DESTIN, Fla. – There’s a new voice that has taken over for Nick Saban in these spring meetings that take place every year in Florida, and it’s Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. 

While there are plenty of coaches who can control a room, like Saban did during his time in the SEC, it’s become abundantly clear that Kirby feels much more comfortable talking about the key issues that are plaguing the sport of college football. 

And sure, there are plenty of voices to go around, but being the tenured head coach of a conference as big as the SEC, the need for one guy to be the voice was up for grabs the day Nick Saban announced his retirement. Now, with all the talk being centered around how much money a player will be making, or how college athletics is headed for massive change if the House settlement is approved, Smart is pointing his attention towards another hot-button issue. 

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you have missed a lot when it comes to how long players are sticking around at one school. And, it’s not just about an athlete chasing a paycheck with the current NIL system. There is a contentious conversation ongoing inside meeting rooms across the country about how college leaders can control the transfer portal. 

For Kirby Smart, this is the biggest issue in college athletics that is not being talked about enough in his eyes. To be honest, I tend to agree with Kirby Smart, though there are plenty of subjects that have college administrators scrambling towards the July 1 deadline of when these new rules under the House settlement would begin. 

But, speaking inside the Hilton theater room on Tuesday, there was a sense of urgency in the voice of Kirby Smart while discussing what he thought was the biggest problem in college athletics, with so many coaches having differing opinions. 

“I am so glad you asked that question,” Kirby Smart started. “The biggest decision that has to be made in college football right now, by far, is when the portal window is, and is there one or two. That’s not being decided by us today. A lot of people don’t even know how it’s getting decided, and who’s deciding it. We had an AFCA (coaches) meeting … we unanimously decided there needed to be one portal window, whatever that is, is what it is. It needs to happen sometime in January.”

“I think it’s really important in football to have your team your team at whatever date in January, whatever we decide that is, and then you work those guys out,” he said. “You train those guys, you lift, you prepare, you do meetings and all this preparation, and then that’s your team.”

Transfer Portal Moves Need To Be Made. 9-Game SEC Schedule?

If there ever was a time when coaches needed to come together to decide on how to approach the rules committee, that time is right now. But, until there is a ‘College Sports Commission’, decisions about the portal will not be made, at least according to Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts. 

There are so many problems with the transfer portal currently, and keeping the two different windows is only leading to further chaos in the sport. 

Does Kirby Smart have a case for bringing it down to just one period? Sure he does. But, getting coaches across the country to agree on when that period should be is a different story. 

Everyone has an agenda, and moving the portal window to sometime in late spring would obviously cause further chaos at the moment. Now that players can leave during the spring, and some coaches are advocating for NFL-style workouts in the summer, it seems as though we are at an impasse. 

Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione says a vote on a 9-game conference schedule this week would surprise him. The CFP format needs to be decided, but he makes it clear that the powers that be need to make the regular season a priority as they head towards an expanded playoff. 

“We’ll get the postseason figured out, but it’s paramount to make sure to keep the regular season relevant.”

This had more to do with fan engagement, while making sure not to diminish the regular season, which then affects the fans who are buying tickets. 

Obviously, there will be some type of change down the road. But, there are schools out there that load their rosters up during the spring in hopes of finding a hidden gem from the portal. But, the noise is starting to get louder when it comes to the transfer portal, and those that participate in the CFP are paying a price. 

In other news, most coaches speaking on Tuesday pointed out that it would be in the sport’s best interest if the college football playoff selected the best 16 teams in college football. So, if that were the case, how many would have made decisions based off seeding alone? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. 

While we wait on the House settlement to be either approved or denied, Kirby Smart is making sure we know about the bigger problems in college athletics. Whether you agree with him is up to you. 

But, one thing we can agree on is that Kirby Smart is filling the shoes that Nick Saban once wore during these meetings, and is becoming a voice of reason for college athletics. 

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Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart sat down with The Courier Journal at SEC spring meetings to talk about how UK is approaching the next era of college athletics.

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL. — University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart is the second-longest-tenured AD among Power Four schools. He’s seen a lot in Lexington over the last 23 years. But the past year has provided him with an especially unique challenge.

Barnhart is one of 10 ADs on the power conferences and NCAA’s House Settlement Implementation Committee. This committee has put in “10 to 15 years worth of work,” Barnhart told The Courier Journal at SEC spring meetings, in the span of “eight to 12 months.” Its job is to help position college sports for seismic change once the House v. NCAA settlement receives final approval and becomes effective July 1.

Everyone is still waiting. Leaders across college sports have been metaphorically holding their breath since April 7.

The House v. NCAA settlement, which received preliminary approval from Judge Claudia Wilken in October, would provide $2.8 billion in back damages to athletes who could not profit off their name, image and likeness between 2016 and Sept. 15, 2024. It would also bring revenue sharing to college sports starting July 1 with a projected cap for 2025-26 of $20.5 million per school.

Athletics departments around the nation have operated for months under the assumption that Wilken will approve the agreement. After requesting an amendment to the roster caps portion of the agreement (which the Power Four conferences delivered in the form of an optional grandfathering-in model), the settlement has been in Wilken’s hands since May 16.

As athletics departments around the nation brace for her decision — an approval or denial, the latter of which would destabilize college sports and likely send the lawsuit back to trial — how might UK move forward? 

Barnhart declined to discuss what Kentucky would do should Wilken deny the settlement. That kind of “speculation,” Barnhart said, “throws everybody into a bit of chaos, which I don’t think is necessary at this point. Let’s work our plan and see what happens. And if those goals get upended by a different decision, then we’ll adjust as we go.”

If the settlement is denied, UK could theoretically pay its athletes directly anyway. The commonwealth passed Senate Bill 3 in March, amending its previous NIL legislation so state universities could legally operate within the House settlement’s proposed revenue-sharing model. Louisville AD Josh Heird told The Courier Journal that U of L would likely move forward with direct payments to athletes regardless of Wilken’s decision.

If the settlement is approved, UK plans to distribute $20.5 million among its varsity sports during the 2025-26 athletics year. Rather than establishing firm percentages for each program, Barnhart said Kentucky will take a less rigid approach to meet each sport’s needs year in and year out.

“The beauty of the cap space is that it is relatively fluid,” Barnhart said. “There may be years where different programs need more than the other, so I think that the management of that will be really, really important through our compliance folks.

“… We want to be flexible and be able to adjust, and we’ll do that. That’s where we’re gonna be instead of writing hardline things down in on paper.”

Front Office Sports reported that power conference schools are expected to dedicate 75% of the $20.5 million toward their football programs. Texas Tech’s reported breakdown gives 74% to football, 17% to 18% to men’s basketball, 2% to women’s basketball, 1.8% to baseball and the rest to other sports. That’s $15.17 million for football, $3.69 million for men’s basketball and $410,000 for women’s basketball.

In April, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved the creation of Champions Blue LLC in an effort to keep up with college sports’ changing landscape. The LLC will effectively function as a holding company containing UK Athletics so it can more quickly, efficiently and creatively adapt to changes in the industry — House settlement response included.

The Board of Trustees has a meeting scheduled for mid-June. Then, Barnhart said, there will be more clarity surrounding who will serve on the board of Champions Blue before it goes into effect July 1. Between mid-June and July 1, UK and its consultants and legal team will have to figure out how to integrate Champions Blue into the university’s, SEC’s, NCAA’s and possibly the proposed College Sports Commission’s structure.

“We want to be consistent with what everyone else is doing, and we’ll find a way to make sure we get that done,” Barnhart said. “Through the revenue share, and through the scholarships, and through NIL, we’ll find the right pipeline to make sure that we get it to fit accordingly the way it needs to legally, as well as what’s in the best interest of the University of Kentucky and our student athletes.”

Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Five St. Cloud State Softball student-athletes have been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Softball Team, as announced by the organization on Tuesday. Sophomore outfielder Bree Beck (Lakeville, Minn.), senior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.), senior infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.), sophomore infielder Brooke Holmes* (Savage, Minn.) and senior catcher/outfielder Reese Holzhueter* (Shakopee, Minn.) were recognized for their success in the classroom and on the field. Fitzgerald and Holzhueter are now two-time honorees after earning back-to-back selections, while Beck, Eickhoff and Holmes are first-time award winners.
 
The 2025 Academic All-District® Softball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk (*) and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on Tuesday June 17, 2025.

For more information about CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.

 

Beck carries a 3.68 cumulative grade point average as a social work major. The sophomore started all 56 games for the Huskies and set new career bests in nearly every offense statistical category.

 

Eickhoff graduated with a Nursing degree and a 3.56 GPA. The senior led the team in shutouts (four – tie), K/BB ratio (3.86) and BB/7 inn. (1.26). She also ranked second in wins (17), second in ERA (2.43), second in WHIP (1.19), second in starts (25), third in appearances (27), second in complete games (nine), second in innings pitched (129.2) and second in strikeouts (89).

 

Fitzgerald carried a 3.66 GPA, graduating with a degree in Elementary/K-6 Education. She led the NSIC in walks (43) and walks/game (0.76) and the Huskies in on-base percentage (.480). She also ranked second in doubles (14), second in OPS (1.005), second in sacrifice flies (three – tie), fourth in batting average (.348), fourth in slugging percentage (.525), fourth in hits (55), fourth in home runs (four), fourth in total bases (83), fifth in runs (33) and fifth in RBIs (30 – tie). Fitzgerald earned her second team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) honors and broke program records for walks in a season (43) and walks in a career (107), becoming the first player in program history to earn 100+ career walks.

 

Holmes has a 3.94 GPA as a Business Economics & Finance double major. She led SCSU in batting average (.414), slugging percentage (.688), OPS (1.159), runs (52), home runs (12), RBI (51), total bases (128) and times hit by a pitch (4). She also ranked second on-base percentage (.471), second in hits (77) and third in doubles (13). Last week, she became the sixth Husky (first since Jenny Gensch in 2008) and first second baseman to be named an NFCA All-American. Prior to that Holmes earned the first all-region accolades of her career after being named to the All-Central Region Second Team by the NFCA and her first all-conference recognition after earning a Second Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) selection. Additionally, Holmes was twice named NSIC Player of the Week by the league office (Feb. 24 | April 28). They were her first two weekly conference honors of her career, and she was the only Husky to earn weekly honors throughout the season. After an incredible non-conference season, she was named to the 2025 NFCA Division II Player of the Year watchlist.

 

Holzueter graduated with 3.93 cumulative GPA as an Accounting & Criminal Justice Studies double major. She led the NSIC in hits (82) and the Huskies in doubles (15), triples (five) and stolen bases (18). She also ranks second in batting average (.412), second in slugging percentage (.553), second in runs (43), second in total bases (110), third in on-base percentage (.448), third in OPS (1.001) and fifth in RBI (30 – tie). Holzhueter was a repeat First Team All-NSIC pick this season, becoming just the second ever Husky to earn back-to-back first team honors and is one of just five players in program history to be named to the first team. She broke program records for singles in a season (61) and career batting average (.391 – tie).

 

During the final weekend of regular season play, the Huskies reached the 40-win mark for the eighth time in program history and the first time since 2019.

 

CSC Release | Complete List of Honorees

 

CSC Academic All-District® Selections

Bree Beck

Emma Eickhoff

Maggie Fitzgerald

Brooke Holmes

Reese Holzhueter

 

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 12-seed Red Raiders (50-12) will make another trip to Oklahoma City this weekend but this time on the biggest stage in the sport. Texas Tech is heading to its first Women’s College World Series in program history this weekend, continuing its list of historic accomplishments this season. Tech will face Ole Miss (42-19) at 6 p.m. on Thursday in Session 2 of the WCWS.
 
 It will be a battle of first-time programs as this is the Rebels first appearance in OKC as well. Ole Miss advanced out of the Tucson Regional, taking down No. 13 Arizona before defeating No. 4 Arkansas in the Super Regional on Sunday. Tech is 1-2 all time against Ole Miss but haven’t played them since the 2001 season.
 
Previously in Tech softball:
 
Texas Tech’s historic season began another chapter as the Red Raiders advanced to their first ever WCWS. So far, Tech has done several ‘firsts’ including winning the Big 12 Regular Season, Big 12 Tournament, hosting a Regional, advancing to a Super Regional and ultimately winning a Super Regional.
 
NiJaree Canady is still at the top of her game. She boasts a 0.89 ERA and is 30-5 on the season. Her ERA is first in the nation and her wins are second most in program history for a season. Canady was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a POTY Top 3 Finalist. The junior has also swung the bat more this season, leading the team with 11 home runs.
 
Senior outfielder Demi Elder has been a huge lift for the Red Raider offense since returning to the starting lineup. Since Elder’s return the team is 27-3 and she has reached base safely in 26 of those 30 games.
 
Mihyia Davis continues to prove why she is one of the best outfielders in the country. The junior speedster has also been hitting for power lately, totaling a career-high five home runs to go along with 10 doubles and 6 triples while swiping 26 bases. Davis is not only a good bat, but a highlight reel in the outfield as she was Big 12 All-First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Davis has also tied the program record for runs in a season (63) and is second in program history for hits in a season (85).
 
The left side of Gerry Glasco‘s infield is played by freshmen. Hailey Toney has started every game at shortstop this season – the only freshman from a power four school to do so – while Bailey Lindemuth has played 60 of her 62 games at third base (the other two coming in the circle). Both were named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
 
The WCWS bracket can be found here.
 

The football coaches you see wearing headsets on Saturdays were once wearing helmets on college football fields. Of the 136 FBS coaches, 123 played some form of college football. Mark Stoops will readily tell you that he was not among the best of the best, but he is keeping company with some familiar names who played at a high level.

“I was not very impressive as a player—that’s for sure,” Stoops joked before the Cats played his alma mater in the 2021 Citrus Bowl. “I loved my time there—did the best I could.”

Long before he was the Kentucky head coach, Stoops was a three-year letter winner at Iowa. The third of three Stoops brothers to play for Hayden Fry, he was the only one who did not earn All-Big Ten honors. You can blame injury luck. The undersized defensive back had a pair of interceptions, but a knee injury ended his career before he could reach the same heights as his brothers.

Even so, he was a key contributor for teams that reached the postseason. Stoops missed a Rose Bowl appearance by just one year.

When ESPN ranked all of the FBS coaches as college players, one of Stoops’ teammates made the cut, Bret Bielema. A little younger than Mark, Bielema was a walk-on who earned a scholarship for Hayden Fry. The defensive lineman was a part of the 1990 Big Ten Title team. Once their playing days were done, the two coaches would make recruiting trips together to save money, even though they coached at different schools. Instead of spending all of their per diem money on a nice hotel, they shared a room together at the gambling parlor.

“We went to a casino and we won a little bit; at that time, we thought we were really rolling in it,” Bielema said back in 2016.

Bielema and Stoops were among the eight Power Four key contributors who ranked just outside of the Top 30 on ESPN’s list. They’re in a class with a few other familiar names: Jon Sumrall (Kentucky), Shane Beamer (Virginia Tech), Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia), and Frank Reich (Maryland). That’s a motley crew.

This exercise is a friendly reminder that not all great players are great coaches, but there are quite a few impressive names from the past leading FBS programs. Good luck passing Deion Sanders or Eddie George anytime soon.

[ESPN: Ranking all college football head coaches as players]