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NIL

Fewer early entrants, more college stars staying put

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6 months ago

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FILE - Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco.

FILE – Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Will Wade’s work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college.

It wasn’t a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year’s draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years.

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“Now you can play the long game a little bit more,” Wade told The Associated Press, referring to how college players can look at their futures. “Look, I can get paid the same I would get paid in the G League, the same I would get paid on a two-way (contract), some guys are getting first-round money.”

And more money is on the way.

It’s been four years since college athletes were permitted to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), opening the door for athlete compensation that was once forbidden by NCAA rules. Next week, on July 1, marks the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement.

For Wade, that led to signing Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams after 247sports’ fifth-ranked transfer withdrew from the draft.

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“Basically now if you’re an early entry and you’re not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,” the new Wolfpack coach said.

It’s all part of a seismic change that has rippled through college athletics since the pandemic, its impact touching the NBA. Players willing to “test the waters” in the draft before returning to school now have a lucrative option to consider against uncertain pro prospects.

And it shows in the numbers.

“With all the money that’s being thrown around in NIL, you’re having a lot less players put their names in,” Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. “You’re having pretty good players pulling their names out.”

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Declining number of early entrants

This year’s drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic’s aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an “early” entrant.

But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they’re now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL’s July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries.

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— Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA’s list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5);

— Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19;

— Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19;

— And only 46 remained, down from 77 in 2024 and 83.8 from 2016-19.

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More college players weighing options

Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a “legitimate gamechanger.”

“Hopefully it allows players to decide what’s truly best for their game,” Scheyer told the AP. “It allows them to analyze: ‘Am I actually ready for this or not?’ Where money doesn’t have to be the deciding factor. Because if money’s the deciding factor, that’s why you see kids not stick. The NBA’s cutthroat. It just is.”

The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions.

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Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft.

“There’s no substituting the money you’re going to make if you’re a top-15, top-20 pick,” said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. “But if you’re not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?”

College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool

Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too.

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His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday’s second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality.

According to the NBA’s 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee.

A minimum first-year NBA salary? Roughly $1.2 million.

“These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,” Langdon said. “These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.”

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Current NBA players offer insight

Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart Isaiah Hartenstein, who both played in the seven-game NBA Finals that ended Sunday, illustrate Langdon’s point.

They were back-to-back second-rounders in 2017 (Bryant at 42, Hartenstein at 43), pushed down a draft board featuring early-entry college players in 33 of the 41 picks before them.

Bryant played two college seasons at Indiana before stints with five NBA teams, including Denver’s 2023 championship squad. Would the ability to make college money have changed his journey?

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“To be honest, I see it from both sides,” Bryant said. “If you’re not going to get drafted, you understand that a kid needs money to live in college and everything. So, I understand where they’re coming from on that end.

“But for me, I took the chance. I bet on myself, and I believed in myself, and I worked to the very end. And the thing about me is that if I went down, I was going down swinging. I hang my hat on that. For some, it might not be the same case.”

The American-born Hartenstein moved to Germany at 11 and played in Lithuania before being drafted. As he put it: “I think everyone’s journey is different.”

“I think you should have the right people around you to kind of guide you,” said Hartenstein, a newly minted NBA champion. “I mean, I was lucky that my dad, who was a professional before, kind of guided me. Depending on your circumstances, it’s hard to turn down guaranteed money. If there’s an opportunity to get in a good situation in the NBA, you do that. But it’s a hard decision.”

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College now can be more of an allure

At N.C. State, Wade’s pitch to Williams included a leading role and a shot at boosting his draft stock.

The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.1 points with multiple big NCAA Tournament performances as the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight, nearly beating eventual champion Florida.

“He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would’ve gotten as a second-round pick,” Wade said, adding: “We certainly talked about that. We went over that. We went over the math of everything. We went over the plan on how to accomplish that.”

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That’s not to say it’s easy at the college level in this new landscape. Roster management is tricky, including a balancing act of maintaining financial resources to potentially land one player while risking missing out on others.

“It’s the way life works, it’s the way it should work,” Wade said. “If there’s no risk, there’s no reward. The riskiest players, in terms of waiting on the money and waiting them out, are the best players. That’s why they’re in the draft process. We’re not going to be scared of that.”

Nor should he, not with the allure of campus life these days.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

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NIL

Kentucky loses recruiting prediction for 5-star forward Christian Collins as NIL looms large

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48 minutes ago

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December 17, 2025

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Kentucky Basketball suffered a notable recruiting setback this week as 247 Sports national analyst Travis Branham removed his crystal ball prediction for the Wildcats to land class of 2026 5-star power forward Christian Collins. Branham originally placed the prediction in early November, fueling optimism that Collins could commit to Kentucky as the early national signing period approached. That announcement never came, and momentum has since cooled.

Collins, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward from Bellflower, California, is widely regarded as one of the premier frontcourt prospects in the country. His blend of athleticism, scoring ability, and defensive versatility made him a major priority for Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and his staff as they work to build future recruiting classes.

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According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR, Collins’ recruitment is being heavily influenced by NIL structure and contract details, a growing trend at the top of the recruiting landscape. That reality was addressed publicly earlier this month by Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart during Will Stein’s introductory press conference as the Wildcats’ new football head coach.

Barnhart pushed back strongly against the perception that Kentucky is at an NIL disadvantage, saying, “Enough about ‘have we got enough?’ We’ve got enough.” He also emphasized that Kentucky will not compromise its standards to land recruits. “We’ve got to do it the right way,” Barnhart said. “We’re not going to break the rules. That’s flat-out.”

While Kentucky no longer holds a crystal ball prediction for Collins, the Wildcats are not out of the race. However, his recruitment now appears far more fluid, underscoring the increasingly complex balance between elite talent, NIL expectations, and long-term program philosophy in modern college basketball.



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NIL

Former college football star QB shuts down career move amid political rumors

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2 hours ago

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December 17, 2025

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Less than two months after announcing his intention to run for lieutenant governor in Alabama, former three-time national champion Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron has announced he will exit the race.

McCarron is seeking to rededicate himself to football, an effort that will require “100% of my focus, commitment, and attention that I was to give to the office of lieutenant governor, so it is time to end my campaign,” he said in a statement.

A historic career at Alabama

McCarron led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back BCS national championships in 2011 and 2012 and was part of the national title team as a redshirt player in 2009.

A native of Mobile, the quarterback became the first player at his position to win consecutive BCS titles and also received several of college football’s more prestigious awards, including the Maxwell, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Kellen Moore Awards.

As a junior, McCarron established an Alabama record with 30 touchdown passes in a season, and broke Greg McElroy’s former record with 3,063 passing yards in a season during his senior campaign in 2013.

McCarron finished his Alabama career with a 36-4 overall record, completing almost 67 percent of his passes with 77 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

McCarron in the NFL

The quarterback emerged as a fifth-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, playing as a backup for four years.

McCarron spent the next four seasons as a reserve first with the Oakland Raiders, followed by a stint with the Houston Texas, and finally the Atlanta Falcons.

From there, he played in the XFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks, a franchise that then moved to the United Football League.

McCarron’s political ambitions

The former quarterback star was running as a Republican for the second-highest office in his home state, a move he said was inspired by the murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

“Alabama’s conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction,” McCarron said in his announcement for office.

“That’s why Charlie Kirk’s assassination affected so many of us so deeply. His example convinced me to get off of the sidelines, get into the game, and stand tall for our conservative beliefs.”

McCarron currently serves as a college football commentator as part of The Dynasty podcast, which he presents with fellow Alabama alum Trent Richardson and Crimson Tide broadcaster Chris Stewart.

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

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NIL

Jayden Maiava returning to USC on new NIL deal

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3 hours ago

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December 17, 2025

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Dec. 17, 2025, 1:41 p.m. ET

USC will get its starting signal-caller back in 2026.

On Tuesday, the program announced that quarterback Jayden Maiava has signed a new NIL deal to return to the Trojans next season. Maiava, who previously played at UNLV, would have had a significant transfer portal market and also ranked as a top-10 quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL draft, per ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

Maiava started 11 games at UNLV in 2023 before transferring to USC, where he ultimately lost the starting job to Miller Moss ahead of the 2024 season. However, amid subpar play from Moss, coach Lincoln Riley made a change as he started the final four games.



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NIL

A new era of NIL at Oklahoma State

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3 hours ago

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December 17, 2025

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STILLWATER – Oklahoma State is taking a significant step forward in the modern landscape of college athletics with the formation of the OSU NIL Alliance.
 
Created to fully-fund revenue share and to grow endorsement opportunities for Oklahoma State student-athletes, The Alliance pairs the POSSE Excellence Fund with Learfield’s Cowboy Sports Properties.
 
The POSSE Excellence Fund provides more than $31 million in scholarships and revenue share for student-athletes across all of OSU’s ticketed sports. Cowboy Sports Properties integrates NIL opportunities for student-athletes into OSU’s existing sponsorship, media and marketing ecosystem.
 
“The OSU NIL Alliance will streamline how our supporters can maximize new opportunities for our student-athletes and continue to position OSU for championship-level success.” Athletic Director Chad Weiberg said.
 
Weiberg appointed Brakston Brock to lead this next step in OSU’s NIL evolution. Brock has climbed the ranks during his six years in Stillwater and now elevates into the role of Senior Associate Athletic Director for NIL Strategy and Revenue Generation.
 
For more information on the OSU NIL Alliance, visit https://okstate.com/nil.
 



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NIL

Bailey, Rodriguez named to Sporting News’ All-America Team

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4 hours ago

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December 17, 2025

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LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech seniors David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez were named first-team selections to the Sporting News 2025 College Football All-America Team, as announced Wednesday by the organization. The Sporting News is the fourth of five NCAA-recognized selectors to name the Red Raider duo as first-team All-Americans toward the NCAA’s consensus All-America team.

If Bailey and Rodriguez receive first-team honors Thursday from the final selector, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), they would join Mark Bounds (1991), Zach Thomas (1995), Byron Hanspard (1996), Michael Crabtree (2007–08), and Jace Amaro (2013) as Texas Tech’s all-time unanimous All-America selections.

Bailey, an edge rusher, and Rodriguez, a linebacker, were previously named first-team All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Friday, the Associated Press on Monday, and the AFCA on Tuesday. The NCAA will officially recognize its consensus All-America selections on Friday.

Before the 2025 season, 27 Texas Tech players had earned first-team All-America honors, accounting for 49 all-time All-America selections (first-, second-, or third-team). In addition to Bailey and Rodriguez’s first-team recognition, the Associated Press named A.J. Holmes Jr. to its second team and defensive tackle Lee Hunter to its third team on Monday, marking an unprecedented season of national honors for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech’s most recent All-American prior to 2025 was Tyree Wilson, who earned first-team honors in 2022.

Texas Tech, which earned its first bid to the College Football Playoff, will face the winner of the first-round matchup between Oregon and James Madison on Dec. 20. The Red Raiders will play the victor in the CFP quarterfinals on Jan. 1 at the Capital One Orange Bowl.

To view the complete Sporting News All-America first and second teams, visit SportingNews.com.

Sporting News History

Founded in 1934, the Sporting News All-America Team—then awarded by The Sporting News—has long been one of college football’s most respected individual honors. Originally selected by panels of sportswriters, the team later incorporated evaluations from scouts and football observers as the sport evolved. Today, Sporting News is one of the NCAA’s five recognized selectors, with its first-team selections counting toward Consensus and Unanimous All-America status.

– TECH –



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College football program loses 25 players to transfer portal

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5 hours ago

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December 17, 2025

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Oklahoma State’s 2025 season ended amid results and roster turnover that point to a program undergoing significant change.

The Cowboys finished 1-11 overall and 0-9 in Big 12 play, with an offense that struggled all season and a defense that failed to stop opponents. 

The offense was led by freshman quarterback Zane Flores (1,450 passing yards, three touchdowns, seven interceptions), running back Rodney Fields Jr. (614 rushing yards, one TD), and wide receiver Gavin Freeman (481 receiving yards, four TDs).

Unfortunately, Flores has since declared his intention to leave the program.

On Monday, Flores officially announced plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, becoming the latest Cowboy to depart and, according to local trackers, the 25th Oklahoma State player to enter the portal this cycle.

Some of the bigger names who also plan to leave include sophomore wide receiver Shamar Rigby, sophomore offensive tackle Grant Seagren, and tight ends Grayson Brousseau (freshman) and Josh Ford (sophomore), alongside a handful of young defensive backs, linemen, edge rushers, and receivers.

Rigby (the team’s third-leading receiver with 351 yards), Ford, and Seagren stand out as notable losses, as each was a regular starter and a highly touted three-star recruit.

Flores remains the most significant departure, however, as Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback and the No. 27-ranked quarterback in the 2023 class.

Oklahoma State's Zane Flores.

Oklahoma State’s Zane Flores (6) warms up before during the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Iowa State Cyclones at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The season’s early turning point came on September 23, when Oklahoma State fired longtime head coach Mike Gundy after a 1-2 start.

Gundy had led the Cowboys for 21 seasons, compiling a 170–90 record and guiding the program to 18 consecutive bowl appearances.

Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham was named interim head coach, and the school later hired North Texas’ Eric Morris as its next head coach on November 25. 

The coaching upheaval, Gundy’s dismissal, an interim stretch, and then a new hire set the backdrop for a midseason portal window and, ultimately, heavy roster attrition. 

Read More at College Football HQ

  • Former SEC quarterback enters college football transfer portal

  • Legendary college football coach retires 42 years after first job

  • Historic college football programs surging for nation’s No. 1 running back

  • Jim Harbaugh issues statement on Sherrone Moore’s firing from Michigan





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