PJ Haggerty is likely going to play his final season of college basketball on a lucrative NIL deal at N.C. State. However, the former Memphis star entered the transfer portal in search of a lot more money than he is reportedly set to receive.

His top offer is much less than what he wanted.

Haggerty, a former five-star prospect in the college basketball recruiting Class of 2022, has yet to play more than one season with the same program. The Texas-native started at TCU, transferred to Tulsa and then transferred again to Memphis. This is his third time in the transfer portal in four years in search of his fourth different program in four years… probably.

A return to the Tigers was still very much on the table when Haggerty entered the portal in April. That no longer seems to be the case and it could cost him more than a few thousand dollars.

As things currently stand, PJ Haggerty is focused on the NBA Draft. He is preparing for the combine, which will begin on May 11. He scored 21.7 points per game last season.

However, it is expected that Haggerty will ultimately choose to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft pool and return to college. He can make more money during his senior year of college than as a late-round pick but the decision is obviously up to him and his family.

Assuming that Haggerty does decide to play one final year of college hoops, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Memphis were his three remaining suitors. Will Wade and the Wolfpack are the heavy betting favorites but neither the player nor the program made an announcement.

Meanwhile, Memphis reportedly decided to move on. The waiting game became too much of a hassle.

Source: Memphis has removed themselves from the mix for All-American transfer G PJ Haggerty, per source.

Things would have to “change drastically” for Memphis to get back in the mix.

— Hitmen Hoops

This is where money comes into the equation. Hitmen Hoops, a local outlet focused on Tigers hoops, says the program offered $3 million to PJ Haggerty. He was supposedly in search of at least $4 million. That is (now, was) his largest guaranteed offer. N.C. State and Ole Miss did not exceed that number.

Unless the Wolfpack bids against itself, or another team suddenly jumps into the mix, Haggerty will not get the money he entered the portal to get. He could’ve been paid the most amount of money to stay at the school he left. Instead, he will get paid less to play elsewhere. It is yet another cautionary tale of the NIL era and transfer portal.

PJ Haggerty and his team of advisors misjudged his value. They cost him at least six figures.

The top QB in the 2026 recruiting class has decided on his college home.

Jared Curtis announced he would be headed to Georgia next year. The nation’s top passer who’s also noted as the No. 2 overall recruit will be a great fit for Kirby Smart and his staff.

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The Nashville Christian School (Tennessee) prospect has Georgia and Oregon in his final two schools. Curtis had the choice of taking millions of dollars at either program. He’s noted as the top high school football player (No. 16 overall) with a $2.7 NIL valuation, according to On3.

Curtis will likely be working with a combined pool of revenue streams from UGA. He comes to Athens months after inking first major NIL deal with Leaf Trading Cards.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound five-star quarterback finished his junior season 179-of-255 passing for 2,830 yards passing, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led Nashville Christian in rushing with 88 carries for 637 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Curtis led Nashville Christian to the TSSAA football Division II-A state title in December and raked in multiple accolades. He was voted as Tennessee Titans DII-A Mr. Football and also claimed the Gatorade Tennessee football player of the year award.

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“Refined and polished passer that matches a higher floor with a higher ceiling, 247Sports Andrew Ivins said about Curtis. “Possess not only the desired build for the position, but also elite pocket-passing qualities to go along with some slick athleticism. Has both the arm and the eyes to constantly tax defenses. Smooth mechanics result in pin-point accuracy on the basic throws while a powerful base helps serve up lasers to both the second and third levels.”

Related: Livvy Dunne turns heads by crushing retirement life

This move will leave Georgia with one of the top classes in the nation for next year. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Notre Dame. Only the third season with three or more losses under Smart. Curtis will be a huge piece for the Bulldogs’ future success.

Related: Kansas State turning heads with $2.5M NIL power play

“Not one that has had many opportunities to throw alongside other blue-chip quarterbacks due to a series of injuries, but should be viewed as one of the top signal callers in the 2026 cycle and a potential multi-year starter for a College Football Playoff contender that can connect on the deep shots and thrive in a structured environment,” Ivins added.

Georgia will open the 2025 football season against Marshall on Aug. 30.

The transfer portal has continued to be a wild place for Florida Basketball over the past month. The Gators have landed two players out of the portal, Xaivian Lee and AJ Brown, while word got out yesterday that Florida would not be landing Southern Cal guard Desmond Claude.

But there is another player Florida has been linked to in the transfer portal, and rumors of just how much he was seeking in NIL money were shut down yesterday.

Florida Gators will show the money, just not that much

Arkansas freshman Boogie Fland is in the transfer portal but is simultaneously also exploring the NBA Draft. After averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds to start the season, Fland hurt his hand against Florida, and when he did come back to close out the season, he was relegated to being a role player.

Most mock drafts view him as a late first-round to early second-round prospect, which puts him in a weird place when it comes to his ability to make more money via a NIL deal.

Florida has been linked as someone pursuing Fland should he come back to college, and yesterday, the X account @CBKReport recirculated comments that Bo Mattingly said on “The Chuck & Bo Show,” where Mattingly said, “I was surprised to hear what I’m about to tell you. I believe that Boogie Fland – if he doesn’t stay in the draft – could end up getting 5, 6, maybe $7 million.”

The post included the idea that Florida was willing to pay that money, and that’s when things went viral and had to be shut down.

Field of 68 insider Jeff Goodman simply replied, “This is insanely inaccurate.”

Other insiders chimed in with similar beliefs that there is no way a single player in college basketball is going to make $7 million for a single season.

And even if Fland is going to make $7 million, Florida doesn’t seem like a place that is willing to pay that huge of a price. Todd Golden’s salary is $4 million, and many believed that Florida’s roster in 2024/25 was not making as much money compared to some other big-name schools.

Combined with Florida not wanting to pay Denzel Aberdeen his asking price, this never felt like a reality.

BAYLOR (26-26, 11-13 Big 12) at PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

Wednesday, May 7 • vs Kansas • Oklahoma City, Okla. | Devon Park • Radio: 101.3 FM • Watch: ESPN+
 
STORY LINES
• Baylor Softball is heading to the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Tournament this week as the No. 8 seed. The Bears will face No. 9 seed Texas Tech on Wednesday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m. CT at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 
• Devon Park is the re-branded Hall of Fame Stadium name, the home of the Women’s College World Series.
• After the No. 8 vs No. 9 seed matchup, the winner will go on to play the No. 1 seed, Texas Tech, on Thursday, May 8 at 1:30 p.m. CT.  
• The Bears are coming off of a three-game series against Iowa State to close out the regular season, where the Bears fell in the series 1-2. 
• Baylor won its first game at the Big 12 Tournament since 2018 last year when they defeated UCF in its first game. 
• The Bears hold the 46-35 all-time record over Kansas, after taking one game from the Jayhawks earlier this season in walk-off fashion before falling to KU in the final two games. 
• During the 2025 season, the team is competing with a veteran squad that consists of 12 seniors and 15 upperclassmen.
• After ending the 2024 campaign back in a Super Regional for the first time since 2017, the Bears returned 15 off of the 2024 squad, while adding four transfers and seven freshmen. 
• The Bears four transfers include Brooklyn Carter (Washington), Turiya Coleman (Houston), Carson Frier (UCF) and Lillie Walker (Duke). Coleman and Frier add depth to the Bears infield/catching position, while Carter adds speed to the outfield and Walker tosses left-handed in the circle. 

• The Bears faced nine opponents so far this season who were either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason/weekly ESPN poll for a total of 14 games. Those teams include: No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 13 Arkansas, No. 15 Missouri, No. 16 Nebraska, No. 1 Texas, No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 13 Oklahoma State. Thirteen of Baylor’s losses on the season have come against opponents ranked in the Top 25. 
• Shaylon Govan leads the Bears offensively with a .413 average this season, only missing four opening weekend games due to a class conflict. She has a team-leading six home runs, seven doubles and 26 RBIs. 
• Govan picked up the Big 12 Batting Average Champion award for leading the Big 12 with a .453 conference batting average. 
• Picking up the Bears’ first Big 12 Player of the Week honor, Govan hit .571 in the series against Houston and pushed her on base streak to 18-straight games, a streak that ended with 19-straight. 
• Lillie Walker leads the Bears in the circle with 87 strikeouts with 37 appearances. Walker currently stands in the top five of the Big 12 stats in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, games started and complete games. 
• Leading Baylor during last week’s three-game series against BYU and midweek against Texas State in the circle was Walker who made four appearances, picked up two wins and totaled a 1.75 ERA while striking out eight.
• Faith Piper picked up the Big 12’s Big Stick of the Week award after the Bears’ series victory over BYU for leading the conference with a .667 average on the week with two doubles and a triple. 
• Defensively, Pilon is ranked second nationally in assists so far this season with 143, while Amber Toven follows with 115. Those two together have helped contribute to the Bears’ 28 double plays so far this season which ranks them tied for 12th nationally. 
• Shaylon Govan is now Baylor’s all-time leader in career walks with 141 after she set the record when she drew a walk in the first inning of the Bears’ 6-0 midweek win over Texas State. 
• As Baylor’s unanimous First-Team All-American last season, Govan, is currently in 6th place nationally in on base percentage (.596) after leading the nation in that category last season. 
• Head coach Glenn Moore is in his 25th season at the helm of the Baylor Softball program. In a quarter of a century, Moore is Baylor Athletics’ active all-time wins leader across all sports. He has progressed up the active NCAA coaching ranks, now ranking No. 17 in total victories among active Division I head coaches.
 

 – BaylorBears.com –

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump is considering an executive order that could increase scrutiny on NIL payments to college athletes. Trump reportedly began considering the notion after he met with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Thursday.

Trump was in Tuscaloosa to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address. Saban introduced Trump at the event.

Senior Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who was a head coach at Ole Miss and Auburn, also said he spoke to Trump about NIL concerns. Alas, Tuberville might not be in a position much longer to attempt to make changes to the current NIL structure at the federal level.

There have been numerous reports that Tuberville plans on giving up his seat in the Senate and running for governor. If Tuberville does so, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum believes Nick Saban should replace him.

“If what is about to happen, happens, and that means Tommy Tuberville announces he’s giving up his seat to run for governor, I don’t think there’s a better person to take that spot than Nick Saban,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “By doing so, he would literally represent college athletics in Washington. And I think something would finally happen.

“He’s the most important football coach of all time, and this is the most important moment in the history of college athletics. I think even though he would be one of 100 he could do a lot of great work, and I don’t think it would be that difficult for him to get the nomination, nor get elected.”

Saban doesn’t have any previous political experience but he’s never had trouble succeeding in a new environment before. The 73-year-old was a fan favorite last season during his inaugural run as a host on ESPN’s College GameDay.

Moreover, Saban is already one of the most respected voices on the NIL topic. Finebaum believes the College Football Hall-of-Famer would be the right man for the job.

“He’s always pushed politics aside,” Finebaum said. “He’s acted uninterested, but that’s while he was a head football coach, and it’s also while Tommy Tuberville held his seat. But that’s going to change in two weeks.

“I think if enough people, and I’m starting with the President of the United States say, ‘We need you in Washington.’ I don’t know how he could turn that down… Washington, D.C. is about power, and Nick Saban would have more power than Tommy Tuberville.”

NEW YORK – UConn stellar freshman shortstop Cat Petteys has been tabbed as the 2025 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, becoming the sixth player in program history to receive the distinguished award. Shejoins Grace Jenkins, and Jana Sanden as the third player under head coach Laura Valentino to receive this honor. 

Petteys (Vestal, N.Y.) has had an impressive rookie season in Storrs, playing a pivotal role in UConn’s success this season. She helped the Huskies to an 18-6 conference record and top two finish in the BIG EAST regular season. Petteys was one of the top performers in conference action this season, maintaining a .427 batting average, while slugging ten home runs and driving in 31 runs batted in. Here nine doubles were second in the conference behind teammate and Player of the Year winner Grace Jenkins. 

After not seeing game action in game one of the 2025 season, Petteys has started in every game since at shortstop. In her 48 games played this season, she boasts a .416 batting average, one of just two Huskies to hit over .400 this year. The rookie shortstop leads all freshmen in the conference this season with 12 home runs, 60 hits, 42 RBI, and a .506 on-base percentage. Petteys 12 home runs this season are the most ever posted by a UConn freshman. Her 42 RBI this season are the second most by a freshman in a season (44, Grace Jenkins-2023). 

Petteys was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times throughout the season, earning four consecutive to end the regular season. 

2025 BIG EAST Softball Major Awards & All-Conference Teams

BIG EAST Player of the Year: Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn

BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John’s

BIG EAST Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Ashten Pierson, So., SS, Creighton & London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John’s

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn

BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John’s

All-BIG EAST First Team^

Sydney Carter, Sr., 2B, Butler

Cate Lehner, Jr., OF, Butler*

Kaitlyn Breslin, So., OF, UConn

Rosie Garcia, Sr., 3B, UConn*

Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn*

Payton Kinney, Gr., P, UConn

Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn

Sydney Potter, So.,1B, Creighton

Sydra Seville, Sr., OF, Creighton

Loreley Francia, Jr., P, St. John’s

Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John’s

Kat Gallant, Jr., P, Villanova

Maranda Runco, So., DP, Villanova

Kelsey White, Sr., UT/P, Villanova*

All-BIG EAST Second Team^

Lexi Hastings, Sr., OF, UConn

Hope Jenkins, Jr., P, UConn

Kaelan Schultz, So., DP, Creighton

Lily West, Jr., C, Creighton

Baylee Cosgrove, Sr., 2B, DePaul

Victoria Grifone, Gr., P, Providence

Elisa Smith, Jr., OF, Providence

Jess Bianco, Jr., OF, St. John’s

London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John’s

Madison Konopka, Fr., 3B, St. John’s

Kelsey Carr, Gr., DP, Seton Hall

Olivia Gilbert, Sr., 1B, Seton Hall

Caroline Hobbes, Jr., 2B, Seton Hall

Kyra Kreuscher, Jr., P, Seton Hall

^Denotes a tie in voting

*Denotes a unanimous selection

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