NIL

House v. NCAA settlement: Attorneys file new brief, include grandfathering provisions for roster limits

Over the last year, coaches and athletic departments have told athletes their roster spot would no longer exist following the adoption of the House v. NCAA settlement. Judge Claudia Wilken has put a pin in those plans. While schools have cut rosters because of looming roster restrictions, the U.S. Northern District Court of California judge […]

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1 week ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Over the last year, coaches and athletic departments have told athletes their roster spot would no longer exist following the adoption of the House v. NCAA settlement. Judge Claudia Wilken has put a pin in those plans.

While schools have cut rosters because of looming roster restrictions, the U.S. Northern District Court of California judge has backtracked, telling the NCAA and plaintiffs’ attorneys that the settlement would not move forward if roster spots were not grandfathered in. Wilken gave both sides two weeks to make the necessary changes, setting a deadline for Wednesday.

NCAA and power conference attorneys, along with plaintiffs’ attorneys, have now agreed on a plan to phase in roster limits. The proposal was submitted to Wilken on Wednesday. Under the plan, athletes who had their positions cut will be eligible for reinstatement at schools’ discretion. It also permits athletes who leave or not retained by their current school would keep grandfather status at a new school.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler told On3 those athletes would be exempt from all roster limits for their entire careers. That includes current athletes cut for next year and high school seniors who were promised spots for next year, but had those positions withdrawn.

“While Defendants insisted that the changes to the Settlement Agreement recognize that individual schools and their athletics departments retain discretion to independently determine which athletes will be on their rosters, that has always been the case; and it remains unchanged whether or not there are roster limits,” the filing reads. “The revisions to the Settlement Agreement ensure that class members who have or would have lost roster spots or promised roster spots as a result of the new roster limits will be in the same position as they would have been in if roster limits were never implemented, i.e., roster limits do not apply to them.

“We thus believe that this relief is exactly the type of change that the Court was seeking and in fact, provides even greater protections for athletes than the Court identified.”

Wilken will now consider the plan, and if approved, the House v. NCAA settlement will move closer to final approval. Roster limits are expected to heavily impact football, swimming, track and cross country. Grandfathering, however, comes with plenty of questions attached.

Under the House v. NCAA settlement, proposed rosters include football (105), men’s and women’s basketball (15), baseball (34), men’s and women’s soccer (28), softball (25) and volleyball (18). Schools around the country started to prepare for such changes to go into effect, which is why the NCAA argued altering the language would create issues.

Nick Schultz contributed.

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Prominent College Football Head Coach Predicts Sky-High NIL Spending in 2025

NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another. As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports. Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse. There […]

Published

4 minutes ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another.

As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports.

Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse.

There are various opinions circulating about what needs to be done moving forward. A common theme among them seems to be that while student athletes deserve to get paid, there needs to be some level of structure in the system to preserve the long-term viability of college athletics as a whole.

The upcoming House vs. NCAA settlement ruling could offer some guidelines to the NIL landscape. However, until the settlement is approved, spending will only continue to skyrocket, particularly among the upper echelons of college football.

Recently-extended Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema has a pretty good idea of what the nation’s top teams are shelling out, and he recently touched on the topic in an interview.

According to 247Sports’ Carter Spahn, Bielema made a pretty astonishing prediction.

“You’re going to see teams this year in college football — just because I know the landscape that I’m dealing with — that are probably in the neighborhood of 30-35,” Bielema said. “Maybe even some of them close to $40 million rosters, which is insanity at its best, but it’s also awesome for our kids.”

Bielema has long supported NIL but acknowledges that not every team has the same resources. After all, the Fighting Illini are far from a football powerhouse, so while teams like Ohio State may be able to afford to spend $40 million, Bielema doesn’t have that luxury.

“Last year, we finished fifth in our 18-team conference,” Bielema said. “We had about a $5 million pool that we were working off of, but the four teams ahead of us, I think, were north of $20 million. You can pull that off once in a while, but to pull that off year in and year out is just not in the deck of cards that we’re dealt.”

College football, in many ways, has always been a story of the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

Elite programs have always had an easier time hoarding top talent, but NIL has seemingly grown this disparity far more than ever.

$40 million in NIL may seem absurd now, but without some change in the near future, that figure could end up looking like small potatoes five years down the line.

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Oklahoma Wary of ‘Fearless’ California Golden Bears

NORMAN — Oklahoma strolled past the Boston University Terriers on Friday to set up a date with the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday. Corri Hicks’ fifth inning home sealed OU’s 8-0 run-rule win over the Terriers, while Cal outlasted Omaha in a 1-0 victory to open the Norman Regional. California pitcher Annabel Teperson threw the […]

Published

28 minutes ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NORMAN — Oklahoma strolled past the Boston University Terriers on Friday to set up a date with the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday.

Corri Hicks’ fifth inning home sealed OU’s 8-0 run-rule win over the Terriers, while Cal outlasted Omaha in a 1-0 victory to open the Norman Regional.

California pitcher Annabel Teperson threw the complete game shutout for the Golden Bears, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out four Maverick batters.

“They’re seasoned. They’re tough,” OU coach Patty Gasso said of Cal after the Sooners won on Friday. “They play a hard style of softball for sure. Pitching duel today, which is something we expected. Both teams had very good pitchers, so I didn’t expect high-scoring game.”

Teperson is one of Cal’s four pitchers who have thrown at least 60 innings this year, which forced OU’s coaching staff to work overtime this week preparing the scouting report.

“I think that’s one thing that makes us a little bit different is our prep and looking at video and breaking it down,” Gasso said. “Sometimes I practice having a pitcher simulate who we might see or have the machine on and make sure that the pitches are showing themselves up in an at-bat. So it’s not easy but it’s necessary. Because if you walk in and you think, ‘Well, we’re not going to see her’ and then she shows up, then you just wasted three innings trying to figure out. I really credit JT (Gasso) and Jen Rocha for doing the same thing on the pitching side.”

Oklahoma’s offense has scored eight runs in consecutive contests, so the Sooners’ bats will carry plenty of momentum into Saturday.

Cal also has six starters in its lineup that hit .300 or better, something OU’s pitching staff will have to contend with.

Oklahoma ace Sam Landry pitched three innings on Friday and Kierston Deal threw two innings, leaving Isabella Smith, Audrey Lowry and Paytn Monticelli all unused and as fresh as possible heading into Saturday.

“I was really probably more in tune with KD,” Gasso said, “because she’s really important to this program and to this pitching staff. And she had that look on her face of boss and calm and confident, and that was huge for us.”

The Sooners dumped Cal out of the Norman Regional in 2023, but Gasso expects another big effort from the Golden Bears on Saturday.

“They’re fearless,” Gasso said. “And their coach — I’ve known Chelsea (Spencer) for a while. She’s just that baller-type. She was that way in college. She was one of the best shortstops out there, and just hard-nosed and her players are just like that. They play fearless.”

Oklahoma and Cal meet at 1 p.m. at Love’s Field on Saturday.

The winner moves into Sunday’s regional final, while the loser will have to work their way through the loser’s bracket on Saturday night and then have to win two games on Sunday to advance to next weekend’s Super Regionals.

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Atencio

The term “Name, Image and Likeness” has become a heated topic of debate over the past few years. That’s because it has gotten completely out of hand in college sports, and has caused mid-major programs to suffer as college athletes hold universities hostage and inevitably transfer if they aren’t given enough money. But like it […]

Published

1 hour ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

But like it or not, NIL is here to stay, and it has started to trickle down from the college ranks. Now, more than 40 states have implemented some form of NIL opportunities for high school athletes.

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Who is Tyler Buchner? Meet college football QB and Notre Dame lacrosse player

As Notre Dame lacrosse takes on Penn State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday, it’s a reminder of the unorthodox journey Tyler Buchner has had as a college athlete. And what an interesting, yet fun, career the San Diego native has had. After three games as Notre Dame football’s starting quarterback in his sophomore […]

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Who is Tyler Buchner? Meet college football QB and Notre Dame lacrosse player

As Notre Dame lacrosse takes on Penn State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday, it’s a reminder of the unorthodox journey Tyler Buchner has had as a college athlete.

And what an interesting, yet fun, career the San Diego native has had.

After three games as Notre Dame football’s starting quarterback in his sophomore year, Buchner then left for Alabama to play for one of the greatest college football coaches of all time in Nick Saban. This was only to return to South Bend one year later for the headliner of his interesting college resume: to become a national champion lacrosse player.

Now, in his second season as a Division I lacrosse player, Buchner has continued to serve in a reserve role, where he has recorded a career-high eight ground balls and six caused turnovers. He is also one of two multi-sport athletes on Notre Dame’s roster, with the other one being fellow football teammate Jordan Faison.

Notre Dame is set to take on No. 5 national seed Penn State at noon ET on Sunday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. A win Sunday would send the Irish to their third straight Final Four.

Here’s what to know about Buchner ahead of Sunday’s NCAA lacrosse tournament quarterfinal game:

Who is Tyler Buchner?

Tyler Buchner is a two-sport athlete at Notre Dame who plays football and lacrosse.

The San Diego native was a quarterback turned wide receiver for football and is part of the midfield unit for the Irish’s lacrosse team. He enters Sunday’s NCAA quarterfinal matchup vs. Penn State having seen playing time in each of Notre Dame’s 11 games this season as a reserve player.

In Notre Dame’s first-round game vs. No. 4 national seed Ohio State on May 11, Buchner impacted the game on the defensive end as he recorded two ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Ranked as one of the top lacrosse prospects coming out of high school by Inside Lacrosse, Buchner, in fact, was committed to play lacrosse in the Big Ten at Michigan before he made the shift over to the gridiron. He spent the first two years of his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to Alabama.

Buchner re-entered his name into the transfer portal after the 2023 season with the Crimson Tide, but did so as a lacrosse player. In his first season back at playing lacrosse, Buchner was part of Notre Dame’s second consecutive national championship, which they secured with a 15-5 win over Maryland.

“Pretty good feeling, this team’s incredible,” Buchner said after Notre Dame won the 2023 NCAA lacrosse tournament. “These players are unbelievable. It’s so fun to be a part of.”

Did Tyler Buchner play football?

Yes, Buchner played football at both Notre Dame and Alabama in his collegiate career.

Originally ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 11 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Buchner made the shift over to wide receiver this past season at Notre Dame. In Notre Dame’s 49-35 win over USC in November, Buchner completed a 23-yard pass on fourth down to extend a drive as a member of the Irish’s special teams unit.

Tyler Buchner transfer history

Buchner has a deep history with the NCAA transfer portal, as he bounced around back-and-forth between Notre Dame and Alabama.

He first entered the transfer portal following the 2022 season after Notre Dame landed Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman. Buchner looked to be the starting quarterback heading into 2023 for Notre Dame, as he was the Irish starter in 2022 before sustaining an injury that kept him out from Week 2 through ND’s bowl game. However, the addition of Hartman sent Buchner into the portal, where he eventually transferred to the SEC to play for then-Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

“Sometimes life brings opportunities that are beyond anything you can imagine, and that is what happened today,” Buchner wrote in a 2023 post, per CBS Sports. “I have committed to play football at the University of Alabama and head coach Nick Saban. I know that this is the best decision for my future, and I can’t wait to get to Tuscaloosa and begin the next step of my football journey.”

At Alabama, Buchner reunited with former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and had an opportunity to win the Crimson Tide’s starting job. However, Jalen Milroe would end up winning the job, making Buchner one of the Tide’s backup quarterbacks.

He earned the starting job for Alabama in its non-conference game against USF in 2023, as Milroe struggled in the first two games of the season. However, Buchner’s starting stint was short-lived as he was replaced by Ty Simpson after starting the game 5 of 14 passing for just 34 yards.

Buchner would return to Notre Dame by way of the portal that offseason, but to play lacrosse in South Bend. It wasn’t until May 2024 that Buchner announced his return to football at Notre Dame, doing so by announcing he’d be a walk-on wide receiver in a lengthy letter addressed to Irish fans.

“You see, I had been lured to Alabama by opportunities that glistened like gold in the Southern sun. When I transferred, it was with a heavy heart and a mind clouded by uncertainty. There were whispers in my ear, persuasive voices, and the glittering prospect of opportunity,” Buchner wrote in the letter. “As a 20-year-old, the ache of leaving behind the Fighting Irish was overshadowed by the pull of the transfer portal and the promise of playing one season for Coach Saban as the next logical step towards playing in the NFL. But I had forgotten why I chose Notre Dame in the first place, and it took a season away to realize what I had and why I loved Notre Dame.”

Tyler Buchner lacrosse stats

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Buchner’s career lacrosse stats at Notre Dame:

2024: 11 games played, three shots (one on goal), three ground balls and an assist
2025: 11 games played, eight ground balls, six caused turnovers and two shots

Tyler Buchner football stats

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Buchner’s career football stats at Notre Dame and Alabama:

2021 (Notre Dame): 21 of 35 (60%) passing for 298 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions; 46 carries for 336 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns
2022 (Notre Dame): 46 of 83 (55.4%) passing for 651 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions; 36 carries for 123 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns
2023 (Alabama): 8 of 19 (42.1%) passing for 61 yards; 3 carries for 20 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown
2024 (Notre Dame): 1 of 1 (100%) passing for 23 yards

NIL

Why involving the Federal Government is not how NIL should be fixed in college sports

Yes, we need resolution in some areas when it comes to NIL, and yes there needs to be a system in place that is universal for all colleges when it comes to this system. However, getting the federal government involved in fixing the NIL issue seems like a very bad idea. Congress can’t agree on […]

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Why involving the Federal Government is not how NIL should be fixed in college sports

Yes, we need resolution in some areas when it comes to NIL, and yes there needs to be a system in place that is universal for all colleges when it comes to this system.

However, getting the federal government involved in fixing the NIL issue seems like a very bad idea. Congress can’t agree on resolution on issues that have far more reaching effect on the American people. I can only imagine how long it would take for any changes to be greed on when it comes to NIL. Donald Trump may have been right about Nick Saban leading a commission to find real resolutions, but getting congress involved in this just isn’t a good look.

There are enough smart people between conference commissioners, athletic directors, school officials, and maybe even former players who can be put on a committee to figure out a system that works well for all involved.

Right now yes, the players have all the power when it comes to NIL and the transfer portal. There are plenty of people who are tired of players leaving schools in the portal for bigger pay days at other schools. We of course saw it play out right in front of us with the Nico Iamaleava situation.

At times there seems to be more of a pay for play rather than players being paid for what NIL is meant to be for. Players being paid has always been part of college sports, but the outrage of it comes more from it being known now and the advantage some universities with paying under the table isn’t there anymore.

When this committee is formed I do think it needs to be diverse with all sides being represented as a push for a committee involving the government seems to be more to benefit the schools more so than the players who have had the upper hand as of late.

There are thoughts that some of these atheletes are getting far more than what they should be, but I feel like people with money trying to limit possible income for these players isn’t a good look either. It’s a slippery slope on all sides, but the most important is what agreement is put ito place is something that will last for awhile and be uniform for everyone from the Power Four conferences on down.

The processes that need to be put in place when it comes to NIL may take awhile as the issues that need to be solved are complex.

The complexities could have been much less than where they are now if the NCAA hadn’t been so against players getting paid for autographs or memorabilia over the years. Just as the NCAA is an organization that seems more of a joke and doesn’t do anything to fix the issues within sports, the government getting involved does nothing but further muddy the water.

Getting too many outsiders who may not have the right understanding about how sports work etc, isn’t a good thing. Politics get involved even in sports these days, but keeping politics and sports separated especially in this area is crucial. The next couple of months should be very interesting with NIL and the transfer portal.

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Texas Tech Red Raiders – Official Athletics Website

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 12-seeded Red Raiders (46-12) won their opening game of the Lubbock NCAA Softball Regional on Friday evening, taking down Brown (33-16) 6-0 in Texas Tech’s 24th shutout victory of the season and 46th total win, a new program record. Freshman Samantha Lincoln got the start and threw 3.0 great innings, allowing […]

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 12-seeded Red Raiders (46-12) won their opening game of the Lubbock NCAA Softball Regional on Friday evening, taking down Brown (33-16) 6-0 in Texas Tech’s 24^th shutout victory of the season and 46^th total win, a new program record.

Freshman Samantha Lincoln got the start and threw 3.0 great innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two batters. Chloe Riassetto came in for the final 4.0 innings and picked up her eighth win of the season, allowing just one hit through the 12 batters she faced. Both pitchers combined to throw just 70 in the Tech’s fourth-straight shutout.

On offense, Alana Johnson produced four RBI thanks to a triple and three-run homer as she finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate. NiJaree Canady took over the team lead for homers crushing her ninth long ball of the season 295 feet over the center field fence.

Mihyia Davis didn’t have a hit but reached base twice via walk. Davis stole two bases as well and eclipsed 100 stolen bases for her career. Lauren Allred, Raegan Jennings and Alexa Langeliers each picked up a hit and Hailey Toney recorded an RBI on her fifth sacrifice fly of the season.

How it happened:
Lincoln shook off any nerves she might’ve had as she struck out the first batter she faced in her first career postseason start. Lincoln allowed one hit in the first inning, but it was erased after a 6-4-3 double play. The lefty proceeded to put down the Brown bats in order in the second and third innings.

Davis led off the game with a walk and stole second and third during the next two pitches. Toney waited patiently at the plate after taking pitches and delivered the first run of the game, driving a ball to left field allowing Davis to tag and score.

Allred and Langeliers reached in back-to-back at-bats via hit and walk. Allred was caught stealing trying to go to third, but Tech was still able to capitalize as Johnson tripled to right center field making it 2-0 in favor of the Red Raiders.

Tech made its next offensive push in the third inning. Johnson drove in Allred and Langeliers courtesy of the long ball, her eighth of the season. Canady followed that up just one at-bat later with a home run of her own.

Ticketing

Texas Tech Athletics will be opening up a limited amount of infield tickets online for tomorrow and Sunday.

UP NEXT: Tech will play the winner of No. 2 Mississippi State v. No. 3 Washington at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

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