Last Updated on July 7, 2025

The revenue-sharing era in college sports has arrived, and with it, there is a growing trend among colleges to incorporate student fees into their operations. The University of South Carolina’s board of trustees approved a $300 athletics fee for all undergraduate students starting during the 2025-26 academic year. This news comes one year after South Carolina’s rival, Clemson University, enacted a similar student fee of $150 per semester. The Associated Press reported that the cost intends to raise anywhere from $7 to $8 million for athletics during the 2025-26 school year.

According to a press release, South Carolina’s fee is “designed to continue student access to athletics events/ticket lottery, address increased event/program operating costs, and enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues.” The cost will be in addition to the amount students pay for tickets, which is approximately $86 per semester. Furthermore, these funds will support areas such as health and safety, event staff, and facility upgrades. 

Within the same period, the Florida University Board of Governors approved the use of up to $22.5 million by Florida universities from revenue sources, including student fees, to pay for college athletes as a result of the settlement of the House v. NCAA, where schools were approved to pay up to $20.5 million to their college athletes. 

“If our Board of Governors did not take action to assist the universities in the short term, our universities would be at a competitive disadvantage,” said Chancellor of the State University System of Florida Ray Rodrigues.

Rodrigues, who supervises the Board of Governors, added that all of the state’s power five conference teams will take advantage of the $22.5 million. West Virginia University has also implemented a $125 Mountaineer Athletic Advantage Fee per student. The fee, like most of the ones above, is in place to help support the future of WVU athletics.

Student fees are just one of the many ways in which universities are using to fund athletic initiatives in the new revenue-sharing era of college athletics. Furthermore, these fees not only represent a new aspect of campus life for students but also a new way of life for universities, which must now prioritize paying their athletes.

Less than a week has passed since NCAA Division I schools could start directly paying players, and we’re already seeing historic deals across all sports. Five-star football offensive tackle Felix Ojo spurned offers from Texas and Ohio State to sign a historic, fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million revenue-sharing contract with Texas Tech. It is believed to be one of the largest agreements in college football history. Ojo’s agents, Derrick Shelby, and Rashad Phillips of Prestige Management Group, tell Baker Machado and Renee Washington how they were able to secure Ojo’s megadeal, in addition to the reported $1.2 million they got softball pitcher NiJaree Canady, and how athletes should navigate the current NIL (name, image, and likeness) environment after the landmark House vs. NCAA settlement.

Plus, the Suns and Bradley Beal are expected to part ways in the coming days, as Phoenix would reportedly absorb the remaining $110 million of Beal’s contract, ending one of the most infamous deals in NBA history. FOS reporter Colin Salao breaks down how Beal’s exit is similar to what the Bucks did with Damian Lillard and what his options are on the open market.

And President Donald Trump and UFC say they plan to host a fight on the White House lawn as part of America’s 250th celebration on July 4, 2026. FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher explains the likelihood of the unprecedented event happening and whether former two-division champion Conor McGregor might be one of the fighters in the ring.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The college football season is now a little more than a month away, and when it starts, talk of NIL payments, how to raise money to pay athletes, and getting over the shock of just how much money is being poured into paying athletes will go away. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Once the season starts, no one will care how money is raised or how much athletes are getting paid…The bottom line will be about winning or losing.

But let’s not be naive here. Texas Tech just signed a player, massive offensive lineman Felix Ojo, who was heavily pursued by Florida, and the school is shelling out big money. He reportedly will receive a three-year, $5.1M revenue sharing deal to sign with the Red Raiders. It almost sounds like when an NFL player signs a deal…You always hear it’s a three-year deal for $15M or something like that. Get used to it, because that’s what we are going to start to here when it comes to college players signing as well.

The house settlement is going to change college athletics, that I am sure of. A no doubter. But now, the challenge will be for schools to fund raise, to find creative ways to raise money to pay the athletes this crazy money. LSU is planning on selling jersey patch advertisements on their uniforms and is only waiting on NCAA approval to do it. According to cbssports.com, Kentucky, yes blue blood basketball school Kentucky, is pondering spinning off its athletic department and turning it into a limited liability company…LLC if you will, calling it Champions Blue that will report to the board of governors. The university has seen this work in the university’s health care sector so they’re trying to see if the model will work in athletics as well.

The genie is out of the bottle. No longer are we in a mode of whether or not we are paying college players…It is now a reality, and the bottom line now is for schools to find new revenue streams to keep up with NIL and be competitive in recruiting and paying players. Tennessee has done this, and now Kentucky is reportedly looking into public/private partnerships with real estate next to the stadium to form a kind of entertainment district that could house hotels, businesses and the like. They’re looking into having concerts much like the Garth Brooks concert that was held at Florida Field a while back to raise revenue as well.

The changes that have overtaken college athletics, in such a short and overwhelming time frame, have been massive, game-changing, forever altering the college game as we knew it for decades. Like it, don’t like it, those changes are here and now schools, administrators, coaches, and fans have to adapt to the changes to stay competitive or be left behind. The NFL model, with its general managers and contract negotiators, is now a reality in the big sports in college athletics, and it has also trickled down to the non-revenue sports as well as schools will now have to figure out how money is doled out to those sports that don’t produce a profit. All of this will be fascinating to watch unfold. I’m Steve Russell, that’s the Russell Report!

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Florida State basketball is undergoing massive changes across the board.

Not only will a new coach be leading the Seminoles for the first time in 23 years but, in the day and age of the transfer portal, NIL, and yearly roster turnover, FSU is undergoing a massive roster overhaul.

“There will be a lot of guys that hit the portal, and that shouldn’t scare anyone. That’s by design, both for these players and myself,” Loucks told reporters during his second interview since becoming Florida State men’s basketball coach.

This article will be updated throughout the off-season, tracking player movements and who will be part of Loucks’ first team in Tallahassee.

FSU basketball offseason coaching and roster changes

New FSU Basketball coaching staff

• Luke Loucks, Head Coach
• Jim Moran, Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
• Michael Fly, Assistant Coach
• Gerald Gillion, Assistant Coach
• Chris Kent, Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development

Transfer portal additions

Returning players

• Guard/forward AJ Swinton
• Forward Alier Maluk

High school recruits:

Departures

Transfer portal

NBA Draft

Eligibility

FSU Basketball Off-court personnel

• Kelly Nielsen, Chief of Staff
• Ben O’Donnell, Strength & Conditioning Coach/Director of Performance
• Kyle Washington, Director of Video & Scouting
• Justin Lindner, Assistant Director of Player Development
• Perin Foote, Director of Basketball Operations
• Ryan Shnider, Assistant Director of Basketball Operations
• Terance Mann, Assistant General Manager

Find their full stories here: https://seminoles.com/staff-directory?category=mens-basketball