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University mascots posse for photos before the start of day two of Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Frisco, Texas, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools this week saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools.

Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.

The letter to Division I athletic directors could be the next step in shuttering this version of the collective, groups that are closely affiliated with schools and that, in the early days of NIL after July 2021, proved the most efficient way for schools to indirectly cut deals with players.

Since then, the landscape has changed yet again with the $2.8 billion House settlement that allows schools to pay the players directly as of July 1.

Already, collectives affiliated with Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have announced they’re shutting down. Georgia, Ohio State and Illinois are among those that have announced plans with Learfield, a media and technology company, to help arrange some of their NIL deals.

Outside deals between athlete and sponsor are still permitted, but any worth $600 or more have to be vetted by a clearinghouse called NIL Go that was established with the help of auditing giant Deloitte and run by the new College Sports Commission.

In its letter to the ADs, the CSC said more than 1,500 deals have been cleared since NIL Go launched on June 11,. More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutional users have registered to use the system.

But the bulk of the letter explained that many deals could not be cleared because they did not conform to an NCAA rule that sets a “valid business purpose” standard for deals to be approved.

The letter explained that if a collective reaches a deal with an athlete to appear on behalf of the collective, which charges an admission fee, the standard is not met because the purpose of the event is to raise money to pay athletes, not to provide goods or services available to the general public for profit.

The same would apply to a deal an athlete makes to sell merchandise to raise money to pay that player because the purpose of “selling merchandise is to raise money to pay that student-athlete and potentially other student-athletes at a particular school or schools, which is not a valid business purpose” according to the NCAA rule.

Sports attorney Darren Heitner, who deals in NIL, said the guidance “could disproportionately burden collectives that are already committed to spending money on players for multiple years to come.”

“If a pattern of rejections results from collective deals submitted to Deloitte, it may invite legal scrutiny under antitrust principles,” he said.

On a separate track, some college sports leaders, including the NCAA, are seeking a limited form of antitrust protection from Congress.

The letter said a NIL deal could be approved if, for instance, the businesses paying the players had a broader purpose than simply acting as a collective. The letter uses a golf course or apparel company as examples.

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NCAA, Sports

July 12, 2025

By By EDDIE PELLS AP 

In 1985, University of Hawai‘i pitcher Mike Campbell was selected with the seventh overall pick of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Later in that same draft, ‘Iolani alumnus and 6-foot-9 University of California righty Dave Masters was taken 24th overall by the Chicago Cubs. It was the first and only time two players with Hawai‘i ties were selected in the first round in the same MLB Draft.

Forty years later, a new type of history is set to be made regarding players from the Islands in the MLB Draft.

Saint Louis alumnus Aiva Arquette and Baldwin alum Wehiwa Aloy are both poised to become first round selections when the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway on Sunday at noon HST. The duo would become the first from Hawai‘i high schools to do so.

Arquette and Aloy both had stellar seasons in the spring, leading their respective college teams to the College World Series in June.

Following his senior season at Saint Louis, Arquette was taken in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but instead chose to play collegiately at the University of Washington. After two years with the Huskies, Arquette entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to Oregon State, where he slugged 19 home runs while committing just six errors as the team’s starting shortstop. All the while, his .354 batting average led the Beavers.

Aloy began his collegiate career at Sacramento State. After earning Freshman All-American honors, he entered the transfer portal and played the final two seasons of his collegiate baseball career at the University of Arkansas.

In 2025, Aloy took home the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the country’s top amateur baseball player. He started all 65 games for the Razorbacks in 2025, hitting 21 home runs with a .350 batting average.

Although Aloy was awarded college baseball’s top individual honor, the 6-foot-5 Arquette is viewed as the slightly better pro prospect. Arquette is viewed as a Top 10 pick, while Aloy is also expected to be off the board by the time the first round ends.

The 2025 MLB Draft begins on Sunday with rounds 1-3 and wraps up on Monday with rounds 4-20 beginning at 5:30 a.m. HST. Although Arquette and Aloy are viewed as Hawai‘i’s headliners in the draft, a handful of other names remain on the radar for teams making selections.

Not far behind Arquette and Aloy as a prospect is Saint Louis shortstop and 2025 Hawai‘i Gatorade Player of the Year Bruin Agbayani. Although he signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Michigan, he is likely to get selected within the first five rounds.

Throughout various showcases and tournaments, Agbayani’s bat has proven to travel well. He turned heads in June’s MLB Combine in Arizona, stacking up hits against some of the top arms in the country.

‘Iolani senior Mana Lau Kong signed with the University of Hawai‘i, but there’s also a chance he doesn’t make it campus after being monitored by various MLB organizations.

With the increasing amount of pro scouts taking in regular season high school baseball games in Hawai‘i, the two that appeared to receive the most interest from pro scouts in 2025 were Kamehameha‘s Elai Iwanaga and Kaiser’s Bryson Toner. Iwanaga is set to play collegiately at UCLA, while Toner will play at Loyola Marymount if he does not go pro this summer.

Mililani senior shortstop Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos also received pro looks over the course of his high school career, though he is considered more likely to move on to the University of Oregon in the fall rather than turn professional.

In the local collegiate baseball scene, Hawai‘i Pacific University‘s Bronson Rivera caught the attention of scouts with his 2025 season in which he hit a program record 19 home runs while maintaining a .377 batting average.

As for the University of Hawai‘i, sophomore Itsuki Takemoto is viewed as the program’s top draft-eligible prospect. Utility player Ben Zeigler-Namoa has received pro interest dating back to his days as a junior college player at Yavapai College in Arizona, and his passion for the game has been lauded by scouts.

Matthew Miura, Jordan Donahue, Jared Quandt and Kamana Nahaku are other draft-eligible names for UH that have previously received pro interest.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.

After transferring to the University of Arizona this past winter, Cameron Barmore is “in the game” for the first time, making his debut in the popular video game EA Sports College Football 26.
Images courtesy of EA Sports College Football 26

TUCSON, Ariz. — Cameron Barmore doesn’t own a gaming console.

He rarely plays video games.

But earlier this week, he received a private message from a young boy in western Chautauqua County saying “You just won me the Rose Bowl.”

The boy was referencing Barmore’s character in the popular video game EA Sports College Football 26. After transferring to Arizona University this past winter, Barmore is “in the game” for the first time.

Such is the life of a big-time NCAA Division I athlete from a small town.

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Barmore, a 2020 graduate of Panama Central School, spent the first five years of his collegiate career at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

While with the Lakers, the 2019 New York State Sportswriters Association Class D co-Player of the Year who led the Wolfpack to back-to-back state titles in high school, caught 165 passes for 2,319 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Mercyhurst, which was an NCAA Division II program prior to this past season, earned its first Division I win on Nov. 23, 21-20 over St. Francis University. It was a bittersweet final game for Bamore, who caught eight passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns — the last coming with 42 seconds remaining to essentially give the Lakers the win and complete a 4-7 season.

“I was just happy to get the win,” Barmore said. “I had a feeling in the back of my head that would be my last game there.”

Following the season, with the blessing of Mercyhurst head coach Ryan Riemedio, Barmore entered the transfer portal hoping to end his collegiate career on an even bigger stage.

“It was tough leaving my brothers there,” Barmore said. “I was there for five years and I loved it there.”

Once Barmore received his transfer portal number Nov. 25, he officially announced on X that he was entering the transfer portal.

The response was immediate.

“I entered right before a night class … I gained 700 followers in an hour,” Barmore said. “From there on, that first week, I was probably on my phone 11 or 12 hours a day.”

Offers from Austin Peay, Old Dominion, Liberty, Western Michigan and others came. Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State followed.

Along with scholarship offers came NIL offers.

“I wasn’t really making any decision based on money,” Barmore said, “it was more about football.”

Power programs came calling: Stanford, Virginia Tech, Houston and Ole Miss.

“I do have an agent and they helped, but the majority was on Twitter and reaching out that way,” Barmore said. “I was pretty much going in blind. I didn’t really have an idea at all. I was just hoping and grateful for anything.”

But Barmore’s decision ultimately came down to Texas Tech and Arizona. He first visited Texas Tech and nearly committed to the university in Lubbock, but a last-minute commitment from another tight end prospect turned Barmore to the Wildcats.

“I would’ve gone back to Mercyhurst,” Barmore said. “I don’t know if I was expecting bigger schools like Arizona and Texas Tech to actually offer.”

During a visit to Tucson, he talked to second-year head coach Brent Brennan and first-year offensive coordinator Seth Doege before officially committing on Dec. 23.

“I didn’t really know anything about Arizona football. After the visit, I loved the coaching staff — head coach Brennan and (offensive coordinator) Coach Doege,” Barmore said. “It was about more than football at that point. They were looking at players like they’re real people.”

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Barmore will certainly have competition for snaps at Arizona.

He says he is one of at least eight in the tight end room and figures to be one of at least four who travel for the Wildcats’ road games.

“It’s been a lot more tight end than receiver,” Barmore said about a shift he’s been making since leaving Mercyhurst. “The spring was a big change going from outside receiver to kicking out defensive ends and pulling for linebackers. I hope they use me like more of a receiving tight end.”

For what it’s worth, he’s listed as the third tight end on the depth chart in the video game with an overall rating of 74. Barmore’s highest individual rating is his strength (82), followed by agility (78), acceleration (77), speed (76), awareness (76), change of direction (75), ball-carrier vision (74), break tackle (73), stiff arm (72) and trucking (69).

But his jersey number is incorrect — he will wear No. 80, not No. 88 — his hair is too light and his mustache is missing.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Barmore is labeled a physical route runner in the game.

His main competition in the tight end room — virtually and in real life — are Keyan Burnett, who transferred to Kansas in December, but returned this spring, and Sam Olson.

Burnett caught 18 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown while Olson had 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns last year.

“It was great. I’ve never learned that much football that fast. It was a lot of learning, figuring out the game speed,” Barmore said of the Wildcats’ 13 spring practices. “There are probably eight or nine tight ends. Everybody has their different strengths.”

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Barmore admits he’d rather be 30 minutes from home than 36 hours, but “had to be selfish and do what I thought would be best for me,” leaving Mercyhurst.

Arizona’s season gets underway in Tucson on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time against Hawaii. The Wildcats will then host Weber State on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. before opening Big 12 play Friday, Sept. 12 against Kansas State.

“I feel like Game 1, playing in front of the biggest crowd I ever have will be a fun one,” Barmore said. “That’s the one I’m most looking forward to.”

Following a bye week, Arizona will go on the road for the first time when it travels to Iowa State University on Saturday, Sept. 27.

The closest Barmore and the Wildcats will come to Western New York will be Saturday, Nov. 15 when they visit the University of Cincinnati.

Senior Day will take place Saturday, Nov. 22 against Baylor inside Arizona Stadium and the Wildcats will finish the regular season with the 99th edition of the Territorial Cup against Arizona State University at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.