While at Nebraska, head coach Matt Rhule knows that he has plenty of resources. In the NIL era, however, there can still be times when you’re trailing. That’s especially the case when recruiting against desperate teams.

Rhule explained the relatively simple logic to HuskerOnline. Teams that have been struggling on the field are more desperate to win. So, they’re willing to spend more money on NIL and recruiting, especially in the Transfer Portal. Therefore, they’re setting the market.

“I think the biggest message I can put out there, and this was said to me by Troy Vincent, who works for us in the personnel department,” Rhule said. “Obviously, his dad is the number two guy in the National Football League. The thing he said to me was we always have to remember the desperate team sets the market. So, young people are looking for lots of different things, but if they’re looking just for finances, bad teams have more money because they don’t have to spend as much on everybody else.”

Oftentimes, NIL is looked at as a way for teams to add transfers and high school recruits. However, for good teams, NIL is just as much about retaining talented players who are already on their rosters and avoiding poaching from those other talented teams. However, struggling teams don’t need to worry about that because they’re typically not worried about retaining players who underperformed.

“Good teams have their money allocated to other good players with lots of options. I tell our players, if you’re a good player on this team and you’ve produced, you’re going to get hit up in the portal every single time. You should not be like, ‘What’s happening?’ You’re gonna get hit up. So, a lot of our guys got hit up,” Rhule said.

“We’ve allocated the resources as best we can. So, we didn’t see a lot of need or we didn’t have a lot of resources left to go out and say, ‘Hey, let’s get a bunch of guys,’ because I think we’ve tried to make sure we take care of the guys we have here.”

None of that is to say Matt Rhule and Nebraska have ignored the Transfer Portal. The Cornhuskers have the 40th-ranked transfer class in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That’s with 17 players joining the program.

Nebraska begins its regular season on August 28th with a neutral-site game against Cincinnati. That should help to give Rhule a good idea if he spent his NIL money wisely this offseason.

The expectations for Kansas next season are all over the board. On3 has the Jayhawks at 13 in its Way-Too-Early Top-25.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello slots Kansas at 21st. Meanwhile, coach Bill Self’s club slides into 32nd in the country in CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein’s top-45. 

While the Jayhawks turn over nearly their entire roster, other than returning big man Flory Bidunga, Self and Co. have put together quite a respectable haul this offseason, headlined by the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025: combo guard Darryn Peterson. 

Joining Peterson from the high school ranks are wings Samis Calderon (four-star) and Corbin Allen (three-star). The Jayhawks also put in work in the transfer portal, coming out with a three-player haul consisting of Tre White, Jayden Dawson, and Melvin Council Jr. – all three of whom were top-125 transfer portal recruits according to 247 Sports. 

Nonetheless, not everyone is sold on Kansas, including Rothstein, who went as far as to say, at this moment, “Kansas would not be a top five team in the Big 12.”

But Rothstein made it abundantly clear what the Jayhawks need to do to return to their usual, dominant form:

“Kansas is two legitimate players away from being vintage Kansas,” said Rothstein.

And who may those players be?

Well, Rothstein tossed out a few options. He mentioned top transfer target Darrion Williams – who remains in the NBA Draft for the time being – and Rothstein touched on the international prospects the Jayhawks have been linked to. 

The Jayhawks certainly have work to do, but with Self and his staff’s track record, one can expect Kansas to put the finishing touches on its Class of 2025 – whether through the portal or overseas – in spectacular fashion.

STARKVILLE – Sierra Sacco was named a First Team All-American by Softball America on Tuesday. The Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter is the 11th individual in program history to earn All-America honors from at least one outlet, and the sixth to earn First Team recognition.
 
Mississippi State has now had at least one All-American in three of the last four seasons, and Sacco is the first outfielder selected since Iyhia McMichael in 2004.
 
A First Team All-SEC selection, Sacco was one of the 12 players drafted to play professionally this summer. In her final collegiate season, she posted a .450 average that ranked fourth in program history and 14th nationally. Her 1.286 OPS ranks sixth in MSU single-season history and she finished the year second all-time for runs (64) and third for doubles (19) in a season. Sacco finished her season among the top 20 nationally in doubles (10th), hits (12th), runs (16th) and batting average.
 
In addition to her national ranks, the First Team All-SEC selection was among the top five in the conference in average (2nd), doubles (1st), hits (3rd), runs (4th), total bases (4th) and on-base percentage (5th). She led the team in each of the categories mentioned previously along with stolen bases (16) and home runs (11).
 
Sacco collected 32 extra-base hits this year, which was more than the previous three years of her career combined (27). She posted 27 multi-hit games, which ranked sixth in State’s single-season records, and 13 multi-RBI games. Her 22 two-out RBIs were sixth in MSU single-season history.
 
Along with the impact she made at the plate, the Bulldogs’ centerfielder was perfect defensively in her MSU career. In 157 career chances at State, she made no errors while recording five outfield assists, four of which came in 2025. She is the first Bulldog outfielder with back-to-back errorless seasons while seeing at least 50 chances in both since 2014. From 2001 to her arrival in 2024, a Bulldog outfielder had been perfect with at least 50 chances only five times.
 
Sacco was also a First Team NFCA All-Region selection, making her eligible for that outlet’s All-America honors as well later this month. D1Softball.com will also name All-Americans before the season is closed.
 
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HailStateSB.”
 

Two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

Zeigler’s lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The point guard played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive Elite Eight berths before graduating earlier this month.

The Vols went 109-36 during Zeigler’s time with the school. Zeigler was a third-team All-American this season, which ended with Tennessee’s loss to eventual national runner-up Houston in the Elite Eight on March 30.

“We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies,” according to a statement from the Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC. “We look forward to a swift resolution of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”

The NCAA said in a statement the association fully supports athletes profiting from name, image and likeness along with other benefits and is working for such reforms, which includes a proposed $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit.

“A patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions, make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level and that’s why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere,” the NCAA said.

This latest lawsuit against the NCAA notes Zeigler “diligently completed his undergraduate degree in four years” and graduated this month. That makes Zeigler’s lawsuit different from athletes who started careers at junior colleges or lower-division NCAA schools and are seeking a fifth season.

Yet the NCAA rule limiting athletes to four seasons during a five-year window keeps Zeigler from playing a fifth season and earning NIL money in “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes,” according to the lawsuit.

How much could Zeigler could earn in a fifth season with the Vols? The lawsuit says between $2 million and $4 million for 2025-26, given his record and visibility playing in the Southeastern Conference and based on projections from the Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective associated with the university.

Athletes who redshirt or take five years to finish an undergraduate degree can earn NIL money each of their five years. The lawsuit also points to the NCAA’s redshirt system controlling who gets access to a fifth year of eligibility.

The lawsuit asks that the NCAA rule be declared a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Tennessee’s Trade Practices Act.

As Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal reshape the College Football landscape, analyst Paul Finebaum sounds the alarm, warning of the potential decline of a sport that is very close to America’s heart.

In a recent interview on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum called the current state of college football an “existential threat,” referring to concerns raised by Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.

The ‘Bizarre System’ of College Football Can Break the Sport Says Paul Finebaum

Finebaum didn’t mince words when asked about the health of college football.

“I think college football is at a tipping point,” he said, pointing to the massive shifts in the sport’s landscape brought by NIL and the transfer portal.

While the 2024 season delivered some of the most thrilling moments in the sport’s history, like Alabama’s upset over Georgia and Michigan’s gritty Big Ten title run, it also highlighted off-field issues that are creating a slow-burning disconnect.

Finebaum noted that older fans, the backbone of college football’s loyal base, are growing frustrated. The lack of player loyalty, fueled by a transfer portal that allows athletes to leave “at a moment’s notice,” is eroding the emotional ties that bind fans to their teams.

Finebaum’s claims aren’t bogus; the numbers from the previous season show how on the money the analyst’s claims are. For example, in 2024, over 3,000 players entered the transfer portal, a 20% increase from 2022. This churn, combined with NIL deals that can see freshmen earning six-figure sums, has created what Finebaum calls a “bizarre system.”

Kirby Smart, speaking at a Regions Bank event in October 2024, highlighted the absurdity, saying, “It’s not right for a freshman to be paid more than an upperclassman.” Finebaum agrees with the statement, arguing that the issue isn’t players earning money but the lack of commitment to schools that makes the fans cheer for a team.

The Fan Disconnect

College football thrives on tradition. Rivals like Ohio State-Michigan or the Iron Bowl carry the emotions of generations of fans. But according to Finebaum, when players can switch teams with ease, that connection drops.

He acknowledges that the sport’s on-field product remains compelling for sponsors, as the viewership for the 2024 College Football Playoff hit 22.6 million for the championship game. Still, the disconnect can potentially “break” the sport off-field.

KEEP READING: Paul Finebaum Rips New CFP Format

Television executives and administrators may shrug off these concerns, but Finebaum believes the trickle-down effect is inevitable.

In the end, College football isn’t doomed, but it’s at a crossroads. Finebaum’s hope lies in the games themselves, which still captivate millions each Saturday. Yet, as Kirby Smart’s concerns highlight, the sport must address its “bizarre system” to preserve its soul. Without reforms, the disconnect could grow.

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