Three members of the Clarkson University Baseball team and five more from the Clarkson University Softball program were rewarded for their excellence on the field and in the classroom as the 2024-25 College Sports Communicator Academic All-District teams were announced.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Baseball/Softball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletics and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Selections must have a 3.50 grade-point average or better with at least sophomore athletic and academic standing to be considered. Additionally, nominees must compete in at least 90% of athletic competitions, or start 66% of a program’s games.

From the Golden Knights’ baseball team, sophomores Seth Albert, Jacob Shriley, and Beau Vardion received the honor, while seniors Elizabeth Greco, Zoey Kovach, Emma Sabourin, and Elissa Uveino, as well as sophomore Isabel Haspil, earned the nod for the Clarkson Softball program. 

Seth Albert, a Financial Information and Analysis major, spent most of the season in the leadoff spot for the Golden Knights, scoring 26 runs and ranking second on the team with nine stolen bases in 11 tries. 

Jacob Shirley, a Mechanical Engineering major, tossed 38 innings for the Knights striking out 25 along the way, making six starts and four relief appearances. 

Beau Vardion, a Data Science major, was named a d3baseball.com All-Region selection and was also picked as a Liberty League All-Star after a breakout season in which he led the team with a .382 average and a .657 slugging percentage thanks to four home runs and 32 RBI. 

Elizabeth Greco, a Civil Engineering major, ranked third on the team with 15 walks and drove in 15 runs thanks to 18 hits in her senior campaign for the Knights. 

Isabel Haspil, an Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering double major, set a program record for free passes in her sophomore year, reaching base on 19 walks to help deliver a .333/.441/.465 batting line, scoring 25 runs and driving in 18 more. 

Zoey Kovach, an Engineering and Management major, finished off her career with another Liberty League all-star campaign, her third in four seasons, while also being named NFCA All-Region for the second time. She hit .363/.397/.487 and tied for the team lead with 41 hits. 

Emma Sabourin, a Chemical Engineering major, was a standout in center field once again as one of the top defenders in the league, while also contributing on offense with 17 runs scored and 14 more driven in. 

Elissa Uveino, a Mechanical Engineering major, ended up hitting .316/.374./357 with a team-best seven stolen bases while also scoring 21 runs. She closed her career with a .325 batting average, one of only eight players with at least 150 at bats to do so for the Knights. 

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College Football Insider Names Big Ten Program as ‘Powerful’ as any in NIL Era originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

As NIL continues to unfold across the land of College Sports, one insider believes that USC can be as “Powerful” as any team in the NIL Era.

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On Monday, on3’s Wiltfong Whiparound show, Steve Wiltfong said no team in college football is more equipped to handle recruiting in the NIL Era than USC.

Right now, the Trojans are ranked number one in the country for the 2026 recruiting class, and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down after signing tight end Mark Bowman, out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.

“There’s a lot of excitement around this program,” Wiltfong said. “And in the NIL era, USC is as powerful as any program in the country right now.”

Bowman is considered the number one tight end recruit in the country and still has to suit up one more season at Mater Dei before he arrives on campus for the Trojans, but he is already being compared to former Georgia and current Raiders tight end Brock Powers.

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While the exact numbers remain unknown, Scott Schrader of WeAreSC.com wrote that Bowman is expected to make $8-10 million in NIL within three years of playing.

With the addition of Bowman, USC now has two five-star recruits in this recruiting class. The other five-star recruit is offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe out of IMG Academy. The Trojans also have 14 four-star recruits to have committed as well.

USC’s class of 2026 also has 27 total commitments, 13 of which are from the Southern California area.

Related: USC Legend Attempting to Prevent 4-Star From Choosing Alma Mater

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.

Syracuse, N.Y. – In putting together a roster for the 2025-26 season, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry and his staff hit the transfer portal with more preparation and more money to pay players than a year ago.

Of Syracuse’s six transfers, four come from schools in Power-Five conferences. Five, if one counts Nate Kingz, a wing from former Pac-12 member Oregon State, in that group.

The Orange’s transfers include William Kyle, a center from UCLA; Tyler Betsey, a forward from Cincinnati; Ibrahim Souare, a center from Georgia Tech; and the crown jewel of the class, Nait George, who led the ACC in assists last season as a sophomore at Georgia Tech.

“We got who we got,’’ Autry said of SU’s transfers. “Did we beat some people? Yes. I felt like we could compete. I didn’t feel like we lost anyone because we couldn’t afford them.’’

Did that happen a year ago? Autry was asked.

“Um, probably,’’ Autry said.

A year ago, Syracuse went into the transfer portal with limited financial resources.

As a result, Autry and his staff either passed on or were out-bid for several high-profile transfers. Of the four transfers who eventually committed to Syracuse, three came from mid- or low-major schools.

Syracuse’s budget wound up being the subject of much scrutiny and conversation as the Orange went 14-19 this past season.

In a wide-ranging interview with syracuse.com | The Post-Standard last week in his office at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, Autry said the Orange basketball program had more money at its disposal this year thanks in part to the revenue-sharing plan that is a result of the soon-to-be finalized settlement in the House v. NCAA case. The settlement still needs formal approval and is expected to take effect July 1.

“I think this year with the anticipation of the revenue sharing, I thought that helped,’’ Autry said. “I think it helped everybody, but it definitely helped us.’’

Autry declined to give exact financial details of how much money Syracuse had available to spend on players, but it seems clear Syracuse is operating at a different level, albeit still a level below the country’s biggest-spending college basketball programs.

“To answer your question,’’ Autry said, referring as to whether SU lost out on transfers last year due to a lack of money, “I do think probably the year before, we lost a couple of guys or just went after some different types of guys because it was just a different setup.’’

In addition to the House v. NCAA case, which will place a $20.5 million cap on how much schools can directly pay athletes, Autry also acknowledged that some schools with heavily funded NIL collectives were able to capitalize on the NCAA’s relaxation of NIL rules quicker than Syracuse.

“You hear about these (schools) with unbelievable collectives,’’ Autry said. “They were able to operate faster because you need to have money.’’

Autry also indicated SU general manager Alex Kline, who was hired last June to aid the Orange’s efforts in the transfer portal, helped prepare Autry and his staff identify players they would target in the transfer portal.

“This year we rolled into the off-season,’’ Autry said. “That’s why you see everyone hiring general managers now because when you try to do it as a head coach and your assistant coaches, you’re focused on finishing up the season.

“This year we literally rolled in.’’

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If you are looking to win the lottery, you might want to consult Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco.

That’s because the first-year Red Raiders coach landed arguably the biggest player in the portal over the offseason in former Stanford ace NiJaree Canady. She has not only helped bring the program to national relevance, but also led the Red Raiders to the Women’s College World Series championship series in their WCWS debut, the first team since Oklahoma in 2000 accomplish that feat.

Such lofty accomplishments were made possible by a historic NIL investment — one that has proven to be worth every penny for Glasco and Texas Tech.

REQUIRED READINg: Hurt feelings: How Texas Tech softball ended the Oklahoma dynasty in the Women’s College World Series

Canady has been the lone pitcher in the circle for Texas Tech in each of its three WCWS games, meaning she has thrown all 300 pitches in those games while posting a 3-0 record. In 21 innings of work, the veteran WCWS pitcher has only given up three earned runs while recording 25 strikeouts, many of which have come from her highly efficient riseball.

Now, Canady will be tasked with leading the Red Raiders to one final feat this season: their first Women’s College World Series championship title. The Red Raiders open up the best-of-three WCWS championship series on June 4 against No. 6 Texas at 7 p.m. CT at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Here’s what you need to know about Canady’s NIL situation at Texas Tech:

How much does NiJaree Canady make in NIL?

As previously reported by USA TODAY, Canady is making $1,050,024 in NIL earnings this season at Texas Tech. She signed her NIL deal with Texas Tech’s NIL collective, The Matador Club, last July after she announced her transfer from Stanford.

The 6-foot right-hander’s NIL deal with the Red Raiders is broken down into the following: $1 million in NIL earnings, $50K for living expenses and $24 for her jersey number.

“My message was: We’re talking about Bo Jackson. We’re talking about Herschel Walker,” Glasco told ESPN on what he told Texas Tech boosters John and Tracy Sellers while recruiting Canady. “We’re talking about a once-in-a-generation player that’s already made a name all over America. She’s a folk hero in our sport and she’s a sophomore.”

He added: “We look at it as they deserve it just as much (as male athletes). She worked so hard to be the No. 1 pitcher in the country. … I left that meeting and thought, ‘This is who I would love to put a lot of effort into because of who she is.'”

The Red Raiders beat out several softball powerhouses — Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Florida and UCLA to name a few — for Canady, along with beating out her former program, Stanford.

The Cardinal did not give Canady a new NIL deal offer until the last day the NCAA transfer portal had been open after the 2024 season, as noted by USA TODAY through reporting by The Athletic. This ultimately led Canady to enter her name into the portal.

“I can remember one of the things I kept telling her. ‘Hey, if you come to Texas Tech and you take us to the World Series, your market value as advertisements and your shelf life will be seven, eight times more than if you went to a blue blood like a UCLA, Alabama, Tennessee or Oklahoma. But if you come here, you take this team to the World Series, your market value, if you’re interested in NIL and market value, there’s no comparison,'” Glasco said following Texas Tech’s WCWS semifinal win over Oklahoma on Canady’s impact on the program.

“Her agent totally bought in with that. He kept saying, ‘You’re right, Coach. You’re right. NiJa, Coach is right about that.’ She embraced that.”