The email about Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper arrived a few hours before the NBA Draft, and it echoed the sentiments of more than a few Rutgers basketball fans regarding this historic occasion for the Scarlet Knights.

Josh Cooper, a former Cleveland Browns wide receiver, will return to his Oklahoma high school football roots. This time, he will take over as the Hinton Comets’ head football coach. He will replace Grant Potter, who had a 28-33 record in six seasons.

Cooper will take over an Oklahoma high school football program that went 5-7 last season. While they started by winning four of their first seven games, they went 1-3 since, with their only victory coming against Sayre. Despite the losing record, Hinton competed in the Oklahoma Class A-I state tournament but suffered a shutout loss to Christian Heritage.

Josh Cooper was a three-way player for Mustang High School. During his senior season, his 81 catches for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdowns helped the Broncos finish with a 10-2 record. Likewise, he had 84 tackles and six interceptions, while making eight field goals as a placekicker.

After finishing his Oklahoma high school football career, Cooper stayed in-state by attending Oklahoma State University. As voted by the coaches, he became a 2011 Second-Team All-Big 12 member after finishing his junior year with 68 receptions for 736 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Cooper also returned punts for the Cowboys, tallying 182 yards and a punt return touchdown in two seasons.

While Josh Cooper went undrafted in 2012, the Browns signed him, hoping he would pan out with former Cowboys teammate Brandon Weeden. However, he finished his rookie season with eight catches for 106 yards in six games. The following year (2013), Cooper had nine catches for 60 yards in five games. His low production prompted the Browns to waive him in May 2014.

A month later, the Minnesota Vikings signed him, but he didn’t make it to the active roster after being waived in July. After his playing career, he had coaching stints as the offensive coordinator at Deer Creek High School and as a volunteer coach at Mustang.

With NIL now in play, college football recruiting has reached unprecedented heights. Programs across the nation are pushing financial boundaries to land elite talent. Five-star prospects now draw attention not only for their talent on the field but also for their potential to earn through NIL deals. Recently, one program made an offer that has made headlines.

Kaiden Prothro Reveals Massive Texas NIL Package Worth $500,000

Five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro has surprised the recruiting world by announcing that Texas presented him with an NIL offer close to $500,000. That’s not a typo. The elite 2026 prospect, who is currently weighing offers from Georgia, Florida, and Texas, said most schools are in the same ballpark, except LongHorns.

NEWS 5-star TE Kaiden Prothro will announce his commitment on July 12, he tells @samspiegs

Prothro is down to Texas, Florida and Georgia.

Read: https://t.co/y5JDLXgdZ9 pic.twitter.com/WJNNdgdMYX

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 23, 2025

“I’d say most of the schools are about the same,” Prothro said. “Besides, like, Texas is probably like half a mil.”

Since stepping into the SEC spotlight, Steve Sarkisian has been relentless on the recruiting trail. The Longhorns know that to compete in the conference’s brutal weekly grind, they need elite playmakers, and they’re willing to spend for them. A half-million-dollar NIL offer speaks volumes about Texas’ vision and commitment to becoming a powerhouse.

Prothro is one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2026 class. He is ranked No. 2 tight end nationally and No. 29 overall by On3. His size, speed, and receiving skills fit modern college offenses perfectly.

As his hometown, Georgia will surely become an easy favorite. The Bulldogs have a strong track record of developing top tight ends and winning championships. Their recent success gives them an edge beyond just NIL deals.

Billy Napier’s program is also among his top three favorites. The Gators are rebuilding and seeking impact talent for the SEC, and strong NIL offers might help their case.

College football values tight ends like never before. Programs invest big in players who can dominate in the passing attack. Prothro’s talent makes him a smart investment.

Experts say large NIL offers like this will become standard. With growing revenue, programs can spend more on top players, and the competition for recruits isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Prothro’s commitment may come at any time around July 12. He’s carefully weighing all his options. The $500,000 offer from Texas has definitely made his choice even more compelling.

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This year, the NBA Draft saw its fewest early entrants in a decade. Just 106 players entered the draft by the end of April, which continues a downward trend from 363 declarations in 2021 just before the NIL era began.

More players are opting to stay in college and hone their skills now that they are able to enter into NIL deals and make money. To ESPN’s Jay Bilas, that helps both the college and professional games.

Bilas said the amount of talent returning to college programs means those players can become more well-rounded by the time they reach the NBA. As a result, both levels can benefit – and it makes the later rounds of the draft a bit more interesting.

“I think what we’re seeing is that NIL and the opportunity to make money while you’re in college has caused players that may have been fringe-first rounders or second-round picks to stay in school longer,” Bilas said on FOS Today. “Why go in when you’re doing so well financially in college? You can wait now and go when you really feel like you’re ready. So we’ve seen, the second round is a lot different with NIL that it would have been in past years, you would’ve seen a lot of players go. And now, they’re staying, and I think that’s nothing but a good thing, certainly, for college basketball, to keep more talent in the game.

“But I think it’s also good for the NBA that they’re getting finished products when they decide to go and players that are really [feeling] like they’re truly ready. I think that’s a good thing for the NBA, as well.”

One of the most notable draft withdrawals was Labaron Philon, who announced his decision to return to Alabama despite having first-round potential and initially saying he’d stay in the draft. On3’s James Fletcher III ranked the former touted recruit as the No. 27 overall player on his Big Board prior to his announcement.

Florida also won big with NBA Draft withdrawals, keeping Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu on the roster after last season’s national title. Former Memphis guard PJ Haggerty also withdrew from the draft and eventually announced his decision to transfer to Kansas State for an NIL deal reportedly in the “neighborhood” of $2.5 million. He was considered a fringe second-round pick.

The 2025 NBA Draft officially gets underway Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Round 2 will take place Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.