FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’ name, image and likeness collective has hired an attorney to pursue and enforce a buyout clause in former quarterback Madden Iamaleava’s agreement, CBS Sports has learned.
In an unprecedented move in the NIL era of college sports, the parent company overseeing the Arkansas Edge collective has hired noted sports attorney Tom Mars to enforce buyout provisions in NIL contracts at Arkansas, Blueprint Sports CEO Rob Sine confirmed Saturday to CBS Sports. The collective is following the orders of Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek, who directed the collective to pursue buyout money in contracts broken by players in an insistent statement released Tuesday, just two hours after Iamaleava entered the transfer portal.
The two former Arkansas players targeted in the initial legal efforts are Iamaleava and former receiver Dazmin James, sources told CBS Sports. A meeting between Iamaleava’s representatives and Blueprint Sports’ legal team is expected early this week.
Darren Heitner, the attorney representing James, told CBS Sports on Sunday, however, that the buyout clause is unenforceable.
“My position is that the buyout clause in the agreement is unenforceable, as written and applied, under Arkansas state law,” Heitner said. “For liquidated damages to be valid, they must reasonably estimate potential damages and apply when actual damages are hard to determine. Here, since Dazmin James received no payment and the agreement was terminated just a few days after execution, BPSE suffered no harm. Thus, the clause appears to be a penalty rather than a fair estimation of damages, making it unenforceable.”
Iamaleava signed a one-year contract with Arkansas worth roughly $500,000 in January, according to people familiar with the deal. The contract included a provision requiring Iamaleava to pay the collective 50% of the money remaining on the agreement should he leave the school. He was due $400,000 in remaining payments, which amounts to a buyout of $200,000, a source told CBS Sports.
James didn’t record a catch at Arkansas until a breakout performance in the Liberty Bowl, where he caught three passes for 137 yards and a touchdown — a 94-yard reception and school record — in the Hogs’ 39-26 victory against Texas Tech. James entered the portal four days later and transferred to Cal in January.
Mars, who is based in Arkansas, has been at the center of several notable NCAA legal affairs over the last decade. He recently represented Tennessee‘s NIL collective in its fight against the NCAA, when it investigated potential NIL violations tied to Nico Iamaleava in early 2024.
It’s not uncommon for players to enroll in schools in January only to enter the transfer portal before ever playing in a game. However, for the first time, schools have taken an interest in enforcing new buyout clauses in NIL contracts. Now, legal battles between collectives and former players may become part of the ever-changing world of college athletics as it continues to shift toward a professional model.
Hundreds of players — and their former schools — have ignored buyout language in NIL contracts as all parties await revenue sharing tied to the House v. NCAA settlement — to take effect on July 1. The question of whether these NIL contracts are legal has sparked debate in legal circles, contributing to schools’ hesitancy to sue players.
On the heels of the saga involving Nico and Madden Iamaleava, multiple schools have become more inclined and are re-evaluating legal action against former players who do not honor their contracts, sources told CBS Sports.
The saga of the Brothers Iamaleava has muddied the canvas. Earlier this month, Nico became the first high-profile player to hold out of team activities amid a contract dispute. Hours later, Tennessee moved on from its starting quarterback who led the Vols to the College Football Playoff.
Arkansas puts departed QB Madden Iamaleava in its crosshairs by encouraging NIL collective to recoup buyout
Brandon Marcello
One day after Nico signed with UCLA on Easter Sunday, Madden informed the Arkansas coaches that he was homesick and wanted to enter the transfer portal, a person familiar with the decision told CBS Sports. The Iamaleava family, including Nico, visited Madden in Fayetteville to watch the Razorbacks’ spring game, which was canceled due to severe weather, 48 hours before Madden alerted coaches he was leaving the program.
“The portal, and I know Nico was high-profile, but I don’t want to blame the players, I don’t, for leaving,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman told reporters Thursday. “I mean, you could say, ‘Well, he was here three months and blah, blah, blah,’ but the opportunity to leave is there twice a year. The (opportunity) to leave for more money is there twice a year. I’m not positive what we all would do in that situation.”
Madden’s recruiting story might not be as dramatic as his older brother’s NIL negotiations and subsequent departure from Tennessee, but it did spark national interest as he left Arkansas — intending to follow his sibling to UCLA — before ever playing for the Razorbacks.
Madden initially committed to UCLA in May 2024 but flipped to Arkansas in a surprise announcement on National Signing Day in December. NIL contracts at Arkansas commonly include language requiring players to reimburse 50% of the remaining money on their deal if they leave for another school, according to documents reviewed by CBS Sports. Madden Iamaleava had roughly eight months remaining on his contract.
Arkansas snagged the industry’s attention Tuesday when Yurachek became the first athletics director to direct an NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in players’ contracts.
“I have spoken with the leadership team at Arkansas Edge and expressed my support in their pursuit to enforce their rights under any agreement violated by our student-athletes moving forward,” Yurachek said in the statement. “We appreciate Edge’s investment in our student-athletes and acknowledge the enforcement of these agreements is vital in our new world of college athletics.
“We look forward to continued dialogue with all parties resolving these matters.”
One NIL contract dispute will not bankrupt a multi-million-dollar NIL collective, but multiple players departing without paying buyouts could erode the school’s negotiating power with future players. Arkansas leads the SEC with 34 players transferring out of the program since December.
Meanwhile, tampering continues to be a problem across college football. Players not in the portal are contacted daily to gauge their interest.
The state of Arkansas’ NIL laws have been relatively aggressive in recent years as the state tries to help its flagship university evolve with the landscape. In a 2023 amendment, the Arkansas Publicity Rights Act gave the University of Arkansas the power to attack tampering and sue agents, coaches and other third parties who “give or promise compensation” for the use of a player’s NIL if that player has already signed an enrollment contract at a university in Arkansas.
On Friday, the state signed into law a bill exempting players’ NIL contracts from state taxes.
Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner Jacob Rodriguez was tabbed the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Defensive Player of the Year, in addition to being selected as one of Texas Tech’s four First-Team All-Texas Defense picks. Joining the standout linebacker on the first team were defensive end David Bailey, defensive tackle Lee Hunter, and cornerback Brice Pollock. That quartet played a key role in elevating the Red Raiders to top-five national rankings in turnovers gained (1st, 31), rushing defense (1st, 68.5 yards per game), scoring defense (3rd, 10.9), total defense (5th, 254.4), and sacks (T-5th, 3.0 per game).
Defensive end Romello Height, an integral part of Tech’s pressure-heavy front, was named to the Second-Team All-Texas Defense. Height recorded 54 pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus, the seventh most in the FBS. Bailey led all of college football with 74 pressures.
On the offense, running back Cameron Dickey and offensive lineman Howard Sampson were each named First-Team All-Texas Offense, while running back J’Koby Williams was tabbed to the second team.
A total of 56 players were selected, with 28 on offense and 28 on defense. Texas Tech’s eight selections led all teams, followed by seven for Texas A&M, and six for the Texas Longhorns. The six Group of Five programs had a combined 16 players on the list, led by North Texas with six.
Eddie Robinson and George Munger Coach of the Year finalist Joey McGuire was named the DCTF Co-Coach of the Year alongside Texas A&M’s Mike Elko. Both head coaches have their teams in this year’s College Football Playoff, with the Red Raiders earning the No. 4 seed and the Aggies the No. 7 seed.
DCTF 2025 ALL-TEXAS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (Texas Tech selections)
First-Team All-Texas Offense
RB: Cameron Dickey, So.
OL: Howard Sampson, Jr.
First-Team All-Texas Defense
DE: David Bailey, Sr.
DT: Lee Hunter, Sr.
LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Sr.
CB: Brice Pollock, Jr.
Second-Team All-Texas Offense
UTL: J’Koby Williams, So.
Second-Team All-Texas Defense
DE: Romello Height, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: LB, Jacob Rodriguez
Co-Coach of the Year: Mike Elko (Texas A&M), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech)
To view the complete 2025 All-Texas College Football Teams, visit TexasFootball.com.
– TECH –
Four years after being fired by LSU, Ed Orgeron has not been shy about his desire to get back into coaching.
Plenty has changed in the college football landscape in those years, most notably players being able to get paid via name, image and likeness deals and now through revenue sharing directly from the schools themselves. That’s an adjustment every coach has had to make, and some have adapted to the new way of the college football world better than others.
In a recent appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys,” Orgeron joked that after all his years coaching in the SEC, paying players via NIL will only require a “minor adjustment.”
“They say, ‘Hey coach, you been out of coaching for awhile. How you gonna adjust to NIL?’ Orgeron said. “I said, well, it’s a minor adjustment. ‘What do you mean?’ Well, back then we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now we just gotta walk through the front door with the cash.”
Orgeron has long been known as an elite recruiter and that’s not a title one could get without knowing how to get things done in the shadows. Now all those conversations and negotiations happen above the table, and Orgeron is pretty confident he can make that small adjustment if he were to land back on a sideline soon.
Orgeron, of course, coached LSU to a national title in 2019 but was let go following the 2021 season. In all, Orgeron had a 51-20 record leading LSU, but went just 11-11 combined in the two years following the national championship. He has not coached since, but the 64-year-old is looking to get back in the action — perhaps even back in Baton Rouge with the Tigers.
I’m emptying my notebook on the football coaching searches at Washington State and Portland State. Also, I have thoughts on the bowl game opt-outs by a growing number of schools. And I have some information on James Madison University, Oregon’s first-round opponent in the College Football Playoff.
Plus, a cameo in today’s installment by the front-desk manager at Planet Fitness.
Let’s go…
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and Fox Sports NFL color analyst Troy Aikman wanted to help UCLA football through name, image and likeness donations, but his experience has made him apprehensive about contributing again.
Aikman shared his experience on Monday’s episode of “Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch,” hosted by The Athletic’s sports media reporter Richard Deitsch.
“I gave money to a kid,” Aikman admitted. “I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. I never met the young man. He was there a year, but he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note, so it’s one of those deals where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”
NIL has become big business in college football. According to 247 Sports, the top five schools in spending (Texas, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M) spent a combined $98 million in NIL money in 2025, and the number will likely increase next season.
Aikman still believes NIL money should go to players, but he says the system needs changes that benefit the sport without creating a convoluted mess.
“There has to be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up, starting with players who accept money. There has to be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf, to have to stick to a program.”
Few recruiters in college football worked harder than Ed Orgeron. No matter which school he was representing, Orgeron did a great job bringing in some great talent. However, most of his work came in the pre-NIL era, meaning he could not, technically, use money in the process.
So when talking about how he would adapt with NIL now legal, Orgeron hilariously said there would just be a slight difference. He does not have to be subtle about the aspect of giving certain recruits a bag to help gain a commitment.
SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter
“You know what?” Orgeron began on Bussin’ With The Boys. “They say, ‘Hey, coach. You know, you’ve been out of coaching for a while. How are you going to adjust to NIL?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s a minor adjustment.’ They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Back then, we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now, we just got to walk through the front door with the cash.’”
The question began by specifically mentioning SEC programs. Orgeron has worked for four of those throughout his career, one of which likely involved zero recruiting. His first job within the SEC came at Arkansas as the assistant strength coach. But as Orgeron climbed up the ladder in his career, prominent roles became available.
None more memorable than being LSU‘s head coach from 2016 through 2021. Everyone remembers the famous national championship in 2019, led by Joe Burrow, and backed by one of the best rosters college football has ever seen. Orgeron was also in charge at Ole Miss beginning in 2005, lasting three seasons.
Lane Kiffin employed Orgeron as the assistant head coach, defensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee in 2009. Everyone knows how that ended, infamously leaving for USC, only for Orgeron to follow him.
Getting back to the present — reports indicate Orgeron might be interested in getting back into the coaching world. He has not held a position since getting fired by LSU, making it four seasons now. One even suggested Orgeron might be a candidate to link back up with Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
If something does come to fruition, a great recruiter will be joining the program. Orgeron is one of the best, even when paying players was not totally legal. But now, his job is a whole lot easier with a direct parth through the front door.
SMU has launched Mustang Partners, a new revenue-generating division focused on pursuing revenue and brand opportunities to benefit both athletes and the athletic department.
With the full-service revenue, NIL and brand unit, SMU becomes the latest school to launch such a program in recent months — joining Clemson, Kentucky and Michigan State — as athletic departments look to expand revenue streams.
Mustang Partners’ portfolio will include sponsorships in collaboration with media and technology company Learfield, philanthropy, exclusive gameday experiences and ticket sales, and it will add commercial NIL, special events and trademark and licensing.
“Mustang Partners is a bold new chapter in the story of SMU athletics,” SMU Athletic Director Damon Evans said in a statement. “Today’s rapidly evolving collegiate athletics marketplace demands programs to be more innovative, more adaptable and more resolute in pursuing new opportunities and ideas. This new venture will position SMU at the forefront of the next era of collegiate athletics.”
SMU closed the 2025 fiscal year with “historic momentum,” according to its news release, led by a record-breaking year for the Mustang Club. The club raised $65,058,040 in cash gifts from 6,158 donors, the highest single-year cash total in SMU history.
The Mustangs also sold a record number of football season tickets in 2024, doubling 2023’s total and increasing revenue 157%. SMU also saw substantial increases in concessions (108%), parking (98%) and licensing revenue (120%).
Mustang NIL is a strategy to drive financial and branding opportunities for SMU athletes.
The division will focus on the development of new premium amenities within Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Moody Coliseum and other athletic venues. The school completed a market study to evaluate new premium areas within Ford Stadium this fall.
Mustang Partners expands on trademark and licensing activities, including the addition of the university’s first full-time director of trademarks and licensing.
The division will also focus on booking special events and concerts into SMU venues, as well as rentals of premium hospitality areas for corporate retreats, meetings and private events.
Brian Ullmann, executive director of athletics, will lead Mustang Partners’ staff of 60. The senior leadership team will include Alex Gary, deputy athletic director of external relations; Lauren Adee, deputy athletic director/chief marketing officer/chief revenue officer; and Sean Penix, senior associate athletic director/commercial strategy.
Why a rising mid-major power with an NCAA Tournament team opted out of revenue-sharing — and advertised it
NBA Legend Michael Jordan to Join NBC Sports as Special Contributor
Falcons mailbag
Portal Update – Basketball and Gymnastics Take Hits
has always dreamed in Mercurial. Now his initials are on the boots.
The new Kyl…
First Tee Winter Registration is open
Fargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
CPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
F1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
Two Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
Utah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
Sycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
Redemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
Texas volleyball vs Kentucky game score: Live SEC tournament updates
