An Unforeseen Intersection of Sports and Politics
A seismic shift is stirring in the world of college football, where new guidelines on athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) are poised to transform the sport. The changes have ignited fresh debates, triggering strategic moves from figures known for their influence both on and off the field.

Navigating the NIL Revolution
Recent moves signal that the landscape of college athletics is entering uncharted territory. The evolving regulations on NIL, which allow college players to profit from their personal brands, have introduced an element of unpredictability. As the rules are refined, stakeholders are bracing for potential upheavals that could redefine recruiting, competition, and even academic alignment, prompting seasoned figures to act swiftly.

Strategic Calculations on the Gridiron
Among those preparing for change is one of college football’s most prominent strategists. With an established reputation for both football mastery and astute decision-making, this key figure is leveraging longstanding relationships with governmental circles to help steer reform. His proactive stance suggests that meaningful adjustments to NIL policies may come with serious and lasting consequences, impacting teams, athletes, and the broader collegiate sports framework in ways that extend far beyond the field.

The Unlikely Alliance
In an unexpected twist, a high-profile political figure known for his polarizing persona has entered the conversation about college football’s future. This political involvement signifies a merging of sports and high-level governance, hinting that future regulations could carry the imprint of strategic political priorities. The collaboration evokes echoes of past transformative eras, where proactive leadership and political backing converged to reshape important cultural institutions. The shared ambition is clear: to instill greater consistency and control in an arena that has long operated under its own unpredictable rules.

Broader Implications and Reflective Takeaways
The unfolding scenario is a reminder that college sports, much like other cultural and economic sectors, are not immune to the currents of political change. The upcoming reforms, driven by an alliance between sports leadership and political influence, underscore the interconnectedness of power, policy, and passion that defines modern collegiate athletics. As the community stands by to witness these changes, the significant takeaway is that navigating the future will require not only strategic foresight but also a balanced integration of athletic tradition with contemporary regulatory practices.

A Thoughtful Look Ahead
In the end, the dialogue on NIL reforms transcends mere regulatory adjustments—it invites a broader discussion on the nature of fairness, opportunity, and the evolving role of sports within society. The convergence of influential voices from both football and political spheres suggests a transformative period ahead, one that will likely reshape college football into a more regulated yet dynamic arena. The long-term impact of these decisions reminds us that progress often comes with challenges, urging all stakeholders to prepare thoughtfully for the future.

The regular season is in the books, and the 2025 SEC Softball Tournament will get underway next week. As teams get ready to head to Athens, the league announced the bracket and seedings.

In its first year in the conference, Oklahoma brought home the regular-season title. The Sooners went 17-7 in conference play and finished two games ahead of Texas A&M, which came in as the No. 2 seed in the field. Fellow newcomer Texas will be the No. 3 seed after a 16-8 mark in league play.

The 2025 SEC softball tournament gets underway May 6 at Georgia’s Jack Turner Softball Stadium. Here is the full bracket and seeds for the week. The top four will receive double-byes to the quarterfinals.

Tuesday, May 6

Game 1: No. 12 Georgia vs. No. 13 Kentucky – 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 2: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 14 Missouri – 35 minutes after Game 1, SEC Network
Game 3: No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 15 Auburn – 35 minutes after Game 2, SEC Network

Wednesday, May 7

Game 4: No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 LSU – 11 a.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 5: No. 5 Arkansas vs. Winner of Game 1 – 35 minutes after Game 4, SEC Network
Game 6: No. 6 Florida vs. Winner of Game 2 – 5 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 7: No. 7 South Carolina vs. Winner of Game 3 – 35 minutes after Game 6, SEC Network

Thursday, May 8

Game 8: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Winner of Game 4 – 11 a.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 9: No. 4 Tennessee vs. Winner of Game 5 – 35 minutes after Game 8, SEC Network
Game 10: No. 3 Texas vs. Winner of Game 6 – 5 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 11: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. Winner of Game 7 – 35 minutes after Game 10, SEC Network

Friday, May 9

Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 – 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 – 35 minutes after Game 12, ESPN2

Saturday, May 10

Championship Game: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN

Oklahoma will look to continues its consecutive conference tournament title streak, which began in 2023 when the Sooners were in the Big 12. OU finished the regular season with a 43-7 overall record along with the 17-7 mark in conference play, and still won the league despite dropping its final two games against Florida.

Now, the stage is set for the 2025 SEC softball tournament. It all gets underway May 6 as Georgia takes on Kentucky at 11 a.m. ET.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee softball shut out the UTEP Miners for the second consecutive night, cruising to a 7-0 win on Saturday, May 3.

The Blue Raiders (25-27, 12-14 CUSA) got off to a quick start vs. the Miners (22-27, 10-16 CUSA). Mary Martinez struck out the first batter of the game and closed out a scoreless first inning. In the bottom half, Addy Edgmon led off with a walk before Macie Harter ripped a triple to center field, driving in Edgmon. The triple was Harter’s sixth of the season, tying the program’s single-season record.

Immediately after Harter’s triple, Jana Want drove a double over the center fielder’s head to extend the lead to 2-0. In the fourth inning, senior Ava Tepe launched a home run over the right field wall, making her presence felt on Senior Day and pushing the lead to 4-0.

The scoring continued in the fifth. Ansley Blevins hit her 13th home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center field. Just two batters later, graduate student Julia Garcia added her own blast, this time over the left field wall. The Blue Raiders wrapped up the scoring there, finishing with seven runs on the night.

Complementing the offensive firepower, Mary Martinez was dominant in the circle, throwing a complete game shutout. The junior set a new career-high with eight strikeouts while allowing just four hits, one walk, and one hit batter. The win improved her record to 6-5, and her ERA dropped to an impressive 3.30.

“It was extra special to come out and pitch for my seniors tonight,” Martinez said after the game. “My job was made easier thanks to the great defense behind me and the productive offense. All glory to God.”

By the Numbers

• 2: When allowing two runs or less, the Blue Raiders improve to a 14-1 record.
• 3: Tonight marked the eighth time Middle Tennessee has hit three or more home runs in a game.
• 8: Mary Martinez set a career-high in strikeouts with eight on the night.
• 6: Macie Harter tied the program record with six triples in a single season.

Up next
The Blue Raiders will be back out tomorrow vs. the Miners for the series finale with first pitch set for 12:00 pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at Stat Broadcast.

FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS     

Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Softball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball). 

 

President Donald Trump and legendary college football head coach Nick Saban reportedly had a serious conversation about NIL deals.

Nick Saban retired from coaching after Alabama’s 2023 season. Saban coached Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995 to 1999), LSU (2000 to 2004) and Alabama (2007 to 2023), plus a two-year tenure with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins (2005 to 2006).

Saban has been vocal about his concerns with NIL deals for college athletes. It wasn’t until 2021 that the NCAA altered its rules, which allowed athletes to make money off their name, likeness and image.

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal , Saban met with Donald Trump in Tuscaloosa and expressed his concern about NIL deals. The outlet reports that Trump is pondering the idea of signing an executive order that would limit NIL:

“The Trump administration is considering an executive order that could increase scrutiny of the explosion in payments to college athletes since 2021, after the president met with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, White House officials said.

Trump met with Saban on Thursday night when he was in Tuscaloosa to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address. Saban talked about “NIL” deals with Trump, telling the president how he believed the influx of money had damaged college sports…

Trump said he agreed with Saban and would look at crafting an executive order, people familiar with the meeting said. Trump told aides to begin studying what an order could say, the people said.

Saban didn’t propose ending NIL but “reforming” it, according to a person with direct knowledge of the meeting. He described how it was causing an uneven playing field, the people said, with an arms race among powerhouse schools.”

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning and former Georgia QB Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami after the 2024 season, have all signed lucrative NIL deals with several million dollars.

Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee Volunteers last month after the two sides failed to agree on a restructured NIL deal. He wound up transferring to the UCLA Bruins, and Iamaleava certainly won’t be the last big-named NCAA quarterback to transfer because of money.

So, will Donald Trump and his administration make a change to NIL deals? Stay tuned.

Donald Trump Loves Trying To Get Involved In Sports

During his first year as President, Donald Trump called for NFL teams to “fire” whichever players refused to stand for the national anthem before games. Trump has also been vocal about his disagreement with the NFL’s new kickoff rules and suggested that they don’t ban the Philadelphia Eagles’ “Tush Push” play.

So nobody should be surprised that Trump is reportedly trying to get involved in NIL deals now.

The post President Donald Trump Reportedly Considering Bizarre Executive Order For NIL After Meeting With Nick Saban originally published on Total Pro Sports .

President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the issuance of an executive order that would attempt to place restrictions on college athlete compensation. The president’s interest follows conversations with two former coaches: Nick Saban and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

Any executive order that restricts athletes, schools, conferences or the NCAA would encounter a bevy of problems since it would interact, and possibly conflict, with multiple areas of federal and state laws. It could also pose problems for the NCAA as it waits for U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to grant or deny final approval of the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations. 

An executive order would likely be pitched as providing stable and predictable rules for compensating college athletes. For instance, an order that says college athletes cannot be recognized as employees would sound simple enough. 

Except in the law, nothing is simple and that certainly is true of employment.  

For starters, an executive order can’t conflict with a federal statute. If a court finds that college athletes are employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act or the Fair Labor Standards Act, they will be employees. If a court finds they aren’t employees under those laws, then they aren’t employees.

Then there are state laws governing labor and employment. An executive order can’t compel a state to interpret its own laws a certain way. In Johnson v. NCAA, for example, the athletes argue they are employees within the meaning of the FLSA and applicable state laws, such as the New York Labor Law, the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act, the Connecticut Minimum Wage Act and the Arizona Minimum Wage Act. Or take whether athletes at public universities are employees who can unionize. That’s a question for state law, not federal law. An executive order can’t cast away state claims or accompanying states’ rights.

The same goes for the prospect of Trump issuing an edict on name, image and likeness. 

NIL, as its typically called, is often portrayed as a new legal right for college athletes, but that’s an erroneous depiction. NIL is a subset of the right of publicity, which is a matter of state laws (there is no federal right of publicity) and which forbids the commercial use of another person’s identity—be it their NIL or perhaps their voice, mannerisms, signature or other characteristics that make them unique—without their consent. In the college sports parlance, “NIL” is best understood as removing an NCAA eligibility restraint on college athletes to use a right they already had (the right of publicity) under applicable state law.

To be sure, NIL has morphed into a different creature than its early billing. Some NIL collectives, at the behest of schools, have offered recruits what are labeled NIL deals but are better understood as pay-for-play arrangements. Those arrangements substantively violate NCAA rules. The NCAA has tried to curb that practice, but last year a federal judge in Tennessee and Virginia v. NCAA issued a ruling to block the NCAA. 

But if approved, the House settlement would create an independent review system for NIL deals that exceed $600. The system would try to ensure these deals are not disguising pay-for-play arrangements. An order by Trump on NIL that is interpretable as conflicting with this independent review model could upend a key settlement term. 

Trump could also weigh in on the new horizon of NCAA antitrust litigation: college athletes suing to remain in school so they can earn NIL money and, if the House settlement is approved, a share of media, ticket and sponsorship revenue. Those lawsuits have led to conflicting rulings in different states. Trump might decree that antitrust law be interpreted a certain way in relation to eligibility claims. That type of decree would impact how the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and other federal agencies interpret antitrust law in the context of college sports, but it wouldn’t stop athletes from continuing to bring private antitrust actions against the NCAA.

It’s been suggested that Congress or Trump needs to intervene to prevent college sports from morphing into pro sports. Often that viewpoint erroneously blames the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston. Remember, Alston had nothing to do with NIL or paying college athletes to play sports. It concerned the peripheral issue of NCAA rules restricting how colleges compensate athletes for education-related expenses. Many of the justices who voted against the NCAA in Alston expressed worry about the commercialization of college sports. That could foretell how the justices would rule on antitrust cases regarding NIL or paying athletes to play sports. Alston is not an especially persuasive reason for Trump to intervene. 

There are also potential constitutional problems with a Trump executive order on college sports. It could run afoul of Equal Protection if college athletes are denied the same rights, including for employment and other economic opportunities, that their classmates enjoy. An executive order might also run afoul of the First Amendment to the extent it limits how college athletes express themselves.

Trump might be well served by meeting with other stakeholders, including those whose opinions and viewpoints aren’t necessarily aligned with retired college coaches.

Paul McDonald, who is counsel to the plaintiff athletes in Johnson, told Sportico he’d “welcome the opportunity to speak with the President about NCAA reform.” A graduate of Princeton University and NYU School of Law, McDonald believes Trump would listen to him and find his athlete-focused viewpoint persuasive.  

“I believe the President–and any reasonable Republican or Democrat–would support college athletes having the same, limited student employee status as classmates selling popcorn at NCAA games,” McDonald said. “Equal treatment to classmates in Work Study-style student employment, including student employees on academic scholarship, is consistent with Equal Protection, easy to implement using NCAA-mandated timesheets, and affordable on hourly, minimum wage scales–particularly if colleges stop overpaying some coaches. Colleges have never explained why they oppose this easy, and equitable, solution.”

(The quote in the final paragraph from Paul McDonald was incorrectly attributed in an earlier version of the story.)

After his second year with the Texas Longhorns in 2023, Quinn Ewers seemed like one of the top QB prospects in his class. He led Texas to a 10-2 record, including a win in the Big 12 championship and a big performance in a losing effort in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff. He earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors with nearly 3,500 yards, 22 TDs, and just six picks.

However, with Arch Manning breathing down his neck in 2024, Ewers seemed to regress. That was seen most notably in his decision-making, as he led the SEC in interceptions last year, with 12. Ewers’ INT rate nearly doubled too.

He also lost the SEC championship and didn’t perform as well in another semifinal loss in the CFP. That caused his draft stock to take a major hit, which led to questions about staying in college another year.

Ewers decided to forego his final year of college eligibility and declare for the draft instead. He was the 13th and final QB selected, going 231st overall in the seventh round to the Miami Dolphins. He’s set to play on a rookie contract worth four years and about $4.3 million.

That entire contract represents about half of his supposed NIL earning potential in 2025, which was $8 million. However, Cam Newton thinks people are using hindsight to say Ewers should have stayed in college.

“But if he went in the first two or three rounds, everybody would’ve said you made the right decision,” argued the former QB.

“But the NIL money will never compare to what the NFL money is. And that $8 million is only a projection. There’s no contracts that we can show to date that says these people who are projected to have a $10 million NIL evaluation. It’s just an evaluation,” added Newton.

On top of the fact that the $8 million was more of an estimate than any deal Ewers had waiting for him, there’s also the Arch Manning factor. He arrived at Texas in 2023 and redshirted his freshman year, but he was much more involved in 2024. It was clear they were moving on to Manning, so Ewers didn’t have a place at Texas past 2024.

“I don’t think Quinn Ewers could stay. … I don’t think it was in his best interest to stay at Texas. I don’t think he could stay at Texas. That hourglass had no sand at the top. Okay [hitting the transfer portal], cool, he should’ve pulled a Carson Beck. That’s subjective. “

Ewers could have transferred like Carson Beck did, but, as Newton said, NIL is just temporary money. The former Heisman Trophy winner also rightly pointed out that NIL money is not supposed to be akin to salary, but rather money to make the lives of student-athletes comfortable.

“I’ve said it time and time again, the NIL was just a tool for athletes in college to have a comfortable college experience. This is not forever money.”

At the end of the day, Quinn Ewers didn’t land in the worst situation in the NFL. A lot of guys have played QB for the Dolphins over the last few years. They’ve had six guys take snaps since the 2022 season. That’s because the starter, Tua Tagovailoa, has been very injury-prone.

That means if Ewers can get that backup role, he could very well see significant playing time as a rookie. He just has to beat out Zach Wilson for that QB2 spot. But even if he doesn’t and Wilson gets in there as the backup at some point and stinks it up (which is possible, if not likely), calls for Ewers will start coming sooner rather than later on South Beach.