NIL

Fran Brown has already locked in his own NIL deal.

It’s safe to say that in his first season as Syracuse’s football coach, Camden native Fran Brown found quick success. Brown, who guided the Orange to a 10-3 record that included a home upset of Miami in the regular-season finale, coached Mount Laurel native Kyle McCord to a record-breaking season and saw four of his […]

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

It’s safe to say that in his first season as Syracuse’s football coach, Camden native Fran Brown found quick success.

Brown, who guided the Orange to a 10-3 record that included a home upset of Miami in the regular-season finale, coached Mount Laurel native Kyle McCord to a record-breaking season and saw four of his players get picked in the April’s NFL draft.

Earlier this month, Brown joined the National Football Foundation’s Good in the Game podcast, hosted by legendary Penn State linebacker Lavar Arrington, to discuss his Camden roots, path to coaching, and the heights to which he wants to bring Syracuse football.

Before his sit-down with Arrington, Front Office Sports reported that Brown had signed with the NIL agency Network as he looks to raise his profile with the ultimate goal of attracting top talent to the Orange.

Brown is one of two coaches to sign with the agency, joining former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, now the head coach at Norfolk State.

According the report, Brown is working with the agency to build his brand and amplify “DART,” the acronym he coined that stands for “detailed, accountable, relentless, and tough.” It’s the brand of football he hoped to produce at the school when he arrived in 2023.

Now, through his official standing with the agency, Brown wants more exposure as a thought leader in college football. That includes topics like NIL and the transfer portal and how student athletes can use both more effectively.

According to the report, there are also appearances planned and the possibility of creating a signature line (think Deion Sanders having a line of custom sunglasses) in addition to being open to endorsement deals.

Brown would be one of the first coaches to consider working with an NIL agency to raise his exposure, a twofold idea that also benefits the program that employs him.

According to an April study by sport psychologists at the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention in Waltham, Mass., the average student-athlete spends 4½ hours daily on social media — nearly 20% of the day.

Coaches seeking to attract athletes to their schools see it as advantageous to be in the spaces where their target demographic lives.

“When we started Network, we weren’t pretending to nor considering to get into the coaching world,” Doug Scott, chief strategy officer at Network, told Front Office Sports earlier this month. “[However], we think there’s a little bit of a void in the marketplace right now.”

More than Penn State up north

While Arrington hails from Pittsburgh, the former linebacker and Brown share a commonality: Both of their wives grew up in Woodbury, about 13 miles south of Philadelphia. They also discussed growing up in tough situations, and how that molded them into football players, with Arrington a star at Penn State and Brown at Western Carolina.

» READ MORE: Coach Fran Brown carries Camden and its players with him as he leads a turnaround at Syracuse

Beyond Brown’s own story and his getting into coaching shortly after his playing career ended, Arrington asked the 43-year-old coach about his vision for Syracuse coming off a successful season. Brown is eyeing one program in particular, fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance.

“When I look at up north, it’s just been Penn State for a long time, right? Back in the day, it was Syracuse, and it’s coming back, but it’s been Penn State [recently],” Brown said. “I love what Penn State does, I love what they’re about. I love the culture that Joe Paterno set, that Bill O’Brien tried to keep it going for that little bit of time, and now [James] Franklin got it back.

“I think we need to show it’s not just one team up there that’s a dominant football team. I think it needs to be more. Because when you’re going to the South, they’ve got a few. … I want to be able to do that up here.”

While Arrington gave Brown plenty of praise for Syracuse’s success last season, Brown said that he’s “not coaching to be 8-4, or to be 10-3. … I’m not happy that we were 10-3 last year.” He has aspirations to win a national championship at Syracuse after winning one as an assistant coach with Georgia in 2022.

The Orange have not won a title since 1959.

Gratitude in coaching

Brown opened up to Arrington about the “vulnerability” he approaches his coaching job with and how he’s able to relate to his players on a personal level.

» READ MORE: Penn State adds transfers Trebor Peña and Amare Campbell to its football roster

“I share a story with the whole team, tell them exactly what went on, exactly what happened, exactly why I was doing this. And why would you talk to them and tell them all that? So they won’t make that same mistake,” Brown explained. “So they feel comfortable enough to come and talk to me, and then they sit there, and it’s like, ‘Oh, snap. This is who the coach really is.’

“I’m committed to you. Show me you’re committed to me. I’m going to show you that by my actions consistently. I care about you, and I’m not just going to tell you that; my actions [are] going to show you that.”

Brown said he also understands there’s a fine line between being an available ear for players to rely on vs. running a tight ship at practice. On the field, he says, it’s all about “the work.” But he ensures that he shows compassion and care for his players and staff off the field.

Since becoming a head coach, Brown has developed a relationship with Colorado coach and Pro football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. In thinking about how far he has come in his coaching career, Brown reflected on the similarities they share.

“I got a chance to talk to [Sanders] and get to know him over these last couple of years,” Brown said. “I heard Prime Time [say], ‘Yo, man, I love you, brother.’ And I thought to myself, ‘This is amazing!’ That’s why I felt that he’s doing as well as he’s doing, because he’s comfortable. He’s comfortable with who he is, and that’s the same way I am. I’m super comfortable, man, because I’m thankful. It’s so much gratitude in this, for me coming from Camden, New Jersey.

“When it all starts to come to fruition, it’s like, wow, God is good, man, to have the opportunity to be in that position.”

Link

NIL

Zac Selmon addresses why Mississippi State invests NIL, resources in baseball

Mississippi State Athletic Director Zac Selmon made a splash earlier this month when he poached National Championship winning coach Brian O’Connor from Virginia to replace Chris Lemonis, who was fired mid-season. During O’Connor’s time with the Cavaliers, he led the program to an 885-370-2 (362-234-1) overall record. In that time, he was named ACC Coach […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Mississippi State Athletic Director Zac Selmon made a splash earlier this month when he poached National Championship winning coach Brian O’Connor from Virginia to replace Chris Lemonis, who was fired mid-season.

During O’Connor’s time with the Cavaliers, he led the program to an 885-370-2 (362-234-1) overall record. In that time, he was named ACC Coach of the Year five times, helped the Cavaliers to two ACC titles, made seven total trips to the Men’s College World Series and won a National Championship in 2015.

After winning the National Championship in 2021, Mississippi State posted just a 129-102 (50-70) record over the next four seasons. In that span, the Bulldogs made two NCAA Tournaments but failed to advance to a Super Regional.

Selmon explained why this was unacceptable and why they’ve spent the resources to completely rebuild the Mississippi State baseball program (from the players to the staff) this offseason. Simply put, they want to get back to Omaha.

Selmon wants to dog-pile in Omaha

“It’s important because of the players we’ve had here,” Selmon said. “Throughout this process, I’ve heard from so many great players. It’s household names that you grew up listening to or knowing who they were. I’m blessed to have coach [Ron] Polk here everyday. To get to be around people like that, you start to know what the expectation is. You can’t do anything now unless you put resources behind it. So much of our business has changed and we’ve had some unbelievable supporters that have stepped up throughout this entire year and specifically throughout this week because they want to be a part of it.”

Dudy Noble Field, which opened in 1967, is often regarded as one of the best stadiums in all of college baseball. It set its record attendance of 16,423 fans back in 2023, showing how massive fan support for baseball is at the university.

“Our job is to make sure we put our programs in a position to be successful, and we can’t do it in this era without a lot of support,” Selmon said. “For us, we’re committed to making sure we put our coaching staff in a position to where we fast forward 20 years from now, we see letter-winners come back and say ‘man, do you remember that time we dog-piled in Omaha?”

“It starts with the investment we made today, and clearly it’s something we know it’s going to be so good for not only our athletics department, but our entire institution and the state of Mississippi. That’s something we’re really excited about.”

Link

NIL

UofL vs Miami super regional schedule

Louisville baseball coach, players on super regional win vs. Miami Louisville baseball beat Miami 8-1 in the NCAA Super Regional Friday. The Cardinals are one win away from going to the College World Series in Omaha. The ACC will have at least one team in the 2025 College World Series bracket with Louisville baseball hosting […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The ACC will have at least one team in the 2025 College World Series bracket with Louisville baseball hosting Miami in NCAA Tournament super regionals.
Louisville routed Miami 8-1 in Game 1 at Jim Patterson Stadium on Friday thanks to impressive pitching by righty Patrick Forbes and clutch hitting by Jake Munroe. The Hurricanes won Game 2.

Coverage from the game:

Louisville baseball still win away from College World Series after falling short vs. Miami

Coverage during the game:

The ACC will have at least one team in the 2025 College World Series bracket. Louisville baseball and Miami are set to play in Game 2 of the NCAA Tournament super regionals at 11 a.m. today. Both teams have experience playing in Omaha, though Louisville has been most recently.

The Cardinals routed Miami 8-1 Friday on a rainy evening at Jim Patterson Stadium thanks to impressive pitching by righty Patrick Forbes and clutch hitting by Jake Munroe.

Miami’s last trip to the CWS was in 2016, and U of L went three years later. So, which one will return to Omaha this year?

Stay tuned below for updates throughout the second game of the Louisville vs. Miami super regional series.

Stream Louisville baseball vs. Miami (free trial)

The Cards’ rally fell short, after bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Miami’s Daniel Cuvet hit his 18th homer on the season with a three-run shot off Starke.

3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

The Canes brought their closer Brian Walters, who has 10 saves this season, and he got the Cards out in order.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Dorian Gonzalez hit a lead-off double and was brought home by a Renzo Gonzalez single.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB

The Cards brought in left hander Ty Starke to relieve Jack Brown, who faced five batters in 1.1 innings. Starke will face Renzo Gonzalez with a runner on third and one out.

Just when it seemed the Cards bats had cooled off, Eddie King Jr., belted his second homer of the game to tie the score.

1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB

The Cardinals turn a 5-4-3 double play to eliminate the Hurricanes’ scoring opportunity.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Jack Brown will start the sixth inning on the hill for the Cardinals. Wyatt Danilowicz ends his day with a strikeout and walk without giving up a hit over 1 1/3 innings.

The Hurricanes retire the side to preserve their one-run lead.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

After walking one batter and hitting another, Wyatt Danilowicz made the final two plays to end the inning.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Eddie King, Jr. and Garret Pike are left stranded after Carson Fischer struck out the final two batters.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Jake Ogden’s two-out, three-run home run helped the Hurricanes regain the lead.

4 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB

Tucker Biven’s day ends with him allowing five runs, one earned, on seven hits with a strikeout and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. Wyatt Danilowicz will now enter the game for the Cardinals

With the bases loaded and two out, Kamau Neighbors got caught stealing to end the inning.

0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Evans threw 2/3 of an inning, allowing a hit while plunking a batter, and is replaced by Carson Fischer.

After giving up a leadoff home run to Jake Munroe and a single to Tague Davis in the top of the fourth inning, Griffin Hugus is replaced on the mound by Rob Evans. Hugus ended the day allowing four earned runs on five hits with one strikeout and two walks in three-plus innings on the mound.

The Cardinals preserve their lead with a 1-2-3 inning.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Eddie King, Jr.’s two-run home run to left-centerfield highlighted the Cardinals’ three-run inning.

3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

The Hurricanes strike first with Michael Torres’ two-out RBI base hit.

1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Eddie King, Jr. and Tague Davis were left stranded at the corners after Griffin Hugus struck out Kamau Neighbors.

0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB

Jake Ogden is left stranded after hitting a leadoff double as the Cardinals retired the next three batters.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Matt Klein reached base after getting hit with a pitch, but a Hurricanes double play ended the inning.

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB

Tucker Biven will get the start for the Cardinals with a trip to Omaha on the line. The right-handed pitcher is 3-0 on the season with 31 strikeouts over 35 innings and 20 appearances with four starts.

Date: Saturday, June 7
Time: 11 a.m. ET
Where: Jim Patterson Stadium

Louisville baseball’s Dan McDonnell on pitcher Patrick Forbes’ talent

Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell explains what makes pitcher Patrick Forbes a great athlete and Forbes’ future at the professional level.

Here is the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.

Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

Link

NIL

5 former College Football stars deserve the most back pay from the NCAA settlement

On Friday Night, College Football changed forever as Judge Claudia Wilken signed off approving the settlement in the landmark House Vs NCAA case. The case brings about wholesale changes to College Athletics like we know it as revenue sharing, roster limits, NIL regulations, and a ton of new aspects are brought to the sport. As […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

As part of the settlement, the NCAA also agreed to back pay former athletes $2.8 billion over the next ten years. The athletes that will receive the funds had to of played since 2016 through current day. It seems more fair that the players prior to 2020 who weren’t in this modern era should get the lions share of the funding.

Based on star power, potential earnings they missed out on, and their impact to the game, 5 former College Football stars deserve the backpay more than anyone else.

Part of the reason that many of the athletes feel they missed out on NIL is the fact that they emerged as stars as true freshmen before putting together great careers as a whole. DeVonta Smith perfectly fits the bill as he played sparingly as a Freshman before catching the National Championship game winner against Georgia.

From that moment on, DeVonta Smith and Tua Tagovailoa would’ve been NIL stars with their entire careers ahead of them. Instead, DeVonta Smith’s Sophomore and Junior seasons were among some of the best in the Country in a star-studded Alabama offense.

If Devonta Smith wasn’t earning a ton by his Senior season, it would’ve been more than enough for him to earn massive NIL deals. Winning the Heisman Trophy and a National Championship as a Senior would’ve made Smith one of the most sought after players in recent history.

Like DeVonta Smith, Tua Tagovailoa’s burst onto the scene in the National Championship Game would’ve been a great moment to launch him into superstardom. Over the next two seasons, Tagovailoa was the engine of the most explosive offenses of Nick Saban’s time in Tuscaloosa which would’ve made him an attractive option for companies spending NIL money. Luckily in Tua’s case an d for some others on this list, it’s tough to feel too bad seeing the NFL contracts for quarterbacks.

The NIL backpay dating back to 2016 puts Lamar Jackson solely in the conversation as one of the athletes that could’ve cashed in. After winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016, Lamar Jackson would’ve had a whole season to cash in on the fact that he had just won the Heisman Trophy. In a State where we’re seeing athletes cash in with big deals in basketball, Jackson would’ve gotten a massive NIL deal simply not to transfer elsewhere.

Joe Burrow’s case is a little more difficult to make just because of when in his career he became a superstar. When Joe Burrow fully became a household name he was in the midst of his Senior season which means he truly missed out on half of a season earning NIL deals. Based on how popular the team became that season, Joe Burrow likely would’ve made himself a ton of money after that Alabama game.

During his tenure in College Football, there wasn’t a more electric player to watch than Baker Mayfield. He first showed up on the scene as a walk on at Texas Tech starting the team’s season opener but, left after one season. When Mayfield arrived at Oklahoma he took over the College Football world, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2017 while finishing in the Final 4 every season at Oklahoma.

When Mayfield got to the NFL, he quickly became the pitch man for several companies with commercials during almost every commercial break. Given that Baker Mayfield was the most polarizing player in the sport, he would’ve gotten some massive NIL deals during his time.

More College Football News:

Link

NIL

Roster limits, revenue sharing and new NIL rules are announced by NCAA

The NCAA makes changes to its roster limits, NIL guidelines and revenue sharing with players On Friday night, the NCAA got news that its hearing in the House vs. NCAA suit had been resolved, with a significant amount of changes heading across college sports as On3 reports. It detailed the biggest change was revenue sharing […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NCAA makes changes to its roster limits, NIL guidelines and revenue sharing with players

On Friday night, the NCAA got news that its hearing in the House vs. NCAA suit had been resolved, with a significant amount of changes heading across college sports as On3 reports.

It detailed the biggest change was revenue sharing with the players, sharing up to $20.5 million, with football most likely getting 75% of the cut, and men’s basketball next at 15%. Women’s basketball will get around 5% and the rest will be split with the other sports.

As for program spending, each major school will have around $14 million this coming season. It will be very interesting to see how this is handled across the nation. There is some backpay that the NCAA will have to make as well, a whopping $2.776 billion over the next 10-years as the report states.

As for Name, Image and Likeness, any deal worth more than $600 has to go through the clearinghouse, and if rejected that school and athlete could face ineligibility or the university a fine. On3 mentioned that “Deloitte officials reportedly shared that 70% of past deals from NIL collectives would have been denied,” so big changes are coming with how the players get compensated.

Not only that On3 says that roster limits will be imposed, with football being allowed 105 members, basketball rosters at 15, soccer having 28, softball at 25 and volleyball at 18. Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has prepared for this, as surely the rest of the program’s have done the same in South Bend.

It will definitely change the path of college sports, and we will see if this is the right decision.

Link

NIL

House v. NCAA settlement quells issues in college sports? No, but be prepared for a whole …

Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House v. NCAA settlement late Friday, ending three federal lawsuits that alleged the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of student-athletes in college. CBS Sports’ John Talty has a nice piece on it. My favorite line is his last. “There’s never been a better time to be a lawyer […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

House v. NCAA settlement quells issues in college sports? No, but be prepared for a whole ...

“There’s never been a better time to be a lawyer with an interest in college sports.”

Yeah, that’s where this is headed.

What happened Friday in California is significant, no doubt. But anybody describing it as a solution to the issues ailing college athletics simply lacks an understanding of the history of NCAA sports and exactly what will and won’t be allowed moving forward.

The end of chaos?

Nah.

It’ll just be a different kind of chaos that leads to more legal threats and billable hours than you can wrap your mind around. Plus, high-level cheating will return. Oh, we’re back baby! Illegal cash-deals are on tap.

The biggest winners and losers from House v. NCAA settlement: Amateurism is dead and the class divide grows

John Talty

The biggest winners and losers from House v. NCAA settlement: Amateurism is dead and the class divide grows

Before I explain why, let’s go over the basics.

This settlement will allow schools to start directly paying athletes — for the first time ever — next month with an expected salary cap of roughly $20.5 million. That’s $20.5 million for all sports to be distributed however each school sees fit. Additionally, all future NIL deals between boosters/collectives and athletes will be vetted by a new entity designed to ensure they’re for valid business purposes and not merely the kind of recruiting incentives that have been flying around the country in recent years.

That paragraph is littered with problems.

Let’s start with the salary cap. Simply put, it won’t work as intended.

As Matt Norlander and I have discussed many times on the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, the most obvious problem with a salary cap for entire athletic departments is that all athletic departments don’t have football rosters to purchase. In other words, at a place like Alabama, the school is expected to devote the majority of that $20.5 million to football, leaving relatively little for other sports, most notably men’s basketball. Meantime, at a place like St. John’s, where there is no football, most of that $20.5 million could be spent however Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino sees fit.

Now, let’s be real.

Do you actually think a SEC school with millions tied up in football is going to concede a recruiting battle in basketball to a Big East program sans football because, you know, the money just isn’t in the budget, according to the rules? LOL. When it comes to that, not all basketball staffs, but certainly lots, will simply do what they’ve always done, i.e., find a way to get the player even if it requires circumventing the rules.

Again, this weekend, cheating returned to college sports.

It’s inevitable.

Every Power Four conference features a coach who has violated one recruiting rule or another. If you think they won’t do it again, if required, you’re silly. And now every time a player picks a school with little known-money left in the budget over a school that’s reportedly offering much more, fans on the wrong end of the commitment will assume something happened in violation of the rules and scream for an investigation.

We lived that life for decades. Who really wanted that again?

And don’t even get me started on the document Power Four conferences are circulating that’s intended to force schools to play by the rules or face serious consequences. Among other things, schools are being asked to forfeit their right to legally challenge the new enforcement entity on any and all decisions. Reportedly, schools that refuse to sign the document could face expulsion from their conferences.

Please.

All it will take for this goofy idea to fail is one powerful school — like, say, Texas or Ohio State — declining to sign it, at which point other schools will say, “If they’re not signing it, we’re not signing it.”

Then what?

Do you really think the SEC is going to expel Texas? Do you really think the Big Ten is going to expel Ohio State? Do you really think the television networks paying billions to those conferences would allow it?

Please.

Now, to NIL.

According to the settlement, a new thing called the NIL Go clearinghouse will be charged with approving future NIL deals to ensure they are within a “reasonable range of compensation based on multiple factors.”

I look forward to the word “reasonable” appearing in court.

Don’t ever forget how we got here — specifically by the NCAA being sued repeatedly for illegally limiting the earning power of student-athletes. So what do you think is going to happen when a school with serious softball ambitions like Texas Tech offers a NIL deal worth more than a million dollars to the next NiJaree Canaday? Let me tell you. NIL Go will likely deem the deal “unreasonable” for obvious reasons and void it. Then everybody will be back in court based on the idea that, once again, a student-athlete’s earning power is being illegally limited.

Rinse and repeat.

Last month, NIL Go officials told ACC administrators that more than 70% of current NIL deals with booster collectives would have been denied according to the new rules. That suggests NIL Go will frequently be in the business of telling student-athletes they cannot take what somebody is willing to give them, and not every student-athlete will accept that decision without pursuing legal action.

The end of chaos?

Hahaha. No way!

Trust me when I tell you, this is only the beginning. Because when a solution to a problem just creates more problems, you’re not really fixing anything as much as you’re simply trading in one set of issues for a new set of issues that will have to be addressed again, sooner or later. Like Talty wrote, congrats to the attorneys. They’re the real winners here, as always.

NIL

Sons of Hall of Famers Included in Latest WWE NIL Class

The latest wave of WWE NIL signings include sons of WWE Hall of Famers among its crop of talented young athletes. The fifth wave of signings include: Fatima Katembo (Basketball) Jacob Henry (Amateur Wrestling, son of Mark Henry) Garrett Beck (Lacrosse) Zuriel Jiménez (Track and Field) Bianca Pizano (Field Hockey) Hidetora Hanada (Football) Madison Kaiser […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sons of Hall of Famers Included in Latest WWE NIL Class

The latest wave of WWE NIL signings include sons of WWE Hall of Famers among its crop of talented young athletes. The fifth wave of signings include:

Fatima Katembo (Basketball)
Jacob Henry (Amateur Wrestling, son of Mark Henry)
Garrett Beck (Lacrosse)
Zuriel Jiménez (Track and Field)
Bianca Pizano (Field Hockey)
Hidetora Hanada (Football)
Madison Kaiser (Ice Hockey)
TJ Bullard (Football)
Kerrigan Huynh (Track and Field)
Brock Rechsteiner (Football, Son of Rick Steiner)
Gina Adams (Basketball)

The WWE NIL program launched in 2021 and gives young athletes the opportunity to access WWE’s state-of-the-art training programs. The signings are also able to access WWE’s expertise on controlling their name, image, and likeness in the wider world of professional athletics.

It remains to be seen if any of these signings go on to become WWE Superstars. Whatever’s next, WWE is investing heavily in the future.