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President Trump's NIL commission reportedly on pause for now

Since President Donald Trump spoke at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremony earlier this month, speculation has swirled about his potential executive action to reshape college sports. The centerpiece of that speculation was a proposed presidential commission on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) reform — a panel Trump was expected to create via executive order, […]

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President Trump's NIL commission reportedly on pause for now

Since President Donald Trump spoke at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremony earlier this month, speculation has swirled about his potential executive action to reshape college sports.

The centerpiece of that speculation was a proposed presidential commission on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) reform — a panel Trump was expected to create via executive order, with former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban rumored to be a central figure.

However, that plan is now reportedly on hold.

RELATED: Tuberville: Trump and Saban could join forces to tackle NIL reform – hopes to talk tonight at UA

According to new reporting from Pete Nakos of On3 and Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports—who first broke news of the commission—Trump’s NIL commission has been paused, at least for now.

“Expectation is commission will eventually be formed,” Nakos wrote Thursday, “but is being delayed as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz works to push through federal legislation.”

The pause also comes amid an impending legal settlement in the House that could dramatically alter the future of NIL in college athletics.

That settlement could determine whether student-athletes are legally deemed employees and entitled to a share of the revenue they help generate — effectively professionalizing college sports.

RELATED: House settlement leader tells Saban and Trump to stay out of NIL dispute

With that uncertainty in play, Trump appears to be giving lawmakers and the courts time to act before launching any executive initiative.

Saban has subtly downplayed the idea of needing a formal commission. Appearing last week at the Regions Tradition golf tournament in Birmingham, he surprised some by distancing himself from the rumored role.

“I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever. I don’t think we need a commission. I’ve said that before,” Saban said. “I think we know what the issues are, we just have to have people who are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues.”

Speaking Tuesday at a Nick’s Kids charity golf tournament, Saban clarified that while he doesn’t see a commission as fundamentally necessary, he remains open to helping however he can.

“I’m all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial to helping create some of those solutions,” he said.

“I know President Trump is very interested in athletics. He’s very interested in college athletics. He’s very interested in maintaining the idea that people go to college to create value for the future in terms of how they develop as people, students, graduation rate, as well as having a balanced, competitive playing field,” Saban said. “If I can be a consultant to anyone who might be able to help the future of college athletics, I would be more than happy to do that.”

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

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Deion Sanders says he wishes college football had a salary cap

University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders called for a salary cap for college football, saying the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space in the NCAA has “gone crazy” while speaking at Big 12 Media Days. “I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said, according to ESPN. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if […]

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University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders called for a salary cap for college football, saying the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space in the NCAA has “gone crazy” while speaking at Big 12 Media Days.

“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said, according to ESPN. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does … So the problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him a half million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”

The June 6 settlement of the House v. NCAA class action lawsuit, which accused the NCAA of illegally limiting athlete compensation, allows schools to pay athletes directly. It instituted a revenue-sharing cap, set at $20.5 million for the 2025-26 school year. Sanders doesn’t believe that’s enough to level the playing field.

“I wish it was truly equality,” he said. “Now they go back to doing stuff under the table. They go back to the agents. Now you’ve got parents trying to be agents, you’ve got the homeboys trying to be agents, you’ve got the friends trying to be agents. You got a lot of bull junk going on. And quite frankly, we’re sick of it. I’ll say it for everybody: We’re sick of it.”

Sanders claimed that he sees college players get offers from other schools despite not being in the transfer portal.

“How is that possible when the guys isn’t in the portal? How is that?” Sanders said, according to The Athletic. “Now, if that was one of my players, y’all would be all over it. I’m trying to figure out how can somebody say, ‘You’ve got a $5 million offer.’ How? And the kid isn’t in the portal. We need to be upright and upstanding.”

After going 4-8 in Sanders’ first season at the helm, Colorado improved to 9-4 with an Alamo Bowl appearance last year. The Buffaloes are moving on from stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, and had a solid recruiting class with 13 enrollees from the class of 2025, led by four-star quarterback Julian Lewis. They also have 33 incoming transfers, according to 247Sports.



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Avoli’s Top NIL Volleyball Athlete Partnerships

Data provided by Student Athlete Score (July 10th, 2025) – Avoli, a leading volleyball performance brand, continues to make waves in the college sports world with its impressive roster of NIL athlete partnerships. Known for its focus on empowering the next generation of volleyball players, Avoli has strategically aligned with some of the top collegiate […]

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Data provided by Student Athlete Score

(July 10th, 2025) – Avoli, a leading volleyball performance brand, continues to make waves in the college sports world with its impressive roster of NIL athlete partnerships. Known for its focus on empowering the next generation of volleyball players, Avoli has strategically aligned with some of the top collegiate talent across the country. From Texas to Virginia and USC to Dayton, these partnerships reflect a growing trend of niche sports brands leveraging NIL to build deeper connections with athletes and fans alike.



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Texan Baseball adds Will Fox as assistant coach, to lead infield, hitting

Story Links STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Will Fox has joined Tarleton State Baseball’s staff as an assistant coach, head coach Fuller Smith announced on Friday. Fox, a seasoned coach with Power Four conference experience, comes to Stephenville after six seasons on staff at Texas A&M, most recently serving as an assistant coach. He […]

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STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Will Fox has joined Tarleton State Baseball’s staff as an assistant coach, head coach Fuller Smith announced on Friday.

Fox, a seasoned coach with Power Four conference experience, comes to Stephenville after six seasons on staff at Texas A&M, most recently serving as an assistant coach. He will work with the Texans’ infielders and hitters in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.

“We are fired up to welcome Will Fox to the Texan Baseball family,” said Smith. “His experience at the highest levels of college baseball, including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to Omaha, brings tremendous value to our program. He has a great baseball mind and an elite ability to develop players. Will is a proven winner, and we’re excited to see the impact he’ll make here at Tarleton State.”

During his time in Aggieland, Fox helped guide the Texas A&M to a 179-92 record, three NCAA Tournament berths, and two College World Series appearances. In 2023, Texas A&M reached the College World Series championship series for the first time in program history, finishing the season with a 53-15 record, tied for the second-most wins in school history.

Fox served in multiple capacities during his time with the Aggies, including Director of Player Personnel, Director of Video and Analytics, and most recently Assistant Coach. He played a key role in developing talent that translated to professional success, with three players drafted in the top-50 of the 2020 MLB Draft.

“I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to join Coach Smith and the Tarleton State Baseball program,” Fox said. “The future is bright for Texan Baseball, and I’m excited to get to work with our players and staff. I can’t wait to be a part of building something special here in Stephenville.”

Before arriving in College Station, Fox spent two seasons coaching at his alma mater, McNeese. There, he helped lead the Cowboys to a Southland Conference Tournament title and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Regionals in 2019. As a player, Fox was instrumental in McNeese’s 2017 Southland Conference championship, hitting .291 across 56 games.

Fox also had stops at TCU and McLennan Community College during his collegiate playing career.

 





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March Madness Expansion to 72 or 76 Teams Floated; Change Could Come Soon

The committees for men’s and women’s Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations. “The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or […]

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The committees for men’s and women’s Division I basketball met this week to discuss possible expansion of the March Madness tournaments, but made no immediate decisions or recommendations.

“The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships,” Dan Gavitt, the NCAA senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement Thursday.

The idea of expanding the tournament picked up steam in the spring when NCAA President Charlie Baker said it could add value and that he’d like to see the issue resolved in the next few months.

He said the NCAA has had “good conversations” with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros., whose deal runs through 2032 at the cost of around $1.1 billion a year. Baker also mentioned the increasingly difficult logistics involved with adding teams to what is now known as the “First Four” — a series of four games played on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week to place four teams into the 64-team bracket.

Though there has been no concrete plan for how expansion would work, speculation has centered on bringing more at-large teams, likely from major conferences, into the 64-team bracket. Such a move would come at the expense of champions of lower-level conferences.

Currently, two of the First Four games involve 16 seeds — teams that automatically qualify by winning lower-ranked conferences — while two more involve at-large teams often seeded 11 or 12. For instance, in 2021, UCLA made the Final Four as an 11 seed that also played in the First Four.

“I don’t accept that that model just continues in the future,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at league meetings in May.

He used the example of North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2023 as how bubble teams from big conferences can make long runs in the tournament.

“You could go ask my colleagues in the [automatic qualifier] conferences what should happen, and I’m certain they want that split to continue for life,” Sankey said. “But you’ve got some really, really good teams … that I think should be moved into the tournament.”

Any recommendation for expansion would have to be approved by the NCAA’s Division I board, which next meets in August.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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NCAA tables tournament expansion, delaying March Madness decision with 72, 76-team options still possible

The NCAA Tournament is remaining at 68 teams — for now.  Both the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball committees met this week to discuss potentially expanding the NCAA Tournament field beyond its current 68-team format. Remaining at 68 or expanding to either 72 or 76 teams before 2026 or 2027 was on the […]

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The NCAA Tournament is remaining at 68 teams — for now. 

Both the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball committees met this week to discuss potentially expanding the NCAA Tournament field beyond its current 68-team format. Remaining at 68 or expanding to either 72 or 76 teams before 2026 or 2027 was on the table, but ultimately nothing was decided, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said Thursday. 

“The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees met this week, with the men’s meeting taking place in Savannah and the women’s meeting in Philadelphia,” Gavitt said in a statement. “The topic of expanding the field for each championship was discussed at length but no decision or recommendation was made. The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships.”

Expanding the tournaments has been a hot-button topic for the past several years. The NCAA did increase the field from 64 to 68 teams back in 2011 with the creation of the First Four. The women’s tournament similarly expanded to 68 teams in 2022. 

Here’s the math and data that prove why the NCAA Tournament doesn’t need to expand

Matt Norlander

Here's the math and data that prove why the NCAA Tournament doesn't need to expand

Further tournament expansion has been subject to much debate, with public sentiment seeming to largely oppose the idea. Nonetheless, NCAA and conference leaders have continued to discuss the possibility with media partners. Even NCAA president Charlie Baker said he “sees value” in an expanded field. 

While there is no official deadline for the committees to make a decision, Baker told Yahoo Sports last month that a decision on whether or not to expand the tournaments for 2026 needs to be made by the middle of August.

Gavitt told CBS Sports in February that there are many financial factors at play, including the revenue distributed to the participating schools. The more teams added to the tournament, the less money there is to share per school.

“Expansion, even in a modest level, is complex, more complex, I think, than has been recognized and reported, because it is expensive,” Gavitt said. “It’s expensive because of additional team travel, per diem, game operations, but also the basketball performance funds, the units that are earned throughout the men’s and women’s basketball championships.”





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College Football Playoff Predictions: Which Team has the Clearest Path to the CFP?

July is a time for discussion and debate as we consider what’s ahead in a 2025 college football season that will undoubtedly be filled with plenty of thrilling results and conclude with the second – and likely final – iteration of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Is this the year Steve Sarkisian and Texas finally […]

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July is a time for discussion and debate as we consider what’s ahead in a 2025 college football season that will undoubtedly be filled with plenty of thrilling results and conclude with the second – and likely final – iteration of the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Is this the year Steve Sarkisian and Texas finally get over the hump and reach the mountaintop? With a new quarterback under center and a pair of new coordinators in place, can Ohio State be the first program to repeat as national champions since Georgia did it in 2021 and 2022? 

These are some of the top debates currently going on as kickoff is now less than 50 days away. But as media pundits across the nation begin to roll out their preseason polls and reveal their national championship picks, it’s important to take a look at the path each team must take in order to make this year’s CFP. 

With that, we asked our college football writers the following question: Based on schedule, roster and playoff structure, which team is best positioned to make the CFP this year?

FOX Sports’ Laken Litman, RJ Young and Michael Cohen debate the topic below:

Michael Cohen: Clemson

Cade Klubnik #2 of the Clemson Tigers throws the ball during the first quarter against Louisville.  (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

Given the strength and depth of both the SEC and the Big Ten, two leagues whose members will pepper the preseason AP Poll when it is released later in the summer, the exercise of selecting a program with the clearest path to the College Football Playoff is largely about identifying the most talented team beyond those confines, a school immune to the rigors of such brutal scheduling. The 11 most difficult schedules in the country for 2025 will all be played by SEC schools, according to the strength-of-schedule metric compiled by ESPN, and 30 of the top 32 schedules overall belong to programs from either the SEC or the Big Ten. The only outliers are Syracuse at No. 17 and Florida State at No. 24, both of whom play in the ACC. 

A bit further down the list, at No. 40 overall, is presumptive ACC favorite Clemson, a team that is both the defending conference champion and a trendy national championship pick given the addition of highly touted defensive coordinator Tom Allen (formerly of Penn State) and the return of star quarterback Cade Klubnik, who threw for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions while leading the Tigers to the College Football Playoff last fall. An argument can be made that Klubnik, now a senior, is among the best returning starters in the country alongside Garrett Nussmeier of LSU and Drew Allar of Penn State. The season-opening showdown between Klubnik and Nussmeier on Aug. 30 at Clemson could go a long way toward shaping early-season Heisman Trophy discussion and NFL mock draft debates. 

But aside from the undoubtedly tricky opener, Clemson has an extremely manageable schedule the rest of the way. The Tigers avoid perennial offseason winner Miami, which is chasing the first College Football Playoff appearance in school history, and host arguably their two toughest conference opponents at home in SMU on Oct. 19 and Florida State on Nov. 8. It’s entirely possible that the stiffest tests of Clemson’s season will come in bookend games against LSU in late August and the rivalry game with South Carolina — another trendy playoff pick behind emerging quarterback LaNorris Sellers — in late November. Anything less than another trip to the College Football Playoff would be a disappointment for head coach Dabo Swinney, considering how nicely the stars have aligned for his program in 2025. 

RJ Young: Oregon

Dante Moore #5 of the Oregon Ducks warms up during the Oregon spring game at Autzen Stadium. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Combine a sweetheart schedule with a program that has won 10 or more games in the Pac-12 and Big Ten across the last five full seasons, and you’re likely to get more of the same.

The toughest team the Ducks have on their schedule is Penn State, a team it knows it can beat. The following week, the Ducks will host an Indiana team that has to cross two time zones. Yes, they’ve got a cross-country flight from Eugene to Piscataway, New Jersey, to play Rutgers, but you’re not going to pick against the Ducks here. No one will.

The Ducks ought to be a pretty safe bet to finish 11-1 and squarely in the conversation to host a first-round playoff game.

Yes, Dante Moore has to show he’s good enough to pilot the offense, and there will be new wideouts on the outside, with Evan Stewart sustaining a season-ending injury this offseason and Tez Johnson off to the NFL. But they got better in the secondary with the addition of Dillon Thieneman, who is the second-best safety in the sport behind Caleb Downs. Over the past two years, Thieneman has accounted for 210 tackles and six interceptions. If he didn’t play at Purdue, you’d hear more people crow about it. This is also a defense that was adept at putting quarterbacks on the ground with 40 sacks last year. With Matayo Uiagalelei and Bear Alexander on the defensive line, they ought to come close to that number again.

There aren’t many programs that have been as consistently good without winning a national title as Oregon has since the inception of the CFP. Add to this, the Ducks have won as many Big Ten titles in the past decade as Penn State, and it’s just their second year in the league.

Laken Litman: Penn State

Kaytron Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball against Notre Dame in the Capital One Orange Bowl. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The Nittany Lions are a popular preseason pick to win the national championship this year. James Franklin’s team is ranked No. 1 in several preseason polls and appears to have the roster and coaching staff to back it up.

After making a CFP semifinal run last year, this team wants to go further in 2025. Quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton return, which will be massive for this offense, especially if Allar can take another step in his development as a passer. He’s already projected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and has some new weapons to help him out with several notable wide receiver transfers. Defensively, coordinator Jim Knowles has joined the program from reigning national champion Ohio State, which immediately gives Penn State more clout on that side of the ball. Not for nothing, Knowles knows the Buckeyes inside and out and can provide insight on the matchup when those Big Ten rivals play in Columbus on Nov. 1. Penn State is 1-9 against Ohio State over the past 10 years and a win on the road would be season-defining. 

The Nittany Lions have a winnable regular-season schedule, making their overall outlook positive. They host Oregon on Sept. 27, providing an early barometer of where this team actually is, and then have a pretty steady month of October before the showdown in Columbus. They’ll host Indiana, which is coming off its best season in program history last year, but Penn State doesn’t have to play Michigan or Illinois. Perhaps the selection committee will dock PSU in the end for not having a strong non-conference schedule – Nevada, Florida International and Villanova are the first three opponents, – but Franklin should have a strong enough team that realistically should win the conference for that not to matter in the long run.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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