Former Alabama coach Nick Saban is expected to co-chair a new presidential commission on college sports reform, initiated by President Donald Trump.

The commission aims to address significant issues in college athletics, including Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payments, transfer rules, and conference alignments.

Advertisement

A source told The Athletic that Saban, a vocal critic of the current NIL system, will work alongside a prominent businessman with deep ties to college athletics.

The initiative follows a meeting between Trump and Saban at the University of Alabama’s spring graduation, where they reportedly discussed the state of college sports.

The outlet also reports that the President will be “very engaged” with the commission as they attempt to steer collegiate sports in a better direction.

Saban responded to the news late last night on X, writing, “It’s Time to get College Football back on Track!!!”

After trekking back-and-forth along the 6,095-yard Keene Trace Golf Club for three days under up-and-down weather conditions in Nicholasville, Kentucky, the historic journey by the Kansas State women’s golf team paused on Wednesday shortly before 12:45 p.m. That’s when the indomitable Wildcats smoothly completed the 18^th hole of the final round in the 2025 NCAA Lexington Regional, thus putting the final touches on a brilliant performance that will extend their dream season for another couple weeks.

 

Ticket punched.

 

K-State is going to the national championship.

 

Let that sink in. Let it marinate like second-year head coach Stew Burke, assistant coach Rinko Mitsunaga, and the Wildcats did three hours after the regional, after holding the “TICKET PUNCHED” sign on the golf course, and now sitting in an Italian spot they found prior to the regional and had revisited every day, the chatter and laughter intermixed with heaping spoons of pasta during a late lunch, as the players relived their individual journeys during the day, and as the Wildcats’ first appearance in a regional since 2017 elevated into the first national championship berth in history for a program that has authored one of the greatest comeback stories ever witnessed in K-State sports.

 

“A lot of people told me it couldn’t be done, that this was a hard job,” Burke said, his cellphone pressed to his ear amid restaurant noise. “There were doubters about what we could achieve here. But this is the standard. This is what we want to accomplish every single year. I’m so incredibly proud of what we’ve started to build here. With the right support and right recruits coming in over the coming years, there’s no reason why we can’t build on this and go even farther in future years.”

 

K-State tied for second place behind ACC Champion and No. 1 seed Florida State. Meanwhile, the legendary career of Carla Bernat continues as the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion and 2024-25 Big 12 Women’s Golfer of the Year fired 12-under par 204 to win the Lexington Regional individual title — beating Florida State’s Mirabel Ting and Lottie Woad, who rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Bernat’s performance in the final round included an albatross on the par-5 fifth hole, which was the first albatross in her collegiate or international career.
 
“Carla really had a great tournament and built well into the week,” Burke said of Bernat, who led the field by going 9-under par on the par 5s. “Winning a regional against the No. 1 and No. 2 players not just in the country but the world is no easy feat. It was special to see her albatross at hole 5, and it came right when we needed it as a team. To win once in college golf is an unbelievable achievement, but eight times is truly remarkable. She has a bright future ahead of her after college, but let’s first try and add to that total in California.”
 

Just as Bernat has captured attention in Augusta and Lexington, she’ll arrive with her team at the 2025 National Championship on May 16-21 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, as one of the standouts to watch.
 
The rest of the Wildcats won’t be far behind.
 
It was just last week that Burke sat in his cream-colored office at Colbert Hills Golf Course and emphatically declared that the Wildcats, who missed out on a regional last season, and were selected as the No. 5 seed for the Lexington Regional, needed to force their way to a spot at the table. The top four seeds in Lexington were No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 USC, No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Vanderbilt. How would the Wildcats respond in the field of 12 teams? Could they be one of the top five finishers and advance to the national championship?
 
Here were the final overall results: 1. Florida State (-15), No. 2 K-State (-10), No. 2 Georgia Southern (-10), No. 4 USC (-7), No. 5 Vanderbilt (+2).
 
“Our mantra all week was, ‘They don’t want us here. We’re K-State. We’re not supposed to be at this party,'” Burke said. “The girls took that personally, went out and played with swagger. They pushed our way in. We weren’t going to let what it was in the past dictate what we were going to be in the future. That’s the cool part.
 
“History is made.”
 

K-State entered with firepower with Bernat and Big 12 Champion Sophie Bert, freshman Nanami Nakashima, sophomore Alenka Navarro and junior Noa van Beek. The players took turns helping the team score. This was, indeed, a team effort.
 
After going 8-under par over the second nine holes of the first round on Monday, K-State battled rainy conditions for an even-par 288, which was good for second place. van Beek and Bernat each posted a score of 2-under par 70 to sit in a tie for third place individually. On Tuesday, K-State shot an even par again to reside in third place overall with a 36-hole score of 576, while Bernat fired a 4-under par 68 to remain in contention for the individual regional championship title.
 
The night before the final round wasn’t kind to Burke.
 
“I tossed and turned a little bit,” he said.
 
There was so much to do. He had a list of things to bring to the golf course. Then the team had to check out of its hotel. Then there was the rental car, and making sure it was packed and ready to go so the girls could enjoy a peaceful breakfast. Burke had never overslept in his life. It was also his biggest fear. The fuss over preparation for Wednesday allowed little time for him to lie in darkness and stare at the ceiling, thinking of the approaching final round that could alter the perception of K-State women’s golf.
 

Once on the golf course, it was on.
 
K-State, which entered Wednesday in third place and just six shots clear of the cutline, turned in the round of the day at 10-under par 278, which tied for the eighth-lowest round in program history. K-State’s three-round total of 10-under par 854 was the sixth-lowest 54-hole score in program history and 12 shots clear of the cutline.
 
The Wildcats proved to be brilliant in the clutch.
 
After finishing a collective 12-over par on the back nine holes over the first two rounds, K-State went 5-under par on the back nine on Wednesday, which was the best of any squad in the 12-team field. K-State recorded a regional-leading 20-under par on the par 5s, tied for first with two eagles or better, and finished second with 47 birdies, just one birdie behind team regional champion Florida State.
 
“Our girls had each other’s backs,” Burke said. “It’s not about who plays well and who’s No. 1. They know they all need each other to have great rounds and great scores. If they don’t have a good round, they don’t wallow. They know the goal is to move the team. We have a really good team-based culture. Just seeing the desire to keep moving up the leaderboard and to beat teams and force our way in there is pretty cool.”
 
The national championship begins on Friday, May 16, with the first of three days of stroke play. Following Sunday’s third round, the field will be cut to 15 teams and the top nine individuals on non-advancing teams for the fourth and final round on Monday, May 19, to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hold individual champion.
 
The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday, May 20, followed by the finals on Wednesday, May 21.
 
Monday’s final round of stroke play, and all three rounds of match play will be shown on GOLF Channel.
 
The TV audience will see K-State, one of the top comeback stories this year in the world of women’s golf, working to keep its dream season going.
 
“The girls have two coaches that believe in them and have a vision and a clear plan of where we want to go with this team,” Burke said. “Of course, they were nervous and a little anxious Wednesday.”
 
He paused.
 
“This was uncharted territory,” he said. “This had never been done before.”
 
Until now.
 
Ticket punched.
 
K-State is going to the national championship.

State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada

Zip Code

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People’s Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People’s Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People’s Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People’s Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People’s Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People’s Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People’s Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People’s RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People’s RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People’s Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People’s RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

We knew some news would be on the horizon, after Mizzou head coach Shannon Welker told me he thought they’d “have a commit or two” earlier this week, but he wouldn’t say much more than that, much to my dismay. This coaching staff operates in stealth mode, as the new commit, like Illinois’ Makayla Green wasn’t even listed on College Gym News’ transfer tracker yet!

(Please scroll through this carousel for the CUTEST Mizzou pic).

Per Road to Nationals data, the 5-foot-2 Adrian, Mo. native scored a career high 9.90 at the Penn State Regional Round 2 this year, tying for second place while competing against LSU, Michigan and Maryland. She earned a 9.825 in finals. In the regular season, Dakota earned a 9.875 vs. LSU, and against her new team at home in the regular season finale, she earned a 9.85. Per arkansasrazorbacks.com, the sophomore appeared in every vault lineup, scoring a 9.85-plus five times.

Dakota’s top score will place her at the top of the vault lineup, just behind Hannah Horton. Her 9.845 NQS will place her squarely in the top 4 from this year, but top 2 in 2025-26, as. her Yurchenko 1.5 will replace one of the graduating ones from Amari & Jocelyn (sad face).

How much eligibility does she have? TWO years, babyyyyyy! Dakota is an incoming junior. She will join newly announced returners, Grace Anne Davis and Lauren Macpherson, and bars specialist Makayla Green. (links go to my Rock M stories)

Like I mentioned earlier, Shannon had said “1-2 more,” and puts the roster at 20, which is the proposed roster maximum. The total number of transfers I think will ultimately depend upon what’s decided in the House settlement, which is currently at odds due to… you guessed it… roster management. Should the expected number hold up, then they are full, as both Kylie Minard and Courtney Woods are currently in the portal. But like any sport, there’s always spots when you need ‘em.

Here’s how the roster stacks up, currently. It’s looking MIGHTY, MIGHTY STRONG, y’all.

Stay tuned for more Gym news here at Rock M. I suspect there will be more soon.

#MIZ

Be aware: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon join forces to play for Canada at the ice hockey world championship after 10 years.

As all eyes are on the NHL playoffs, the two major stars are in Europe for the worlds opening across the Swedish capital of Stockholm and Denmark’s city of Herning.

It is the final men’s international test before the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, where NHL players return to the Olympics after 12 years.

The two friends and neighbors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were on the team that Crosby captained to gold at the 2015 worlds. By winning the tournament in Prague then, Crosby joined hockey’s Triple Gold Club, a small group of players who have won the Stanley Cup, the Olympics and the worlds.

These are the third worlds, and first since 2015 for Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner (2009, ’16 and ’17) and double Olympic champion (2010 and ’14). He’s captured gold for Canada at every international tournament, including the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2005 world junior championship.

In February, the 37-year-old also shone alongside MacKinnon as he captained Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy, beating archrival the United States in overtime.

Crosby has behind him a 20th NHL season featuring 33 goals, 58 assists and 91 points in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who missed out on the NHL playoffs.

MacKinnon opted to join Canada after his Colorado Avalanche were knocked out in the first round. It will be the fourth worlds and and first since 2017 for the 29-year-old center, who recorded the second highest points in the regular season — 116 — and added another 11 in the playoffs.

Crosby will also reunite with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who just exited the NHL but postponed his retirement at age 40 to play again with Crosby and at the worlds for the first time.

“It’ll be fun to go spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit, keep him honest,” said Fleury, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins three times.

Among the rising stars, Canada includes the 18-year-old Macklin Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 NHL draft who collected 63 points from 25 goals and 38 assists in his rookie season for the San Jose Sharks.

Canada is the most successful nation at the tournament with 28 titles and is a favorite every year no matter who is available. With Crosby and MacKinnon, it is definitely the team to beat.

Other contenders

David Pastrnak is back for the defending champion Czech Republic after his Boston Bruins didn’t advance to the playoffs.

The Czechs beat Switzerland 2-0 in the final in Prague last year with Pastrnak scoring the winner. It was the seventh title won by the Czech Republic — or Czechia — since the 1993 breakup of Czechoslovakia. Pastrnak racked up 106 points in the NHL, reaching one hundred for the third straight season.

Utah captain Clayton Keller also will captain a U.S. that is seeking a first worlds medal since a bronze in 2021. Alternate captains, forward Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and forward Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks, were on that team four years ago. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and Boston net-minder Jeremy Swayman were on the team that was fifth last year.

Filip Forsberg will appear again for the Sweden team that beat Canada 4-2 in the bronze-medal game last year. The left winger will return home to play in two regular season games between Nashville and the Penguins in Stockholm in November as part of the the NHL global series. Others on the Sweden squad include New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and New Jersey defenseman Jonas Brodin and goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The 2022 champion Finland struggled at the previous two worlds, finishing seventh and eighth, its worst results in decades. Nashville goalie Justus Annunen, Chicago forward Teuvo Teravainen and Rangers forward Juuso Parssinen hope to help turn things around.

Switzerland features a trio from New Jersey; forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

The format

The 16 teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary round.

Canada is in Group A in Stockholm with Sweden, Finland, Austria, France, Latvia, Slovakia and newcomer Slovenia. Group B in Herning includes the Czechs, Switzerland, the U.S., Denmark, Germany, another newcomer Hungary, Kazakhstan and Norway.

The top four in each group make the quarterfinals. From the semifinals, all games will be in Stockholm at the iconic Avicii Arena, previously known as Globen. The final and bronze-medal game are scheduled for May 25.