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Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” he said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”

More than 3,000 Bowl Subdivision players reportedly entered the transfer portal this past spring, which would average out to about 22 players per team. For the Razorbacks, 10 starters will be back and one of them is senior defensive lineman Cam Ball. He has remained with Arkansas his entire career, a somewhat rare occurrence for an NFL hopeful these days.

“I’m just a loyal guy. I’m loyal to the state of Arkansas; Arkansas has been loyal to me,” Ball said.

Arkansas, like many schools, is also trying to scare up more money from donors as it faces the financial ramifications of the $2.8 billion House settlement; last fall, the athletic director said the school needed some $12 million more annually to “be in the NIL game from a football perspective.” Besides the money, the Razorbacks have to find talented players; Ball grew up in Atlanta, just barely within the regional footprint in which Pittman prefers to recruit.

“We have to go outside our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent — who it is versus what pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state.”

Pittman isn’t the only coach who wants prospects to be familiar with what their college experience will look like before making any life-changing decisions. Florida coach Billy Napier paints a clear picture of life in Gainesville and the challenges and perks that come with it.

“We present our product in a way where we’re selling the degree, the alumni network, the Gator-made program, and you have to be up for the challenge of trying to get Florida back to where it’s been before,” he said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep it together.”

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class remains mostly intact, and from Napier’s perspective, hungrier than ever. Compared to other SEC teams, the Gators have had more success with retention. Napier doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

“We told them when they came in, you know, look, it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows here. We’re in this thing for the long haul,” Napier said. “I think a lot of this is how you pitch it in recruiting. We’re going to continue to do that, and retention is more important than it’s ever been.”

Coaches scrambling to prevent transfers and maintain consistency isn’t exclusive to the SEC. The approval of the House settlement is a double-edged sword when it comes to retention, and Power Four schools and beyond are feeling the effects. Third-party NIL deals are no longer the only negotiation tactic schools need to worry about.

Complex contracts are becoming common and legal risks grow for athletes and programs alike as college football increasingly resembles the pros. Some deals are being negotiated solely by athletes as young as 18.

As a redshirt senior, Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn is used to the process.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous (to negotiate) because this is my third year of having to do that,” Quinn said. “You’ve got to kind of stand your ground with what you feel like is your worth. If you’re comfortable with their offer, then sign. Then you have some guys that’ll leave and go to schools to get more money and stuff. That was never really like a big pusher for me, to go out and get more money because I feel like I’m in a good situation here at Louisville.”

Quinn’s loyalty could be the most convincing negotiation tactic of them all. While programs use revenue-share dollars to sway prospective transfers, coaches have begun to reward loyalty.

“To some degree, it’s capitalism that you get what you earn. So the guys that go out and play well are going to get more than the guys who haven’t proven it yet,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Everybody on the team’s not going to make the same. Fair doesn’t always mean equal.”

But he also said the Mustangs are not going to add players “making a whole lot more than those guys who have already earned it here.”

“And I think that’s what helps us keep a good culture, is try to start with: Let’s retain first, and then whatever’s left, let’s go build the best team we can for those guys,” Lashlee said.

North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren doubled down.

“A guy that’s been on a team three years, that’s playing well and earned it on the field should make more than a guy coming in the door. I think that’s a proper way to do business,” Doeren said, though he warned that might not be the case across the board. “Right now, common sense is not prevailing in college football.”

AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.

The new agency vetting name, image and likeness deals in college sports reached an agreement Thursday that relaxes standards on player agreements with third-party collectives and avoids taking the issue back to court after years of legal wrangling.

The College Sports Commission said it will now consider a third-party company that seeks to pay a player to have a “valid business purpose” if the deal “is related to the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit.”

It did away with the concept that collectives established simply to pay players did not have a valid business purpose even if they sold products for profit.

That guidance, issued earlier in July, threatened to fundamentally change the concept of third-party collectives, which were established in 2021 as the main source of NIL deals for players. With schools now allowed to pay players directly under terms of the industry-changing House settlement, the role of collectives was thrown into limbo.

The CSC, in charge of vetting third-party deals worth $600 or more, was trying to make it more difficult for schools to use collectives as a workaround to the $20.5 million cap that the schools are allowed to pay players.

Plaintiff attorneys threatened to take the case back to court, arguing the CSC guidance amounted to an incorrect reading of the lawsuit settlement that made the payments possible.

The CSC’s new guidance provides a more liberal view of what third-party collectives can do.

“With this new guidance, student-athletes can now devote more of their energy to their sport, knowing that the House settlement provides that NIL opportunities from collectives can be available to them as long as the NIL deals comply with the settlement terms,” plaintiff attorneys Steve Berman and Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement.

Part of the CSC’s requirements include athletes needing to, in certain cases, provide documentation showing the entity’s efforts to profit from the deal.

In a joint statement, the defendants and plaintiffs reiterated that “the traditional purpose of many NIL collectives — raising money to induce student-athletes to attend or play at an institution — does not satisfy the valid business purpose requirement.”

But, the statement said, “In evaluating such payments, the Settlement’s requirements focus on substance, not labels” — an indication that the focus should not be on whether the organization making the deal is considered a “collective,” but only whether it sells something to the public for profit.

CSC commissioner Bryan Seeley reiterated that the main point of the settlement was to make sure “pay-for-play” payments, long forbidden by the NCAA, weren’t being made to players.

“Pay-for-play will not be permitted and every NIL deal done with a student-athlete must be a legitimate NIL deal, not pay-for-play in disguise,” he said.

Parts of the arrangement that don’t change are the CSC’s task of determining fair market value for the goods and services provided and the collectives’ ability to match athletes with other businesses offering NIL opportunities.

Tim Brando will be back in the booth calling college football games this season for FOX. And with the season right around the corner, he decided to celebrate by putting out a preseason top 15.

Brando hopped on with Crain & Company, going through his list. A ton of different conferences are represented, having a total of six. One independent is in there as well, you can likely guess who.

Kickoff is almost here, with Week 0 scheduled to take place on Aug. 23. Until then, let’s check out which 15 teams Brando is high on entering the 2025 season.

Brando puts Ohio State in the spot they finished last season. Fresh off a national championship, he believes Ryan Day has another great opportunity ahead of them.

We will learn something about the Buckeyes quite quickly, with an important Week 1 game at home. Based on Brando’s preseason rankings, it’s a top-five showdown in Columbus.

After a few years down from the national championship-level standard, Clemson is ready to compete at the top once again. Brando slots them at No. 2 as the Tigers are the lone ACC team inside the top 15.

Cade Klubnik projects as one of college football’s top quarterbacks in 2025. Pair with a defensive unit full of potential NFL talent and Clemson is looking for a third national title under Dabo Swinney.

Recent seasons have seen the standard raised in South Bend. Oh, so close to getting back on top in 2024, Brando is high on what the Fighting Irish can be this season.

Similar to Ohio State, no quarterback has been determined quite yet. But the roster constructed has brought enough confidence to believe Notre Dame will keep rolling.

All the way down at No. 4, we find the first SEC team from Brando. He is rolling with the very popular LSU Tigers in a year where Brian Kelly is looking to deliver on high expectations.

Everyone inside the program has put a lot of emphasis on the season opener against Clemson. If they can go on the road with a win, LSU will be a lot higher than No. 4 in early September.

It’s a new era on the 40 Acres with a quite popular man taking over at quarterback. Texas has been knocking on the door the past two years, even as the program transitioned into the SEC.

Not many have recruited better than Steve Sarkisian in recent cycles. Now, finally breaking through is the next step with all the talent in place.

A popular preseason top-three pick, Brando drops Penn State down a few spots compared to national consensus. This is a team that returns a lot of players from last season’s College Football Playoff semifinalists.

Drew Allar will be at the forefront, looking to finally elevate in his third year as the starting quarterback. If he can do so, Penn State has a great chance to break a ton of narratives surrounding its head coach.

In terms of SEC teams, Georgia comes in third fiddle for Brando. Kirby Smart has previously played the underdog role to get his team motivated and may have some bulletin board material ready to go this season.

Looking at the schedule, tough games pop up almost every week for Georgia. Depth will be just as important as top-end talent in order to get through 12 games relatively unscathed.

Due to the absurdity of the Big 12, Iowa State might be flying under the radar. The Cyclones played in the Big 12 title game and could have earned the conference’s auto-bid last December.

Brando is stepping out there and declaring his affinity for Iowa State. Ranking 8th in the preseason poll would be the second-highest mark in program history.

Last season’s Big Ten champion comes in at No. 9. Similar to other elite programs, Oregon has done nothing but recruit at a high level over the past few years. Dan Lanning will be ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Still, there are some unknowns when looking at key positions. Oregon will get some time to get everyone into rhythm before once again making a major push for a national championship.

A popular selection when discussing sleepers in the Big Ten, Illinois has been on the doorstep under Bret Bielema. Enough pieces are now returning where predictions are coming through for the Illini to be contenders.

Luke Altmyer will lead the offense and play opposite of a defensive unit that continually produces talent. A favorable schedule falls Illinois’ way too, giving them enough to rank inside the top 10 for Brando.

While Brando differs from the AP poll, having a G5 school this high is not usual. Cincinnati was the last non-power conference program to be within the top 11 in the preseason back in 2021. Before them, Boise State in 2011.

However, Jon Sumrall has people believing in the Green Wave. If the spot were to hold throughout the season, Tulane would be going to the College Football Playoff.

All aboard the John Mateer train. Brent Venables made sure to make some splashes in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, landing the likes of Mateer and running back Jadyn Ott.

Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is a big part of the equation too. If Oklahoma can play defense like they have under Venables, the Sooners are as dangerous as anyone.

After a magical CFP run, Boise State will attempt to once again represent the Group of Five. They will be without the biggest weapon of them all, though, Ashton Jeanty.

Even as Jeanty plays his football in Las Vegas, Brando likes what the Broncos could be. Two G5 programs inside the top 15 is as bold as a preseason ranking you will find.

Year Two of the post-Nick Saban era is one in which Kalen DeBoer needs to be better than Year One. Some puzzling losses kept the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff despite starting so well.

A great defense should call Tuscaloosa home, along with talented skill position players. Brando is not ready to put Alabama too high, though, coming in at No. 14.

The job done in Tempe has been one of college football’s top stories. From NCAA sanctions to a conference championship, Arizona State is hoping just to run things back.

As usual, the Big 12 is projected to be as wide open as ever. Brando has two inside his top 15, possibly predicting another chaotic year inside the conference.