ATLANTA (AP) — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team.

Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said last week at SEC media days his program previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against the schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.

According to the terms of the House settlement, each school now can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.

“Financially with revenue sharing I think we are finally back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”

Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded on Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.

Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”

“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”

The House settlement era began on July 1.

The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission has informed athletic directors in letters last week it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for name, likeness and image.

Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have a necessarily a good opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”

When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”

Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta.

“Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”

Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.

“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”

Kirby Smart has made his NIL strategy very clear at Georgia. He is willing to pay recruits and players what he thinks they are worth, but he will not go over the top with how much he spends on any one player, especially if that player is an underclassmen or high school recruit.

Smart discussed this strategy last week at SEC Media Days, and unsurprisingly it made national headlines. Some college football fans claimed that this means the game is beginning to pass Smart by, but when thinking about it more this strategy from Smart should work out extremely well in the long run.

NCAA’s salary cap will help Georgia win in the long run

The NCAA has released a salary cap across all of their schools that limits the amount an athletic department can pay their players in all of their sports. Schools can add NIL deals on top of this revenue sharing, but in theory this should level out the playing field.

So if this salary cap is enforced, teams will have to strategically decide where and how they want to spend their money. Do they want to overpay for a couple of the top recruits or would they rather spread the wealth to have a more well-rounded team?

Smart has clearly gone with the latter, as seen in a recent survey indicating the 10 teams who have spent the most this season. Georgia somewhat surprisingly was not even on this list.

The team that topped the list is SEC rival Texas who has spent more than every other team in the country. This might explain why Texas has been able to beat Georgia out for multiple five-star recruits over the last week.

If Texas is spending all of this money on the 2026 class though, in theory they should have less to spend in the coming years with future resources already devoted to these recruits. This is where Georgia will be able to get the upper hand because they should have more money than Texas to spend.

The NCAA enforcing this salary cap is a big if, but Georgia fans should be excited because even after not spending as much money as other programs, Georgia still has the No. 2 recruiting class in the country.

Georgia JUCO commit Seven Cloud is facing charges regarding domestic battery that stem from an April incident in Butler County. The defensive lineman appeared in front of a judge on Monday, July 14, where he was formally charged.

According to the Butler County Times Gazette, Judge Chad Crum found probable cause to charge Cloud and ruled him to have no contact with the victim moving forward. It is a Class B misdemeanor and he will be back in court on Sept. 22.

The report states that the incident occurred on April 20. The Butler County Sheriff’s office was called to the scene of an altercation between Cloud and his significant other. He was arrested and subsequently bonded out. Police allege that Cloud “did knowingly cause physical contact with another person, in a rude, angry or insulting manner.”

This is not the first incident where the police have been involved with Cloud and his significant other. On March 27, Cloud was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly destroying her cell phone. That is also classified as a misdemeanor and both charges came from the BCC Department of Public Safety.

Cloud is an All-American for Butler Community College and is committed to the Bulldogs’ 2026 class. He has had an interesting ride, originally committing to Georgia on January 7, 2021. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound redshirt sophomore went on to commit to the Bulldogs four years later.

So far during his time at Butler, Cloud has posted 48 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He also had three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to his credit.

However, it’s unclear what the future for Cloud will look like after landing such a charge. He is set to play this upcoming season at Butler before moving on to Georgia in 2026. Butler declined to comment on the matter, per the Gazette’s report. Of course, Cloud is presumed innocent until proven guilty on all charges.

Before college, Cloud was a three-star prospect according to the On3 Industry Rankings,
a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 1,561 overall player in his class, and No. 161 defensive lineman in that cycle.

Georgia will begin its 2025 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 30, against Marshall at home. Looking ahead, they will kick off SEC play against Tennessee during Week 3 on Sept. 13.

Texas A&M could maybe be one of the most slept-on teams in the entire country next year with the way they’re currently being discounted by many members of the media. This is an Aggie team that is set to take strides forward after being on the brink of an SEC championship berth last year— albeit with an easier schedule than they’ll have in 2025, but the point stands.

With so many factors favoring a big season for the Aggies, it’s puzzling that there’s not more public momentum around them being a dark horse candidate to make some postseason noise. They certainly cut the profile of a team that could do so, but you wouldn’t know it by surveying the headlines.

One veteran of the league, though, has his eye on the Aggies to do more than make a little noise— he sees them getting to the playoff. Rusty Mansell, a longtime insider for the Georgia Bulldogs, has made the call that the Aggies will be a part of the College Football Playoff in 2025.

Rusty Mansell predicts Texas A&M football to make College Football Playoff in 2025

One of the most trusted voices covering the Georgia Bulldogs for years, Mansell has been around this conference for quite some time. Diving into the Aggies apparently gave him some maroon and white optimism, as he told Michael Bratton while at SEC Media Days.

Mansell was impressed by what the Aggies have going into next year and when asked for a bold take by Bratton on the “That SEC Podcast,” he ventured that A&M would be part of the 12-team group. “They’ve got enough,” he said, calling Marcel Reed a “problem” for opponents.

He and Bratton agreed that Reed was overlooked and underrated, with Bratton comparing Reed to a media darling in DJ Lagway. Mansell mentioned Reed’s accuracy as a plus— something that Aggie fans know he showcased well down the stretch after it being a question mark earlier on.

Hopefully time will prove Mansell right. He has a good outlook here and I think he’s diagnosed things correctly for the Aggies. Don’t be surprised if, come November, these discussions are far louder than they are right now.

Ben Roethlisberger expresses concern about the impact of college NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals on the love of the game, suggesting that financial incentives may diminish genuine passion among players. While he acknowledges the benefits, such as improved financial literacy and the ability for players to support their families, he worries that the emphasis on money could lead teams to prefer less talented but more motivated players. He reflects on historical sentiments about amateurism in college sports and suggests the need for guardrails in the evolving NIL landscape to protect players and maintain the essence of competition.

By the Numbers

• Highly touted OT recruit Felix Ojo secured a three-year deal worth $5.1 million with Texas Tech.
• The NIL model is generating significant earnings for college athletes that were previously kept under the table.

State of Play

• NIL deals have blurred the lines between amateur and professional sports, changing recruitment dynamics.
• Players are entering the NFL with previous financial experience from NIL, altering team drafting strategies.

What’s Next

Moving forward, the college football landscape may see increased regulations to manage NIL deals and protect both players and institutions. As this situation evolves, it will be critical to maintain a balance between financial opportunities and preserving the competitive integrity of the sport.

Bottom Line

Roethlisberger’s insights highlight a crucial tension in modern college athletics: the need for compensation versus the preservation of passion for the sport. Stakeholders must consider how to navigate these changes without compromising the essence of college football.