NIL

How Maryland's fastest high school sprinter scored a ground

Published

6 months ago

June 20, 2025

Your Sports Nation

How Maryland's fastest high school sprinter scored a ground

Elise Cooper will go to the Olympics one day.

The fastest high school sprinter in Maryland is one of the most promising racers the state has produced in recent years, setting a national record for the indoor 300-meter dash in February. She’s headed to Texas this fall on scholarship, and her dream of qualifying for the 2028 Games looms in the distance.

But, in the modern era of sports, with the money that floods the landscape, other goals arrive much faster — faster than a teenager is usually prepared for.

On her 18th birthday, Cooper signed her first name, image and likeness deal with Puma, essentially becoming a pro sprinter for one of the world’s biggest sports apparel companies on her first day of legal adulthood. Even before she signed, the outfitter had sent boxes of gear to her home in Owings Mills — all the free shoes, shorts and sweats the McDonogh School student could have imagined streaming through her door.

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There was only one catch. Until the company announced the deal, she had to keep one of the most exciting things ever to happen in her career a secret from her closest friends.

For nearly three months this spring, the knowledge burned within her chest. At track practice, her teammates would notice her head-to-toe wardrobe from Puma, sniffing a deal was in the works.

Cooper’s strategy? Deny, deny, deny.

“I was low-key gaslighting them,” Cooper said. “I would just tell them, ‘I like wearing the stuff.’ It was longer than I thought. Way longer.”

In April, Puma finally made public what the Cooper family kept to themselves for what felt like an eon — Cooper was the company’s first high school sprinter signed to an NIL deal, a landmark move in a brand-new market. Only a few years ago, such young athletes would never have been allowed to profit off their athletic careers — and also compete collegiately — in the name of protecting the American curiosity formerly known as “amateurism.”

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It’s a new day for athletes and their families, who for the first time have the ability to cash in on NIL agreements that pay off years of hard work, even if they’re teenagers in high school. But it’s also a new, potentially treacherous marketplace with few regulations and even fewer experts who can give good advice.

For nearly two years, the Coopers considered various deals from some of the biggest companies in sports, holding out past offers of free gear, of flights to national meets and the prestige of being one of the first high schoolers to get signed.

Danielle Cooper — Elise’s mother, whom she lovingly calls her “mom-ager” — consulted dozens of parents, coaches, lawyers and industry pros in an effort not to get the most profitable deal for her daughter but the one that made the most long-term sense. Even the people she asked knew mostly one corner of the business. Almost no one is evaluating the bigger picture of a rapidly evolving landscape. What is a caring parent to do?

“Basically, no one knows,” Danielle Cooper said. “Even the people you think should know don’t really know. It’s really hard to go on.”

An uncharted economic frontier

It has been less than four years since NIL deals were permitted by the NCAA, a moment that stands as a starting pistol in a race toward economic chaos. Although the new system corrects flaws of the amateurism model by distributing more money into the pockets of the athletes who generate it, the clandestine nature and shadowy rules of the marketplace defy easy understanding for the families caught in the swirl. Especially for Olympic or so-called “non-revenue” sports.

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Bill Carter, the founder of Student Athlete Insights, hears NIL stories and questions all day long from families who haven’t thought much about the money before. A family of a highly rated lacrosse recruit recently went on a college visit during which an NIL collective offered their child $30,000 to enroll at that university.

The family had been largely considering other factors: academics, coaching staff, the program’s track record. Suddenly, they were ambushed by new questions.

Is $30,000 a good deal? Should we go to other schools and ask what their NIL offers are? Could we negotiate more money? Would that be too pushy?

“They left stunned,” Carter said. “They didn’t know whether it was the deal of a lifetime or an insult.”

While deciding whether to accept tens of thousands of dollars may be a good predicament to face, the families of these elite athletes are increasingly finding themselves in these positions. Markets have stabilized somewhat for Division I football and basketball players, and parents can more easily find what might constitute a fair NIL deal based on the school and the position their child plays.

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But in track the field of top-flight talent is so small — Carter estimates as little as 0.02% of even NCAA track and field athletes draw significant NIL interest — there isn’t any sort of conventional wisdom for how these deals should work.

Prep track meets are dominated by a few shoe companies, particularly Nike and New Balance, which annually run competing meets they each call “nationals.” Elise is running this weekend in the New Balance Nationals at Penn. She’ll be a top competitor in the 200 and 400 meters — largely because it’s easier to drive to Philadelphia than it is to fly to Eugene, Oregon, where Nike stages its event.

The first NIL deals the Cooper family heard about were stipends, around $1,000 or so, from these companies to cover the cost of travel and lodging for their big meets, drawing elite competition into the field. These are typically accompanied by flattering social media posts and, of course, complimentary gear.

For a teenager, a pair of free shoes is a sweet siren song. Elise figured she should start her strides into the NIL market by taking one of the short-term agreements. Danielle was not as convinced, especially after talking to a family friend who has worked as a sports agent.

“It was my mom who talked to other people and made the decision to hold out,” Elise said. “I kinda wanted stuff now, but I started to understand more after doing more research. NIL’s always evolving, so I’ll never fully understand it.”

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Confusing by design

The confusion around NIL deals, especially at the high school level, is not by accident. It’s by design.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association offers a seven-page NIL guidance that has one key rule: When an athlete makes a deal, they cannot be wearing their high school uniform or use content captured from high school competitions. The regulations mainly serve to keep the MPSSAA separate from the economic frenzy.

Carter said that is a common approach by high school associations across the country. They are most concerned with keeping themselves, and their intellectual property, apart from the NIL chase — what he describes as a legal “moat” around the schools. The list of “do-nots” can help the associations, but it rarely offers much help to families.

“The conversations people frequently have around NIL are almost entirely viewed through compliance or almost entirely viewed through seizing the opportunity — but those conversations rarely converge,” Carter said. “It’s so rare they come together, even though that would benefit the athlete the most.”

The way anyone learns anything about NIL is by exhaustively asking around. Not everyone is lucky enough to have Danielle Cooper as a mom or Owings Mills Track Club coach Michael Ray as a supporting resource.

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Ray and the Coopers made it their mission to get as much guidance as possible. They talked to Quincy Wilson, the Bullis School standout who won a relay gold medal at 16 last year in Paris (he signed with New Balance). They spoke with the Whittaker family, whose daughters Juliette and Isabella both went to the Olympics last year. They spoke to coaches and employees affiliated with brands, trying to figure out what the structure of a fruitful long-term deal would look like.

But even knowing the framework (not necessarily the dollar value, which can be hard to fish for, even among friends) of some of these deals helped only somewhat. In track, value can be extremely subjective, and even more so for a high schooler who, although she has run in the Olympic Trials, has not captured the international success that others with deals already have on their résumés.

“Because it hasn’t become commonplace, you’re really setting the journey that’s brand new,” Ray said. “There’s no standard deal. They might have an idea of what your value might be, you might have a totally different idea, but there’s no template. It’s hard being the first.”

Athletes and their families are not the only ones taking timid steps into the market. The brands themselves have spent the last few years trying to figure out the best way to get in on high schoolers, too.

José (pronounced “yo-say”) van der Veen, Puma’s global head of product line management, ran middle distances in her native Netherlands before going to the University of Texas El Paso in the late 1990s. She had a small regional deal with Puma that she had to give up because of NCAA rules — “I was a little bit bummed at the time,” she said — so she appreciates how quickly the circumstances have changed.

Puma fancies itself a youthful and energetic brand, capitalizing on the colorful personalities of gold medal-winning sprinters like Usain Bolt and Julien Alfred as its spokespeople. While Nike and other brands were quick to jump into exploring high school NIL deals, Puma was more circumspect. There were so many differing state regulations, so few certainties in investing in athletes so young.

“It’s uncharted,” van der Veen said. “For our in-house lawyers, it’s a space we want to be fair and be a little cautious. But the market, that’s where it’s moving to. You obviously have to go there because other brands are going there.”

Elise Cooper was a good candidate for Puma because she’s fast, first and foremost. But it’s also no accident that the brand wanted a candidate with the kind of support system Elise has in her corner.

Her parents were both athletes, and both her sisters are track stars, too (twin sister Elena is heading to Stanford, while older sister Ella competes for Harvard). She’s competed for Owings Mills Track Club under Ray for more than a decade, and Ivy League schools recruited her for her academic prowess before she committed to the Longhorns.

With high school athletes especially, companies want good long-term investments when they bring a teenager into the fold.

“The line to become professional athletes, it’s not linear,” van der Veen said. “Elise seems to have a very good support network around her. If she gets injured, if something happens, she’s smart enough to figure out it won’t define her. … At the highest level, the talent of these athletes eventually becomes pretty similar. It comes down to how mentally tough you can be.”

How a deal came together

The day Elise Cooper set a national record was unusual not because there was some electric feeling in the air leading up to her run — it was the opposite.

Cooper was at The Circuit in Philadelphia on Feb. 28, the day before the meet started in earnest. In the video, there is almost no one in the stands. She was racing against her friend Sydney Sutton from the Bullis School.

Cooper came into the race hoping for a personal record, but she did not imagine smashing Shawnti Jackson’s record by more than three-tenths of a second — a massive gap in the blink-length margins of sprinting.

“I guess I felt fast,” she said. “But I looked at the clock and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”

Although Cooper prides herself on her ability to perform under pressure, one of her best runs ever came in one of the most low-stakes races of her career. But the days of racing in front of empty stands are numbered, and even more is on the line now that she’s under her first pro contract.

Track deals, maybe even more than those in other sports, are laden with incentives. Athletes get bonuses for reaching PRs, for clocking under certain times, for winning big meets. Although the Coopers did not share all details of Elise’s contract with The Banner, her deal with Puma — as well as future extensions she hopes to sign — have some of these incentives.

The unusual thing about track deals, however, is also the potentially hazardous piece: Sometimes, athletes who get hurt or don’t meet specific goals end up giving money back to their sponsors. Ray has seen it happen with other athletes he’s coached.

There are so many inherent tensions with signing track stars in their teens, it can be hard to decipher what kind of business arrangement makes sense.

“You at least have to look at it with an eye toward the future and what the individual athlete might accomplish,” Ray said. “A good deal in 2025 might not be a good deal in 2026 if you go to college and set the world on fire.”

Trying to be mindful of all of these factors, the Coopers sought a deal with a company that could mature over time. Puma wasn’t the only brand they considered. They liked On Running, a relative upstart from Switzerland founded in 2010, but the company didn’t have as long a track record with sprinters as Puma did. Ultimately, the relationships with the company and the Puma spikes themselves helped seal the Coopers’ decision to sign.

“A lot of people were saying, ‘This is the shoe she’s going to run in if she goes to the Olympics in 2028,’” Danielle said. “So that got in my head, and I was like, ‘Well I really do like On as a brand.’ But then … you’re gonna have to wear that shoe.”

The red carpet treatment from Puma felt particularly special for the Coopers, who traveled to the company’s American headquarters in Boston together. Elise tried out new gear, saw shoes in development that won’t be released for years, and had her feet closely measured for potential custom work down the line.

Puma is a Formula 1 racing sponsor, and Elise (who is a huge fan of F1) could be attending the Grand Prix in Texas in October as a special guest of the brand. A flight to the company’s world headquarters in Germany is sometime in the future.

But with all the perks comes pressure. Danielle has emphasized to Elise that she has to start thinking of track in more serious terms. No late nights cavorting in her friends’ hotel rooms before a big race. Although Elise will wear Nike gear when she competes for Texas under the school apparel deal, she’s contractually obligated to wear Puma at all other events (Ray bought Puma gear for himself as a show of solidarity).

For the previous 10 years, track was Elise’s passion. She still loves it, but now it’s her job.

“I think, when she saw the contract,” Danielle said, “it was when she realized, ‘OK, this is the real deal.’”

Everything on the line

Since she was 7, the sound of the starting gun has always given Elise a jolt.

It’s a little burst of fear that has never fully gone away — a tic that annoyed Elise when her mom pointed it out to me. “OK, first of all, that wasn’t even relevant,” she said, rolling her eyes in Danielle’s direction.

Danielle dotes on her daughters, and while Elise sometimes teases that the parenting style can feel over the top — Danielle has a running gag that she will buy an RV next year to drive to her daughters’ various meets — she ultimately embraces her mom’s dedication to her career. On her notes app on her phone, there’s a long to-do list of things she wants Danielle to accomplish.

“Not even halfway finished,” Elise playfully jabbed. “Wow, look at that.”

As much as she can push back on her mom’s devotion, she deeply appreciates the fact she probably would have never landed the deal with Puma without that level of diligence. Having a parent who can do this much legwork is a luxury not every athlete has.

Carter said the one piece of advice he would give every family trying to navigate the NIL market is to have patience. If a deal is on the table, there’s a good chance it will stay there for weeks or months. He estimated 90% of the regrets he hears from people are that they pounced too quickly.

“I would tell anyone to slow down and think about the ramifications of it before you sign it,” he said. “Spend a little bit of time thinking about who might help you: an attorney, someone to review the contract, a financial adviser. Get their input, and move through the process slowly.”

The market could help athletes and families by stabilizing and adding regulation. As the NCAA moves into revenue sharing, there’s a sense that NIL will become less important to the overall economics of sports — and companies would welcome some corralling from the Wild West the space is now.

It reminds van der Veen of the chaos in the late 2010s when “super spikes” hit racing and led to records all over getting slashed. Over the next few years, regulating bodies stepped in, other companies caught up and the field evened out again. She hopes the forces overseeing NIL in the NCAA and high schools have a similar flattening effect soon.

“I know the coaches are getting together right now, saying, ‘Hey, we really need to protect these Olympic sports,’” she said. “I really think, in the next couple of months, you’ll see pushback against the rules, more regulation of it. It will get more established and clearer.”

But it’s also likely that elite track athletes like Elise Cooper will always be a kind of outlier, that there may never be one template for the best deal or partnership that makes the most sense or carries the least risk. There may be less than a dozen high schoolers in any given year with the talent to attract contracts from big companies, and their families will always have steep learning curves in the short window that such deals are available.

What helps the Coopers is how independent Elise is when it comes to the races. She warms up and prepares on her own, mentally envisioning the race — tamping down her quickening pulse as she awaits that sharp bang of the starting gun that has never quite lost its intimidating bite.

“The difference between her and other athletes for me is she’s always able to get race ready on her own,” Danielle said. “She’s never needed me for the race. She’s always been independent in her preparation.”

There’s more on the line now than ever for Cooper, an axiom for her career from here until (at least) she shoots for Olympic gold in 2028. But the list of goals she has are all about her PRs — not about her salary, college or world titles or even earning all the free shoes in the world.

That’s why those around Elise see the Puma contract not as the conclusion to a saga but merely another step. That’s what everyone is hoping for.

“You see when the kids get serious about it and what that means for the sacrifices they make for themselves,” Ray said. “Usually the motivator is something beyond money. They really want to be the best of the best.

“Elise,” he added, “is one of those people.”

NIL

Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert revives the Demon Deacons in debut season

Published

15 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert looks on during the second half of a game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 27, 2025, in Winston-Salem (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

For over a decade, Dave Clawson built Wake Forest into one of the steadiest football programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference, crafting a developmental model that produced seven consecutive bowl appearances.

Clawson’s approach to making the Demon Deacons a fixture in North Carolina’s college football landscape was deliberate: recruit under-the-radar prospects, develop them patiently for two or three seasons, then rely on experienced upperclassmen to carry the program.

As the transfer portal and NIL opportunities reshaped college football, that model became harder to sustain. After back-to-back 4-8 seasons, Clawson resigned, citing a rapidly changing landscape and acknowledging he could no longer give the job everything it required.

Wake Forest suddenly faced a reset as a coaching change, roster turnover and evolving expectations left the program searching for direction. When Jake Dickert, former coach at Washington State, arrived in Winston-Salem ahead of the 2025 season, optimism was cautious at best.

What followed was one of the ACC’s most striking turnarounds.

In his first season, Dickert — the North State Journal’s 2025 Coach of the Year — restored stability and belief, guiding Wake to an 8-4 record and a return to bowl eligibility.

Capping off Dickert’s debut season, the Demon Deacons (8-4) will face SEC representative Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

In their 2025 campaign, the Deacs tied for the most victories among all FBS programs in the Carolinas, underscoring the program’s rapid rebound. Wake Forest defeated two teams ranked at the time, including a road victory at Virginia (the Cavaliers’ only home loss of the season) and a home win that snapped SMU’s 20-game regular-season conference winning streak.

After back-to-back losses in September, Wake responded by winning six of seven games before closing the regular season with a loss at Duke; the Deacs finished 4-4 in ACC play.

On the field, Dickert leaned on a blend of experience and toughness. Graduate transfer quarterback Robby Ashford brought leadership to an offense that had struggled for consistency in recent seasons, while senior running back Demond Claiborne anchored the ground game and emerged as a physical focal point in key moments.

Defense again proved to be the program’s backbone. The Demon Deacons ranked sixth in the ACC and 38th nationally in scoring defense, finished top five in the league in total and passing defense, and did not allow a touchdown against either Virginia or North Carolina.

Dickert’s impact extended well beyond Saturdays.

Before the season, he overhauled Wake Forest’s recruiting and scouting infrastructure, assembling a 10-person staff dedicated to identifying talent and building depth in a new era of college football. The early returns have been promising.

During the recent National Signing Day, Wake Forest announced a 30-player 2026 recruiting class — the highest-ranked in program history — currently inside the national top 50. The class includes one four-star and 29 three-star recruits, signaling a shift toward broader talent acquisition and immediate competitiveness.

Dickert’s efforts were rewarded following the regular season. On Dec. 2, Wake Forest Vice President and Athletics Director John Currie announced that Dickert had signed a long-term contract extension.

“Jake Dickert has proven himself to be one of college football’s rising head coaches and one of the truly special leaders in the ACC,” Currie said. “He has galvanized our locker room, our campus, and our community. Coach Dickert is exactly the type of leader who inspires players, and he and his family fit seamlessly into the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem community.”

Dickert echoed that sentiment, pointing to long-term investment as central to Wake Forest’s direction.

“Our family could not be more grateful to call Wake Forest and Winston-Salem home,” he said. “Over the last 11-plus months, our staff and student-athletes have embraced a new process of being ‘Built in the Dark.’ When John approached me a few weeks ago about the university’s desire to further invest in our program, I was both humbled and energized.”

“This commitment ensures that our staff has the stability, resources and support necessary to continue elevating Wake Forest football,” Dickert added. “I’m proud of this team, our staff and our seniors who built the foundation for this new era, and excited for what’s ahead. There has never been a better time to be a Demon Deacon.”

While roster turnover remains a reality, Wake Forest’s trajectory is still heading upward. With a retooled staff, a revamped recruiting approach and renewed confidence throughout the program, Dickert has revived the Demon Deacons and positioned them for sustained relevance for years to come.

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NIL

Major college football program linked to 1,800 yard RB in transfer portal

Published

1 hour ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Texas enjoyed a historic 2025 season, finishing 12–2 overall (7–1 in the American Conference) and cracking the AP Top 25.

The Mean Green posted the nation’s top offense (45.1 points per game), reached the AAC Championship Game, and capped the year with a thrilling 49–47 New Mexico Bowl win over San Diego State, the most wins in program history.

A key driver behind that success was true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins, who posted 1,434 rushing yards on 230 carries (6.2 yards per carry) with 25 rushing touchdowns, plus 32 catches for 370 receiving yards and four receiving TDs, 1,804 scrimmage yards and 29 total touchdowns.

He earned All-America and All-Conference freshman honors, national freshman awards recognition, and MVP honors in North Texas’ bowl victory.

However, shortly after, he announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal, positioning himself as one of the highest-profile running backs available when the portal opens Friday.

On Monday, On3’s Pete Nakos specifically listed Hawkins among portal names being tracked and identified Texas as one of the programs showing early interest or appearing as a logical landing spot in that early intel.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Kobe Black (6) and teammates. — Texas Longhorns defensive back Kobe Black (6) and teammates react after making an interception against the Texas A&M Aggies | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Hawkins was a lightly-recruited three-star prospect out of North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee, Oklahoma) who signed with North Texas over offers from Emporia State and Central Oklahoma.

Texas finished the 2025 season ranked No. 13 in the final AP poll but failed to reach the College Football Playoff despite entering the year as the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25.

Sophomore quarterback Arch Manning has publicly confirmed he will return to Texas for 2026, but the Longhorns face significant attrition at running back, with Quintrevion Wisner, Jerrick Gibson, and CJ Baxter all set to enter the transfer portal.

Texas has a clear need at running back, Hawkins’ proximity to Austin, and the program’s proven history of developing NFL-level backs, such as Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Brooks, Roschon Johnson, and Jaydon Blue, all point to Texas as a logical landing spot for Hawkins.

NIL

Saint Peter’s visits Fairfield after Sparks’ 26-point game

Published

2 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Saint Peter’s Peacocks (5-5, 2-0 MAAC) at Fairfield Stags (8-5, 0-2 MAAC)

Fairfield, Connecticut; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stags -3.5; over/under is 138.5

BOTTOM LINE: Fairfield hosts Saint Peter’s after Braden Sparks scored 26 points in Fairfield’s 121-58 win over the City Tech Beavers.

The Stags have gone 5-1 in home games. Fairfield ranks second in the MAAC with 24.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Brandon Benjamin averaging 5.7.

The Peacocks are 2-0 in MAAC play. Saint Peter’s is fourth in the MAAC with 10.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Jahki Gupton averaging 1.8.

Fairfield averages 8.6 made 3-pointers per game, 1.7 more made shots than the 6.9 per game Saint Peter’s gives up. Saint Peter’s averages 8.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.6 more made shots on average than the 7.1 per game Fairfield gives up.

The Stags and Peacocks meet Monday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Benjamin is averaging 12.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Stags. Sparks is averaging 17.7 points over the last 10 games.

Brent Bland averages 3.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Peacocks, scoring 16.0 points while shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc. TJ Robinson is averaging 12.3 points and 3.2 assists.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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NIL

Josh Pate: ‘The Dabo Swinney Model Doesn’t Work Anymore’

Published

3 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

As usual, Pate is spot on here.

PublishedDecember 29, 2025 8:06 PM EST•UpdatedDecember 29, 2025 8:06 PM EST

The landscape of college football is changing by the day, and the new mantra for any coach looking to stay in the game is “adapt or die.”

One coach that has been dragged kicking and screaming into the NIL and transfer portal era of college sports is none other than Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney.

And this weekend’s Pinstripe Bowl (aka The Disappointment Bowl) may have been the metaphorical death blow to Dabo’s reign as one of college football’s elites.

I’ve been on the “Dabo is done” train for a hot minute now, and one media personality who is with me (as he usually is) is Josh Pate.

Pate put it as bluntly as he could on the latest episode of his podcast, Josh Pate’s College Football Show.

“This was going to be the year that if the Dabo model still worked, it would be proven,” Pate explained, “and they went 7–6.”

This was about as disappointing a season for a College Football Playoff contender outside of State College, PA, but according to Pate, things could get a lot worse for Clemson before they get better.

“On paper, next year should be worse for Clemson.”

Brutal.

The “Dabo Model” Pate is referring to is the complete and utter dismissal of the transfer portal and reluctance to lean into NIL.

As I’ve said, an over reliance on the transfer portal can be just as damning as not using it at all (see Florida State), but there needs to be a healthy influx of talent from the portal if you want your program to survive in this day and age.

The truth is, even with Clemson’s relative success in the recruiting ranks, that well was starting to dry up, and there was no other source of talent being infused into the team.

Unfortunately for Tigers fans, Dabo isn’t willing to make the changes or adaptations to grow and evolve into a winning coach in 2025, a fact Pate knows all too well.

“Any sizable improvement at this point would require significant change, and I don’t expect Dabo Swinney to change.

“If you don’t adapt, you will die as a playoff contender,” Pate said, echoing my earlier sentiment.

Will Clemson force Dabo’s hand or let him ride off into the sunset as he dies on the hills of his old principles?

Time will tell, but Clemson fans have to be sick seeing the same man who built their program to such dizzying heights less than a decade ago be the very source of their downfall.

A cruel irony for a fanbase which deserves better.

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NIL

Rodriguez Names Boulware as Running Backs Coach

Published

4 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez announced that Jay Boulware has been hired as the running backs coach on the Mountaineer staff.

“Jay Boulware brings years of successful experience as a highly respected coach and recruiter,” Rodriguez said. “His knowledge of the Big 12 Conference and ability to recruit high-level players and develop running backs make him a great addition to our program. I look forward to having him join our staff here at WVU.”

Boulware, a 29-year coaching veteran, comes to West Virginia after serving as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Kentucky for the past three years. He has coached running backs, tight ends and special teams at numerous Power 4 programs, has coached in 17 bowl games, including several BCS and CFP games and won a national championship. Programs that he worked for won seven conference championships, had numerous indviiduals named all-conference, All-American, national individual finalists and NFL Draft choices.

His resume includes working at Texas (2020-21, 1996-97), Oklahoma (2013-20), Auburn (2009-12), Iowa State (2007-09), Utah (2005-07), Stanford (2004-05) and Arizona (2000-04).

He also spent time assisting with the running backs with the Pittsburgh Steelers and did fellowships with the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. His first full-time coaching position was at Northern Illinois (1997-2000).

In 2023, Kentucky boasted a back who finished with 1,129 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, in 2024 – two running backs had almost 600 yards each and in 2025, his top running back finished with more than 700 yards and 12 touchdowns.

This past season, the Wildcats finished No. 13 nationally in kickoff return defense. In 2024, UK was No. 6 nationally in punt return defense, No. 15 in net punting and No. 25 in kickoff return defense. In 2023, the Wildcats ranked No. 2 nationally in kickoff return yards, averaging 30.13 yards per return and scored a nation-leading three touchdowns.

At Texas, he helped the No. 19 Longhorns finish 7-3 overall and capture the Alamo Bowl title in 2020.

He spent seven years at Oklahoma as the special teams coordinator, five seasons as the running backs coach and two years with the tight ends. The Sooners’ special teams produced 10 touchdowns, a safety and three returned

two-point PATs.

Boulware guided six of his running backs at OU to 1,000-yard seasons and five of his running backs earned first or second-team All-Big 12 honors with three players drafted in the NFL.

Before Oklahoma, he spent four seasons (2009-12) at Auburn as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator in 2008. Two seasons later, the Tigers posted a 14-0 record capped by a 22-19 win over Oregon in the BCS Championship Game.

Boulware spent two seasons (2007-08) at Iowa State coaching running backs and special teams under Gene Chizik. The Cyclones ranked No. 12 nationally in kickoff returns in 2008, set an NCAA FBS individual record with 319 kickoff return yards against Oklahoma State. ISU was also second in the Big 12 Conference in punting that year.

Prior to Iowa State, Boulware worked for two seasons as tight ends coach/co-special teams coordinator at Utah under coach Kyle Whittingham. While there, his special teams units were among the Mountain West Conference leaders, including a kickoff return unit that led the MWC in 2006.

Boulware spent three seasons at Arizona under coach John Mackovic as tight ends coach (2001), running backs coach (2002) and running backs coach/special teams coordinator (2003). During his tenure with the Wildcats, he mentored running back Mike Bell who finished his collegiate career with 3,163 rushing yards, the third-highest total in school history, and was named second-team All-Pac 10 as a sophomore.

An all-state selection at Nimitz High School in Irving, Texas, Boulware played on the offensive and defensive lines. He went on to play at Texas as an offensive lineman in 1991. After redshirting his first year and seeing action as a reserve in 1992, he was contending for a starting position before the 1993 season but was forced to end his career after being diagnosed with a health condition.

He began his coaching career at Texas, first as a student coach (1994-95) and then as a graduate assistant (1996). He helped UT win at least a share of three conference championships and made three bowl appearances in all three of his seasons working with the staff.

In 2024, he was inducted into the Irving ISD Athletic Hall of Fame.

Boulware graduated from Texas in 1996 with a degree in economics. He has one daughter, Jordin.

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Buckeyes, Red Raiders, Hoosiers, Bulldogs are expected to advance :: WRALSportsFan.com

Published

5 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By ERIC OLSON, AP College Football Writer

Something to watch in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals will be how sharp the teams that got first-round byes are early in their games.

No. 2 seed Ohio State will have had 24 days between games and No. 1 Indiana, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech each will have had 25-day layoffs.

Last year was the first with a 12-team field, and the quarterfinals were nothing short of a disaster for the top four seeds, with extended time off the common denominator: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State all lost and were outscored by a total of 81-13 in the first halves. They had 14 punts, three turnovers on downs, three fumbles, two missed field goals, two field goals and two touchdowns on their first combined 26 drives.

No team struggled more than Oregon, which was unbeaten before its 41-21 loss to eventual national champion Ohio State at the Rose Bowl. The Ducks were down 34-0 in the second quarter, punting on five of their first six possessions (including four 3-and-outs) and turning the ball over on downs on the other.

The picks, with seedings and lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:

This game sets up as a showdown between two top-10 defenses at the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State scored just 10 points in its loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game and Miami managed just 10 in its CFP first-round win over Texas A&M.

With points at a premium, the Buckeyes will need to do a better job in the red zone. They’ve come away with touchdowns on just two of their last seven trips inside the 20-yard line. Julian Sayin also must get the ball out quickly against a front seven that sacked the Aggies’ Marcel Reed seven times. The Buckeyes’ offensive line had allowed just six sacks through 12 games before allowing five against Indiana.

Miami, which will be going against a defense allowing 213 yards and 8.2 points per game to lead the nation, needs another big game from RB Mark Fletcher and continue to find creative ways to get do-it-all freshman star Malachi Toney involved.

Pick: Ohio State 17-10.

Oregon seemed to lose interest after getting out to a 34-6 lead in a 51-34 first-round win over James Madison, and Dan Lanning and his staff were beside themselves. The Ducks should have no problem staying focused in the Orange Bowl.

Texas Tech will be their biggest challenge since Indiana went into Eugene and left with a 10-point win in October. Oregon’s Dante Moore could be the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft, and he will have ample opportunity to showcase his skills against a defense that has two AP first-team All-Americans in David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez, a second-teamer in A.J. Holmes and a third-teamer in Lee Hunter.

The Red Raiders need to keep injury-prone QB Behren Morton upright and, like Ohio State, they need to get touchdowns instead of field goals when they get inside the red zone.

Pick: Texas Tech 27-24.

It’s the SEC vs. the Big Ten and the first Alabama-Indiana meeting ever. Old money vs. new money.

The Hoosiers’ rise under Curt Cignetti is the best storyline in college football in a long time, and the idyllic Rose Bowl setting would be just the place for it to continue with Fernando Mendoza playing his first game since winning the Heisman Trophy.

Alabama is more than capable of spoiling everything, but it can’t afford another start like it had against Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide trailed 17-0 and was out-yarded 118-12 in the first quarter before matching the largest comeback in CFP history and winning 34-24.

Indiana’s players took notice of the Tide’s perseverance and warned no lead would be safe. Cignetti will have his team playing with the pedal to the metal.

Pick: Indiana 28-17.

Mississippi beat Tulane 41-10 in the first round for Pete Golding’s initial victory as successor to Lane Kiffin, and now the competition ramps up at the Sugar Bowl.

The Bulldogs won the regular-season meeting 43-35 at home, part of their current nine-game winning streak and Mississippi’s only loss. Gunner Stockton’s two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter wiped out a 35-26 deficit; Trinidad Chambliss was just 1-of-10 passing for 1 yard over the final 15 minutes.

The Rebels will need a more even performance from Chambliss, who was terrific against Tulane, and they have to hope RB Kewan Lacy comes back after hurting a shoulder against the Green Wave.

Georgia played its best late in the season, and it will be interesting to see how much, if any, the layoff affects the Bulldogs.

Pick: Georgia 31-21.

First-round CFP games: Straight-up — 2-2; Against spread — 0-4.

Season straight up — 194-61; Against spread — 123-131-1.

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