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Charles Barkley is not a fan of the NCAA’s management of NIL and the transfer portal. 

Barkley, 62, didn’t mince words when talking about the current state of college basketball. 

“The NCAA, they’re a bunch of idiots and fools. They have ruined the sport. I don’t know how you put the toothpaste back into the tube,” Barkley said during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.”

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Barkley isn’t opposed to college players getting paid, but has trouble making sense as to how much money players are making, and how frequently players can now switch schools. 

“This notion that you have to come up with tens of millions of dollars to pay kids to play basketball, and have them be free agents every year and transfer to another school and get more money every year. Like, we don’t even get to do that in the NBA. Can you imagine if players in the NBA got to be a free agent every year? I’m not opposed to players getting paid, I want to make that clear,” Barkley said. 

“But, this notion we gotta give college kids tens of millions of dollars a year, and basketball is the worst, because you’re only gonna get a great player for six months. I don’t even see how you’re gonna get the return on investment.”

CHARLES BARKLEY RAISES CONCERNS FOR BILL BELICHICK AS FORMER NFL COACH’S PERSONAL LIFE THRUST INTO SPOTLIGHT

Barkley was asked whether he would ever donate to his alma mater, Auburn, to help its NIL fund, but the Basketball Hall of Famer would rather donate his money to more important causes. 

“I just gave 10 million dollars to HBCU’s, that stuff is way more important to me. I just gave a couple million dollars to ‘Blight’, in my hometown of Birmingham, to rebuild houses,” Barkley said. 

“That stuff is way more important to me than joining the cesspool that is college athletics. We’re such a s—– country, Dan. We have ruined college athletics, and I don’t wanna even get in that cesspool.”

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If even the 11-time All-Star were to give money to Auburn’s NIL fund, he isn’t sure how he would get his return on investment. 

“If I give a guy three or four, five, seven, some guys are getting six, seven, eight million dollars, I’m not sure how I get my return on investment if he’s only going to be at my college for one year, and you’re probably not going to win the championship,” Barkley said.

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Starting Friday at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, top college prospects from across the country will compete against each other at the 2025 USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program national championships.

Otherwise known as DP nationals, the three days of competition will pit the best American gymnasts at Levels 8, 9 and 10 against each other.

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The gymnasts competing this weekend will ultimately comprise the majority of college signing classes in the coming years, starting next season and going through 2029.

The only type of top college prospects not competing this weekend are Elite gymnasts, among whom are national team members who have a chance to compete in international competitions like the world championships or the Olympics.

Multiple Utah signees and/or commits are slated to compete this weekend, including 5-star signee Bailey Stroud and 4-star signee Abbi Ryssman, both of whom are members of Utah’s No. 7-ranked 2025 signing class, plus Madison Denlinger, a Utah commit for 2026.

It was at DP nationals that current Utah star Avery Neff first made a name for herself, winning multiple national titles in consecutive years. Her dominance at the event ultimately led to her being the highest rated college gymnastics prospect ever, per College Gym News.

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Upwards of 2,500 people — gymnasts, parents and their club coaches — have descended upon the Wasatch Front for DP nationals, making this week especially valuable for Utah gymnastics.

Utah gymnastics’ recruiting philosophy under Carly Dockendrof

Official recruiting visits and contact initiated by Utah’s coaching staff can’t begin for recruits until the summer before prospects’ junior year in high school per NCAA rules, but that doesn’t mean this weekend isn’t a boon for the Red Rocks on the recruiting trail.

Prospects can, of their own accord, go visit and tour the University of Utah, and Utah’s gymnasts, meanwhile, are not prohibited in any way from meeting and bonding with prospects. At the opening ceremonies of DP nationals Thursday night at America First Field in Sandy, Neff was one of two keynote speakers and afterward posted numerous photos on her Instagram story of her meeting with some of the country’s more promising young gymnasts.

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Carly Dockendorf is still relatively early in her tenure as Utah’s head coach — not even a full two years in — but there is reason to wonder how she and Utah will recruit going forward.

Under former head coach Tom Farden, the Red Rocks reeled in top 25 classes in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Three of those classes landed in the top 10 nationally, with the 2024 class (the one that included Neff, Zoe Johnson, Clara Raposo and Poppy-Grace Stickler) ranking No. 2 overall.

Dockendorf played a part in recruiting members of all of those classes, and Utah’s 2025 signing class, as previously mentioned, is ranked No. 7 overall.

Level 10 gymnasts such as Neff, as well as Johnson and Camie Winger, to name a few, will be a critical part of the roster-building equation for Dockendorf going forward, she told the Deseret News, though her hope is to balance Level 10 prospects with Elite prospects, much like Utah has done for years.

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“I think definitely a balance (of type of prospects) is kind of something we’ve always had at Utah,” Dockendorf said. “The Elites bring different qualities than the Level 10s. They’ve competed on podium a lot of the time and in really high pressure meets all around the world, which means they’ve had to learn how to adapt and adjust.

“Some of the Level 10s compete more locally and are really familiar with the same meets that they go to every year. A lot of clubs go to almost the same meets year after year, maybe rotating one or two out and then the (Women’s Development Program) national championships or the Nastia Liukin Cup are kind of their biggest meets of the year. I do think that having a bit of a balance is good for us. The Elites tend to be a little bit more beat up sometimes with their years of training, which is a lot more extensive than some of the Level 10s.”

Striking a balance between the type of prospects brought aboard is common across women’s college gymnastics. National champion Oklahoma is known for raiding the Level 10 ranks and then supplementing with a few capable Elite gymnasts. Florida is known for targeting Elites a little bit more, but the Gators still have plenty of Level 10s on their roster.

Utah leaned more toward the Elite ranks with its roster in 2024, but of the newcomers in 2025 only one — Norah Christian — is an Elite. Stroud, the only 5-star prospect in Utah’s class, is a Level 10 standout.

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Dockendorf noted that she also wants to emphasize internationals in recruiting going forward, building off what Utah has done in the last five years with gymnasts such as Raposo, Stickler, Amelie Morgan and Lucy Stanhope.

“We also like to balance our international and our like local athletes,” Dockendorf said. “I think they also bring a healthy mix to our environment.”

The internationals Utah targets are Elites themselves, and because of that their timeline isn’t exactly the same as many American prospects.

“Typically the internationals don’t (commit) until later in their career,” Dockendorf said. “They’re not looking (to commit) on June 15 going into their junior year.

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“It’s more when they’re finishing their education, and for the athletes we’re looking at, they’re typically on national teams so maybe they’re staying to do the Olympics or (the world championships), whatever it might be, so their timeline is much different, not as consistent as the American athletes, but I love having international athletes. They just bring a different perspective on things.”

Who are the top prospects competing at DP nationals?

Utah will need Level 10 gymnasts going forward, no matter what, which is what makes this weekend so valuable. The Red Rocks — and the state of Utah — have a chance to impress the up-and-coming stars in the sport without having to actively do much.

Who are the gymnasts to watch this weekend?

Many of the top prospects for the 2026 class are already committed, and Utah has commitments from the aforementioned Denlinger as well as Elites Jazmyn Jimenez (USA) and Gabrielle Black (Canada).

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But the Red Rocks flipped multiple prospects in the 2025 class (Ryssman and Christian). Until financial aid agreements are signed, anyone could realistically sign anywhere, particularly if the House settlement is approved and roster limits increase for gymnastics (from 12 full-ride scholarships to 20 fully-funded roster spots).

The top prospects in the 2026 class competing this weekend, according to CGN, include:

• Kendall Morgan (not committed).

• Sofia Estrada (Oklahoma).

• Oaklie Deputy (Ohio State).

• Maddie Stewart (Stanford).

• Lindsay Pseja (Minnesota).

• Addison Sarisky (Alabama).

• Addison Megill (not committed).

• Kennedy Cochran (Alabama).

• Kendall Torrens (Oklahoma).

• Paige Alexander (Ohio State).

• Sutton Strasser (Georgia).

The top prospects in 2027 (who can start committing to schools this summer) to watch this weekend are Payton McClain out of Ohio and Josie Lynch out of Washington.

Competition this weekend will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday and live results can be found at meetscoresonline.com.

 

ATHENS, Ga.  — Down 3-0 and eventually 6-1, No. 2/2 Oklahoma (45-7) replied by hitting an SEC Tournament single game record, six home runs, capped off by Gabbie Garcia’s walk-off three-run homer as the Sooners came back to defeat No. 6/7 Arkansas (40-12), 8-6, in the semifinals Friday, May 10.

Garcia, Ella Parker, Ailana Agbayani and Isabela Emerling all clubbed homers, while Sydney Barker tacked on two. 

The win also marked the largest comeback victory in SEC Softball Tournament history, giving the Sooners 17 comeback wins on the year.

OU 8, Arkansas 6

The Razorbacks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to two singles, two walks and a sac fly. Arkansas added another thanks a double and infield single with two away from Raigan Kramer. 

Sydney Barker went up and got a high delivery to put OU on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the second inning. 

The Razorbacks replied with three more in the third, using a Kailey Wyckoff two-run home run as well as three singles and a passed ball to make it 6-1. Ella Parker belted her fifth home run in seven games to get one back for the Sooners in the third. 

Paytn Monticelli entered and quieted the Arkansas bats with 1.2 scoreless innings of work. 

The Sooners kept chipping away via the solo home run, with Barker belting another solo shot in the bottom of the fourth. One pitch later, Isabela Emerling launched a solo shot to left center, cutting the deficit to 6-4. 

From there, Audrey Lowry held down the circle, starting a stretch of nine batters up and nine batters down beginning in the top of the fifth inning. 

Down 6-4, Ailana Agbayani clubbed a solo homer to the seats in center field, trimming the deficit down to one.

Chasing a one-run deficit in the seventh, Kasidi Pickering started off the frame with a base hit to right. Parker reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on a double to the gap from Nelly McEnroe-Marinas. One pitch later Garcia blasted a the walk-off three-run home run just left of dead center.

Pitchers of Record

Win: Audrey Lowry (6-0)

Loss: Robyn Herron (17-6)

Statistical Snapshot

Notes

• Oklahoma set the SEC Tournament record for biggest comeback win, overcoming a 6-1 deficit
• Parker extended her hitting streak to eight games
• The Sooners hit an SEC Tournament single game record, six home runs
• Five different Sooners hit a home run
• The Sooners eclipsed 100 home runs for the season for the sixth consecutive year, becoming the first in program history to do so
• Oklahoma won its 10th game against a top-10 opponent
• The Sooners are 4-0 against Arkansas this season
• Oklahoma earned its 17th comeback win on the year
• Audrey Lowry and Paytn Monticelli combined for 4.2 scoreless innings
• The Sooners are 38-0 when scoring at least six runs

Up Next

No. 2/2 Oklahoma meets No. 1/1 Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament Championship game Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. A radio broadcast will be available on The Franchise 2 (1560 AM and 103. FM), with statbroadcast.com providing live stats.