How much is too much to pay for a high school offensive lineman? That’s a question buzzing throughout college football this week on the heels of five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell committing to Miami.

The deal, which 247Sports previously reported could approach $2 million a year, allowed the Hurricanes to overtake Georgia for the No. 10 overall prospect in the Top247 and No. 1 player for the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

It’s a splashy move that seems in line with Miami’s general strategy during the NIL era, which has seen the Hurricanes basically do whatever it takes to land top targets, including Cam Ward‘s $2 million salary and Carson Beck‘s $4 million.

“If you can pay it, do it,” said one SEC director of player personnel. “Go get that guy.”

But college football will soon no longer be in the unlimited NIL era of the sport. Once the House settlement is approved — a decision that could come anytime over the next few days — all future NIL deals more than $600 will be subject to approval from a clearinghouse that will determine whether they meet the standard of fair market value. Schools, at least on paper, will be far more limited in their spending with revenue sharing (expected to be $14 to $16 million for most Power Four football programs) making up the majority of a pseudo salary cap.

That’s the context in which many are looking at Cantwell’s massive price tag and wondering how an unproven high school tackle could be worth it.

Taking your career overseas can come with its own risks, going to a new place across the world. Jarred Shaw is now the latest story of that, with the situation he finds himself in over in Indonesia.

Per USA Today, Shaw was arrested last week in Jakarta, Indonesia, after authorities found Delta 9 THC, in the form of cannabis candy, in his apartment there after they were shipped to him. It began with customs officials with his charges now being “in connection with the alleged occurrence of criminal acts in terms of acts of offering for sale, selling, buying, acting as an intermediary in buying and selling, exchanging, handing over, or receiving narcotics,” per the report.

This charge could come with at least a six-year sentence, per the report. It also states there is the possibility of a life sentence, or even the death penalty — which hasn’t been done in about a decade now — if convicted due to the country’s strict drug laws, per the report.

“An offense involving candies containing Delta 9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) implicating basketball athlete JDS was handled by the Narcotics Unit of Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police,” Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief, said, per the report.

With his arrest, the Indonesian Basketball Association has also turned on Shaw. The Tangerang Hawks, whom he was most recently playing for, and who reports allege that Shaw was to share the cannabis with, have ended his deal with the team for breach, while the chairman of the league has since banned him for life.

“We do not tolerate drug use in basketball. Whether players, officials, court personnel or anyone involved with narcotics or similar substances,” Chairman Budisatrio Djiwandono said. “PERBASI fully entrusts this matter to law enforcement.”

A Dallas native who attended Carter High School, Shaw was a former four-star prospect as a Top 125 recruit back in the 2009 recruiting cycle. He’d go on to commit to Oklahoma State to start his collegiate career.

Shaw spent five seasons in college and played in four, with two years apiece at Oklahoma State and Utah State. He’d appear in 102 games, 57 being starts, for the Cowboys and Aggies with 8.5 points (50.8% FG) and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Shaw didn’t play much with the ‘Pokes while in Stillwater, but would post 14.2 points (51.1% FG), 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks after transferring to Utah State. There, he earned one honor as a Second Team All-WAC pick.

Since then, Shaw would play a professional career in the G-League and overseas in countries like Turkey, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, and Lebanon. That most recently landed him in Indonesia in the in Cisauk, Tangerang Regency.

Not everywhere else in the world has similar laws to those in the United States. Those severe ones related to drugs in Indonesia now have Shaw in a very severe, if not possibly life-threatening, situation, depending on how he’s found.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior outfielder Jace Rinehart has been named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, as announced by the NCBWA on Thursday.
 
He is one of 67 student-athletes to be named a semifinalist and one of just seven Big 12 representatives.
 
Rinehart is currently hitting .347 with eight home runs and a 50 RBI, both of which lead the team. He has also hit 20 doubles this year, the most in the Big 12.
 
The Mannington, West Virginia native is just the third Mountaineer to be named a semifinalist for the Heisman Trophy of college baseball, joining JJ Wetherholt in 2023 and 2024 as well as Alek Manoah in 2019.
 
The Dick Howser Trophy, presented by The Game Headwear, is given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987. The trophy is regarded as baseball’s most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage – all qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.
 
The ’25 news conference with the winner will be held at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the home of the College World Series, for the 13th year. The winner also will be unveiled on MLB Network in a special national presentation at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) prior to the Friday, June 13, news conference in Omaha at 10 a.m. (CDT) in the Schwab Field Media Room before the first game of the 78th NCAA College World Series.

2024 DICK HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS 

Pos. Name, School

DH Kuhio Aloy, Arkansas

SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas

SP Kade Anderson, LSU

SP Jamie Arnold, Florida State

SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State

1B Brady Ballinger, Kansas

SP Tyler Bremer, UC Santa Barbara

SP Harrison Bodendorf, Oklahoma State

RP Kade Brown, Sacramento State

OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

OF Robbie Burnett, Georgia

UT Bryce Calloway, New Orleans

SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA

3B Kerrington Cross, Cincinnati

OF Charles Davalan, Arkansas

2B Ryan Daniels, UConn

SP Liam Doyle, Tennessee

SP Joseph Dzierwa, Michigan State

1B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee

C Ryan Galvan, Texas

SP Trevor Hansen, UC Irvine

3B Ethan Hedges, USC

OF Ike Irish, Auburn

C Grant Jay, DBU

1B Jared Jones, LSU

2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee

SS Matt King, Arizona State

SP Jake Knapp, North Carolina

SS Justin Lebron, Alabama

3B Kade Lewis, Wake Forest

SP Tommy LaPour, TCU

OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M

SS Alex Lodise, Florida State

RP Lucas Mahlstedt, Clemson

SP JB Middleton, Southern Miss

3B Ben Miller, Duke

2B Nick Monistere, Southern Miss

SP Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina

OF Mason Neville, Oregon

OF Cameron Nickens, Austin Peay

3B Brady O’Brien, Richmond

RP Ricky Ojeda, UC Irvine

SP Jack Ohman, Yale

DH Jordy Oriach, New Mexico

DH Armani Raygoza, UTRGV

3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State

OF Jace Rinehart, West Virginia

SP Ruger Riojas, Texas

2B Nick Rodriguez, Missouri State

3B Matt Schark, Southern Illinois

C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina

UT Noah Sullivan, Mississippi State

DH Johnny Sweeney, USC Upstate

OF Devin Taylor, Indiana

SP Zane Taylor, UNCW

OF Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern

C Carson Tinney, Notre Dame

2B Cooper Torres, ETSU

OF Gavin Turley, Oregon State

2B Mitch Voit, Michigan

RP Dylan Volantis, Texas

SP Joey Volini, Florida State

2B Kyle Walker, Arizona State

SP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma

1B Jacob Walsh, Oregon

SS Colin Yeaman, UC Irvine

DH Ryland Zaborowski, Georgia

 

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

Last season, Tennessee achieved its best regular-season record in years and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in team history. The Volunteers are looking to build upon last season’s successes. However, there are several obstacles to overcome.

One of Tennessee’s biggest obstacles is replacing departed talents. The Vols lost some key players, including defensive end James Pearce and running back Dylan Sampson. The biggest exit was quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA this spring following a dispute with the team over NIL compensation.

Podcaster and Former QB Caleb Pressley Gives Blunt Take on NIL Drama

Nico Iamaleava’s exit sparked many debates about the impact of NIL on college sports, and former quarterback Caleb Pressley has shared his take on the issue.

“Tennessee is who I grew up on, and they didn’t pay Nico, or that’s a story, they didn’t pay their quarterback.” He said.

“He wanted like $4 million is the story, and they’re giving him two million. And so they said, ‘Get out of here.’ I think it’s crazy. I think pay him. Everyone was on Tennessee’s side, right? Everyone thought Nico’s an idiot, and maybe that’s true, but to me, I would have liked to see Tennessee just pay up,” Pressley explained.

“As a freshman… he beat Clemson in the first time he ever played in the Orange Bowl… he took Tennessee to the playoffs. In my opinion, He’s going to be the overall number one pick, and they’re talking about two million bucks.”

The Vols will begin their 2025 season in Atlanta when they face the Syracuse Orange. This will be the fourth overall meeting between these two sides in a series that Tennessee edges 3-0. It will be the teams’ first matchup since 2001.

Tennessee will enter next season with Joey Aguilar, the former App State transfer that Iamaleava beat out at UCLA as the signal-caller. Aguilar isn’t quite on the same level as Iamaleava, and it remains to be seen if Tennessee made the right decision by not giving the now-UCLA quarterback his demands.

RELATED: Analyst Calls Offseason ‘Strangest in Years’ Following Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee NIL Dispute, UCLA Transfer

Meanwhile, across the country, new Bruins quarterback Iamaleava will lead UCLA through a schedule that includes Utah, Penn State, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington, and USC.

College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!

NIL is affecting every athletic department in the country. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is the co-chair of President Trump’s commission studying college sports, with the hope that the committee can find a solution to the growing problem of NIL in college athletics.

However, NIL continues to rage on, with the price for five-star freshmen going up, and players re-upping contracts every offseason to stay with their current team.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the latest to warn the college football world about NIL. In a recent interview with Paul Finebaum, Smart sounded off on the current state of college athletics.

“I just want to be able to have freshmen come in and not make more than a senior,” Smart said, “and I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive.”

Smart’s comments come on the heels of five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell choosing the Miami Hurricanes over Georgia. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Cantwell is expected to draw $2.5 million in his first season in Coral Gables.

Smart is cautious about President Trump finding an answer, even with his new committee.

“People have talked about Congress. That’s not easy. Not a lot gets done quickly there.”

Smart also issued a warning about Olympic sports on college campuses.

“You know, we’re probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports.”

Olympic sports are not typically revenue-driving sports, with several losing money on operations. Football and men’s basketball can keep them afloat, but with the growing costs in the two sports, Olympic sports may begin to get cut for schools to remain competitive in the revenue sports.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men’s basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State baseball will be returning to a big-league ballpark in 2026.

On Friday it was announced that the Diamond Dawgs are part of a six-team field for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas from Feb. 27-March 1, 2026. Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and Virginia Tech are also competing at the event.

Specific matchups and game times will be announced at a later date.

“We can’t wait to welcome six more elite programs to Globe Life Field to close out our 2026 college baseball slate as part of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series,” said Jared Schrom, senior vice president of REV Entertainment. “Next year’s field will be one of the best that we have ever hosted and college baseball fans are in for a treat as the nation’s top programs visit Arlington.”

MSU opened its memorable 2021 campaign at Globe Life Field and went 2-1 at the event with victories against Texas and Texas Tech en route to the program’s first national championship.

The Bulldogs played in an MLB venue earlier this season against Rice, Arizona and Oklahoma State in Houston’s Daikin Park.

Home Plate Reserved tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. CT at GlobeLifeField.com. This premium offering, which provides access to all three days of the tournament, includes: reserved seats behind home plate, reserved parking, early entry, discounts on concessions, souvenir hat and cup (with unlimited soft drink refills) and access to a private bar and restrooms.

Home Plate Reserved tickets are $156 for adults and $84 for youth (13 and under), before taxes and fees. Group ticket rates are available for groups of 10 or more by contacting REV Entertainment at 817-533-1833. General admission tickets will go on sale at a later date. A portion of proceeds from all three weekends will benefit Shriners Children’s.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateBB’ on X, Facebook and Instagram.