K-State. They’ve won enough games away from home and have beaten good teams enough that they’re RPI is a great strength. Unfortunately, in college baseball, you don’t have a NET ranking or a College Football Playoff Committee that evaluates teams based on metrics beyond the RPI. College baseball is still trying to figure that out. They have a committee that meets but the RPI is the main metric, and until that changes, you have to figure out how to get the RPI in your favor. Pete Hughes and his staff have done a great job of scheduling in a way that allows K-State to get a high RPI. They’re sitting at 35 in the RPI, and the strength of schedule is really good and they have 31 wins and a number of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins and zero Quad 4 losses. That resonates as good as it gets. They’ll be a No. 3 seed and go somewhere, but as we saw last year, that makes them a dangerous team.
Walters: The fact that they went 17-13 in the Big 12 and had some very quality non-conference wins helped immensely. This is a team that, when it plays with an edge, is a much better baseball team. For whatever reason, this team has struggled on the road, but what’s done is done, you’ve earned your spot into the field of 64, and now you have to prove you belong in the field of 64, and I think this team can. We’ve talked a lot about offense, but the pitching has to uphold its end of the bargain, and there are some guys who have to do a little bit more. K-State maybe needs a little longer starts, and we’ll see if Coach Hughes moves anything around, but pitching and defense has to help out the offense. If K-State plays all three aspects well, they have a chance to rattle some cages, but it can’t just be an offensive postseason for K-State because they’re going to run into teams that are equally if not better offensively. The pitching and defense need to carry some mail here in the postseason.
Fritchen: How do you think the start of the season against No. 6 North Carolina, No. 5 Arkansas, Michigan, No. 22 TCU and No. 2 LSU most benefited this K-State team from the outset?
Smoller: Not only did they play those teams and were competitive, but they won most of those games and then had a chance to win against North Carolina and should’ve won the game against LSU. That showed that this team, they have this belief, and they talk about it all the time, that when they play well, they’re as good as anybody in the country. That’s what separates this team perhaps from some other K-State teams. The talent on this team was evident in those early weeks. We were in Arlington watching the team take batting practice, and I shook my head and told the coaches, “This is an embarrassment of riches. I don’t remember a team that is as talented just individually talented as this team.” They said, “Yeah, we’re pretty excited about this team. We just don’t know where it’s going to go yet.” Every team goes through its ups and downs, but when this team is on, they have the talent to compete with anybody in the country.
Walters: It showed them what they can do and what their potential is. I’m hoping this baseball team remembers that and remembers how it played in Frisco and plays that way now because nobody else is going to give K-State much of a chance to get out of a regional and get to super regional like they did last year. So, if you just play smart baseball, do the right things, move the guy in front of you, and do your part as a player, and hold up your end of the bargain, I think K-State very easily could get to a super regional. But it’s going to take a collective effort. From what happened in that very first weekend and what happened in Arlington and Frisco, that struck an early fire in this baseball team, and I hope they can rekindle it in Arlington and wherever they land in the NCAA Tournament, because this team has the potential to be very, very dangerous, and one you don’t want to play.
Fritchen: What do you consider to be the biggest strengths of this K-State team?
Smoller: Offensively, I think that’s where it starts. The three things that Pete Hughes loves to talk about are home runs, walks and stolen bases. When they’re getting on the base or hitting home runs, they’re really hard to beat. We saw it in the Cincinnati game on Saturday. Cincinnati had a lot of momentum from the first two games of the series, and then it’s their Senior Day and they have a very large and experienced senior class, and K-State just battered them in the first three innings, put up nine runs, and that game was effectively over at that point. They can suck the life out of another team because of the threat of a long ball up and down the lineup, and right now the pitching – especially in the bullpen – is becoming a strength. This is kind of what happened last year. K-State went into the postseason and found some success with starters but their bullpen really kind of rounded into form. That’s kind of following the same path, and it gets you excited about what this team could do.
Walters: There’ve been numerous times this year when this team at the plate is going the opposite direction. When they’re hitting the opposite way, this team is that much better. Keegan O’Connor and Seth Dardar and AJ Evasco and Shintaro Inoue — when they’re letting the ball get a little deep and they go the opposite direction, that means you’re doing really good things at the plate. To me, that’s been one of the most impressive things about this squad is the ability to go to the opposite field with power.
Fritchen: What have been the biggest challenges for this K-State team?
Smoller: K-State is the only team in the Big 12 that has had the same starting rotation for every conference game. That’s a luxury that not everybody else can have, but it also means you have some guys who are maybe a little bit tired. Pete Hughes pointed that out after the Saturday start by Michael Quevedo this weekend, that he could be fatigued having thrown this many innings and in this many games, and in this many high-pressure situations. You have some depth in the bullpen to cover those guys. But starting pitching is the one area where they’re going to have to get some guys to step up the next couple weeks.
Walters: Winning on the road and finding the right mindset on the road. To me, when you play on the road, you have to play with a chip on your shoulder, because the world is against you. I don’t know that this team did that enough this year. You always have to be careful of the sweep, and I know it was highly disappointing to get swept in Stillwater and especially to get swept in Lawrence. Now when you get to the NCAA Tournament, you’ll likely be playing a top seed in its own ballpark and you have to be able to block everything out, believe in the guy next to you defensively, and the guy hitting behind you and in front of you in the order, and believe in the guys on the mound, and you have to go take it like K-State did last year in Fayetteville because they’re not going to give it to you.
Fritchen: For K-State fans who might see the Wildcats in action for the first time in the next couple weeks, who are some MVPs on this squad that fans should know about?
Smoller: I’d start with David Bishop, who is an unspoken MVP. We talked with him about two weeks ago about this team’s knack after losing to BYU and coming back so strongly and just being able to bounce back, and he mentioned that he had taken on a little bit more of a leadership role and a vocal role. I think the leadership role on this team is a really big strength, and he is one of those key guys. For a guy who never in his career has really been a big hitter, as far as putting up eye-popping numbers, he’s having a great finish. He’s playing outstanding baseball, had the three-run home run here the other day, and you can just see him taking on more of a captain role for K-State. He just bleeds purple. He’s definitely a guy to watch. He’s helped lengthen the lineup quite a bit.
Keegan O’Connor has put up All-Big 12 First Team numbers and is one home run shy of breaking the school record. He’s another guy K-State can really lean on. Truthfully, there are probably five or six who are playing outstanding baseball here down the stretch, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. It’s really not one guy you can focus on because as soon as I mention those two players, I’m thinking of three others.
Walters: To have guys come into the program from lower Division I programs and produce like some of the studs in big Division I programs has been beyond rewarding. Keegan O’Connor, Seth Dardar, Shintaro Inoue. A guy we haven’t talked about enough is David Bishop. You look at his five-RBI game on Saturday, and he’s a rock at first base and he’s just been incredible down the stretch. There are so many other guys, too, but that’s where you start because if you go back and look at it, the fact K-State lost the entire middle of its defense and the fact that you win 30-plus games again, finish sixth in the Big 12, and go to the NCAA Tournament again, that speaks volumes. You don’t just lose your catcher, your shortstop, your second baseman and your center fielder and have that kind of success the next year.
Fritchen: What can you say about the job Pete Hughes and his staff have done in Hughes’ seventh season as K-State head coach?
Smoller: I can’t say enough about Pete. First of all, he’s just a great guy to be around. Having done this for 25-plus years now, there are few coaches that make me laugh harder than Pete Hughes. He is just hilarious, and he’s always got great one-liners and keeps the guys loose, keeps the guys accountable, and he does a good job of delivering the message of what they need to do for each game. He relies on analytics and on his staff quite a bit, but he does a good job balancing that with good common sense. He’s one win shy of 200 in his career at K-State, making him the fastest coach to 200 wins in school history based on the number of games. He’s every bit deserving of that. He and his staff are fantastic. It really shows that even at K-State, if you have a coaching staff that’s completely aligned in the mission and in knowing exactly who you want to recruit and who your identity is as a team, and you go and recruit to that and stay true to that, and you work as a staff and you’re all on the same page, you can really do some special things.
Walters: With the incredible turnover compared to 2024, Coach Hughes and the entire staff deserve a big pat on the back, because there was no Kaelen Culpepper or Brady Day and there weren’t the name players, so to speak, and the coaches were able to get this team to believe early on, and when this team played with that chip on its shoulder and played without thinking too much and carefree and with that heart and passion, that’s what you have to do. This is a team that, after getting swept at Oklahoma State or at KU, could’ve gone the wrong way, but this team has stayed the course. It hasn’t produced a 15-game winning streak or a nine-game losing streak. There’s been a level of consistency, and now they have to turn that up a notch as we look to the postseason.
On the Air: How Scott Van Pelt became ESPN’s most trusted anchor
Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry. Live television after a big game can be mayhem. Production associates are hurriedly finishing shot sheets and cutting highlights while producers offer […]
Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
Live television after a big game can be mayhem. Production associates are hurriedly finishing shot sheets and cutting highlights while producers offer instructions to the postgame anchor and communicate with the game crew on-site. Many times, production team members from the stadium or arena are setting up audio and video with the game’s hero, preparing the star performer for an interview with the postgame host.
In the midst of the pandemonium, viewers look to the anchor to enthusiastically deliver highlights, direct traffic and fill time with commentary when there’s an unexpected delay. No one at ESPN performs television’s postgame juggling act better than SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt. In fact, Van Pelt has been so good for so long that it’s easy to take his work for granted.
Take this past Wednesday night. After Arkansas committed costly blunders in its 6-5 College World Series loss to LSU, Van Pelt opened his interview with analyst Kyle Peterson by focusing on the dejected state of the Arkansas players.
“I saw young men in tears and you realize what it means,” Van Pelt said. He then went on to ask Peterson about some of the mental errors Arkansas had made, but for a brief moment, Van Pelt reminded us of something fans can forget: these players are human. Their season was over, their dreams shattered. It wasn’t a moment to pass blame, as debate shows often do. Van Pelt’s observation presented an opportunity for viewers to feel the Razorbacks’ pain.
It’s one of the things that separates Van Pelt from his peers. Besides that, he is an excellent conversationalist and interviewer. Van Pelt understands that as the face of the show, he’s allowed to give opinions and to even set up his questions with some editorializing, but he does it intelligently and in a way that gives his interview subjects somewhere to go.
After Oklahoma City’s comeback win over Indiana in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Van Pelt teed up his question to analyst Tim Legler this way: “For the balance of this evening, it felt like we were going to be talking about the home team (Indiana) ahead 3 games to 1 in this series. They had a 10-point lead late in the 3rd. But Oklahoma City managed to stay in the fight and, when push came to shove — sometimes literally — late, they had more and won. How?”
Van Pelt has mastered the art of cleverly infusing his questions with his own observations. It’s a mix of what SportsCenter used to be — just the highlights — with what sports television has now become: highlights, perspective, commentary, interviews and creative content.
And when news breaks, Van Pelt shines. After Buffalo Bills S Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency in 2023, Van Pelt sensitively guided viewers through. From tossing to various reporters on site to his conversation with analyst Ryan Clark, Van Pelt navigated a terrifying moment with professionalism and poise.
When ESPN rolled out this reimagined SportsCenter in 2015, Van Pelt told Sports Illustrated, “I’m an adult and so are many of the viewers and we will approach it that way. I’m not going to talk down to you. I have a sincere enthusiasm for what we get to do and I think that will translate. I think it will work because they have put me in a position where if it does not I would be surprised.”
Ten years later, not only has it worked, it has lifted Van Pelt’s career to new heights. He was named National Sportscaster of the Year in 2021, he’s the host of Monday Night Countdown — ESPN’s most important pregame show — and he’s the face of the network’s golf coverage.
While he has his detractors, Van Pelt has largely earned a level of trust with viewers that is difficult to attain in this divisive sports television age. He’s not a rambunctious provocateur like Pat McAfee. Don’t look for him to needlessly engage in verbal sparring matches with athletes the way Stephen A. Smith does. Van Pelt is an old school anchor who’s adopted new school approaches and it’s made him ESPN’s most respected host.
Plus: What else can Dan Orlovsky do at ESPN?
After hinting at an uncertain future with ESPN, longtime NFL and college football analyst Dan Orlovsky is expected to re-sign with the network, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Orlovsky will continue his work on NFL Live and the secondary Monday Night Football broadcast crew. He also appears on ABC college football studio coverage and across ESPN’s daytime talk shows.
As one of ESPN’s most prominent football voices, Orlovsky faces a dilemma. His reported talks to succeed CBS lead analyst Gary Danielson suggest he is, at minimum, open to the idea of becoming a lead game commentator. But ESPN’s prime spots — Troy Aikman for the NFL and Kirk Herbstreit for college football — are taken. Tom Brady is on the front end of his mammoth 10-year deal as Fox’s top NFL analyst, while Tony Romo gears up for another season on the primary CBS crew. Last year, Cris Collinsworth reportedly signed a contract extension that will keep him on as NBC’s Sunday Night Football analyst through the 2029-30 season.
Networks are signing large deals with their chief analysts, leaving no room for up-and-comers like Orlovsky to move up the ranks.
While he is just 41 years old, Orlovsky has worked for ESPN for seven years, gaining respect from viewers and industry professionals for his detailed tape breakdowns and unique insights. So respected is he that some have suggested he consider leaving broadcasting for coaching.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter addressed those sentiments earlier this year during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I think Dan aspires to be a head coach in time,” Schefter said. “He’s been talking to people to see if there’s a spot that would work for him. It’s not automatic. He does a great job on TV. Obviously he could stay in TV and do that for the rest of his career if that’s what he wanted.”
While his TV talent is hard to deny, his path to greener TV pastures could be a challenge. Orlovsky lacks the fame and career accolades of Aikman, Romo, Brady, or Peyton Manning. When you’re not a household name, a Super Bowl champion, a former Dallas Cowboy or a future Hall-of-Famer, the route to sports television’s most coveted assignments can be circuitous.
It is possible Orlovsky re-signed with the network because he likes where he is. His chemistry with the rest of the NFL Live cast is strong, and his appearances on ESPN’s daily talk shows allow him to connect with diverse audiences and stand out among his peers.
Orlovsky feels like an ESPN guy. But should he long for more, perhaps a spot on an “A” or “B” Sunday NFL crew, he’ll have to look outside ESPN and make some tough decisions about his broadcasting career.
$2,600,000 Gamble? USC Outbids Buckeyes In Bold NIL Move for Elite Edge Prospect
USC is making some big moves this offseason. The Trojans have landed elite edge rusher Luke Wafle. Josh Newberg and Steve Wiltfong of On3 sat down for an episode of “Wiltfong Whiparound” on Thursday to discuss how USC pulled off the commitment. ”Relentless recruiting,” Wiltfong said. “Over the weekend, I thought Luke Wafle was gonna […]
USC is making some big moves this offseason. The Trojans have landed elite edge rusher Luke Wafle.
Josh Newberg and Steve Wiltfong of On3 sat down for an episode of “Wiltfong Whiparound” on Thursday to discuss how USC pulled off the commitment.
”Relentless recruiting,” Wiltfong said. “Over the weekend, I thought Luke Wafle was gonna go to USC following his official visit to the Trojans campus.”
Penn State football head coach James Franklin takes a photo with recruit Luke Wafle and the Wafle family, including defensive tackle Owen Wafle (34), following the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in State College. The White team defeated the Blue team, 10-8.
Wiltfong opined that NIL played a role in Wafle’s commitment. It was originally suggested that Wafle would take his talents to Ohio State. However, according to Wiltfong, the Trojans offered the biggest NIL package to the four-star recruit, with the deal estimated to be two years and $2.2-$2.6 million.
“They came to terms from an NIL perspective and there was the best offer on the table financially,” Wiltfong said. “When Luke Wafle came back, slept on it, was still feeling USC …by Wednesday, they look like the program to beat.”
Cherry Hill West’s Jordon DeJesus Gonzalez is sacked by Middletown South’s Colin Gallagher and Luke Wafle during the first half of the Cherry Hill West vs. Middletown South NJSIAA Central Group 4 playoff football game at Middletown High School South in Middletown, NJ Friday, October 28, 2022. Mid03
Regardless of the financial aspect, USC is a good choice for Wafle. He is happy with the campus, already knows how to surf, and is confident that defensive line coaches Shaun Nua and Eric Henderson would develop him well as a player. However, Wiltfong argued that it all came down to money.
“At the end of the day, USC wins the bidding war, modern recruiting, to land one of the most coveted defensive players in the country in Luke Wafle and they add him to the No. 1 recruiting class in the land,” Wiltfong added.
While several top programs were in the running to land Wafle, USC’s bold NIL package secured the deal.
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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What Luke Wafle brings to USC
Luke Wafle is the top-ranked 2026 prospect from the state of New Jersey and adds to a Trojans class that On3 praises as the best in the country.
According to 247Sports, Wafle is a four-star recruit ranked as the No. 13 edge in his class. The sizable star stands at 6’5” and 245 pounds and is a dominant defensive force. In his junior season, he accumulated 140 total yards over nine games.
Wafle is an athletic edge with a high ceiling who was a highly sought-after defensive player.
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House vs. NCAA settlement could tame ‘Wild West,’ UNLV’s NIL boss says | Ed Graney | Sports
Bill Paulos is happy there will be more oversight, that the House vs. NCAA settlement demands more scrutiny of name, image and likeness deals within college athletics. That a centralized clearinghouse will be in charge of regulating any NIL transactions. Friends of UNILV is the collective for UNLV, one in which Paulos leads. The House […]
Bill Paulos is happy there will be more oversight, that the House vs. NCAA settlement demands more scrutiny of name, image and likeness deals within college athletics.
That a centralized clearinghouse will be in charge of regulating any NIL transactions.
Friends of UNILV is the collective for UNLV, one in which Paulos leads.
The House settlement allows athletes to be directly compensated by their schools via revenue sharing. There is a limit of $20.5 million this season, though that number has yet to be officially decided.
UNLV has opted in to terms of the settlement and will pay athletes directly. It’s unknown to what threshold the Rebels will reach when deciding how much to distribute.
Then there is the NIL money athletes can continue to receive.
NIL Go is the clearinghouse that will require any athlete to report deals more than $600. Contracts will be reviewed to guarantee they represent fair market value.
Whole new world
“I’m absolutely in favor of there being more (oversight),” Paulos said. “The unfortunate thing is there is a lot of mud in the water. Do you know how many applications there will be for anything over $600? Mind-boggling. We still don’t know what the real definition of revenue is going to be.
“It’s a new world with (the settlement) that will be in constant change. It’s like a new business model — NIL is the startup business. There will be trips and falls and mistakes, but there are a set of rules now. That’s a big step and certainly what the universities want.
“Things have gotten ridiculous with (NIL) across the country. It’s the Wild West. Hopefully, this means you will no longer have someone reach in their pocket and give a kid a million dollars for coming to their birthday party. You won’t be able to do that if you follow these new rules.”
Translation: A large percentage of previous NIL deals would not have been approved under the new system. Most of those were funded by boosters. You have a better chance at being approved via corporate sponsorships.
Which goes to the point about fair market value.
You would guess a starting quarterback at Alabama might be compensated more for a car dealership sponsorship in Tuscaloosa than one with the same deal in Provo, Utah. Even perhaps one in Las Vegas.
But the real goal is to eliminate any “pay for play” situations defined by NIL dollars. To curtail the millions often thrown at recruits to attend certain schools. The real goal is to tame the Wild West.
Here’s one fear, however: that many of the bigger deals simply won’t be reported for approval. That it will be more of a wink-wink situation between collectives and athletes.
“Look, if there’s a rule, someone out there is going to cheat it, unfortunately,” Paulos said. “But at least this is a beginning to try to control things. That’s a positive thing right now.”
Paulos said UNLV’s collective will pay the university some out of its donations while still compensating athletes via NIL deals. That there is still a Rolodex of donors willing to pay and that the collective can be a conduit between them and UNLV.
That commercial donors use such deals as business expenses when the athlete performs a service for them once cleared through NIL Go. The contract just can’t be excessive in what will be deemed fair market value or risk being rejected.
“We’ll be another fundraising arm for the university as long as it wants us,” Paulos said.
Coaches matter
The collective has taken in more money in the past four months than the past four years, Paulos said. He credits much of it to the excitement and anticipation of the football season, but also to coaches the Rebels have hired.
Lindy La Rocque reaffirmed her commitment to the women’s basketball program, ending rumors that she might be on the way out to take the head coaching job at Arizona.
Former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen was hired to continue the historic levels football reached over the past two years under Barry Odom.
Josh Pastner, a former coach at Memphis and Georgia Tech, now leads the men’s basketball program.
It has all made for more interest in UNLV athletics and more donations to NIL efforts.
“Quite frankly, the entire university has also stepped up,” Paulos said. “We’re doing this the right way in accordance with every rule. I can tell you exactly what each kid has made over the last four years — how many hours he or she has worked and where. And we will continue to operate in this manner.”
Get those contracts ready to be approved.
It’s a whole new NIL world, is right.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
Livvy Dunne’s NSFW Madelyn Cline College World Series joke
Olivia “Livvy” Dunne set social media abuzz Friday after making an apparent sexual reference about her and actress Madelyn Cline. The comment came in response to a post on X referencing the College World Series final matchup as the “Madelyn Cline vs Livvy Dunne bowl,” since Cline briefly attended Coastal Carolina and Dunne went to […]
Olivia “Livvy” Dunne set social media abuzz Friday after making an apparent sexual reference about her and actress Madelyn Cline.
The comment came in response to a post on X referencing the College World Series final matchup as the “Madelyn Cline vs Livvy Dunne bowl,” since Cline briefly attended Coastal Carolina and Dunne went to LSU, where she was on the gymnastics team.
Dunne quoted the post, writing: “Gooner World Series.”
“Gooner” is a slang term for a person who masturbates to pornography for a prolonged period of time, sometimes hours or days, without climaxing.
Olivia Dunne attends as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Social Club celebrates the launch of the 2025 Issue on May 16. Getty Images for Sports Illustrated
The post instantly went viral, with some users in the comments questioning whether Dunne had been hacked, while some joked that she was referencing a different meaning of “Gooner” — a nickname for Arsenal fans.
“I sweat this can’t be real,” wrote on user on X.
“This is crazy work,” wrote another.
Besides her gymnastics career, Dunne is an influencer with more than 5 million followers on Instagram.
The 22-year-old is also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and the boyfriend of Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes, who led LSU to the 2023 national title with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts.
Madelyn Cline at the “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER” Trailer Launch Event on June 14. Sony Pictures via Getty Images
Cline, 27, is best known for her portrayal of Sarah Cameron in the Netflix series “Outer Banks,” which propelled her into stardom.
She also gained notoriety for her role in the film “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
Cline dropped out of Coastal Carolina to pursue acting full-time in 2017, reportedly just six weeks into her freshman year.
Olivia Dunne attends the launch of the 2025 Issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 15, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Coastal Carolina, which has become a college baseball powerhouse despite being a mid-major, is 56-11 and enters the College World Series final on a 26-game winning streak that dates back to April 22.
Since arriving in Omaha for the College World Series, the Chanticleers have defeated Arizona (7-4), Oregon State (6-2) and Louisville (11-3).
LSU, on the other hand, clinched its spot after a thrilling come-from-behind 6-5 win over Arkansas on Wednesday.
Madelyn Cline attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 2, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. FilmMagic
The Tigers are riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series begins Saturday night in Omaha.
Boston College Men’s Hockey Commit Noah Davidson Signs With Medicine Hat Tigers
Boston College men’s hockey forward commit Noah Davidson has signed with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Medicine Hat officially announced the signing in a press release on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2008-born forward Noah Davidson and 2007-born defenceman Kyle Heger to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreements. […]
Boston College men’s hockey forward commit Noah Davidson has signed with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
Medicine Hat officially announced the signing in a press release on Thursday afternoon.
The Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2008-born forward Noah Davidson and 2007-born defenceman Kyle Heger to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreements. Welcome to Medicine Hat Noah and Kyle!
Davidson was selected by Medicine Hat with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 WHL U.S. Prospect Draft.
He has spent the last two seasons with Shattuck St. Mary’s U16 and 18 teams. Last season, he appeared in 58 games and notched 40 goals and 32 assists for 72 points.
“Noah is an offensive forward with impressive physical tools combining strength and agility. He has great hands, a heavy shot, and has a knack for finding space for high grade scoring chances.” commented Tigers Director of Player Personnel Bobby Fox.
The Tigers are a Canadian junior team and are located in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. The program has won six WHL championships and two Memorial Cup championships.
The Irvine, Calif., native committed to the Eagles on Nov. 4, 2024. He announced the decision in an Instagram post.
“I am proud and honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 college hockey at Boston College,” said Davidson. “I’d like to thank my family, friends, coaches, teammates, advisors, and everyone who helped along the way.”
Davidson was one of two prospects to be signed by Medicine Hat on Thursday, joining defenseman Kyle Heger, who is currently committed to Western Michigan. Heger shared his decision in February.
Both prospects are projected to join their schools for the 2027-28 season.
Prioritizing camaraderie and competition, Dadhats FC aims to expand local soccer community
MITCHELL — We’re not good. We’re scrappy. That’s the unofficial motto of Dadhats Football Club. ADVERTISEMENT Though a humble statement for a collection of local players, several of whom played collegiately or even beyond, it’s indicative of the spirit of the club, one formed by four adult friends looking for a fun, competitive outlet and […]
That’s the unofficial motto of Dadhats Football Club.
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Though a humble statement for a collection of local players, several of whom played collegiately or even beyond, it’s indicative of the spirit of the club, one formed by four adult friends looking for a fun, competitive outlet and a way to stay connected.
Less than three years into its existence as a club, Dadhats FC, co-founded by Mitchell natives Riley Kurtenbach, Tyler VandenBerge, Dalton Kummer and Courtney Miller, is helping a building soccer community blossom.
“We thought this would be something we could do to get together regularly while we all still live in the same area,” Kurtenbach said. “But it’s already grown into something bigger than just playing soccer on Wednesday nights.”
A member of the Dakota Alliance men’s 11-versus-11 league in Sioux Falls, Dadhats FC is in its third season of operation, competing weekly from early May until mid-to-late July. Captained by Kurtenbach, who played for Mitchell High School during his prep career (also captaining the Kernels in 2017), Dadhats FC has become a landing spot for several former local talents.
Of the 22 players on this year’s Dadhats FC roster, five are former Kernel soccer players, including Riley Kurtenbach and his younger brother, Skylar, while a sixth is a Mitchell product from before the sport was sanctioned at the high school level in South Dakota. Five Dadhats FC players also played college soccer at Dakota Wesleyan University. Caleb Larson, a 2015 MHS captain, is a notable member of both groups, and Trevor Lambert, a 2019 MHS captain, went on to placekick for the DWU football program.
Strong bonds between Dadhats FC players have helped attract new players, too. This season, the club is at the league roster limit of 22 players, and Kurtenbach said he had almost that many more looking to join for the 2025 season.
“With the level of team camaraderie we have, I think that we’ve established a community on our own. It’s not just about the 22 guys on the roster, but the however-many people who are brought together through us,” Kurtenbach said. “Seeing the progression of our team and thinking about what we can do moving forward, that’s what brings me back every Wednesday.”
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Members of the Dadhats FC soccer team meet in a huddle before taking the field for a men’s league soccer game in Sioux Falls.
Photo courtesy of Logan Kurtenbach / Hidden Hills Media
According to Kurtenbach, the club’s namesake, Dadhats — a common term for six-panel caps without a firm front lining — started as something of an inside joke. His friends would poke fun at him for frequently wearing hats to cover up a thinning hairline. However, given the uniqueness of the club nickname, Kurtenbach is quite fond of it and is content to be the butt of the humor.
Ahead of the second year, Kurtenbach’s older brother, Logan, got heavily involved by sponsoring the club through his media production company, Hidden Hills Media. Serving as the team’s videographer and photographer, Logan is also helping grow the club’s presence on social media.
“It had been almost 10 years since I’d seen most of these guys play, but it’s been great to see everyone get back into it,” Logan said. “There was an instant click with this group, almost like it was just last week they were playing (back in high school or college).”
“There’s definitely a switch that a majority of us haven’t turned off from our time playing at a higher level,” Kurtenbach added. “It’s great when you can go and compete every week and still want to go win something, but know that it’s also just for fun.”
As Dadhats FC continues to flourish on the pitch, the club also has ambitions to contribute to local youth soccer and help grow the game. In the short term, the club is exploring options to host skills development camps and small-sided tournaments such as 3-on-3 or 5-on-5.
“We’re going to keep it going for as long as we can,” Logan said.
“It seems like the way soccer is heading in South Dakota, it’s more of an elitist type of sport, and that just pains me to see,” Kurtenbach added. “We just want as many people to be able to play the game and be afforded those opportunities as possible.”
Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball; area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field; and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.