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Coastal Carolina all in on keeping baseball program a national power in new era of college sports

Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Though many athletic programs outside the power four conferences are expected to drop off competitively when scholarship limits are removed and revenue sharing begins July 1, College World Series finalist Coastal Carolina is committed to continue playing with the big boys in baseball. Rosters will be capped at 34 […]

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Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Though many athletic programs outside the power four conferences are expected to drop off competitively when scholarship limits are removed and revenue sharing begins July 1, College World Series finalist Coastal Carolina is committed to continue playing with the big boys in baseball.

Rosters will be capped at 34 in Division I baseball going forward, and first-year athletic director Chance Miller told The Associated Press all 34 at Coastal Carolina would receive full scholarships and be in line for direct rev-share payments. Miller said he also believes the Chanticleers’ opportunities for name, image and likeness earnings will compare favorably with those for power conference baseball teams within two years.

Baseball is Coastal Carolina’s flagship sport. The Chanticleers have played in 21 NCAA Tournaments since 1991, won the 2016 CWS for their first national championship in any sport, and they’ll take a 26-game win streak into the best-of-three finals against LSU starting Saturday night.

Coach Kevin Schnall said the athletic administration’s support “at the highest level” is a big reason the Chanticleers are back in Omaha.

“What I mean by that is they enabled us to hire an elite coaching staff that would rival any coaching staff in the entire country,” Schnall said. “They give us the resources to put our players in the best position to become the best players that they can be. And it’s an absolute team effort.”

Miller said the budget has been restructured to allocate more money for scholarships without asking for additional institutional support. He said a significant portion of the revenue sharing for 2025-26 comes from donors, including a “transformational gift” from one who wished to remain anonymous. A fundraising dinner in Omaha last week brought in $1 million, he said.

Coastal Carolina’s baseball players are earning about $200,000 combined in third-party NIL deals this year; retired coach Gary Gilmore noted, “LSU has that much in just one guy.”

Miller said NIL numbers for the next year will be inflated at a lot of power four schools. That’s because many NIL deals were paid up front rather than having payments spread out. Athletes and their agents wanted to avoid having to get those valued at $600-plus vetted by the NIL clearinghouse, as required after June 6 when the House settlement was approved.

“We talked to one of the collectives from a power four school I know very well, and right now they’re spending $2.5 million on the (baseball) team and next year they’re going to spend $3 million because they frontloaded a lot of NIL money from their collective,” Miller said. “The year after that, they’re going to drop down to $500,000. So that’s a drastic drop.”

Miller’s charge, like his predecessor’s, is to keep Coastal Carolina in the top tier of college baseball.

“The mentality of our program — all the way back to Coach Gilmore’s early days in the late 90s — was geared to reach Omaha,” said Matt Hogue, who retired as athletic director last year to become director of Coastal Carolina’s Center for Sports Broadcasting. “The way we financially invested, how we scheduled, infrastructure. We always viewed the CWS as the expectation, not a novelty.”

LSU coach Jay Johnson said if there’s one non-power conference baseball program able to keep competing for trips to Omaha in the new era of college athletics, it’s Coastal Carolina.

“Gonzaga basketball, Boise State football. The ones sustainable for decades, that’s who they are,” he said. “This is no surprise to me we’re playing them. As long as coach Schnall’s there, they’re not going anywhere for a long time.”

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports




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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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Notre Dame is a top spender, but not close to the top in an On3 survey

College football has made a huge evolution over the past few years with the adaptation of Name, Image and Likeness, with more teams opening up the pocketbooks for players, something that Notre Dame has been a bit reluctant to do. Yes, many of the Irish players have NIL deals, and are getting paid a good […]

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College football has made a huge evolution over the past few years with the adaptation of Name, Image and Likeness, with more teams opening up the pocketbooks for players, something that Notre Dame has been a bit reluctant to do.

Yes, many of the Irish players have NIL deals, and are getting paid a good amount to play in South Bend, but according to a survey done by On3’s Pete Nakos (subscription required), Notre Dame is not near the top of the biggest spenders list in the sport. The highest was Texas, followed by Texas Tech (who has gotten more than a few commitment from players that previously wouldn’t have considered them), Ohio State, Oregon and Texas A&M.

The Irish are on the list, but tied for No. 17, meaning they don’t spend nearly as much as some of the other schools across the country. Multiple teams in the top-10 didn’t even make the College Football Playoff last year, like Texas Tech, the Aggies, Miami, USC, Michigan and Auburn.

It goes to show you that Notre Dame isn’t just throwing around NIL funds, they’re recruiting players who they believe will utilize everything that the program has to offer, which is clearly more in future earnings than in the present.



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The brave new world of NIL in college sports

If you liked NIL money and its ugly stepsister, the Transfer Portal, you are going to love Revenue Sharing for college student athletes. Remember the golden days of long ago when college players stayed at their schools long enough for fans of other schools to hate them? What Carolina fan did not enjoy wishing missed […]

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If you liked NIL money and its ugly stepsister, the Transfer Portal, you are going to love Revenue Sharing for college student athletes.
Remember the golden days of long ago when college players stayed at their schools long enough for fans of other schools to hate them? What Carolina fan did not enjoy wishing missed free throws on Dook’s Bobby Hurley or Christian Laettner? It was a wonderful part of basketball.
But on 1 July, 2021, all that delightful ill will ended when NIL came into effect.
Some background info about NIL and the Transfer Portal. For those who came in late, NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness for college players. They are officially allowed to be paid by third parties for endorsements, sponsorships, and business ventures.
6Before NIL, none of these activities had ever occurred at any college. Not one. All colleges played by the same rules. Coincidentally, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
Some soreheads contend that NIL stands for “Now It’s Legal.” The Transfer Portal is where college players go at the end of each season to auction off their talents to the highest bidder. School loyalty is a moldy artifact of the past. Money talks and everybody walks to the next school. It is hard to remember their names after one season when they are one and done, gone on to another school or the NBA.
The newest plan to turn college sports into free-range pro teams is Revenue Sharing. Colleges can now pay players in addition to third-party NIL money. Ponder what this portends.
UNC’s esteemed Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham issued a statement regarding what Revenue Sharing will mean for the Tar Heels.
Author’s Note: Bubba will soon be kicked upstairs to make room for a new UNC Athletic Director who has a 15-year background in NASCAR marketing.
Here is what Bubba sez: UNC will pay $20.5 million each year to athletes with most of it going to the revenue-generating sports of men’s football and basketball.
“Women’s basketball and baseball players are receiving some revenue share, as well.”
“ Some” in this context means “a whole lot less.” The cap on the number of scholarships is removed with UNC increasing all sports scholarships from 338 to 532 paid positions. The sports budget at UNC will increase from $150 million to about $180 million next year. That is a lot of bucks. From whence shall these dollars arise?
Funny you should ask about money? UNC recently appointed a new Money Czar with the colorful title of Chief Revenue Officer “to investigate and initiate new revenue opportunities, including naming rights, field sponsorships and jersey patches… More aggressive ticket sales initiatives (higher prices). Additional funding allocated by the State of NC from gambling revenues may also assist our efforts.” {Emphasis Added)
What does this mean in English? Lots of cool stuff coming down the pike to raise bucks. Naming rights mean the Bank of America-Tar Heel football team may be playing on the Preparation H Hemorrhoid Cream Field in the beautiful Tidy Bowl-Kenan Stadium.
Companies will jump at the chance to sponsor football penalties announced to TV audiences such as the Clearasil Acne Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Tampax illegal block in the back, Raid Roach Killer Roughing the Kicker, Charmin Toilet Paper illegal formation, Ex-Lax False Start, d-Con Rodent Killer Holding Penalty, and the Old Spice Antiperspirant Personal Foul.
Imagine the thrill of watching the Heels play basketball in the Weed Eater-Dean Dome! Basketball penalties offer similar sponsorship opportunities. Could we hear calls for the Oral-B Flagrant Foul, the Chanel Number 5 Fragrant foul, the Equate Flushable Wet Wipes Double Dribble, the Ozempic Traveling Penalty, or the Draft Kings 5 Second Inbounds Violation? The possibilities are endless.
Jersey patches on football players and basketball players are going to be a thing of beauty. The Heels will end up looking like NASCAR drivers with patches for Camel Cigarettes, Champion Spark Plugs, Bud Light beer, Smirnoff Vodka, etc., covering their baby blue uniforms. Pure class.
The most exciting thing is Bubba’s passing mention that the Tar Heels may end up getting Gambling Money from the State. What could go wrong? Gamblers never try to fix games. If you are older than dirt, you might remember the old Dixie Classic Basketball tournament back in the ‘50s when UNC, Dook, Wake Forest, and NC State played 4 really good out-of-state teams. It ended ingloriously when players were caught shaving points. Of course, that could never happen again.
Bring on the Fan Duel NIL sponsorship of players. Place bets at your seats. It’s gonna be yuge.

(Illustration by Pitt Dickey)



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Have NIL Deals Affected the MLB Draft for the Hokies?

NIL (name, image, and likeness) is in front of our eyes, transforming the world of college sports. Whether you agree or disagree with NIL, collegiate athletes have a tougher choice when deciding between college and the pros nowadays. On July 1, 2021, the NCAA announced an interim policy that allowed college athletes to profit off […]

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NIL (name, image, and likeness) is in front of our eyes, transforming the world of college sports. Whether you agree or disagree with NIL, collegiate athletes have a tougher choice when deciding between college and the pros nowadays.

On July 1, 2021, the NCAA announced an interim policy that allowed college athletes to profit off their NIL rights.  This transitioned a step further with the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, 2025, officially enabling universities to pay their athletes directly and removing the scholarship limit. Part of the settlement resulted in a trimming of baseball roster sizes from 40 to 34, but it now means that more of those players can be under scholarship.

Larger universities with better outreach and more NIL opportunities can use this as a selling point in landing many high school recruits. This gives the new incoming class of recruits expectations of what they can earn while playing in college — while at the same time developing their game at a collegiate level and obtaining an education while enrolled.

During interviews at the combine that MLB organizations hold with prospects, players now have the leverage of naming their price based on what they would earn in college. Organizations can then decide if a prospect is worth the pick value.

Before the draft each season, MLB announces slot values for each draft slot. That is the maximum amount of money a particular draft pick can earn based on their selection. Compared to last season, according to MLB.com, the average pick’s value has increased by 4.8% from 2024. The number one pick in 2025 is now worth a slot value of $11,075,900.

Every selection in the first 10 rounds has an assigned slot value, the lowest being pick number 315 at a slot value of $187,300, a high value that even the most prestigious baseball NIL deals cannot match. 

The highest NIL baseball deal is with the No. 4 overall draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, Ethan Holliday. With his NIL deal not reaching the seven-digit count, and the Rockies slot value for the selection being $8,770,900 — leaving an obvious route for the talented prospect.

Baseball America’s Kyle Bandujo interviewed former Oklahoma State and Brewers minor league pitcher Jonathan Perrin for insight about NIL deals:

“This also affects the draft decision for high school prospects. Initially at the onset of the NIL era, some draft-eligible players were asking for higher figures to sign because they had NIL leverage. But the increased age of Power 4 rosters could lead some players to opt for the clearer developmental path of pro ball. 

“It’s really hard for freshman right now to get playing time, especially at P4 schools. Agents and parents are starting to realize that, ‘Wait a second, if my end goal is to get to the big leagues, what is the best opportunity to make that happen?’

“That $150,000 bonus is not what it used to be. There are a lot of kids in college baseball this year who are going to make more than that … If you’re getting $150K to go play for the Royals, and Arkansas or LSU are paying you $250K to stay here, I can’t speak for everybody, but I’m going back to school in that situation.”

The Hokies have seen two commits in both the 2024 and 2025 draft fall and go undrafted after landing in the mid-100s on many draft prospect boards. Catcher Anderson French dodged the draft in 2024 and joined Tech’s 2025 roster, just as pitcher Ethan Grim will do this year. This comes despite Grim’s invite to the 2025 MLB Draft Combine.

Baseball NIL deals cannot rival those of college football, with numerous athletes comfortably bringing in deals worth seven figures. With the final 10 rounds of the MLB Draft having no slot value, these contracts are closer to the average rookie-ball contract, closer to the average NIL baseball agreement at a Power 4 university.

For players in farm organization complex leagues up to low single-A action, contracts on average range from $4,800 upwards of $26,200, leaving little leverage for athletes wanting to compete at a P4 level.

Signing bonuses play a factor in whether athletes make the decision to venture into the professional landscape. With a favorable signing bonus and access to professional development strategies, athletes may still be eager to test the waters in the minor leagues.

With the current value of MLB selections and the current NIL deal market, for most P4 programs, athletes outside of the top 10 rounds will likely receive the same value for either choice, making the option more personal: either trusting in one’s self in the professional circuit, or holding back and developing alongside other college athletes in the hopes of raising draft stock.



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Paul Finebaum emphatically pushes back on Brian Kelly hot seat talk: ‘Read my lips, that is not happening’

LSU finished shy of its ultimate goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. After a promising start to the season, many fans were disappointed with the Tigers’ 9-4 finish last year. It marked the first time in three seasons that Brian Kelly hadn’t led LSU to a 10-win season. Given his reputation […]

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LSU finished shy of its ultimate goal of qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. After a promising start to the season, many fans were disappointed with the Tigers’ 9-4 finish last year.

It marked the first time in three seasons that Brian Kelly hadn’t led LSU to a 10-win season. Given his reputation as one of the longtime successful coaches in the sport — it wouldn’t come as a surprise that some fans are getting impatient in Baton Rouge. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum doesn’t see Kelly on any time of hot seat, however.

“Read my lips, that is not happening,” Finebaum said during an appearance on McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning. “What has happened is that, because of who he is and where he came from, people expect instant success, which is fine, that’s expected of everyone at that level. And I think most would agree, including Brian Kelly, that last year was a setback.

“I mean, there were some games when they just looked miserable, notably the Alabama game, other games, Texas A&M in the second half. So I think because of this, because of who he is, people are going to say, well, he hasn’t gone to the playoffs.”

Kelly’ Tigers are coming off a 2024 season in which LSU jumped out to a 6-1 start, which saw them win six straight after dropping the season opener. The Tigers looked to be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff before three consecutive losses in SEC play hindered their postseason bid.

LSU ended up finishing the season with a 9-4 record during quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s first season as starting quarterback. However, his numbers were among the best in the SEC last season. Nussmeier is expected to lead the high-powered LSU offense to great heights in 2025. There are still questions surrounding the defense, but all signs point toward the Tigers being in the mix in 2025.

Additionally, Kelly and his staff have pieced together the No. 2 overall transfer portal class this offseason. LSU also has the No. 9 incoming recruiting class, so there is expected to be no shortage of talent throughout Kelly’s roster this season.

The Tigers will kick off regular season action on the road against the Clemson Tigers during Week 1. LSU’s highly-anticipated true road game is set for Aug. 30, and Clemson is an early favorite to win the matchup according to FanDuel Sportsbook.



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