NIL Landscape Shift Poses Challenges for WVU and Rich Rodriguez

The recent House settlement has provided universities with a significant $20.5 million boost for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) initiatives. However, this financial lifeline has simultaneously introduced a host of complications, particularly for West Virginia University (WVU). As Rich Rodriguez returns to lead the Mountaineers, the anticipated revival of a lackluster 6-7 season has yet to materialize, leaving the program at a crossroads.

Mountaineers at a Crossroads

Rich Rodriguez’s reappointment was met with optimism, as many believed he could steer the team back to prominence. However, the reality has been less favorable. The Mountaineers have struggled to find their footing, and as the season unfolds, concerns about player retention loom large. The recent NCAA ruling has further complicated matters, creating an environment ripe for uncertainty.

NIL Challenges and Player Exodus

While the influx of funds for NIL spending is encouraging, it has also sparked fears of player departures. With the changing landscape, athletes may feel more inclined to explore opportunities elsewhere, especially if they believe they can secure better deals or more favorable conditions at rival programs. This potential exodus could significantly impact the Mountaineers’ roster and overall competitiveness.

Navigating a New Era

As Rodriguez grapples with these challenges, the focus will be on how to adapt to the evolving NIL landscape. The ability to retain key players while attracting new talent will be crucial for the program’s future success. The Mountaineers must find strategies to leverage their NIL resources effectively, ensuring they remain a viable option for top recruits.

In this critical juncture, the decisions made by Rodriguez and the WVU administration will resonate throughout the program. The stakes are high, and the path forward will require a careful balance of nurturing current talent while enticing new players to join the fold.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Along with moving its championship tournament entirely to campus sites beginning this upcoming 2025-2026 season, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is exploring another change for its postseason – officially naming the Conference’s tournament trophy.
 
The NCHC has been awarding the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup to its regular-season champion since its inaugural 2013-14 season. And now after 12 years of play, the Conference is looking to give the trophy awarded to the NCHC Tournament champion a proper name. While the NCHC’s championship weekend has historically been called the Frozen Faceoff, the ‘Frozen Faceoff’ Trophy does not have an official name.
 
To help name the trophy, the NCHC is taking suggestions from fans though THIS FORM. Fans can submit names for one week through July 13. The Conference and its membership will then evaluate fan suggestions and its own ideas before deciding upon and revealing the name for the NCHC’s tournament trophy prior to the start of the season.
 
In addition to exploring a trophy name, the NCHC has finalized the date for its 2026 Frozen Faceoff championship game, which is now set for Saturday, March 21 at the highest remaining seed. As previously announced, the semifinals will be held the prior Saturday on March 14, 2026, with the two highest remaining seeds each hosting a single-game semifinal.
 
The 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff will get underway with best-of-three quarterfinal series on campus sites, with the top four seeds hosting the bottom four seeds. The NCHC Quarterfinals will take place a week earlier than previous years from Friday-Sunday, March 6-8. The four series winners will then be re-seeded for the semifinals. As in 2025, only the top eight finishers in the NCHC will qualify for the Frozen Faceoff Tournament.
 
Broadcast information for the Frozen Faceoff semifinals and championship will be announced in the coming months.
 

–#NCHChockey–

Forty-one Episcopal Academy will continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level in the fall.

Here are the students and and their sport and school they will be attending.

• Maya Bright, soccer, University of Pittsburgh

• Paul Bruder, lacrosse, Penn State University

• Balthazar Buccini, soccer, Villanova University

• Kieran Buckley, swimming, Providence College

• Addie Chang, golf, Fairfield University

• Minah Cho, field hockey, Colgate University

• Logan Correll, baseball, Lehigh University

• Bridget Dempsey, soccer, Fairfield University

• Grace Holland, lacrosse, Boston College

• Maura Irish, lacrosse, University of Notre Dame

• Brynn Kehl, lacrosse, Bryant University

• Hanna-Mae Legaspi, softball, Georgetown University

• Evan MacFarland. lacrosse, Georgetown University

• Arden Mankovich. field hockey. William and Mary

• Maddie Masiko, softball, Lehigh University

• Matt McCarthy, basketball, Florida Gulf Coast University

• Caroline Powell, field hockey, Boston College

• Sophia Tabasso, equestrian, Oklahoma State University

• Quinn Whitaker, lacrosse, Boston College

• Stevie Combs, track and field, Denison University

• Lauren Creamer, soccer, Catholic University

• Kate Dente, lacrosse, Princeton University

• Eli Engelman, cross country and track and field, Dartmouth College

• Langston Foster, basketball, Kenyon College

• Danny Hopkins, wrestling, Gettysburg College

• YaYa Johnson, track and field, Harvard University

• Avery Le, lacrosse, University of Pennsylvania

• Tory Lynn, field hockey, Bowdoin College

• Sean Magee, squash, Brown University

• Connor Marciano, lacrosse, Babson College

• Liam Miller, lacrosse, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

• Blake Riley, lacrosse, Colby College

• Tanish Tangri, squash, Bates College

• Talia Thomas, water polo, Occidental College

• Dylan Vengoechea, soccer, Gettysburg College

• Paige Clemmer, cross country, Juniata College

• Ian Ferrell, football and baseball, Widener University

• Gardner Huston, squash, Hamilton College

• Raheem Orr, Football, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Riya Shankaran, squash, Stanford University

• Anik Vossschulte, football, Ithaca College

The tides continue to shift in favor of Penn State.

The Nittany Lions have landed a monumental commitment from Gavin McKenna on Monday, per Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects.

McKenna, the consensus top pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft, will likely join the team in the 2025-26 season.

BREAKING: Multiple sources indicate that Gavin McKenna will commit to Penn State University for 2025-26One of the most electrifying prospects chooses the Nittany Lions. A game-changing get for PSU hockey. Read more: https://t.co/5L6NFs8rqq pic.twitter.com/8KodDOh5nW

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) July 7, 2025

McKenna, 17, is regarded as a generational NHL prospect and was the most sought-after recruit in college hockey. NHL Central scout John Williams went as far as mentioning the forward as a “five-tool player.”

“We don’t use the term five-tool player in hockey as much as you hear it used in other sports, but McKenna’s one of those guys. He’s got it,” Williams said.

McKenna is fresh off a WHL championship, defeating incoming Nittany Lion Shea Van Olm’s Spokane Chiefs in five games.

The left winger reportedly narrowed down his destinations to Penn State and Michigan State in mid-June, but has ultimately landed in Hockey Valley for the foreseeable future.

MORE HOCKEY COVERAGE

When Kentucky pulled off a flip of wide receiver Denairius Gray, a few eyeballs were raised. Gray was previously committed to the Auburn Tigers and had been since New Year’s Day 2024. Well over a year, Gray decided he wanted to play for Mark Stoops moving forward.

This has led to jokes surrounding Hugh Freeze, particularly on the uptick in golf rounds the third-year head coach appears to be playing. Steve Spurrier caught wind of Kentucky fans making jabs at Auburn and decided to knock them back down a level or two.

“Kentucky fans are pointing out that their coach doesn’t play golf,” Pat Dooley pointed out via Another Dooley Noted Podcast.

“Kentucky?” Spurrier interjected. “They don’t have a lot of wins to brag about right now.”

Last season was not too kind to Kentucky, finishing 2024 with a 4-8 record. Three of those wins were against nonconference opponents too, none of which were in a power conference. If there was anything for Kentucky to hang their hat on, it was taking down Ole Miss in Oxford and effectively keeping Lane Kiffin‘s bunch out of the College Football Playoff.

However, the previous three seasons all saw the Wildcats finish above .500. The 2021 campaign was a high for a program as Stoops was able to guide them to just the fourth-ever 10-win season. Records of 7-6 were accomplished in both 2022 and 2023, losing bowl games after seven wins during the regular season.

Not that Spurrier needs a reason to take a shot at somebody but he has a lot of room to talk when it comes to Kentucky. Spurrier never lost to the Wildcats while the head coach at Florida. And while UK did get three wins over him during his South Carolina tenure, Spurrier himself gained eight more victories.

Everyone in Lexington will be hoping some wins begin to stack up so Spurrier eats his words. Unfortunately, one of the hardest schedules in college football is on deck. Stoops will have as difficult of a job as ever.

Recruiting wins in the summer are nice, though. Especially when the prospect was previously committed to another SEC school like Auburn.

Kentucky will need to get Gray over the finish line as National Signing Day is just under six months away. If they can, a nice wide receiver will join the program and maybe add to the win total Spurrier likes to poke at.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Athletics announced on Monday (July 7) a multi-million dollar gift from longtime University of Michigan philanthropist and College of Engineering alumnus Donald C. Graham (B.S., 1955, M.S., 1956, D.Eng.Hon. 2009). In recognition of this donation, the Michigan Athletics Career Center will be named the Graham Family Athletic Career Center. Additionally, the director of the career center will be named the Graham Family Director.

Approximately 80 percent of the gift will be used to establish the endowed Graham Family Athletic Career Center Program Fund in support of career preparation, personal development and citizenship for student-athletes and alumni. In coordination with the U-M Alumni Association, an alumni employment assistance program will also be instituted. The endowment ensures support of these critical opportunities for years to come. The balance of Mr. Graham’s gift will be used to establish an expendable fund to be used as a companion fund for the same purposes as the endowment, but are accessible immediately.

“Don Graham’s impact can be felt and seen throughout our university,” said Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. “His generosity truly shows his commitment to the values and goals of our institution, and athletics is proud and grateful to have him as part of our family. We certainly could not accomplish much of what we do without his partnership. This incredible gift will open doors for current and former student-athletes, supercharging their career opportunities by forging strong, lifelong connections with Michigan alumni around the world, ensuring a legacy of success and support for generations to come.”

Graham’s prior philanthropy within Michigan Athletics has been recognized with the naming of two coaching positions: the Graham Family Head Ice Hockey Coach and Donald C. Graham Football Offensive Line Coach. He and his wife have also endowed the Donald C. & Ingrid A. Graham Football Scholarship and Donald C. & Ingrid A. Graham Hockey Scholarship.

“This latest gift to the Graham Career Center will provide funding for several expanded services, including launching a new lifelong employment support program for all alumni student-athletes, male or female, through their entire working careers,” said Graham, a two-time graduate of U-M’s College of Engineering. “We will be working closely with the alumni association and local chapters to bring this initiative to life. It’s imperative to prepare for life after athletics and this will help set them up for success.”

“This gift is a meaningful investment in the future of our student-athletes and the mission of the career center,” said Maurice Washington, Graham Family Director of the Graham Family Athletic Career Center. “It will allow us to continue providing comprehensive and transformative experiences that enhance both the personal and professional development of our student-athletes. Because of the Grahams’ generosity, we can create more opportunities for global engagement and build relationships that support a lifetime of success. Thank you for believing in our vision and for playing a vital role in shaping the next generation of leaders.”

The Graham family has long supported the University in numerous ways. He and his wife, Ingrid, are members of Team One as major contributors to athletics’ Victors for Michigan capital campaign. U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute honors their support of interdisciplinary sustainability research, education and engagement efforts. The prestigious Donald C. Graham Professorship of Engineering is awarded to faculty who demonstrate excellence in research, leadership and service to the scientific community; in addition, the Grahams have generously supported the Nanotechnology Labs in the College of Engineering. Among others, the School for Environment and Sustainability, the botanical gardens and arboretum and U-M Medical School have also been beneficiaries of his generosity. Don has also served over 20 years on both the College of Engineering National Advisory Committee and the President’s Advisory Board.