BATON ROUGE, La. – Cece Cellura, a pitcher from San Diego State, and Kylee Edwards, an infielder from Mississippi State, will join the LSU softball team for the 2026 season.

Both Cellura and Edwards come to LSU with two years of eligibility remaining.

Cellura was named to the 2025 All-Mountain West First Team and helped bring the Aztecs two consecutive Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship titles.

In 2025, Cellura was 19-9 in the circle with a 2.28 ERA behind 94 strikeouts in 153.2 innings pitched. In 39 appearances and 20 starts, Cellura tossed four shutouts and recorded three saves.

The right-handed hurler led the Mountain West with a 4.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a 1.10 WHIP and allowed 0.91 walks per seven innings, ranking No. 3 in the country.

Overall, in her career, Cellura has a 27-14 record with a 2.48 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 262.0 innings pitched.

Edwards, who earned a spot on the NFCA South All-Region Second Team, started all 58 games at shortstop in 2025, where she batted .290 with 47 hits, 34 runs and 37 RBI. Edwards had 18 extra-base hits with nine doubles and nine home runs.

She also drew 24 walks and was 7-for-7 in stolen bases. In the field, she had a .945 fielding percentage with 87 assists, 69 putouts and nine errors.

In her two seasons at State, Edwards logged a .280 batting average with 83 hits, including 14 home runs, has scored 59 runs and drove in 60 runs.  

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As we head into a new athletics year under the NIL era, a new bill has been signed into law in the state of Texas that could benefit Texas A&M and other universities in the state moving forward.

As announced on Thursday afternoon, Governor Greg Abbott signed a new NIL law that will allow athletes over 17 in the state to receive NIL contracts directly from a university. This bill also aligns with the House settlement that is yet to be approved. For Texas A&M and other in-state universities, it will allow them to avoid any potential lawsuits or compliance issues and compete for recruits in some ways others may not be able to just yet.

The implementation of the bill was first reported by KBTX senior sports writer Travis L. Brown via X:

Let’s cut straight to the facts: there is no denying the influence of NIL on all collegiate athletics and it continues to grow by the minute. The transfer portal has reached historic numbers since the decision was made to introduce financial gain for players for their name, image and likeness (NIL).

That was just the beginning of something way bigger than anyone ever thought could happen in the sport. Some college athletes, like UCLA quarterback Nico Lamaleava, are making millions of dollars before they even reach the National Football League, which has always been the goal of most athletes, historically speaking.

Now, what is stopping players from just managing their finances in college and then retiring? Is that going to cause a shortage of athletes in the NFL? Or, will the professional football league continue to blossom? That is still to be determined.

For now, the House vs. NCAA antitrust lawsuit remains in full swing, with seemingly no end in sight just yet. The proposed, and now imposed, bill in the state of Texas protects universities in the state in more ways than one, while also providing a slight edge in recruiting as well.

The world of NIL and the transfer portal is something that will change rapidly and often. As new bills are signed or rejected, there seems to be some major miscommunications between the House and the NCAA that could be detrimental for all parties if not solved.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: NIL era news: Texas governor implements integral new bill heading into new athletic year

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The NCAA changed college sports in 2021 with the long-awaited introduction of its Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies for student-athletes. These policies granted college athletes the right to earn money through endorsements, sponsorships, and social media platforms.

Previously, the NCAA’s rules banned athletes from profiting from their personal brand in any form. NIL has opened doors for young people, especially those from financially challenged backgrounds. Unfortunately, it has disrupted the stability and culture of college athletics.

Before the current NIL era, student-athletes transferring schools often had to redshirt and sit out for a year before returning to play. The redshirt rule, which has long been a target of criticism, aimed to keep rosters stable and reduce the frequency of short-term transfers, but those days are now long gone.

Now, athletes switch schools more freely and frequently to find better financial opportunities through NIL deals. This newfound “freedom,” while lucrative, is reshaping recruiting and ultimately roster management across college sports.

The NIL system has its share of critics, with Shaquille O’Neal being among them. Shaq did not hold back about his issues with the way the current system operates. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, he slammed players for transferring too often due to NIL incentives.

“If I write you a check for a million dollars, you can’t stay for 300 days,” Shaq said. “You gotta at least give me 2 years.” O’Neal believes NIL athletes should show loyalty if they accept money from collectives.

“I think there should be some rules and regulations because you got all these guys going into portals and guys that are high school players unless you’re [an] All-American like myself [you are] not going to get a shot,” O’Neal remarked, raising a less-talked about issue regarding players in the NCAA transfer portals.

Shaq’s criticism of how this trend will ultimately affect young high school athletes seeking college opportunities was brought up during a press conference in February by tenured NCAA college coach Rick Pitino, who stated, “We’re not recruiting any high school players.”

Do today’s (would-be) college athletes weigh program prestige and coaching alongside potential NIL earnings before committing to a school? Some believe they solely look at their earning potential, with many choosing to transfer if another university offers stronger branding or better collective support. That trend worries coaches, who fear fractured locker rooms and fleeting loyalty.

Even Dwyane Wade and WNBA icon Tina Thompson have spoken out about how the NIL is slowly defeating the main point of college athletics- students getting a good education. Like Sam L. Jackson said in Coach Carter, college ballers are students first, and athletes second. Their education cannot be compromised for the sake of basketball.

Thompson, in a conversation with Wade, echoed the same sentiment. “These kids are transferring colleges, going to a different school every single year. You can’t get an education that way,” Thompson said. “Like, you’re not getting a degree. The money that you’re getting, 75, 100,000, 300,000 dollars- you think it’s a lot of money because you’ve not made any money.”

While both Thompson and Wade have raved about how the NIL finally allows student athletes to make money off their own hard work, the flip side of it does tend to outweigh the pros. Will the NIL’s legacy be the financial freedom it gives students or the adverse effect it has on their education?

Michigan Running Back’s Groundbreaking NIL Deal Redefines College Football originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

When Justice Haynes traded crimson for maize and blue, Michigan fans expected game-changing runs. What they didn’t expect? A business move just as explosive.

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Haynes, the former Alabama running back and one of the top transfers of 2025, has inked a unique NIL deal with Loom Juices, not just as a brand ambassador, but as an equity stakeholder. That’s right: the Wolverines’ rising star now owns part of the brand.

“This partnership exemplifies how athletes can leverage their platforms for meaningful, long-term brand engagements,” said Haynes’ agent, Dan Everett.

In a landscape flooded with apparel deals and one-off endorsements, Haynes’ agreement stands out. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the deal positions the 5-foot-11, 205-pound back not only as a face of Loom’s health-focused mission, but as a strategic partner. For Loom, which targets a younger, wellness-conscious demographic, Haynes is the ideal match.

The move reflects a growing NIL trend: equity over appearance. Instead of cashing short-term checks, Haynes is playing the long game, something fans and athletes alike should take note of.

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It’s a bold step for the sophomore, who tallied 715 total yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons at Alabama. After entering the portal this winter, Haynes chose Michigan over South Carolina and Ole Miss, eager for a bigger stage and a larger role. He now enters a wide-open RB competition for a team hungry to rebound from a disappointing 10-3 finish in 2024.

With Haynes bringing both his downhill running style and entrepreneurial mindset to Ann Arbor, it’s clear: this isn’t just about football anymore.

This NIL deal isn’t just a contract. It’s a statement about athlete empowerment, brand strategy, and the evolving landscape of college sports.

If Haynes breaks out in the Big Ten like many expect, Loom Juices won’t just have a new face. They’ll have a stake in a star.

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Related: Former Kentucky Great Has Words About NIL: “I’m Glad I Didn’t Play in That Era”

Related: Bill Belichick Breaks Silence on NIL Chaos

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

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