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How college basketball regained its place as top NBA development option

Myron MedcalfJun 18, 2025, 07:30 AM ET Close Myron Medcalf covers college basketball for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2011. There is an alternate reality — one before the dawn of the name, image and likeness era in college basketball — in which projected NBA draft lottery pick Egor Demin stayed in Spain the year […]

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There is an alternate reality — one before the dawn of the name, image and likeness era in college basketball — in which projected NBA draft lottery pick Egor Demin stayed in Spain the year before he declared for the draft to continue playing for the EuroLeague’s Real Madrid. In this reality, though, he relocated to the United States — to Provo, Utah, more than 5,000 miles away from his hometown of Moscow, Russia.

Friends and family needed convincing that the move to play for former NBA coach Kevin Young at BYU was the right decision to help Demin achieve his dreams of playing professionally in the United States. That task became even more difficult when he told them he had never seen the campus, and Demin told ESPN: “That was pretty wild for people to hear that I’ve committed to BYU without visiting it. My first time when I was there, it was pretty much when I moved over there.”

But Young, a former assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns, had made Demin a compelling promise: If the 6-foot-9 guard came to play for the Cougars, he would grow in a system created to mimic the NBA — one that would prepare him for the next level better than any other environment. (The $1 million-plus NIL package was compelling, too.)

By the end of a season that ended with BYU’s first Sweet 16 run in more than a decade, Young had delivered on that promise.

“It’s everything,” Young told ESPN about how BYU emulates the professional ranks. “It’s style of play. It’s how we work out. It’s who works them out. It’s what they eat, who tells them what to eat. It’s all those things that are giving him a head start, not just, ‘Hey, our head coach was in the NBA.’ It’s an all-encompassing type of program.”

The way BYU and other programs have modeled their operations after NBA teams, coupled with the lucrative NIL opportunities in college, has helped pave the way for a significant shift in the NBA development pipeline.

Between 2015 and 2022, an average of 12 of the top 14 lottery picks were college players, per ESPN Research. Yet the last two drafts featured a total of only 17 college players in the lottery. In 2023, when Victor Wembanyama went No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs, five of the top seven picks came from international leagues, Overtime Elite or the now-defunct G League Ignite. Last year, four of the top six picks came through one of those developmental paths.

But this year, ESPN projects 12 college basketball players will be picked in the lottery, which would tie the second most since 2015, per ESPN Research. After a period in which college basketball had become almost an afterthought in NBA development, it seems to have reemerged at the top.

As the No. 13 pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft, Demin is a prime example of why. The slick guard’s intangibles — including a 6-foot-10¼ wingspan — probably would have positioned him to earn a spot in the first round of the draft regardless of the path he’d chosen. But during BYU’s Sweet 16 run, NBA executives and scouts had a chance to watch Demin lead an elite program on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“[College basketball is] a better adjustment to American basketball since the final goal is to be an NBA player for me,” Demin said. “So [I knew] this transition would probably help me a lot. Obviously, we’ll never know how it would be if I’d stayed in Europe or let’s say, went back to Russia or whatever it is. But at the moment, I think it was a better, a more clear path.

“I would better adjust to American basketball, the physicality, how quick the game is, how fast people are and all that.”

College basketball is once again king and, as such, has become the most desirable option for players with NBA aspirations.

“I would say being a young kid, you still want to have fun in college a little bit,” said Dylan Mingo, an uncommitted five-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class with his eye on the 2027 NBA draft. “But really, [the appeal of college basketball is] just having the ability to be in the gym 24/7, going to class and just staying locked in.”


As college basketball regains its perch in the draft’s pecking order, it also offers a fascinating pool of talent mixed with one-and-done prospects, veterans and international players — a rare combination in this era. Duke’s Cooper Flagg (one-and-done), Colorado State’s Nique Clifford (fifth-year senior) and BYU’s Demin (international freshman) will all secure spots in the first round of the draft.

And in a midwestern town of 89,000, one college basketball program continues to pump out NBA prospects from each of those buckets.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has sent every type of prospect from Champaign to the NBA draft in recent years. Freshmen Kasparas Jakucionis from Lithuania and Will Riley are projected to go in the first round just a year after transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. was selected at No. 27 after an All-American season for the Fighting Illini. In 2021, former Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu was picked in the second round before signing a $21 million deal with the Chicago Bulls two years later.

That foursome all shared a similar trait.

“They’re professionals,” Underwood told ESPN. “They know how to work. They’re very much mature. They didn’t get wrapped up in anything else. I think the other thing that was extremely obvious was that they played to win. They’re extremely, extremely competitive. I mean, all of those guys have a different level of competitive juice. Not for one second did those guys play for anything other than the ability to win.”

For Underwood, NIL opportunities have helped his program identify and produce NBA talent. Although NIL is more complicated for international prospects, programs have found the loopholes to pay those athletes more than they would have made in Europe. It was a significant factor in the NBA’s decision to end its G League Ignite program after the 2023-24 season as more prospects chose to go to college. Overtime Elite has moved its focus to high school players for the same reasons.

“Now these kids can go to college and get paid — and most of these kids would prefer to go to college and play in March Madness and do these things, if all things are equal,” one NBA agent said.

But there is another component that matters. “You can build culture in college,” Underwood said. Experience in a program’s culture helps NBA teams feel more comfortable about selecting players from the college ranks and is one of the reasons for the level’s increasing edge over other developmental options.

“[Demin] was able to adapt to a different style of play while still being surrounded by people who respected his background and embraced his journey,” Nikola Filipovich, Demin’s agent, told ESPN. “I think that experience has hardened him and prepared him to thrive in any environment, and that’s exactly what he’ll face in the NBA.

“BYU didn’t just teach him how to play in the U.S., but I think it also taught him how to live within the U.S.”

College basketball’s return to the top of the developmental hierarchy has also coincided with a change in the NBA: Pro teams often want more polished talent as the financial stakes rise and the pressure to win intensifies.

Joe Mazulla and Steve Kerr are the only NBA coaches who have won an NBA title since 2016 and are still with the same team. In the current climate, college teams with a proven track record can offer a stable path for prospects and a reliable source for NBA teams leery of picking the wrong player. That has opened the door for experienced, mature upperclassmen who were largely ignored throughout the one-and-done era.

Long before the start of that trend, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes coached multiple NBA draft picks, including Kevin Durant during his time at Texas. For the can’t-miss players, the process is simple, he said.

“Kevin Durant could have gone anywhere and been the No. 1 pick,” Barnes said. “He should’ve been the No. 1 pick.”

For others, the draft is more complicated. When NBA teams talk to Barnes about his players — like 2024 lottery pick Dalton Knecht — they express a confidence in the futures of college-produced prospects because they know the players have been challenged to consider the details that can make a significant difference in the NBA.

“We’re still trying to teach them how to carry themselves,” Barnes said. “We talk about during the timeout, when you’re not in the game, where do you stand? There are [NBA] people up there in that scout box watching you right now. Are you engaged in the timeout? Are you wandering around? Are you looking up? Making eyes at your girlfriend? What are you doing?”

One Western Conference scout added that the allure of college players is “they’ve been coached right,” he said. “It’s about discipline. It’s about being able to play with others first.”


If the top programs in the country were trying to reach him in April, Darrion Williams’ phone was off. After a close loss to Florida in the Elite Eight, he withdrew from the NBA draft and entered the transfer portal — then went to Europe with some of his Texas Tech teammates to get their minds off the season’s ending.

“Some people might’ve called and I didn’t answer and they stopped calling,” he said.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 standout who earned all-Big 12 first-team honors last season, surprised many when he picked NC State over Kansas and other contenders. But Will Wade’s approach emulated a professional team’s makeup, Williams said. And he believed the Wolfpack’s new coach could prepare him for the NBA better than any other program.

On a hot day in Raleigh earlier this month, Williams and his teammates lifted weights ahead of a group workout, because NBA teams operate that way, Wade said.

Andrew Slater, the program’s general manager and chief strategist who has previously worked as a consultant and evaluation scout for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is charged with molding things into a professional operation. During the evaluation process, NBA teams told Williams he could be picked from late in the first round to early in the second round in this year’s draft. They also told him he would have to become a better defender and more consistent shooter to play at the next level. Williams said he picked NC State in part because of Slater’s experience in the NBA, adding he was impressed when Slater shared data on the statistical marks Williams would have to hit this season to earn that spot in the first round.

“I felt like if I used one more year and really honed in on everything and got with a coach like [Wade] and [strength coach Greg Goldin] in the weight room and burn on the court, I think I can solidify myself as a first-rounder and that’s what I’m trying to do this year,” Williams said.

A decade ago, Williams and other college veterans were afterthoughts at the height of the one-and-done days. The pursuit of youth does remain; the 12 freshmen ESPN projects in the top 14 would set a record for the most selected in the lottery era, per ESPN Research. But the league’s new CBA agreement, which levies severe financial penalties on teams that overspend and offers an exemption to facilitate the signing of second-round talent, has created a bigger market for players who need more time to develop and more paths to the NBA.

“Teams are going to start saying, ‘Well maybe we don’t need three stars,'” one Eastern Conference scout said about the financial pressures of the current NBA. “Or they’ll have three superstars and a bunch of minimum-salary players. That’s why in college, now, they will take a senior. Five years ago, you would bring a senior to the table and they would say, ‘Well, he’s already 22.'”

It’s worth noting that the bulk of this year’s prospects won’t come from college basketball’s blue bloods. The collective of Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA might not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2004. The top prospects today are picking programs according to desired roles, systems and resources. They want a chance to win, stand out and work with a team that can prepare them for the next level. Many of the projected top picks in this year’s draft played for colleges that had coaches or other staffers with NBA experience.

At Illinois, Jakucionis and Riley worked with assistant Zach Hamer, who was with the Los Angeles Lakers before he joined Underwood’s program. Fellow projected first-round pick Asa Newell was elevated by Darryl Hardin, Georgia’s director of player development who has trained NBA stars such as Indiana Pacers all-star Pascal Siakam. And potential top-seven pick Jeremiah Fears benefited from weight-room sessions with Ty Terrell, Oklahoma’s director of strength and conditioning, a role similar to the ones he had with the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks.

Though college basketball could soon have a monopoly on American talent and an advantage over European teams with international players who have NBA hopes, the edge will belong to programs that operate like NBA teams. There is a belief that the next generation of prospects will not just hope for potential college suitors to have staff members with pro experience — it will be a requirement.

“I do think the player development can improve,” one NBA agent said. “I just think with the resources [college basketball programs] have and the money they have, I think the player development could improve a little bit. I think teams should be hiring guys with NBA experience.”

At BYU, Young had everything Demin wanted to compete for a spot in the first round of this year’s draft.

Immediately after being hired, Young shaped his team to mimic an NBA franchise. He brought on his brother as the general manager. He has multiple assistants who have coached in the NBA or G League. And he features an analytics staff.

Young didn’t have the brand name to compete against some of the blue bloods in his first year with the Cougars, but he did have the explosive offensive system that would give Demin the chance to be a leader and a star.

“I think it’s really hard to find a high-major program that’s going to put the ball in a 19-year-old international player’s hands and play them 30 minutes a night with the ball in his hands,” said Young, who will coach projected 2026 No. 1 pick A.J. Dybantsa next season. “And so I think he was very drawn to that and he seized the opportunity.”

After a recent NBA workout, Demin ended his day around midnight. Exhausted, he reflected on the journey to this moment, which included a midseason injury to go with the cultural and competitive adjustments to American basketball that culminated in leading his team to the Sweet 16 — a run that proved Young, BYU and college basketball were the right choices for him, Demin said.

“[Young] is obviously one of the biggest reasons why I chose BYU,” Demin said. “I was choosing BYU with the idea of who can prepare me for the NBA better than an NBA coach? And that makes a lot of sense to everybody. His ability to really find the right way to use players and to find me in the right actions, right positions, and right spots on the floor benefitted me extremely. And he taught me a lot of things that I hadn’t known before going there. And it’s not really about some exact skills or whatever, but just the overall understanding. He just brought me this NBA experience before I even got to the NBA.”



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Sophie Cunningham receives pro wrestling offer from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has become one of the faces of the WNBA this season. Beyond her play on the court, Cunningham has blown up on social media and partnered with companies such as Adidas, Arby’s and Ring. Now, it looks like she has another job waiting for her if she wants it. Los […]

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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has become one of the faces of the WNBA this season. Beyond her play on the court, Cunningham has blown up on social media and partnered with companies such as Adidas, Arby’s and Ring.

Now, it looks like she has another job waiting for her if she wants it. Los Angeles Lakers controlling owner and president Jeanie Buss, who also co-owns Women of Wrestling (WOW), would love to see Cunningham join the professional wrestling promotion.

“We would love to have [Cunningham] join us at [WOW],” Buss wrote on X. “She is talented, dedicated and a fierce competitor!!”

Cunningham, the seventh-year pro, has become an enforcer-like presence for the Fever this season. She notably came to the defense of teammate Caitlin Clark in the June 17 contest against the Connecticut Sun. During the third quarter, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye, resulting in a scuffle between the two teams. Cunningham later retaliated by committing a flagrant foul on Sheldon, and the two went at it before officials ejected both of them from the game.

“During that, it was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA,” Cunningham said of the incident. “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates. That’s what I do.”

Women of Wrestling interested in Sophie Cunningham

It caught the attention of WOW founder and co-owner David McLane, who sees a potential superstar in Cunningham. McLane, an Indianapolis native, spoke highly of Cunningham last Friday at the San Diego Comic Con.

“I’m from Indiana,” McLane said. “I’m from Indianapolis, and that’s the home of not only the second-best basketball team in the country this last year, but the biggest name in professional basketball today, Caitlin Clark. And Caitlin Clark has an enforcer. She’s the Marty McSorley to Wayne Gretzky, and she is a stunning athlete.

“I flew to Las Vegas and watched them in action against the Aces, and I would love to have Sophia Cunningham in WOW, because she takes down the competition, and she makes sure that Caitlin Clark is safe on the basketball floor. We’d love to have Sophie in WOW.”

Cunningham has appeared in 21 games this season. She is averaging 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.



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K-State Baseball Summer Update – July 30

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A summer update of current and former Wildcats.   MLB Will Brennan – OF – Cleveland Guardians Years at K-State: 2017-19 Brennan played 35 games for the Guardians Triple-AAA squad before he was recalled on May 12. In six games with Cleveland, Brennan is slashing .091/.231/.091 over 11 at bats. He was put […]

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – A summer update of current and former Wildcats.
 
MLB
Will Brennan – OF – Cleveland Guardians
Years at K-State: 2017-19
Brennan played 35 games for the Guardians Triple-AAA squad before he was recalled on May 12. In six games with Cleveland, Brennan is slashing .091/.231/.091 over 11 at bats. He was put on a 60-day injured list on May 22. The Colorado Springs product was drafted in the eighth round by the Guardians in the 2019 MLB Draft.
 
TRIPLE-A
Nick Martini – OF – Las Vegas Aviators (OAK, AAA)
Years at K-State: 2009-11
Martini played 43 games with the Colorado Rockies in 2025 before electing to free agency on June 2 and signed a minor league contract with the Athletics. With Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, Martini is slashing .265/.406/.401 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
 
Carson Seymour – RHP Sacramento River Cats (SF, AAA)
Years at K-State: 2020-21
This season, Seymour boasts a 3.86 ERA with a 4-8 record and opponents hitting .225 against him. He has struck out 90 against 39 walks, that included striking out a season-high nine over 5 2/3 innings against Tacoma on June 13. Seymour made his MLB debut on June 29, logging one scoreless inning against the Chicago White Sox and was sent back to Sacramento a few days later.
 
Jordan Wicks – LHP – Chicago Cubs
Years at K-State: 2019-21
In July, Wicks made two relief appearances for the Cubs, logging 6 1/3 innings before being option back to Triple-A Iowa Cubs. With Iowa, Wicks boasts a 4.10 ERA with a 1.4 overall record. The Conway, Arkansas native has struck out 50 this season in Triple-A, averaging 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

DOUBLE-A

Blake Adams RHP Hartford Yard Goats (CO, AA)

Years at K-State: 2022

In 17 appearances (16 starts), Adams is 4-7 with a 6.45 ERA (48 ER, 67 IP) and 65 strikeouts. Alongside a 1.31 WHIP, Adams registers a 3.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio, recording season-high five-strikeout games on June 1 vs. New Hampshire and July 5 vs. Binghamton.

 

Kaelen Culpepper – INF – Wichita Wind Surge (MIN, AA)

Years at K-State: 2022-24

Culpepper was quickly promoted to Double-A Wichita Surge, following a strong start to the 2025 season with High-A Cedar Rapids. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Culpepper is slashing .333/.414/.510 with an .924 OPS for Wichita. He was named to the American League Roster for the 2025 All-Star Futures Game —the only Twins prospect named to the squad.

 

Brendan Jones – OF – Somerset Patriots (NYY, AA)

Years at K-State: 2022-24

Jones was promoted to Double-A Somerset on June 3. In 42 games for Somerset, Jones is slashing .238/.331/.449 with 35 hits that include seven doubles, three triples and six home runs. Jones has driven in 30 RBI and stolen 10 bases.

 

Zach Kokoska – OF – Hartford Yard Goats (CO, AA)

Years at K-State: 2019-21

Kokoska, who was drafted in the 10th round by the Colorado Rockies in 2021, has produced a slash line of .187/.282/.393 in 2025 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. Kokoska has produced nine multi-hit games.

 

Connor McCullough – RHP – Birmingham Barons (CHW, AA)

Years at K-State: 2020-22

McCullough came back from rehab assignment on July 1. Across five starts, McCullough posts a 0-2 record and boasts a 4.22 ERA, striking out 11 in 10 2/3 innings. He is holding opponents to a .214 average.  

 

Tyson Neighbors – RHP – San Antonio Missions (SD, AA)

Years at K-State: 2022-24

After a hot start with High-A Fort Wayne where he owned a 1.18 ERA and averaged 15.49 strikeouts per nine innings, Neighbors was promoted to Double-A San Diego on June 11. In 13 appearances with the Missions, Neighbors boasts a 2-0 record with a 2.75 ERA. In seven relief appearances in the month of July, Neighbors has only surrendered one run (unearned) with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings, limiting opponents to a .108 batting average.

HIGH-A

Nick Goodwin IF Vancouver Canadians (TOR, A+)

Years at K-State: 2020-23

In his third season in the minors, the Overland Park product is slashing .230/.346/.396 with 53 hits, including 10 homers and 38 RBI. He has produced 11 multi-hit games and eight games with two or more RBI, including three games with a season-high four.

 

Wesley Moore – LHP – Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI, A+)

Years at K-State: 2020-22

Moore has split time between High-A and Double-A in 2025, compiling an overall record of 1-4 with a 6.08 ERA and 27 strikeouts. With High-A Jersey Shore, Moore is 0-3 with a 5.68 ERA and three holds.

 

Dylan Phillips – LHP – Tri-City Dust Devils (LAA, A+)

Years at K-State: 2019-22

Phillips has split time between High-A and Triple-A in 2025, making his Triple-A debut on May 11. Overall, in 2025, Phillips boasts a 3.49 ERA with a 2-3 record and opponents hitting .235 against him. Against opponents in High-A, Phillips has registered eight saves with two holds with a 1.23 ERA.

 

Christian Ruebeck – RHP – Great Lakes Loons (LAD, A+)

Years at K-State: 2022

In 26 relief appearances, Ruebeck posts a 1-2 record with a 7.71 ERA and two saves. The right-hander has struck out 38 across 25 2/3 innings.

 

Jackson Wentworth – RHP – Vancouver Canadians (TOR, A+)

Years at K-State: 2023-24

Wentworth has a record of 1-4 with a 5.04 ERA. He has struck out 86 batters over 89 1/3 innings in his 19 starts with a 1.40 WHIP. Wentworth logged six innings of one-run ball with a season-high nine strikeouts on June 24 against Tri-City. Wentworth was drafted 158th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2024 MLB Draft.

SINGLE-A

Brady Day INF – Clearwater Threshers (PHI, A)

Years at K-State: 2022-24

Before being placed on a 7-day injured list on July 23, Day was slashing .261/.346/.348 in his second season with Clearwater, registering 60 hits and driving in 25 RBI. Day has produced nine multi-hit games, including three-hit performances on May 8 and May 10, both against St. Lucie.

 

REHAB ASSIGNMENT

German Fajardo RHP Modesto Nuts (SEA, A)

Years at K-State: 2020-23

Fajardo appeared in five games in 2025 with a 0.00 ERA in 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven and holding opponents to a .083 average. He picked up a win on May 17, striking out three in 2 2/3 innings. Fajardo, who signed as a free agent with the Mariners organization in 2023, was placed on the 7-day injured list.

2025 MLB DRAFTEES

Jacob Frost – LHP

Years at K-State: 2024-25

Frost was taken with the 315th pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers to close out the round, becoming the ninth player in program history selected by the Dodgers.

 

Maximus Martin – INF

Years at K-State: 2025

Martin was selected in the 10th round by the Boston Red Sox with the 298th overall pick. Martin is just the second Wildcat ever drafted by the Red Sox, joining Robert Youngdahl (2011).

 

WILDCATS IN SUMMER BALL

 


















Player Position Year in ’26 Hometown League Team
Adam Arther LHP JR Altadena, Calif. Cape Harwich
Tazwell Butler RHP R-SR Sandy Springs, Ga. Cape Harwich
AJ Evasco INF/OF SO Lincoln, Neb. NECBL Newport
Austin Haley INF/RHP JR Howe, Texas Northwoods St. Cloud
Shintaro Inoue INF SR Yamaguchi, Japan Cape Harwich
Cadyn Karl OF R-JR Edmond, Okla. Appy Elizabethton
Dee Kennedy INF JR Fort Worth, Texas Cape Harwich
Donte Lewis RHP/OF SO Pearland, Texas Appy Elizabethton
Adan Longoria RHP JR Plant City, Fla. Cal Ripken Alexandria
Chandler Murray INF R-FR Honolulu, Hawaii Appy Tri-State
Rohan Putz OF R-SO Loch Lloyd, Mo. Valley Purcellville
Jack Quetschenbach OF FR   Futures Westfield
Miles Smith RHP R-SR Flintville, Tenn. Appy Bristol
Ty Smolinski INF SO Gretna, Neb. Appy Tri State



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CBS Sports ranks Michigan’s Sean Magee among top college football executives

This article has been updated. Wolverines fans doubted the strategy of the team in many ways more than halfway through last season, in terms of recruiting and building out the future of the program. Then, Bryce Underwood, Elijah Dotson, Nate Marshall, Jordan Young, and Ty Haywood committed. And, to boot, Justice Haynes left Alabama for […]

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This article has been updated.

Wolverines fans doubted the strategy of the team in many ways more than halfway through last season, in terms of recruiting and building out the future of the program. Then, Bryce Underwood, Elijah Dotson, Nate Marshall, Jordan Young, and Ty Haywood committed. And, to boot, Justice Haynes left Alabama for Ann Arbor — a stunning coup given his ability as a standout running back.

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Then, fans were ecstatic and understood exactly why immediate results earlier in the year weren’t feasible. Because general manager Sean Magee was plotting and planning.

Magee came aboard for his second stint with Michigan football after Sherrone Moore was hired as the head coach, and he masterfully made move after move. Even when fans got a little antsy when the 2026 recruiting class appeared to be languishing behind some of the field, after the month of June, it became clear that Magee still knew what he was doing.

CBS Sports put together a list of the 21 best college football executives, and Magee was one of a select few who made the cut.

Sean Magee, Michigan

Associate AD for football and general manager

Magee landed the coup of the 2025 recruiting class when he orchestrated the flip of No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood from LSU. He has one of the most unique backgrounds in the space as a former Navy offensive lineman, Surface Warfare Officer and former chief of staff for the Chicago Bears. (…)

NIL attorneys and agents who have worked with Magee praise his intellect and ability to navigate potentially difficult negotiations. His arrival in Ann Arbor signaled a shift in Michigan’s approach, showing a greater willingness to be aggressive in NIL efforts to land top talent such as quarterback Bryce Underwood and five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola.

Magee came aboard, working with the foundation set by collectives such as Valiant and Champions Circle which had established themselves in the years while he was in Chicago. There are always numbers bandied about for certain players (like Underwood), Michigan insists that they’re not always accurate.

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“First of all, there’s this random number that people throw out that they think Bryce got, which I don’t know where they got it from, but good for them,” Sherrone Moore said at Big Ten media days. “Bryce knows that. The conversation I have with Bryce is that, ‘Bryce, you come here, I’m not giving you anything. You have to go earn it.’ Verbatim out of his mouth, ‘I would want it no other way.'”

Surely, it was still a move made possible by NIL, and with Magee connecting with Larry and Jolin Ellison to make that recruitment possible after it was dead on arrival shows that much more of his prowess behind the scenes.

While there might not be any big, marquee transfers outside of Haynes, many appear to be flying under the radar, like wide receivers Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson. And, with a year under his belt, it will be interesting to see how he continues to modernize the football department from the inside.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: CBS Sports names Michigan’s Sean Magee a top CFB executive



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CBS Sports names Michigan’s Sean Magee a top CFB executive

This article has been updated. Wolverines fans doubted the strategy of the team in many ways more than halfway through last season, in terms of recruiting and building out the future of the program. Then, Bryce Underwood, Elijah Dotson, Nate Marshall, Jordan Young, and Ty Haywood committed. And, to boot, Justice Haynes left Alabama for […]

Published

on


This article has been updated.

Wolverines fans doubted the strategy of the team in many ways more than halfway through last season, in terms of recruiting and building out the future of the program. Then, Bryce Underwood, Elijah Dotson, Nate Marshall, Jordan Young, and Ty Haywood committed. And, to boot, Justice Haynes left Alabama for Ann Arbor — a stunning coup given his ability as a standout running back.

Then, fans were ecstatic and understood exactly why immediate results earlier in the year weren’t feasible. Because general manager Sean Magee was plotting and planning.

Magee came aboard for his second stint with Michigan football after Sherrone Moore was hired as the head coach, and he masterfully made move after move. Even when fans got a little antsy when the 2026 recruiting class appeared to be languishing behind some of the field, after the month of June, it became clear that Magee still knew what he was doing.

CBS Sports put together a list of the 21 best college football executives, and Magee was one of a select few who made the cut.

Sean Magee, Michigan 

Associate AD for football and general manager 

Magee landed the coup of the 2025 recruiting class when he orchestrated the flip of No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood from LSU. He has one of the most unique backgrounds in the space as a former Navy offensive lineman, Surface Warfare Officer and former chief of staff for the Chicago Bears. (…)

NIL attorneys and agents who have worked with Magee praise his intellect and ability to navigate potentially difficult negotiations. His arrival in Ann Arbor signaled a shift in Michigan’s approach, showing a greater willingness to be aggressive in NIL efforts to land top talent such as quarterback Bryce Underwood and five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola.

Magee came aboard, working with the foundation set by collectives such as Valiant and Champions Circle which had established themselves in the years while he was in Chicago. There are always numbers bandied about for certain players (like Underwood), Michigan insists that they’re not always accurate.

“First of all, there’s this random number that people throw out that they think Bryce got, which I don’t know where they got it from, but good for them,” Sherrone Moore said at Big Ten media days. “Bryce knows that. The conversation I have with Bryce is that, ‘Bryce, you come here, I’m not giving you anything. You have to go earn it.’ Verbatim out of his mouth, ‘I would want it no other way.'”

Surely, it was still a move made possible by NIL, and with Magee connecting with Larry and Jolin Ellison to make that recruitment possible after it was dead on arrival shows that much more of his prowess behind the scenes.

While there might not be any big, marquee transfers outside of Haynes, many appear to be flying under the radar, like wide receivers Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson. And, with a year under his belt, it will be interesting to see how he continues to modernize the football department from the inside.



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Jon Rothstein shares alarming outlook on Kansas, Baylor in changing of the guard in Big 12

There was a stretch in the Big 12 from around 2016 to 2023 where Kansas and Baylor could consistently find themselves among the top spots in the conference’s standings. That hasn’t necessarily been the case the past two years, though, and could continue into a third, as noted by Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports. Rothstein […]

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There was a stretch in the Big 12 from around 2016 to 2023 where Kansas and Baylor could consistently find themselves among the top spots in the conference’s standings. That hasn’t necessarily been the case the past two years, though, and could continue into a third, as noted by Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports.

Rothstein released a breakdown of the Big 12 on Monday on ‘Inside College Basketball Now’. That included one of his top-point in the conference being the recent downfalls of the Jayhawks and Bears amidst the new, expanded looks of the Big 12 in 2024 and 2025

“We have a changing of the guard in the Big 12 Conference because, for years, and other people took a seat at the table from time to time. But, for a long time, Kansas and Baylor were 1 and 1a in this conference with Bill Self, with Scott Drew,” said Rothstein. “I’m going to go through my Big 12 Preseason Power Rankings here in just a second, but I’ll tell you this. Kansas and Baylor are not picked in the top-five.”

Starting with Rock Chalk, Kansas has been, over the past two years, unlike the program they’ve been under Self, going 44-24 overall, including 21-17 in conference play, with a pair of first-weekend exits from the NCAA Tournament. Now, with a different-looking roster for this season, led by one of the top freshman in the country in Darryn Peterson, Rothstein has some questions as he had the Jayhawks at No. 6 in the Big 12 entering ’25-’26.

“Kansas is coming off the worst two years that it’s ever had under Bill Self, who’s a Hall of Fame coach who has won multiple national championships,” said Rothstein.

“I’ve got Kansas in the six spot. Now, people may, you know, throw their arms up in the air and say, ‘How can Kansas be in the spot?’. Well, let me tell you something. I know Darryn Peterson could be projected to be the top overall pick, right there with AJ Dybantsa, in the 2026 NBA Draft. Just because a player is projected to be highly selected in the next year’s NBA Draft does not mean that the team that he’s playing on is going to reach certain heights…Kansas is going to two All Big-12 caliber players. I feel confident saying that – Darryn Peterson and Flory Bidunga…Can those two players give Bill Self the ancillary support that he needs for Kansas to be vintage Kansas? Right now, I am somebody who always proceeds with precaution. I take a wait-and-see type of approach. Because you’re looking now at a Kansas team that doesn’t have a lot of returning personnel and has a brand new roster. I got to get to Lawrence in the preseason to take this, obviously, in first-hand.”

Then, Baylor is in a similar spot at 44-26 overall, also at 21-17 in league play, over the past two seasons as they too have not advanced out of the opening weekend of March Madness. Their roster turnover is then even more significant for this upcoming season, which is why Rothstein nearly had them outside his top-ten in the conference with the Bears at No. 9 for him in the Big 12 coming into ’25-’26.

“Baylor, okay, has not been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since it won a national championship in 2021. And Baylor is going to be also in a situation where it is replacing its entire team from a year ago,” said Rothstein. “That’s right. Baylor didn’t just lose Rob Wright. Baylor lost everybody of significance from last season. It is a complete rebuild in Waco.

“At the nine spot, we go to the Baylor Bears, a program that did not return a single player from last year’s team that went to the NCAA Tournament and went to the second round. Rob Wright? Gone. Langston Love? Gone. VJ Edgecombe? Off to the NBA. Norchad Omier? No longer there. So, Scott Drew went to the portal. I think Baylor, and I’ve talked with their staff about this, has a chance to be a good defensive team, maybe an above-average defensive team. But I think Baylor, when it’s all said and done, will have to scratch and claw to make the NCAA Tournament.

With the respective slides by Kansas and Baylor, new teams have emerged to take those top spots in the Big 12. Houston (67-8, 34-4 in Big 12) is the prime example of that, having won three conference titles since their arrival into the league while also playing for a national championship this past spring. Iowa State (54-18, 26-12), Texas Tech (51-20, 26-12), Arizona (51-22, 29-11), and BYU (49-21, 24-14) have also succeeded with the Cougars, Cyclones, Red Raiders, Wildcats, and Cougars all having made a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight in 2024 or 2025. Those five teams also make up the top-five in the power ranking of the conference by Rothstein.

“The league has changed with Houston, Texas Tech, and BYU. These additions, with realignment a couple years ago, have completely reshaped the makeup of the Big 12 Conference. All three of those programs – Houston, Texas Tech, and BYU – went to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament last year. Houston went to the national title game, Texas Tech was inches away from being in the Final Four,” said Rothstein. “Those additions have disrupted things in terms of the Big 12 hierarchy. And now you’re looking at a season where Kansas is going to try to get back to being Kansas and Baylor is just trying, let’s be honest right now, to find a place in the NCAA Tournament.”

With their past success and two of the best coaches in the conference, Kansas and Baylor aren’t just out of contention completely. Still, things have clearly changed for each of them in relation to where they stand right now in this new era of the Big 12.



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How NIL Money Shapes G League: Keeping College Stars in NBA Path

The rise of NIL opportunities is reshaping player paths in both college basketball and the G League. Students are now incentivized to enhance their skills longer in college, benefiting from financial support while pursuing NBA aspirations. This has resulted in increased G League engagement, with many players like Drew Timme finding success stories after staying […]

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The rise of NIL opportunities is reshaping player paths in both college basketball and the G League. Students are now incentivized to enhance their skills longer in college, benefiting from financial support while pursuing NBA aspirations. This has resulted in increased G League engagement, with many players like Drew Timme finding success stories after staying in the league longer. G League salaries average around $43,000, compelling players to weigh overseas opportunities against the benefits of NIL earnings.

By the Numbers

  • Averaging $43,000 per year, G League salaries drive players to consider foreign leagues.
  • 79 NBA call-ups occurred last year, with over half of NBA players now having G League experience.

State of Play

  • Rising G League call-ups indicate the developmental league’s growing importance.
  • Coaches and players are looking to leverage NIL funds to enhance G League opportunities.

What’s Next

As NIL dynamics evolve, more G League players may explore branding and marketing strategies to maximize their visibility and income. This transition could spur further collaborations with brands and sponsors, ideally allowing players to retain marketability post-graduation.

Bottom Line

Investing in NIL knowledge and brand building will be pivotal for G League players aiming to sustain financial security and career longevity. Empowering athletes with the right tools can enhance their prospects, both during and after their developmental league tenure.





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