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Gould, power conference commissioners pledge to follow NIL rules but details sparse

FOLLOWING THE HOUSE v. NCAA SETTLEMENT on Friday allowing schools to directly pay athletes, college commissioners expressed confidence in their ability to end the rules-breaking surrounding NIL. But details were few. The news conference on Monday, as reported by Heather Dinich of ESPN, saw Teresa Gould of the Pac-12 join the four power conference members: the SEC’s Greg Sankey, […]

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FOLLOWING THE HOUSE v. NCAA SETTLEMENT on Friday allowing schools to directly pay athletes, college commissioners expressed confidence in their ability to end the rules-breaking surrounding NIL. But details were few.

The news conference on Monday, as reported by Heather Dinich of ESPN, saw Teresa Gould of the Pac-12 join the four power conference members: the SEC’s Greg Sankey, the Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, Brett Yormark of the Big 12, and Jim Phillips of the ACC.  Gould was present at the meeting because the Pac-12 was a named defendant in the lawsuit.

“If I’m the Pac-12, I’d try to use that fact to argue that since the conference has been included in a detrimental outcome in one case, it should not be shut out from ‘Power’ conference benefits in other instances,” wrote John Canzano in an article today.

Meanwhile, rules breaking in the name, image, likeness world has been rampant since NIL came into being four years ago and penalties have been non-existent. Phillips said all the commissioners had ideas, but nothing they’re “ready to come forward with,” Dinich writes.

Ultimately, Phillips said, the rules and boundaries will be under the purview of Bryan Seeley, the former MLB executive who was just named CEO of a new enforcement organization called the College Sports Commission.

“Now that we have Bryan on board, I think we’ll be able to move a little bit quicker,” said Phillips. “But we want to get this right. It’s one of those areas that until you have somebody leading the College Sports Commission, it’s difficult to get together with that individual and start some of that framework that will be in place.”

In terms of paying athletes, “the annual cap is expected to start at $20.5 million per school in 2025-26 and increase every year during the decade-long deal,” Dinich writes. “Those payments will be in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive. Starting June 7, players have to report NIL deals of $600 or more to the College Sports Commission.”

The distribution of $20.5 million to athletes starting July 1 won’t be determined at the conference level, Jon Wilner of the Mercury News reported HERE. “How much to allocate to football, men’s basketball and the Olympic sports will be a campus decision,” Wilner writes.

OBVIOUSLY, CERTAIN SCHOOLS will reach that $20.5 million cap and others will not. For example, Washington State even if it were not in a budget crisis is not going to suddenly be able to spend $20.5 million more.

“We’ve been in an unregulated environment with no rules and no enforcement,” said Phillips. “It has paralyzed the NCAA in Indianapolis, and we’re responsible for certainly some of that. We’re now going to have a foundation and structure laying out those rules. The new structure provides our student-athletes with more opportunities and benefits than ever before.”

The commissioners agreed, however, that in order to “make it work,” they need congressional help to codify rules and provide antitrust protections. What it will all look like with so many unanswered questions still looming is impossible to say. 

“But it’s difficult to ignore the leap-of-faith component built into their new world order,” Wilner writes. “College sports has too many athletes with financial needs, too many sources of cash and too many fans who care about winning above all else. The result is a revamped system that’s rooted in best intentions but dependent on a leap of faith.” Click here for Wilner’s article.

Also, here is how Wilner characterized the House settlement on Twitter: “A monumental step forward that’s also deeply flawed and won’t end the chaos. Consider the landmark case as merely the end of the beginning of the revolution.”

Click HERE for the full ESPN article.

(Photo: Twitter/Canzano)

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Crystal Ball prediction has Ohio State football team losing on another DE recruit

The Ohio State football team is projected to lose yet another defensive end recruit that they have been trying to land. This time, they are projected to lose out on KJ Ford, a player that they tried to get late in this cycle. They are desperate to add defensive ends at this point. ON3 is […]

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The Ohio State football team is projected to lose yet another defensive end recruit that they have been trying to land. This time, they are projected to lose out on KJ Ford, a player that they tried to get late in this cycle. They are desperate to add defensive ends at this point.

ON3 is predicting that Ford is going to end up at Florida, which would be devastating for the Buckeyes. They are striking out left and right at defensive linemen, which is a major problem. Larry Johnson has struggled to be able to recruit in the NIL era.

Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes were split when Johnson decided to stay for another year. Johnson was contemplating retirement, but decided to come back. If Ryan Day is smart, he will make sure that this is the only extra year that Johnson will be getting.

Another DE is expected to rebuke the Ohio State football team

Ford is a four-star recruit, so losing him would be another blow to a 2026 recruiting class that has slid down the rankings in recent weeks. They now have just the fifth-best recruiting class in the country. Just a couple of months ago, they had the second-best class.

At that time, there was talk that the Buckeyes could possibly win a recruiting national championship for the first time. Now, they are staring down the barrel of the lowest-rated recruiting class in the Ryan Day era. The fact that it is coming close to happening the year after a national championship is mind-blogging.

Ohio State will have to pivot to some different options at DE, but those options are becoming slimmer as the summer goes on. There are still six months before these kids sign with a program, so fans shouldn’t panic yet. Still, this is a bad pattern from Johnson.



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Hugh Freeze on adding transfer Jacoby Mathews

Auburn signed former five-star recruit Jacoby Mathews out of the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month. He took an official visit to Auburn on June 16, and is set to be on campus by the start of fall camp. Mathews is returning to the Division I level after spending one season at the JUCO level […]

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Hugh Freeze on adding transfer Jacoby Mathews

Auburn signed former five-star recruit Jacoby Mathews out of the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month. He took an official visit to Auburn on June 16, and is set to be on campus by the start of fall camp.

Mathews is returning to the Division I level after spending one season at the JUCO level in an attempt to focus on academics. He began his college career playing for Texas A&M but transferred after the 2023 season.

“Jacoby, talent-wise the guy’s a five-star talent,” Freeze said after signing the talented defensive back. “Obviously, he did not own up to the responsibilities you have and the accountability that you should have. We’ve had some great heart-to-hearts. I believe with all my heart that he understands this is his last chance.

“And he didn’t do anything. He just did not receive the blessing that he had at his previous school, and I think he’s learned a lesson and adding another elite safety to that group is beneficial to us. We’re excited to give him a chance.”

Mathews was a part of an historic 2022 recruiting class under former head coach Jimbo Fisher. DJ Durkin was a main recruiter as then-defensive coordinator, and Mathews would end up playing 21 games as an Aggie across two seasons. He totaled 66 tackles (46 solo), as well as eight pass breakups and one interception before leaving the program. In 2023, he made 11 appearances with nine starts.

Now an member of the Auburn Tigers, and teaming up once again with Durkin in his first season as the Auburn DC, Mathews has two seasons of eligibility remaining to play for Hugh Freeze and company. He’ll join an already talented group of defensive backs in Auburn’s secondary.

Elsewhere in the DB room, junior Kayin Lee is expected to be one of the top cornerbacks in the SEC this season. Lee totaled 32 tackles, seven PBUs and two interceptions in 2024. Jay Crawford earned All-SEC freshman team honors for his work last season. Freeze also added the likes of Raion Strader from Miami (Ohio) and Rayshawn Pleasant from Tulane to bulk up the room as well.

Auburn kicks off its 2025 season in a true road matchup against Baylor during Week 1. The Tigers will begin SEC play in Week 4 against Oklahoma. However, Mathews has likely already circled the date on the calendar seven days later — Week 5 at Texas A&M.

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Texas Tech’s $5M NIL Deal, Big 12 Trade Talk & Media Days

Share Tweet Share Share Email What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage. This week, let’s break down Texas Tech’s latest financial outlay, why hypothetical trades don’t matter and it’s time for media days.   […]

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What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.

This week, let’s break down Texas Tech’s latest financial outlay, why hypothetical trades don’t matter and it’s time for media days.

 

Felix Ojo is Texas Tech’s $5 Million Man

Texas Tech celebrated July 4 by getting a commitment from a five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. It’s the kind of thing Tech isn’t known for. To many recruiting services, Ojo is the highest-rated commitment Tech has ever landed.

But what made more news of course was the NIL money attached to Ojo’s commitment. Here’s how it was originally reported on social media by outlets like On3Sports.

Well, that’s a lot of money. Some social media users made a good point. That amount is more than some NFL draft picks make on a four-year rookie deal, including Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He received $4.6 million from the Cleveland Browns.

But, as always, the devil is in the details. There was no context to the graphic. Reporters — who I’m sure were oh so thrilled to work on Independence Day — were on the case.

 

Turns out there is money attached, but it’s not “exactly” $5.1 million.

Eli Lederman at ESPN reported that the deal was a fully guaranteed, three-year, $5.1 million revenue share contract. He got that information from Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby, who just happens to be the same agent for Texas Tech softball star NiJaree Canady.

Not long after that, CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah, reported that the guaranteed revenue share amount was about “half that amount.” He also reported there were stipulations in the deal that would allow it grow to the full amount.

On3Sports’ Pete Nakos had the full breakdown shortly. Ojo would get $1.2 million his first year, followed by $1.6 million in Year 2 and $2.1 million in Year 3. He also confirmed that the guaranteed amount is roughly half the total amount. He reported the contract “actually pays” $775,000 per year.

CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz also reported the same amount per year as an average. He also reported there was an understanding between Tech and Ojo’s representatives that the deal could be renegotiated if NIL returns to the “Wild West” format.

So a few things here:

First, for highly regarded recruits, this could be the norm. I was skeptical that he was getting a fully guaranteed deal, and that doesn’t appear to be the case. This feels like a typical NFL deal — a base salary with incentives that can be reached over time. The incentives become guaranteed as they get triggered.

Second, I must assume one of those incentives is staying at Tech. I think coaches, fans and collectives are tired of the year-over-year churn. Multi-year deals are going to be used more often, with triggers tied to staying multiple years, baseline grade-point averages and other factors.

Third, I found Zenith’s report about NIL returning to the “Wild West” curious. As long as the NIL money in this deal is coming from a third party, it won’t count against the rev share. If it’s a direct payment from the school, it does. I do think NIL will revert back to a “Wild West” format at some point as I don’t believe it’s controllable. But that would be a weird way to approach the future contract if you’re the player’s agent.  

Last, as I wrote two weeks ago, enough with the pearl-clutching. Tech has money. It’s using it. Recruits know it. That’s why they’re interested. This is the world. Move on.

 

A Big 12-ACC Trade?

Earlier this week, a reader for the mailbag answered by The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel posed a question about a trade between conferences. In the reader’s eyes, the Big 12 could trade UCF, Cincinnati and West Virginia to the ACC for Cal, Stanford and SMU.

Mandel loved the idea and said it made “too much sense.” Our Pete Mundo wrote about it. We even conducted a poll.

You were not warm to the idea.

Hypotheticals are fun, but …

When I posed the WVU to ACC hypothetical a few years ago many WVU fans told me the ACC didn’t want them. It probably still doesn’t.

Stanford and Cal don’t want any part of the Big 12. Those two schools, in my opinion, will go it alone before joining.

SMU wanted in, but the Mustangs are a redundancy in the DFW market and for the Big 12 and didn’t add anything, in part because the area isn’t a college sports area. If DFW were a huge college sports area that would be another story. But the area is wrapped up in pro sports and for those that live here, they know that.

I mean, yes, if someone with realignment and can just wave a magic wand, sure. But there is no reality to this. Unless everyone wants to play with the same bucket of TV money like the NFL, something like this won’t happen.

 

Big 12 Media Days Return

It’s talking season this week in Frisco, Texas, as I’ll be covering Big 12 Media Days for Heartland College Sports. It’s the official kickoff of the Big 12 football season.

It’s a week we look forward to because it allows us to start getting a little less hypothetical in coverage and a little more actual. Like I can’t wait for someone to Kalani Sitake who is going to start at quarterback at BYU, or to ask Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire when the NIL budget for the Red Raiders actually looks like (like he’s gonna tell us).

Should be good times. Follow us all week. After media days I’m getting some vacation, my annual trip to Red Rocks in Colorado to see The Avett Brothers. Then, much more football.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.





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Texas Tech's $5M NIL Deal, Big 12 Trade Talk & Media Days

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage. This week, let’s break down Texas Tech’s latest financial outlay, why hypothetical trades don’t matter and it’s time for media days.   Felix Ojo is Texas Tech’s […]

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Texas Tech's $5M NIL Deal, Big 12 Trade Talk & Media Days

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.

This week, let’s break down Texas Tech’s latest financial outlay, why hypothetical trades don’t matter and it’s time for media days.

 

Felix Ojo is Texas Tech’s $5 Million Man

Texas Tech celebrated July 4 by getting a commitment from a five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. It’s the kind of thing Tech isn’t known for. To many recruiting services, Ojo is the highest-rated commitment Tech has ever landed.

But what made more news of course was the NIL money attached to Ojo’s commitment. Here’s how it was originally reported on social media by outlets like On3Sports.

Well, that’s a lot of money. Some social media users made a good point. That amount is more than some NFL draft picks make on a four-year rookie deal, including Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He received $4.6 million from the Cleveland Browns.

But, as always, the devil is in the details. There was no context to the graphic. Reporters — who I’m sure were oh so thrilled to work on Independence Day — were on the case.

 

Turns out there is money attached, but it’s not “exactly” $5.1 million.

Eli Lederman at ESPN reported that the deal was a fully guaranteed, three-year, $5.1 million revenue share contract. He got that information from Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby, who just happens to be the same agent for Texas Tech softball star NiJaree Canady.

Not long after that, CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah, reported that the guaranteed revenue share amount was about “half that amount.” He also reported there were stipulations in the deal that would allow it grow to the full amount.

On3Sports’ Pete Nakos had the full breakdown shortly. Ojo would get $1.2 million his first year, followed by $1.6 million in Year 2 and $2.1 million in Year 3. He also confirmed that the guaranteed amount is roughly half the total amount. He reported the contract “actually pays” $775,000 per year.

CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz also reported the same amount per year as an average. He also reported there was an understanding between Tech and Ojo’s representatives that the deal could be renegotiated if NIL returns to the “Wild West” format.

So a few things here:

First, for highly regarded recruits, this could be the norm. I was skeptical that he was getting a fully guaranteed deal, and that doesn’t appear to be the case. This feels like a typical NFL deal — a base salary with incentives that can be reached over time. The incentives become guaranteed as they get triggered.

Second, I must assume one of those incentives is staying at Tech. I think coaches, fans and collectives are tired of the year-over-year churn. Multi-year deals are going to be used more often, with triggers tied to staying multiple years, baseline grade-point averages and other factors.

Third, I found Zenith’s report about NIL returning to the “Wild West” curious. As long as the NIL money in this deal is coming from a third party, it won’t count against the rev share. If it’s a direct payment from the school, it does. I do think NIL will revert back to a “Wild West” format at some point as I don’t believe it’s controllable. But that would be a weird way to approach the future contract if you’re the player’s agent.  

Last, as I wrote two weeks ago, enough with the pearl-clutching. Tech has money. It’s using it. Recruits know it. That’s why they’re interested. This is the world. Move on.

 

A Big 12-ACC Trade?

Earlier this week, a reader for the mailbag answered by The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel posed a question about a trade between conferences. In the reader’s eyes, the Big 12 could trade UCF, Cincinnati and West Virginia to the ACC for Cal, Stanford and SMU.

Mandel loved the idea and said it made “too much sense.” Our Pete Mundo wrote about it. We even conducted a poll.

You were not warm to the idea.

Hypotheticals are fun, but …

When I posed the WVU to ACC hypothetical a few years ago many WVU fans told me the ACC didn’t want them. It probably still doesn’t.

Stanford and Cal don’t want any part of the Big 12. Those two schools, in my opinion, will go it alone before joining.

SMU wanted in, but the Mustangs are a redundancy in the DFW market and for the Big 12 and didn’t add anything, in part because the area isn’t a college sports area. If DFW were a huge college sports area that would be another story. But the area is wrapped up in pro sports and for those that live here, they know that.

I mean, yes, if someone with realignment and can just wave a magic wand, sure. But there is no reality to this. Unless everyone wants to play with the same bucket of TV money like the NFL, something like this won’t happen.

 

Big 12 Media Days Return

It’s talking season this week in Frisco, Texas, as I’ll be covering Big 12 Media Days for Heartland College Sports. It’s the official kickoff of the Big 12 football season.

It’s a week we look forward to because it allows us to start getting a little less hypothetical in coverage and a little more actual. Like I can’t wait for someone to Kalani Sitake who is going to start at quarterback at BYU, or to ask Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire when the NIL budget for the Red Raiders actually looks like (like he’s gonna tell us).

Should be good times. Follow us all week. After media days I’m getting some vacation, my annual trip to Red Rocks in Colorado to see The Avett Brothers. Then, much more football.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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NIL contract Texas Tech OL

Mansfield (TX) Lake Ridge five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, one of the top prospects in 2026, made a Fourth of July commitment to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will now be paying him quite well with an unprecendented, fully guaranteed revenue-sharing deal. Ojo committed to Texas Tech this afternoon over top schools like Texas, Oklahoma, […]

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Mansfield (TX) Lake Ridge five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, one of the top prospects in 2026, made a Fourth of July commitment to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will now be paying him quite well with an unprecendented, fully guaranteed revenue-sharing deal.

Ojo committed to Texas Tech this afternoon over top schools like Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. ESPN’s Eli Lederman reported that the Red Raiders signed Ojo to a fully guaranteed revenue-share deal worth $5.1 million over three years. On3’s Pete Nakos reported more details of the agreement.

Ojo’s guaranteed rev-share amount is roughly half the $5.1 million, according to Nakos, and the contract pays out $775,000 per year over three years. Including incentives and if the deal is renegotiated, the five-star offensive lineman is set to earn $1.2 million in Year 1, $1.6 million in Year 2 and $2.1 million in Year 3.



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Urban Meyer makes it clear where he stands on returning to college football as a general manager

One of the significant shifts of the NIL and transfer portal era, some college football programs have turned to general manager roles to help lead the way in roster management. Programs have hired from within the assistant ranks while others have plucked former head coaches and NFL executives. Most recently, Ron Rivera, a two-time NFL […]

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One of the significant shifts of the NIL and transfer portal era, some college football programs have turned to general manager roles to help lead the way in roster management.

Programs have hired from within the assistant ranks while others have plucked former head coaches and NFL executives.

Most recently, Ron Rivera, a two-time NFL Head Coach of the Year, is back at his alma mater Cal as general manager. And Oklahoma hired former NFL executive Jim Nagy to the same position.

Three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer, now with Fox Sports as an analyst, admitted he was approached by a college program for their general manager role. The former Utah, Florida, Ohio State and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach even met with leadership to hear the program’s pitch.

“I had a school come see me this year and ask if I wanted to be the GM,” Meyer said on “The Triple Option.” “And a couple other phone calls. And you start to think, ‘OK, they actually came to see me,’ so I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll meet and I’ll sit down with you guys.’”

Despite Meyer’s early interest, he wasn’t inclined to take the offer after learning about the job description. In fact, Meyer would rather “step on a rusty nail” than dealing with players’ agents.

“I said, ‘OK, what is the job description?.’ “They said, ‘Well, basically you meet with all the agents of the 17-, 18-year-olds,’” Meyer said. “And I thought, ‘I’d rather step on a rusty nail and pull it out myself.’”

Meyer’s name is regularly mentioned when major head coaching roles open, and it wouldn’t be a big shock to see the 60-year-old return to college football at some point. As a general manager, though, it’s safe to say Meyer won’t be taking up that title.





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