College Sports
College Sports Chaos series explores NIL, transfer portal, realignment | UNLV
The college athletics landscape continues to shift. Almost daily, fans see countless names enter the transfer portal from all sports, more controversy from name, image and likeness dollars and news on even more conference expansion. Issues are being decided through mediation and even a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement before a federal judge. There is much to […]

The college athletics landscape continues to shift.
Almost daily, fans see countless names enter the transfer portal from all sports, more controversy from name, image and likeness dollars and news on even more conference expansion.
Issues are being decided through mediation and even a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement before a federal judge.
There is much to dissect, including UNLV’s place in a system that has become more and more about the professionalization of college sports.
The Review-Journal is beginning a new series entitled “College Sports Chaos” to report on and bring depth to those issues and more.
Here is just some of what the series will cover:
Mountain West vs. Pac-12
The conferences are likely headed toward mediation to resolve a lawsuit the Pac-12 filed over $55 million in poaching fees the Mountain West says it is owed.
The dispute dates to five Mountain West schools — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — announcing in September 2024 that they were joining the Pac-12.
There is also the issue of media rights dollars and what they mean to athletic departments in both conferences — and what the outlook is for each league when it comes to their next television contracts.
The Pac-12 still needs to add an eighth football-playing member to be considered a conference, and it has been reported that such a move might not occur until after its media rights deal for 2026 and beyond has been established.
The Mountain West, on the other hand, can likely expect to make less on its next deal than the newly formed Pac-12, not to mention leagues such as the Big 12 and ACC.
What is in store for the Mountain West and Pac-12? Could a program like UNLV ultimately end up in the Pac-12 should it not receive the millions of dollars promised it to remain in the Mountain West? Could it possibly bring legal action to get out of the Mountain West deal?
Stay tuned.
Transfer portal
There is good and bad to all of it, major challenges that still need to be considered when athletes make the decision to jump into such a pool.
Many see up to 70 percent of their academic credits lost.
The calendar for when the portal opens and closes each year also has come under great scrutiny.
But in a world where coaches can switch jobs on a whim, the idea that athletes also have the freedom to search for better opportunities is a good one.
Locally, we will break down the portal with UNLV men’s and women’s basketball coaches Josh Pastner and Lindy La Rocque.
In his first months leading the Rebels, Pastner has had to rely heavily on the portal to build a roster.
La Rocque, who has established her program as tops in the Mountain West, saw three of her best young players enter the portal following last season.
It’s a never-ending cycle of movement that only appears to be getting bigger and bigger as each season passes.
House vs. NCAA
This is the class-action lawsuit brought in 2020 by former Arizona State swimmer Grant House and former TCU women’s college basketball player Sedona Prince.
The basis of it: to lift restrictions on revenue sharing of media rights revenues.
It would create a system in which schools can pay athletes directly beginning this summer, a number expected to start at $20.5 million per school.
It would also guarantee retroactive payments to former athletes who were not able to profit off their name, image and likeness.
Group of Five schools would likely pay much less to their athletes than those from the Power Four, but some level of revenue sharing will be required from programs like UNLV.
The question then becomes, how would the Rebels come up with funds for a system that essentially becomes free agency in college sports? At what level could UNLV compete with other schools paying much more to their athletes?
The lawsuit is near a final conclusion, but U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken wants both sides to agree on the implementation of roster limits. Wilken has been opposed to the immediate elimination of thousands of athletes from NCAA sports.
The final ruling will also have its effect on the NIL world by allowing direct payments from schools to athletes and changing many of the deals signed with collectives.
Or will future lawsuits following such a ruling keep a final determination from occurring for years to come?
NIL
How competitive is a school like UNLV in this highly significant area of college sports? How competitive is it with other schools in the Mountain West and newly formed Pac-12?
Power Four schools through NIL collectives now pay some of their athletes — the quarterback, the star point guard — millions of dollars annually.
One local example is former UNLV basketball player Dedan Thomas Jr., who entered the transfer portal and ultimately signed with LSU for a hefty raise in his NIL deal.
Group of Five schools find it nearly impossible to keep up. It will likely be the same reality once the House settlement is official.
The rich keep getting richer, is right.
Key UNLV questions
Will the Rebels ever receive an invite to a power conference?
Realignment and expansion aren’t over, and it’s the charge of a program like UNLV to position itself in the best possible light once things begin to again shift within the Power Four leagues.
The arrival of a legitimate football team certainly helps UNLV’s cause. So would Pastner turning around a basketball program that hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
The Rebels have facilities good enough to be considered on par with Power Four programs.
But is Las Vegas ready to support big-time college athletics in every manner? And if not, what does that mean for the future of UNLV sports?
All of it and more will be covered in “College Sports Chaos.“
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
College Sports
Colby Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals in Win Over Stevens
Next Game: Wesleyan University 5/18/2025 | 2:00 PM May. 18 (Sun) / 2:00 PM Wesleyan University History Waterville, Maine. – The Mules faced off against the Ducks of Stevens in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Colby defeated Stevens 17-6, advancing to the Quarter Finals. The Ducks and […]
Waterville, Maine. – The Mules faced off against the Ducks of Stevens in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Colby defeated Stevens 17-6, advancing to the Quarter Finals.
The Ducks and Mules spent the first half in a near stalemate due to excellent defensive pressure by both teams. The first quarter saw more action from Stevens, who scored two goals to Colby’s one, but the Mules reciprocated in the second quarter with four goals to the Ducks’ three, resulting in a 5-5 tie at the half. The Mules would kick it into high gear offensively in the second half while keeping their defense strong. Colby came out swinging, scoring two goals in the first three minutes of the second half. When Stevens answered with a goal of their own, the Mules made sure that would never happen again. Pushing again offensively, Colby settled into a 13-6 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Mules kept going and scored an additional four goals while holding Stevens at zero. This resulted in a 17-6 win for Colby.
Jillian Kane’s nine saves were one part of an outstanding defensive game by the Mules. Kat Munter and Gisele Uva caused four turnovers each, and Avery Del Cole caused two, further contributing massively to the defensive push by Colby. Julia Jardina was the lead scorer for the Mules with five, and Charlotte Michener was close behind with four, Ainsley Dion with three, and Kins Helmer with two. Gennie Littlejohn led the team in assists with two.
The Mules next face off against fellow NESCAC team Wesleyan University. The match will take place Sunday, May 18, at 2 pm at home.
College Sports
Colby Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals in Win Over Stevens
Next Game: Wesleyan University 5/18/2025 | 2:00 PM May. 18 (Sun) / 2:00 PM Wesleyan University History Waterville, Maine. – The Mules faced off against the Ducks of Stevens in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Colby defeated Stevens 17-6, advancing to the Quarter Finals. The Ducks and Mules spent the first half in […]

Next Game:
Wesleyan University
5/18/2025 | 2:00 PM
May. 18 (Sun) / 2:00 PM
Wesleyan University
History
Waterville, Maine. – The Mules faced off against the Ducks of Stevens in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. Colby defeated Stevens 17-6, advancing to the Quarter Finals.
The Ducks and Mules spent the first half in a near stalemate due to excellent defensive pressure by both teams. The first quarter saw more action from Stevens, who scored two goals to Colby’s one, but the Mules reciprocated in the second quarter with four goals to the Ducks’ three, resulting in a 5-5 tie at the half. The Mules would kick it into high gear offensively in the second half while keeping their defense strong. Colby came out swinging, scoring two goals in the first three minutes of the second half. When Stevens answered with a goal of their own, the Mules made sure that would never happen again. Pushing again offensively, Colby settled into a 13-6 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Mules kept going and scored an additional four goals while holding Stevens at zero. This resulted in a 17-6 win for Colby.
Jillian Kane’s nine saves were one part of an outstanding defensive game by the Mules. Kat Munter and Gisele Uva caused four turnovers each, and Avery Del Cole caused two, further contributing massively to the defensive push by Colby. Julia Jardina was the lead scorer for the Mules with five, and Charlotte Michener was close behind with four, Ainsley Dion with three, and Kins Helmer with two. Gennie Littlejohn led the team in assists with two.
The Mules next face off against fellow NESCAC team Wesleyan University. The match will take place Sunday, May 18, at 2 pm at home.
College Sports
Carter Berger – Men’s Ice Hockey
Hockey East Post Season Honors: Hockey East All-Academic Team – 2020 2020-21 (Sophomore Season): Played in 21 games as a sophomore…Posted nine points on the year, scoring a goal with eight assists…Was a +2 on the year…Totaled 39 shots, a 1.86 per game average…Blocked six shots…Had two assists on the power play…Scored his lone goal […]

Hockey East Post Season Honors:
Hockey East All-Academic Team – 2020
2020-21 (Sophomore Season): Played in 21 games as a sophomore…Posted nine points on the year, scoring a goal with eight assists…Was a +2 on the year…Totaled 39 shots, a 1.86 per game average…Blocked six shots…Had two assists on the power play…Scored his lone goal on the year in a 4-2 win at home over Maine (Feb. 27)…Had a streak of four-straight games (Jan. 15-23) with an assist.
2019-20 (Freshman Season): Appeared in 31 games during his first season in Storrs…Finished the season with 10 points coming on a pair of goals and eight assists…Was a +4 for the season…Had a goal and an assist on the power play…Had 11 blocked shots…Scored his first collegiate goal in a 7-4 win at home over Vermont (Dec. 7)…Had a goal and two assists, a career-high three points, in a 3-2 upset at home over No. 8 Massachusetts (Feb. 28)…Had his first collegiate point with an assist in his college debut vs. Army West Point (Oct. 11)…Had a five-game point streak over November and December where he collected a goal and four assists.
In the NHL Draft: Drafted in the 4th round (106th overall) by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Before UConn: He played for three seasons with Victoria in the BCHL prior to coming to UConn…He played in 154 games with 108 total points on 41 goals and 67 assists…In 2018-19, he led all BCHL defensemen in scoring with 63 points in 54 games, averaging 1.17 points per game and was a BCHL first team All-Star…He was ninth among all league scorers in the final statistical rankings…He posted 27 goals and 36 assists and had 19 power play points including eight goals…In 2017-18, Berger, a left-handed shot, collected 34 points (10g/24a) while leading his team to a first place finish…He had eight points (1g/7a) in 12 playoff games…Attended Belmont Secondary school in Victoria, British Columbia.
Personal: Born September 17, 1999…Carter Bruce Berger is the son of Bruce and Fiona Berger…Has a brother, Bailey…His father, Bruce, was a swimmer at the University of California, Berkley and his mom, Fiona, swam at the University of British Columbia…Is undecided on a major.
College Sports
Ole Miss women marred in 24th place at NCAA Golf Championships
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The No. 14 Ole Miss women’s golf team opened up play Friday at the NCAA Championships, in Carlsbad, California, with a first round 301 (+13). The Rebels sit in 24th place as a team after the first 18 holes of play at Omni La Costa. Freshman Kajsalotta Svarvar led the way for the […]

CARLSBAD, Calif. – The No. 14 Ole Miss women’s golf team opened up play Friday at the NCAA Championships, in Carlsbad, California, with a first round 301 (+13). The Rebels sit in 24th place as a team after the first 18 holes of play at Omni La Costa.
Freshman Kajsalotta Svarvar led the way for the Rebels, shooting even par during the opening round of play, sitting in a tie for 27th place. Svarvar made par on 14 total holes, with a birdie on No. 5 and 12, and a bogey on No. 9 and 15. The Halmstad, Sweden, native was a team-best 1-under on the four par-3 holes on the North Course.
Sophie Linder carded a 1-over, 73, for the Rebels and is tied for 46th place. The sophomore from Carthage, Tennessee, registered the first birdie of the day for Ole Miss at the par-4, No. 11. After two straight bogeys at No. 13 and 14, Linder got back on track with a birdie on No. 16. Linder was sitting at 1-under, but two bogeys in her final three holes put in her in the clubhouse at 1-over.

Nicole Gal and Filippa Sundquist were also both in action for Ole Miss, each registering a 6-over, 78, during the first round. The Rebel duo is tied for 123rd individually. Gal tied Linder with a team-best three birdies in the first round.
Rounding out the Rebel lineup in California was Caitlyn Macnab. Macnab ended her day with an 80 (+8) to sit tied for 144th overall.
The Rebels’ second round from Carlsbad is set to tee off beginning at 10:20 a.m. CT Saturday morning on Hole 1.
THE REBELS
T27. Kajsalotta Svarvar: 72 (E)
T46. Sophie Linder: 73 (+1)
T123. Nicole Gal: 78 (+6)
T123. Filippa Sundquist: 78 (+6)
T144. Caitlyn Macnab: 80 (+8)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
- #24 Vanderbilt: 282 (-6)
- #25 Oklahoma State: 284 (-6)
T3. #8 Arizona State: 288 (-4)
T3. #5 Oregon: 288 (E)
T3 #6 Texas: 288 (E)
T3. #22 Florida: 288 (E)
- #27 Kansas State: 289 (+1)
T8. #11 Northwestern: 291 (+3)
T8. #31 Tennessee: 291 (+3)
- #9 USC: 292 (+4)
T11. #12 LSU: 293 (+5)
T11. #1 Stanford: 293 (+5)
T13. #23 Michigan State: 294 (+6)
T13. #10 Virginia: 294 (+6)
T13. #18 Mississippi State: 294 (+6)
T16. #32 Georgia Southern: 295 (+7)
T16. #28 UCLA: 295 (+7)
T16. #4 Florida State: 295 (+7)
T16. #13 Ohio State: 295 (+7)
- #37 Baylor: 296 (+8)
T21. #21 Kansas: 297 (+9)
T21. #2 Arkansas: 297 (+9)
T21. #3 South Carolina: 297 (+9)
- #14 Ole Miss: 301 (+13)
- #33 Oklahoma: 302 (+14)
- #41 Purdue: 303 (+15)
- #7 Wake Forest: 304 (+16)
- #29 Iowa State: 306 (+18)
- CSU Fullerton: 308 (+20)
- #35 UNLV: 310 (+22)
College Sports
UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater Advance To NCAA Softball Super Regionals
Story Links MADISON, Wis.–For the first time in history, two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) softball programs are headed to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship after University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater won regional titles on May 17. UW-Stevens Point (31-13) won the Oshkosh, Wis., Regional […]

MADISON, Wis.–For the first time in history, two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) softball programs are headed to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship after University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater won regional titles on May 17.
UW-Stevens Point (31-13) won the Oshkosh, Wis., Regional with a 3-1 victory over UW-Oshkosh. The Pointers opened regional competition with a 3-0 victory over Central College (Iowa) and followed that win with a 1-0 triumph over UW-Oshkosh. The Titans rebounded with a 5-2 victory before UW-Stevens Point won the deciding game. UW-Stevens Point will square off against Trine University (Ind.) (39-5) in a best-of-three Super Regional.
UW-Oshkosh opened regional play with a 6-0 triumph over Concordia University (Wis.) and beat the Falcons in their third game of the regional by a 4-1 margin in addition to its results against UW-Stevens Point. Brianna Bougie, Abby Garceau and Grace Nardi were named to the regional’s All-Tournament Team.
UW-Oshkosh finished the season with a 39-8 record and won the WIAC tournament title. The 39 wins are the second-most in program history. The Titans made their third consecutive NCAA appearance – and 12th overall.
UW-Whitewater (38-6) won the Cleveland, Ohio Regional with a 7-3 triumph over Case Western Reserve University (Ohio). The Warhawks opened with a 5-0 win over Penn College of Technology (Pa.) in a game that featured a no-hitter by the Warhawks’ Josie Hammen. UW-Whitewater then posted a 7-6 victory over Case Western Reserve before the regional-clinching win. The Warhawks will face Saint Mary’s University (Minn.) (42-4) in Super Regional action.
UW-Eau Claire also represented the conference in NCAA regional action in Angola, Ind. The Blugolds fell short 13-3 in five innings in their opening contest against Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio), but rebounded with a 4-1 victory over University of Pittsburgh Greensburg (Pa.). UW-Eau Claire then beat Baldwin Wallace 8-7 in 10 innings, before being eliminated by Trine University 9-1 in 5 innings. Kenna Strunsee, Molly Marquardt, and Brooklyn Swanepoel were named to the regional’s All-Tournament Team.
UW-Eau Claire completed the 2025 campaign with a 29-16 record and made their 14th NCAAA appearance. The 29 victories are the most since the 2012 season.
In UW-Stevens Point’s clinching game against UW-Oshkosh, the game was scoreless until the fifth inning when UW-Stevens Point’s Sophie Schmidt reached on a throwing error to start the inning. She moved to second on a sac bunt by Trinity Otto. With two outs, Kaitlyn Roberts drew a walk and three pitches later, Jesse Klicker launched a home run to center to give the Pointers a 3-0 lead.
The Titans broke up a no-hit bid in the sixth with an infield hit by Sarah Hammer. Two batters later, Cali Divito singled to second base. A successful double steal cut the deficit to 3-1.
Ashley Zygowski tossed the final 2.0 frames to earn the save – her nation-leading 11th of the season.
Klicker and Zygowski were named to the regional’s All-Tournament Team, while Morgan Harwood was selected the Most Outstanding Player.
In the clinching game against Case Western Reserve, UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run single by Kaitlyn Weidemann.
Case Western Reserve tied the game with back-to-back home runs to open the fourth inning and added a couple of singles for their only lead of the game at 3-2.
UW-Whitewater responded immediately in their half of the frame, once again scoring with two outs. Emma Giese was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a wild pitch scored Weidemann for a 4-3 advantage.
UW-Whitewater added to its lead in the fifth inning on a run-scoring single down the right field line by Weidemann, and tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-run home run to left field by Grace Wickman.
Hammen, Wickman and Dani Peshia were named to the regional’s All-Tournament Team, while Weidemann was selected the Most Outstanding Player.
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College Sports
Star Miami Recruit’s Reportedly Massive NIL Deal Sparks College Football Debate
Top five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell recently announced his college football commitment to the Miami Hurricanes, and his reported NIL deal is under the spotlight. Cantwell chose the Hurricanes over the Georgia Bulldogs, and one of the reasons was said to be a landmark NIL package for the high school offensive tackle, reportedly upwards of $2 […]

Top five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell recently announced his college football commitment to the Miami Hurricanes, and his reported NIL deal is under the spotlight.
Cantwell chose the Hurricanes over the Georgia Bulldogs, and one of the reasons was said to be a landmark NIL package for the high school offensive tackle, reportedly upwards of $2 million per year.
It led to Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart sharing his recruiting philosophy while licking the wounds of losing out on Cantwell, declaring that he doesn’t want to be in a landscape where a freshman recruit comes on campus making more than a senior.
Although Cantwell has stated that the name, image, and likeness deal was not the primary reason for his commitment to Miami football, as reported by the Springfield News-Leader, the value of his deal remains a central topic of debate among college football personnel.
Is a High School Offensive Tackle Worth 10% of a Team’s NIL Salary Cap?
Chris Hummer of 247Sports (subscription required) sought the opinions of Power Four personnel and coaching staff on the Hurricane’s NIL strategy of spending top dollars on star targets, including quarterbacks Cam Ward and Carson Beck.
Those moves were made in an unrestricted NIL era that is set to change upon approval of the House settlement.
The revenue-sharing structure will have a cap, and that’s what’s causing pause among personnel in the sport regarding Cantwell’s NIL deal.
“If it’s coming out of the rev share, there’s no [expletive] way,” the same SEC director of player personnel said. “That’s a quarterback or a starting left tackle. Cantwell is going to start his career and be at best a quality starter. Not a great one. Not an elite one.”
Cantwell’s NIL lawyer, Darren Heitner, told 247Sports that it’s fair to assume that payment won’t come until he enrolls, which would seem to be in the revenue-sharing era.
The details are not public, and some wonder if the deal could be under the “old rules” of NIL if signed before the settlement’s July 1 effective date.
Regardless of whether it falls under cap compliance or not, the deal is sparking more debates around positional value and the fact that much of the salary cap is being spent on a high school offensive lineman who has yet to take a college snap.
The majority answered no, with an ACC director of player personnel giving a bit more open-minded perspective.
“Yeah, but you can only have one of them,” they said. “You have to invest up front, and that’s what the market is around.”
Of course schools want premier left tackles, but the cap will require more thoughtful divvying of resources.
Despite acknowledging the positional value, the majority of those surveyed contend that they would be better off allocating their resources elsewhere, particularly at the quarterback position.
Some, ultimately, shared Smart’s philosophy on not wanting to pay that much to an incoming freshman. In Cantwell’s case, he’d stand to make more than 95% of the roster.
The position is intricately linked with the starting quarterback. In going all out to land Beck in the transfer portal, the move might be of value if Cantwell can make the jump to starter.
If he hits, no one will be looking back on this move with much criticism at all.