NIL
From “neglect” to “real commitment”
Was Indiana football always a sleeping giant, simply short on the necessary investment to the elevate the program, and often lacking a competent head coach? Probably. That’s what Curt Cignetti thinks, anyway. And he certainly has a more than adequate frame of reference to make that determination. “You’ve got to be good in football nowadays, […]


Was Indiana football always a sleeping giant, simply short on the necessary investment to the elevate the program, and often lacking a competent head coach?
Probably. That’s what Curt Cignetti thinks, anyway. And he certainly has a more than adequate frame of reference to make that determination.
“You’ve got to be good in football nowadays, because that’s where the money is. And maybe Indiana was a little late to the game in realizing that. I think getting a president in Pam Whitten who loves football and is from Alabama really helped,” Cignetti told ESPN’s Greg McElroy earlier this month.
He believes IU has always had the potential to achieve the new heights the football program experienced in 2024.
“What happened here in the past is only because of neglect. We’ve got a great campus, great university, great resources, second-largest alumni base in America.”
Neglect is a harsh word delivered by a man who isn’t known as one to sugarcoat his thoughts.
But on his way out the door, Cignetti’s predecessor Tom Allen signaled the same kind of concerns.
IU made some moves over the 15 prior years that signaled some degree of recognition the investment in football had to increase. Both ends of Memorial Stadium were enclosed, a locker room project was completed, and other amenities were added.
But during Allen’s tenure, Indiana was confronting the new realities of college football in the NIL era.
And in Allen’s mind, IU’s efforts were inadequate.
“College football has changed dramatically over the past several years. Some of those changes have been a shock to the conscience of those who support IU football. The time has come to fully embrace those changes and I pray that IU does just that,” Allen said in November 2023.
As he set out to replace Allen, IU AD Scott Dolson knew he had to demonstrate to prospective candidates Indiana was ready, willing and able to test the limits of successful football at Indiana.
IU was at a major inflection point in 2023, with the Big Ten expanding to 18 teams and a massive new media rights deal about to help replenish the coffers. The opportunity was there for university leadership intent on building a competitive football team.
It started with securing significant investments from donors in Indiana’s forgotten revenue sport.
“Coach Cignetti would not be here if we didn’t have a robust NIL program,” Dolson told WRTV last year. “That’s just because you have to have the resources to be able to win. As good as he is, he needs those resources as well. The NIL opportunity for us has enabled us to really level the playing field around the country.”
Ironically, one of Indiana’s biggest initial investments in the program was the $15.5 million it paid Tom Allen to buy out his contract in 2023. In addition to that and the NIL commitment, IU leadership has substantially increased the salary pool for assistant coaches, and then gave major raises to Cignetti and his entire staff. IU’s spending on football coaching salaries alone has more than doubled over the last six years.
But the investment goes much deeper, into things like recruiting budgets, player perks and benefits, the gameday experience, support staff, and more.
According to information published in the Knight-Newhouse database, IU has increased its football expenditures every year since 2021, from $23.9 million to $61.6 million. 2024 was the first year at least going back to 2005 that IU exceeded the Big Ten median in total football spending.
Cignetti believes he’s getting what he needs to not rev the IU football engines like he did in 2024, but keep the Hoosiers in the national conversation going forward.
“I felt a real commitment from the President Pam Whitten and the Athletic Director Scott Dolson to get football going,” he said. “I mean football generates 90% of the athletic revenue across the country, and they wanted to get it rolling. I think you can win anywhere in America with the proper commitment from the top.”
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NIL
Vanderbilt quarterback says they will ‘run Tennessee after this year’
Tennessee football hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt since 2018 and is 4-0 under the watch of Josh Heupel. That recent history didn’t stop Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia from giving his thoughts on the future of the rivalry. He called out the Vols on an appearance on the podcast ‘Bussin’ with the Boys.’ “Vanderbilt is going to […]

Tennessee football hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt since 2018 and is 4-0 under the watch of Josh Heupel.
That recent history didn’t stop Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia from giving his thoughts on the future of the rivalry. He called out the Vols on an appearance on the podcast ‘Bussin’ with the Boys.’
“Vanderbilt is going to run Tennessee after this year,” Pavia said. “This is going to be the new staple of college football. It’s going to happen here at Vanderbilt.”
The following podcast contains NSFW language.
His reasoning is Vanderbilt’s location and NIL funds. He claims the reason people visit the state is to go to Nashville, the home of VU’s campus.
He also said that the Commodores will have ‘the most money in NIL’ in the future. The key is to get the ball rolling this upcoming season.
“Everyone wants to come to Tennessee because of Nashville. They want to come to Nashville, so Vanderbilt,” Pavia said. “And then when we have the most money in NIL, why not come here? We literally just have to win this year and throughout the rest of the year, it’ll take care of itself.”
Pavia enters his second season with the program as the starting quarterback. A year ago, he started against Tennessee at home, but had little success.
The Vols won the matchup 36-23 with their defense limiting what Pavia could do. He finished throwing 8-for-17 for 104 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked three times.
On the ground, Pavia notched 45 yards on 11 carries.
Overall, Tennessee owns the series 81-32-5. Since 1983, the Vols are up 36-6 in the series. This included a 22-game win-streak from 1983-2004.
This upcoming season, for Pavia and company to win, they’ll have to win inside Neyland Stadium on the road. The last time Vanderbilt pulled that off was 2017 in Butch Jones’ final season. Jones was already fired by that time with Brady Hoke serving as interim head coach.
Overall, the Vols are 40-11-1 at home in the series.
NIL
QB LaNorris Sellers rejected $8M transfer offer to stay loyal to Gamecocks
FILE – South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, FIle) (WCIV) — South Carolina’s breakout star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, couldn’t think of anywhere else to play. After leading the […]


FILE – South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, FIle)
(WCIV) — South Carolina’s breakout star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, couldn’t think of anywhere else to play.
After leading the Gamecocks to a 9-4 (5-3) record in the 2024 season, Sellers, a redshirt sophomore, proved that some things are worth more than money. Sellers’ father, Norris, told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman that his son was offered a two-year, $8 million NIL offer from another school, which he declined.
“He was offered all kinds of crazy numbers,” Norris said. “I told him he could say, I’m gonna stay or I’m gonna go. By my two cents: It was to get into college on a scholarship, play ball, get our degree and go on about our business. This NIL deal came later. We didn’t come here to make money. We came here to get our education, play ball, and with schools calling, we’re not gonna jump ship because they’re offering more than what we’re getting. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
LaNorris echoed the sentiment, claiming that he wants to build something special in his home state.
“I’ve been playing football all of my life for free,” LaNorris said. “I’ve built relationships here, my family’s here, my brother’s here. There’s no reason for me to go someplace else and start over.”

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers looks to throw a pass during the first half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game against Illinois, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Sellers is just the latest quarterback in the college football ranks to command eye-opening amounts of money.
According to On3’s NIL valuation tracker, Arch Manning commands $6.8 million at the University of Texas. Carson Beck, who earned $4.3 million from the University of Miami, was not far behind.
Sellers has built a cult-like following after his slow start in Columbia.
He threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns. Sellers also pitched in on the ground, rushing for 674 yards and seven touchdowns.
The defining performance of Sellers’ first year as a starter came in a rivalry game against Clemson, where he ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a come-from-behind 17-24 win. He capped off that performance with an impressive 20-yard touchdown run on a third-and-16 play with one minute remaining.
With just one year as a full-time starter under his belt, Sellers is already ranked as a top-five draft pick in 2026, according to ESPN.
But until then, he is comfortable saying that no amount of money can buy him the happiness he felt playing for the Gamecocks.
“He’s made of the right stuff,” Gamecocks Head Coach Shane Beamer said. “He’s got a great family around him. He knows what he means to this state. LaNorris has a chance to leave a legacy here.”
NIL
Athletic programs’ culture more important than ever | News, Sports, Jobs
While waiting for the House v. NCAA settlement to conclude, I, like many other college football fans, had to finally accept that the amateurism model, in place for over a century, has come to an end. The settlement ruling, which has been five years in the making, results from the 2020 class-action antitrust lawsuit filed […]

While waiting for the House v. NCAA settlement to conclude, I, like many other college football fans, had to finally accept that the amateurism model, in place for over a century, has come to an end.
The settlement ruling, which has been five years in the making, results from the 2020 class-action antitrust lawsuit filed by Arizona State swimmer Grant House and Texas Christian University women’s basketball player Sedona Prince, along with other student-athletes.
I found it particularly interesting that the lawsuit was led by House and Prince, who do not participate in the top revenue-producing sports.As a swimmer, House participates in an Olympic sport, and swimming, along with sports like tennis and golf, will not benefit as much from the $20.5 million that schools will be allowed to share with athletes.
Women’s Division I basketball does generate a respectable profit, with NCAA figures for the 2019 season calculated at $600 million, and the NCAA will begin paying women’s teams “performance units” for their participation in the tourney for the upcoming season, with $15 million being awarded. The units will increase to $20 million for the 2026-27 season, then jump to $25 million the following year. Schools will receive payments on a continuous three-year basis in 2026. Men’s basketball teams have profited from performance units since 1991, and the men’s tournament brought in over $900 million for the 2024-25 season. Schools will continue to rake in millions of dollars from March Madness and the expanded College Football Playoff, but with the $20.5 million cap that will be split among student-athletes, the lion’s share of these profits will go to the major money-making sports of football and men’s basketball in the Power Four conferences, although female basketball stars like the University of Southern California’s JuJu Watkins and Louisiana State University’s Flau’jae Johnson should also see their earnings rise. Stars in these sports will continue to prosper financially from lucrative name, image and likeness deals made possible by the 2021 NCAA v. Alston ruling.
Athletes who played before the Alston decision will be compensated back to 2016, as U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved a whopping $2.8 billion — which will be disbursed within 10 years — to reimburse those who competed before the current NIL era. As a Buckeye fan and alumna, I was very sorry that the stars of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship football team will not be able to cash in on their past laurels. I can only imagine the millions Cardale Jones, our third-string quarterback who led us to the title, would have made from his storybook run. Wideout Braxton Miller would have sold thousands of T-shirts with his signature spin move from his breathtaking performance against Virginia Tech that season. I’m sure many college athletes who won championships before 2016 are pondering what could have been if they had been allowed to accept endorsements. The House ruling will permit colleges and universities to pay student-athletes starting July 1, and as this next phase begins, the newly formed College Sports Commission will oversee NIL transactions and enforce new rules for the Power Four conferences. One significant benefit of the commission’s oversight is that it will be able to determine if athletes are seeking much more from university collectives than what their market value says they are worth, and many football coaches are hoping for a change to the transfer portal, which is currently open twice a year.
Knowing that the House settlement was inevitable, I have mixed feelings about this new era of college sports that continues to evolve. While I believe athletes should be paid fairly, direct payments from schools and NIL will take some focus away from academics and personal development. I continue to assert that the culture in athletic programs will now be more important than ever, and smaller schools probably have an advantage here in that NIL deals and revenue sharing will not be massive for their student-athletes.
NIL
New State Law Gives LSU Tigers Leg Up In Revenue Sharing
© Kirby Lee/Imagn Audio By Carbonatix As we move into the revenue sharing era of college sports, schools are getting more creative to find ways to generate more income. For some schools, that includes working with the state legislature, as is the case with a new law in Lousiana. Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports reports that the state […]


© Kirby Lee/Imagn

Audio By Carbonatix
As we move into the revenue sharing era of college sports, schools are getting more creative to find ways to generate more income. For some schools, that includes working with the state legislature, as is the case with a new law in Lousiana.
Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports reports that the state of Lousiana is set to raise taxes on sports betting in order to distribute additional funds to its 11 state-sponsored universities, including the LSU Tigers.
The new bill, which must first be signed by governor Jeff Landry, is expected to raise more than $24 million. Landry is a Louisiana-Lafayette graduate but seemingly a big fan of the Tigers. Last football season, Landry backed a push to return a live tiger to the sidelines of games in Tiger Stadium.
LSU Tigers Set To Land Major Pay Day Thanks To New Louisiana Sports Gambling Tax
According to Schiffer, the new bill stands to raise the state’s 15% tax on online betting profits to 21.5%.
Additionally, “A quarter of the tax revenue, estimated to bring in $24.3 million, would be split evenly among the state’s 11 public universities that play in Division I football conferences. The money won’t be used for direct NIL payments
“Instead, it must be used for ‘for the benefit of student athletes,’ which includes scholarships, facility enhancements, and insurance, among other uses. The money could help free up other resources within the athletic department as schools adjust their books for revenue sharing.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers have emerged as one of the strong NIL players in college football. On3 Sports, led by five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, currently ranks LSU’s 2026 class No. 2 in the country. Keys recently inked a lucrative NIL deal with Adidas, which is interesting given LSU’s current apparel deal with competitor Nike. Especially given the fact that Keys took a weekend visit to Tennessee, which is rumored to move from Nike to Adidas following the 2025-26 academic year.
NIL
Diego Pavia details how NIL offers have changed throughout college career
Diego Pavia has seen the NIL era of college football grow into what it is today as one of the biggest beneficiaries of it. The Vanderbilt quarterback has an estimated valuation of $1.6 million according to On3, making money that was unimaginable to college athletes only a few years ago. Even he wasn’t always raking […]


Diego Pavia has seen the NIL era of college football grow into what it is today as one of the biggest beneficiaries of it. The Vanderbilt quarterback has an estimated valuation of $1.6 million according to On3, making money that was unimaginable to college athletes only a few years ago.
Even he wasn’t always raking in that kind of cash in the early days of NIL. Pavia began his college career at the JUCO level in 2020, before NIL laws had even been passed. It wasn’t until he arrived at New Mexico State in 2022, one year after the first season of NIL, that he got his first deal.
But, as he explained in an appearance on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, that was paltry compared to what he was pulling in now. Despite starting eight of 12 games for the Aggies in the 2022 season, Pavia wasn’t even the highest paid player on his own team.
“First crack in the NIL game I was getting paid $1,400 at New Mexico State per month and I was pissed because Eli Stowers was getting paid $3,000 a month and he played tight end and I played quarterback,” Pavia said. “I’m like, ‘Man, f*** that. I need to go harder.’ It all worked itself out.”
Pavia found his form over the back half of his first season at New Mexico State, setting him up to enter 2023 as the clear starter. He would go on to throw for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns to nine interceptions while also rushing for 923 yards and seven scores.
The Aggies finished 10-5 that season and Pavia saw the dividends from his big year in the transfer portal. He was not only being offered a monthly pay that was in the six figures range, but gifts in addition to the payments as well.
“Coming from that $1,400 to these others schools were offering my like a car, houses and big time money. It’s like, ‘Holy sh*t,’” Pavia said. “…I would have stayed at New Mexico State for $100,000. Then at Vandy, the quarterback they just brought in, they paid him way over $100,000 and they offered me $150,000, but I didn’t know that. I’m going from $1,400 to $150,000? I’m like, ‘Sign me up.’ So that’s how I took it last year.”
There was some question of whether Pavia would have any eligibility remaining for 2025 because he had played five seasons already. However, the NCAA ruled to grant a waiver to players that did not count their JUCO seasons against eligibility, opening the door for him to play one more year.
Now he’ll get to continue reaping the benefits of NIL as he looks to lead Vanderbilt to its first ever College Football Playoff appearance. But even with all the money coming in, he has been smart with his finances thanks to his family and resources at the school.
“Vanderbilt does a good job of bringing in ex-players or alumni that are big-time people who work in the business. They come back and tell us about (financial literacy). We have probably 8-9 meetings on it. ..,I give it all to my mom and she handles it. So I’ve never touched a dime of my NIL.”
NIL
Ole Miss baseball transfer portal tracker
OXFORD, Miss. (WLBT) – Ole Miss baseball fell short after its loss to Murray State in the Oxford Regional earlier this month, but head coach Mike Bianco has already made some moves to improve the roster for the 2026 season. Who has transferred to Ole Miss so far? LHP Junior Grant Richardson (Grand Canyon) Richardson […]


OXFORD, Miss. (WLBT) – Ole Miss baseball fell short after its loss to Murray State in the Oxford Regional earlier this month, but head coach Mike Bianco has already made some moves to improve the roster for the 2026 season.
Who has transferred to Ole Miss so far?
LHP Junior Grant Richardson (Grand Canyon)
Richardson missed the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
In 2024, he came out of the bullpen for his first six appearances of the season and then started his final eight games.
He finished that season with a 5-1 record with a 3.73 ERA. He struck out 70 batters against 30 walks in 50.2 innings as a sophomore.
OF Junior Daniel Pacella (Illinois State)
Pacella had an impressive junior season with the Redbirds, earning an All-MVC First-Team selection.
He started all 56 games in 2025, finishing the year with a .355 batting average with 20 home runs, two triples, 19 doubles, and 59 RBIs.
OF Junior Tristan Bissetta (Clemson)
The 2025 season was cut short for Bissetta due to injury, but he still managed to finish with a .227 batting average with three home runs, two doubles, and 16 RBIs in just 31 games.
LHP Freshman Wil Libbert (Missouri)
Libbert is coming off his redshirt-freshman season with the Tigers, where he threw more innings than any pitcher for Missouri in the 2025 season.
He finished the season with a 6.04 ERA with 55 strikeouts against 33 walks in 53.2 innings pitched.
Who has transferred out of Ole Miss so far?
LHP Junior Ryne Rodriguez
RHP Sophomore Cole Ketchum
C Sophomore Campbell Smithwick
OF Senior Connor Chisolm
OF Freshman Jackson Miller
RHP Freshman Hudson Mattox
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