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Cam Skattebo Named Finalist for NIL Award

The rapid ascent of the Arizona State football program over the last two-plus years under head coach Kenny Dillingham has been nothing short of incredible. If it hasn’t been hammered out enough – Dillingham took over a program facing severe NCAA sanctions as a result of recruiting violations, an Athletic Director that was unwilling to […]

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The rapid ascent of the Arizona State football program over the last two-plus years under head coach Kenny Dillingham has been nothing short of incredible.

If it hasn’t been hammered out enough – Dillingham took over a program facing severe NCAA sanctions as a result of recruiting violations, an Athletic Director that was unwilling to adapt to a newly realized NIL world, and a fanbase that had generally had enough of what had happened over the last several seasons.

Dillingham responded by working tirelessly to shift the narrative from day one on the job – including building a roster that is both talented and connected.

Among the players brought in from the outside that contributed to an 11-3 2024 season that saw the program win a Big 12 title is none other than current New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo.

The former Sacramento State running back transferred to play in Tempe ahead of the 2023 season – no one could have guessed that the under-the-radar back would be one of the most significant players and earners in the new landscape of college football.

This has resulted in Skattebo being a finalist for ‘Top Earning Male Athlete’ at the ‘NIL Store Awards’ – joining some impressive competition for the honor.

The other finalists:

While Skattebo is unlikely to ultimately win the award, he becomes the clearest example of NIL efforts not being as much of a detriment to the Arizona State program as some may be inclined to believe.

While there are certain aspects of the NIL sphere that the program needs to catch up on, Athletic Director Graham Rossini and Dillingham have continued to find unique and innovative ways to get the players on the roster paid the value that they are worth.

That along with the premise of joining a program that is fully committed to player development could be the driving force behind a consistent, sustainable model that has been built in Tempe.

Read more on the argument on why Arizona State is best positioned to be the prevailing power in the Big 12 conference moving forward here, and on Arizona State being well represented in the most anticipated Big 12 conference games in 2025 here.

Please let us know your thoughts on Skattebo’s place as a finalist and what it could mean for the future of Arizona State’s NIL funds when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.



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Keldric Faulk Helps Pay Walk-On’s Tuition With NIL Paycheck

© Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Audio By Carbonatix Keldric Faulk may very well be the best teammate in college football. The Auburn star had a telling admission while in Atlanta for SEC Media Days. The edge rusher gave a portion of his own personal NIL paycheck to a walk-on player on the Tigers roster. He showed […]

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Keldric Faulk of Auburn at SEC Media Days

© Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

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Keldric Faulk may very well be the best teammate in college football. The Auburn star had a telling admission while in Atlanta for SEC Media Days.

The edge rusher gave a portion of his own personal NIL paycheck to a walk-on player on the Tigers roster. He showed his selflessness by helping a friend in need.

Faulk is one of the top players on the Auburn defense. The junior racked up 45 tackles a year ago, 11 of which came behind the line of scrimmage. An absolute menace for opposing backfields, he tallied seven sacks.

The pass rusher hopes to become a first-round NFL Draft pick when all is said and done. He’ll have the option to leave after the 2025 campaign with another big year. And there’s certainly a buzz surrounding his professional future.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid tabbed the third-year player as a Top 10 pick in his first 2026 mock draft.

“Faulk [is] a 6-6 edge rusher with a stout base. He can play multiple alignments… He’s already one of the best run defenders in the country.”

-Jordan Reid

CBS Sports echoed that outlook, projecting him to go No. 7 overall. “Faulk has prototypical size for a power edge,” the site wrote.

Keldric Faulk is a star both on and off the field.

The defender knows that he’s been blessed with elite God-given abilities. Those football traits have already translated to NIL wealth. They’ll have a chance to help him land a professional paycheck someday, too.

Faulk understands that not everyone is as fortunate as he is. So, when a teammate needed help, he offered a helping hand.

“Whenever I did help him out, it was a great thing for me, just to help somebody else just because I’ve been blessed so much. To bless him and help him out in his time of need, it was one of the best things I ever did.”

-Keldric Faulk

Hugh Freeze spoke highly of Faulk.

The head coach commented further on his superstar’s generosity. He expects nothing less.

“Keldric, many people don’t know, is also one of the most giving and unselfish people I know,” Freeze said. “He helped one of our current walk-ons the other day with some of his NIL money who was having a hard time trying to stay in school. That’s the kind of guy he is, and we’re fortunate to have him.”

Freeze confirmed that a walk-on player was having trouble with tuition and other college expenses. Keldric Faulk stepped in without hesitation.

On3 Sports currently puts the defender’s NIL valuation at $1 million. He decided he didn’t need it all for himself. It’s something we’ve seen in the past from other college football stars.

Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter reportedly funded NIL salaries of 10-15 teammates at Colorado last year without taking a dime from the school’s collective. He earned his money through outside endorsements and decided to share the wealth.

Hunter would go onto become a first-round NFL Draft pick following a monster junior year. Many hope to see the same for Faulk.





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Charles Barkley Calls NCAA ‘A Bunch Of Idiots’ Because Of NIL

Add NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley to the growing list of people upset with the direction of college athletics. The outspoken Barkley did not hold back in his assessment, calling the NCAA “a bunch of idiots” in response to the major transformation in college athletics, particularly the arrival of Name, Image and Likeness revenue […]

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Add NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley to the growing list of people upset with the direction of college athletics.

The outspoken Barkley did not hold back in his assessment, calling the NCAA “a bunch of idiots” in response to the major transformation in college athletics, particularly the arrival of Name, Image and Likeness revenue for student-athletes and the Transfer Portal, which has brought free agency to the NCAA.

“College athletics is so f—d up right now,” Barkley said in a recent interview with AL.com. “I don’t know what they’re gonna do to fix this thing. It’s out of control. I don’t know how you’re gonna put toothpaste back in the tube.”

NIL revenue has dramatically changed the culture of college sports with athletes pursuing schools based on the amount of NIL money a school is offering. High school athletes are now bringing agents and financial advisors to the table when talking to college coaches and recruiters. 

Barkley isn’t the only high-profile sports figure concerned with the impact NIL is having on college athletics, specifically football and basketball, the NCAA’s highest revenue sports. University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders wants the NCAA to consider implementing a “salary cap” to regulate how much NIL money schools can have in their budgets.

Barkley said the current state of college athletics has caused him to modify his financial commitments to Auburn University, his alma mater. Barkley has been a longtime contributor to the athletic programs at Auburn, where he played from 1981-84.

“There’s not a single person in the world who has given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than me,” Barkley said. “But the notion that I’m gonna give millions of dollars every year to Auburn to help them be good in basketball and football…that’s not gonna happen. Anybody who thinks that is just stupid.”

Barkley left Auburn after his junior year. He was the No. 5 overall pick in the 1984 draft by Philadelphia.

Ray Richardson is a contributor to Back In Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at RayRich55@gmail.com

Follow our coverage on Facebook  or X: @RayRich55



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Top NIL Deals – July 7, 2025

Data provided by Student Athlete Score (July 15th, 2025) – Each week, we highlight NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals signed by college athletes across the country, powered by verified data from Student Athlete Score. The week of July 7th, 2025, featured high-profile partnerships from powerhouse brands like EA SPORTS, C4 Energy, and Hoka. Standout […]

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Data provided by Student Athlete Score

(July 15th, 2025) – Each week, we highlight NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals signed by college athletes across the country, powered by verified data from Student Athlete Score. The week of July 7th, 2025, featured high-profile partnerships from powerhouse brands like EA SPORTS, C4 Energy, and Hoka. Standout athletes from LSU Football, North Carolina Basketball, Colorado Track & Field, and more made headlines with new NIL opportunities, reflecting the continued evolution of athlete brand power across multiple sports and schools.



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Sounding Off on Soccer Podcast: Pitt WSOC in transition with Ben and Randy Waldrum

Photo courtesy John Krysinsky In May, Pitt women’s soccer program announced an official change in leadership, with Randy Waldrum stepping into a new role as Technical Director, while Ben Waldrum is taking over as the team’s Head Coach. All in the family: Pitt Women’s Soccer names Ben Waldrum head coach For the first time since […]

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Photo courtesy John Krysinsky

In May, Pitt women’s soccer program announced an official change in leadership, with Randy Waldrum stepping into a new role as Technical Director, while Ben Waldrum is taking over as the team’s Head Coach.

All in the family: Pitt Women’s Soccer names Ben Waldrum head coach

For the first time since the transition took place, Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s John Krysinsky had a chance to visit Pitt’s Peterson Sports Complex and sit down with the father and son duo who have led Pitt women’s soccer to its most successful era and has reached its greatest heights since they arrived in 2018.

In this exclusive, in-depth interview, which can be heard on Podcast formats in two parts and one part on PSN’s YouTube Channel, among the topics discussed included:

Audio Podcast Part I

Audio Podcast Part II

  • Final thoughts on last season and the program’s make-up in what will also be a transitional season with many new faces along with some key returnees
  • What are three qualities that stand out to Randy and Ben about each other

and much more.

AUDIO PODCAST PART I

AUDIO PODCAST PART II 

More Options »

Pulse of Pittsburgh Soccer: NCAA roster size changes for 2025 add twist to mid-year movement

* What is the House Settlement? 

Grant House is a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five biggest athletic conferences in the nation). His lawsuit and two others were combined and over several years the dispute wound up with the settlement that ends a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes. Now, each school will be able to make payments to athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA.

In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22% of their revenue from things like media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress “those are resources and revenues that don’t exist.” Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through “talent fees,” concession price hikes and “athletic fees” added to tuition costs.




John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).




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Tennessee Coach Reflects on Nico Iamaleava’s Departure After Reported NIL Dispute

The Tennessee Volunteers underwent a massive change this offseason as quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly ended up hitting the transfer portal. Iamaleava spent his first two seasons with Tennessee, but amid reports that he was looking for a bigger NIL deal with the Volunteers, he skipped practice the day before the team’s spring game, and Tennessee […]

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The Tennessee Volunteers underwent a massive change this offseason as quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly ended up hitting the transfer portal.

Iamaleava spent his first two seasons with Tennessee, but amid reports that he was looking for a bigger NIL deal with the Volunteers, he skipped practice the day before the team’s spring game, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel decided they would be moving on from him. Iamaleava has since transferred to UCLA, which is also close to where he grew up.

Heupel, who notably said, “no one is bigger than the Power T” in the wake of the drama surrounding Iamaleava in the spring, addressed his departure again during SEC Media Days this week. Heupel reflected on why it was hard to see Iamaleava leave, but also expressed that he believes the quarterback will still have a great career.

“Our football team, they cared about Nico,” Heupel said on the set of SEC Now, via Creg Stephenson of Alabama.com. “Nico’s going to be a great player and he’s going to have a great career. I love Nico. It was hard for the players in that moment, but in leadership of any kind, having clear, consistent transparent communication and also timely, in that it allows your people to handle it the best that they can.”

Heupel shared some nice sentiments toward Iamaleava, but made it clear that their focus is now on who’s taking over the quarterback position, not the events that unfolded this past spring.

“It’s quarterback, it’s unique in some way, but you’ve got to have a ‘next man up’ mentality,” Heupel said, via Stephenson. “It’s going to happen to every team in college football across the landscape of the season. Quarterback’s no different in that way. Our guys have handled the change, transition — whatever you want to call it, in a very positive way. Outside noise, you try not pay to much attention to it. Expectations may have changed from outside the building after that moment, but they haven’t changed inside the locker room.”

Heupel reinforced that “next man up” mentality during his time at SEC Media Days. The Volunteers have not selected their starting quarterback, and will have a competition featuring Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger, and George MacIntyre as fall camp gets underway. Aguilar notably transferred to Tennessee after Iamaleava left for the Bruins, and is the most experienced quarterback of the three.

Whichever quarterback wins the job will be tasked with leading Tennessee as they open the season against Syracuse on Aug. 30.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated



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Gonzaga to participate in new revenue sharing model

Gonzaga has officially entered the new era of college athletics. Gonzaga and the other eight full-time members of the West Coast Conference — Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Pacific — have decided to participate in the new revenue sharing model that’s been implemented for the 2025-26 academic […]

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Gonzaga has officially entered the new era of college athletics.

Gonzaga and the other eight full-time members of the West Coast Conference — Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Pacific — have decided to participate in the new revenue sharing model that’s been implemented for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the College Sports Commission, the new organization in charge of overseeing NIL deals.

Starting July 1, schools that opted into the new revenue-sharing model spelled out in the landmark House v. NCAA settlement are allowed to share up to $20.5 million per academic year directly with their student-athletes. While a majority of institutions aren’t expected to reach that number, those in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC plan on it, with football players likely to receive a majority of the funds.

According to the College Sports Commission — assigned to facilitate and regulate NIL deals in the wake of the House settlement — schools outside the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will have the option to opt in to or out of revenue sharing each year. That’s significant for Gonzaga and the other future members of the Pac-12, as the league’s standing in the college sports hierarchy has been in limbo for roughly a year now. The College Sports Commission’s announcement is the closest the Pac-12 has come to being mentioned as an autonomy conference since the league lost 10 members to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, reducing its count to just Washington State and Oregon State for one more season before welcoming seven new schools to the mix in 2026.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Utah State and Texas State join Oregon State and Washington State to form a new-look Pac-12 conference on July 1, 2026. All nine schools opted into the revenue-sharing plan for this season.

Seattle U, which is set to become a WCC member in 2026, has also opted into the revenue-sharing plan heading into its final season as part of the Western Athletic Conference.

The revenue-sharing cap is expected to increase by around 4% — about $1 million — each year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, ending at an estimated $32.9 million in 2034-35.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS



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