NIL

How Texas football is navigating recruiting in new NIL era

Published

5 months ago

July 25, 2025

Cedric Golden, Austin American-Statesman
| Hearst – Austin Transition

It’s been 20 years since Vince Young, Mack Brown and Co. captured a national championship and 16 since the Texas Longhorns have played in a title game, but the program has been knocking on the door these last two seasons under coach Steve Sarkisian.

The head Texas football coach covered several topics at the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Convention and Coaching School in San Antonio.

While NIL and revenue sharing have dominated the college football conversation this spring, it still begins and ends with recruiting. Sark has hit big on some prime out-of-state recruits like California wideout Xavier Worthy, Colorado tight end Gunnar Helm, Louisiana edge rusher Barryn Sorrell and new face of the franchise Arch Manning from Louisiana, but he understands the importance of mining the nation’s most fertile recruiting area within these borders.

The program is in the middle of a renaissance of sorts with 23 players having been drafted into the NFL over the last two years while producing a 25-5 record. Nineteen of those picks played high school ball in Texas.

MORE CEDDY: Texas LB Anthony Hill poised for breakout year

When the Horns beat Southern Cal at the Rose Bowl to win it all in January 2006, Brown stood at the podium with Young and defensive star Michael Huff — hailing from Houston and Irving, respectively — and gave a shoutout to Texas high school coaches, arguably the best piece of recruiting in program history. At that point, Texas stood atop the sport and every high school coach in the state wanted to send his best player to Austin.

Sarkisian is still landing some great Texans year in and year out, but his latest commitments — linebacker Tyler Atkinson and Chaminade-Madonna — are from Georgia and Florida, respectively. NIL opportunities and social media have made the country a lot smaller and these blue-chip athletes are much more comfortable leaving their home states to play for a winner.

So it’s on Sark and his staff to navigate these recruiting streets — in and out of state — with the understanding that while it’s important to bring in homegrown players, there are no guarantees.

“The fine line of we have to make sure that we’re recruiting a roster that can compete for national championships, but at the same token, make sure that we’re that we’re continually recruiting the best players in the state of Texas,” Sarkisian said in San Antonio. “We don’t get to sign them all, and there’s a lot of really good schools in our own state, and I’ve touched on this numerous times. I think as much as people view us and maybe some other schools in our state for recruiting out of the state, I think a lot of schools are recruiting in our state as well, and a lot of players are a lot more apt to leave the state.”

MORE CEDDY: What I learned from SEC Media Days

Sarkisian also gave props for what in-state coaches like Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Baylor’s Dave Aranda, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Houston’s Willie Fritz are doing to build their programs. He sees them on the recruiting trail, but those cities have historically been heavily visited from out-of-state recruiters looking to cherry pick potential program changers.

Texas has always been a national brand and now more than ever, and that brand is allowing Sarkisian expand his operation with the changing tide of how the recruiting game has changed.

He has hit what looks to be a home run with Manning and if this winning continues as expected. more imports are coming this way.

Which college football team has the most value?

Since I pay them $7.99 a month, I figured I had better get over to “The Athletic” to see what they were working on with the season coming up and I hit an interesting piece: a listing of the most valuable Power Four college football programs, and guess who checked in at No. 1?

Texas came in at a valuation of $2.38 billion, well ahead of second-place Georgia ($1.92 billion) followed by Ohio State ($1.9 billion), Notre Dame ($1.85) and Michigan ($1.83).

MORE: Texas star Michael Taaffe uses his platform to help others

The Longhorns are printing money through ticket sales, merchandising and donations. It also didn’t hurt to join the SEC with its lucrative television contracts. Texas and Oklahoma each received $27.5 million in transition payments and refundable application fees after joining the league in July 2024.

One interesting tidbit from the story: Texas’ valuation is in the neighborhood of the $2.3 billion that Dave Tepper paid for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in 2018.

‘Night Train’ Lane documentary on tap

It’s long overdue, but a documentary on legendary NFL star Dick “Night Train” Lane has been completed.

His sons Richard Walker, Sr. and Richard Lane, Jr. have teamed with acclaimed director Eric Herbert to produce “Train: The Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane Story,” the definitive piece on Austin’s first Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Thanks to the Original L.C. Anderson Alumni Association — which is kicking off its its 12th annual all-school reunion Wednesday by organizing the event— the filming will take place 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Austin Film Society (AFS) Cinema at 6259 Middle Fiskville Road. We will get an up-close view of the backstory behind the man who eventually redefined the cornerback position in the NFL.

Lane died in Austin at age 73 in 2002.

Lane followed Negro League baseball legend Willie Wells as a sports icon at the all-Black high school in East Austin before integration. He enjoyed an historic career as a ball-hawking cornerback for three different teams — his 14 interceptions in his rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams remain the standard for the position — that came against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. As a son of the South, he was confronted with systemic barriers of racism and prejudice that were a product of the times. Yet he persevered and excelled.

I’m excited to team with local archivist Jacqueline Smith-Francis on a panel discussion featuring Herbert and community leaders following the film to discuss the making of the piece along with Lane’s enduring impact on and off the field.

The OLCAAA has long strived to preserve and restore African-American history in our city and its objective is to “create an awareness of this rich heritage by maintaining a collection of memorabilia of the contributions of students and faculty, and providing funds and/or volunteers for scholarships, tutoring, safe social activities, etc.”

Donations for the association can be submitted electronically, via Zelle, or by check to Original L.C. Anderson Alumni Association, Inc., P.O. Box 14162, Austin, TX 78761.

Iconic Messi was a no-show at MLS classic

Condolences to those who paid hefty ticket prices in hopes that soccer icon Lionel Messi would show in Austin for Wednesday’s MLS All-Star game.

The league released an updated roster sheet late Wednesday morning and Messi wasn’t on it. Worse yet, he was nowhere to be found at Q2 Stadium. The hope was he would at least make an appearance, sign some autographs and kiss a couple of toddlers, but it was not to be. It would have been a nice show of support for the league and its fans, but the most recognizable face in the league decided to sit this one out.

One year after missing the 2024 all-star game with an injury, a healthy Messi — who has reportedly played 90 minutes in 17 straight games for Inter Miami CF — joined teammate Jordi Alba in missing the annual gathering of the league’s top players.

At 38, Messi has logged plenty of minutes in a brutal schedule for the Herons, who have played eight matches in the last six weeks, including a torrid stretch in the last half of June where they played four in 16 days.

I can’t blame him for not playing, but it would have been cool to see him in our city promoting this league and the sport.

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The Clemson Insider

Published

33 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CLEMSON — While Clemson continues to prepare to play Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, there are things happening inside the program that will help shape what takes place next year.

The next month is going to be the most important month Dabo Swinney’s program will have in a very long time.

Why?

There is a lot going on, whether it be through the transfer portal, NIL or coaching. There are a lot of moving parts right now and it is all important to next year’s team.

Though Swinney will not talk about next year’s team until this season is over, we can.

As we have reported, there are and there will be more changes to the coaching staff. There will also be more changes to the personnel.

The transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, and, as you know, several Tigers have already given their intentions to enter the portal. Four underclassmen have declared for the NFL Draft, as well.

Clemson welcomes 19 freshmen to the team, most of them will enroll in January. However, the Tigers will have two weeks to bring in some more talent from the portal.

How Swinney and the coaching staff attack the portal will be paramount to the 2026 team’s success?

It has been well documented Clemson has not handled the NIL and portal as well as other schools. You only need to look at the four previous seasons to see what I am talking about.

Since 2021, the Tigers are 37-16 (.698) with one College Football Playoff appearance. Granted, the Tigers did win ACC Championships in 2022 and ’24, but it is obvious the program has slipped a notch in this new era of college football.

Can the Tigers reach the top of the mountain, again?

I am not sure.

Let’s be honest, the NIL has hurt Clemson. Part of that is Clemson’s fault, part of that is just the way things are. It’s hard for Clemson to compete in the third-party NIL world with schools that can. That is one reason why the Tigers cannot sign 5-star prospects anymore.

While Clemson continues to struggle with the NIL, other schools within the ACC, continue to have success. ACC Champion Duke is a perfect example of this.

Before the NIL, Duke was irrelevant in football and there was no way they could compete with the Clemson’s and Florida State’s. These days, the Blue Devils own a two-game win streak against the Tigers.

Why?

Because they are more successful with the NIL.

Virginia is another example. Tony Elliott went to the portal and pulled 30 new players on a team that made it to the ACC Championship Game. He used revenue sharing and NIL funds to get the best players he could.

As we mentioned before, the changes in college football are very reminiscent of how new rules in college baseball affected the Clemson baseball program some 15 years ago. Clemson baseball has never fully recovered.

Will Clemson Football?

To do that, Clemson must change its philosophy when it comes to paying players from the portal.

This is like free agency in the NFL. You must go and pay for the best.

You must do what is best for the program, not worry if you hurt the feelings of a current player on the roster.

Look at it this way, Clemson is losing, potentially, three first-round picks—Peter Woods, Avieon Terrell and T.J. Parker—and one second-round pick in Antonio Williams. Those guys are all underclassmen. Who are the Tigers replacing them with?

Let me ask you this. How many first-round picks will next year’s roster have?

This is an important off-season. Swinney must make the right choices in the portal.

The Tigers cannot afford to go 4-4 in the ACC again, which is possible if you look at next year’s schedule.

Clemson will play Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia at home in 2026. As well as visit California, Duke, Florida State and Syracuse. Look at that schedule, do you think the Tigers, with the current roster, can win the ACC next season?

This is why the next month is going to be so big for the Clemson Football program.

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Oregon WR Dakorien Moore signs NIL deal with Red Bull

Published

1 hour ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 12, 2025, 10:38 a.m. PT

College football has always been an expansive and complex entity and it has shifted even further in that direction in recent years with the introduction of NIL deals and the expansion of the transfer portal. Oddly enough, it is those same alterations that play a part in the Oregon Ducks becoming such an attractive destination.

They landed five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore last recruiting cycle and he has been everything that the school and scouts hoped he would be. He is dealing with a knee injury currently, but he had recorded 443 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games before his stellar season was disrupted.

Moore has been so impressive that reports surfaced yesterday that he is signing an NIL deal with Red Bull, an energy drink manufacturer. No details have emerged about how much it is worth, but the true freshman wideout added yet another partnership to an already strong package of NIL contracts.

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Sen. Ted Cruz Talks College Sports, Prop Bets, And Sen. Kennedy One-Liners

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Senator Ted Cruz joined OutKick’s Dan Dakich for a wide-ranging interview that touched on everything from saving college sports to making sure betting on prop bets doesn’t lead to corruption of integrity to the one-liners of Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

As I said, wide-ranging, and you can check out the interview in its entirety on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich YouTube channel.

One of the biggest stories in sports these days has to do with the state of college sports and how it has been impacted by NIL. Sen. Cruz talked about how, while it’s good that athletes can make some money off of their name, image, and likeness, the bidding wars we see are going to threaten the existence of college sports.

There’s An Absolute Crisis In College Sports | Don’t @ Me w/ Dan Dakich

“So look, I think there’s an absolute crisis in college sports. I think the current situation [is] the Wild West,” the Republican senator from Texas said. “Every school is in a bidding war. It keeps going up and up and up. With the transfer portal, you’ve got people jumping from school to school to school, and I don’t think any of this is good for college schools.

“I think we’re on a path where, if Congress doesn’t act, we’re going to see a handful of schools, maybe 30 [or] 40, schools that are ‘super schools’ that survive… But a whole bunch of other schools on the current path — I think division two schools, division three schools, and even a bunch of division one schools — this bidding war is pricing them out of being competitive. That’s not good for sports.”

Cruz also talked about how sports that don’t typically earn income for their schools are going to be in a lot of danger because of the current system, and how that could take away incredible opportunities for those student-athletes.

“I’m really worried about all the kids that this is their only hope to get an education,” Sen. Cruz said. “To learn the discipline and teamwork and all the skills you get playing sports that then help you in life, help you get a job, help you build a business, help you provide for your family. And so I think there is an urgent need for Congress to step in.”

Another major issue impacting sports that Dakich and Sen. Cruz discussed has to do with sports gambling. Specifically, prop bets and how easy it can be for players to manipulate them, thereby threatening the integrity of the game.

Sen. Cruz: Prop Bets = Corruption Waiting to Happen | Don’t @ Me w/ Dan Dakich

“I can tell you, I’ve recently sent oversight letters to the NBA and Major League Baseball inquiring, getting the facts about how many, how many complaints I’m particularly concerned about prop bets,” Sen. Cruz said. “If you can bet on whether the first pitch in a game is going to be a ball or a strike, well, you know what? The pitcher can’t necessarily guarantee it’s a strike, but 100% of the time, he can guarantee it’s a ball, and that just invites corruption.”

Sen. Cruz mentioned that he has talked to leagues and gambling platforms about this issue and is exploring ways Congress might be able to help maintain the integrity of games.

“I don’t think anyone wants to see sports where you don’t trust the outcome, where you think it’s rigged, where you have an athlete throwing a game because he wants to make a buck,” the senator said. “That’s a bad outcome, and I do think we need to work to prevent it.”

And finally, Dakich and Cruz hit on a lighter topic, and those are the legendary one-liners of Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy.

“That judiciary committee hearing where John Kennedy leaned forward into the microphone and he says, ‘Christmas tree ornaments and Jeffrey Epstein: two things you know, didn’t hang themselves.'” Sen. Cruz recalled. “I always fell out of my chair. I’m like, Wait, how was that out loud?”

How great is that? It would’ve made a perfect Carnac joke back in the day.

Dakich then mentioned that one of his favorite Sen. Kennedy lines, “She’s not the dumbest person in the country, but she better hope the dumbest person doesn’t die.”

“John is essentially a stand–up comedian,” Sen. Cruz said, before bringing up an all-time Kennedy gem. “He said things like ‘AOC is why they put instructions on shampoo.’”

…

Be sure to check out the entire interview on the Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich YouTube channel.

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Rodriguez collects Bednarik Award for fifth national honor

Published

3 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez collected his fifth national award this season Friday evening as he was tabbed the winner of the Bednarik Award during the College Football Awards Show live on ESPN.

Rodriguez is the first Red Raider in program history to win the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation’s top defensive player. The Bednarik Award selected Rodriguez over Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.

With the addition of the Bednarik Award, Rodriguez is now the winner of the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker) and the Pony Express Award (nation’s top duo with David Bailey) this season alone. He is the third player in history to win the Butkus Award as well as the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award in the same season, joining Miami’s Dan Morgan (2000) and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o (2012). Rodriguez joins Te’o as the only players to also win the Lombardi Award.

Rodriguez, who was also tabbed a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation during the ESPN broadcast, has bolstered one of the nation’s top defenses, leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title in program history this season and their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders enter a potential matchup with either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madision at 12-1 overall, marking the most wins in program history.

Rodriguez has now led Texas Tech to four-consecutive bowl appearances during his career after going from a scholarship quarterback at Virginia, to walk-on linebacker with the Red Raiders and now a national award winner. He was joined during the ESPN College Football Awards Show by his parents, Joe and Ann Rodriguez, and his wife, Emma.

Rodriguez enters bowl season as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top-15 players nationally with 117 tackles. He is the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season. His impact has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play – thanks to his ability to punch the ball out and also read the quarterback in coverage.

Rodriguez is currently the highest-rated player in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 93.3 overall so far this season. He is the top-rated player in the country in terms of rush defense, receiving a 95.5 grade in that area for a Red Raider defense that is easily the nation’s best in stopping opponents on the ground. Texas Tech is giving up only 68.5 rushing yards a game thanks to Rodriguez, who also ranks fifth nationally in coverage with a 92.3 grade.

Established in 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award is one of the most-prestigious honors in college football, awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player. This accolade recognizes exceptional talent, tenacity and impact on the defensive side of the ball. The award is named in tribute to Chuck Bednarik, a revered figure in football history known for his remarkable career as a linebacker.

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Oddsmakers like Ohio State over Indiana to win College Football Playoff – The Daily Hoosier

Published

4 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Although Indiana just beat Ohio State on a neutral field to win the Big Ten Championship, the Hoosiers are a consensus underdog to the Buckeyes when it comes to winning the national title.

Surveying six different online gambling sites — Bet365, MGM, DraftKings, Caesers, FanDuel and Bet Rivers — Indiana has the second-best odds as of Friday morning at each outlet to win the 2025 national championship. Ohio State has the consensus best odds, and Georgia the third-best.

The consensus national champion odds at Action Network has Ohio State at +222, Indiana at +280, and Georgia at +550.

Indiana is the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff, AP Top-25, and Coaches Poll. The Hoosiers beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988 on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Ohio State would likely have to beat Georgia in the national semifinal to reach the national championship game. Indiana would likely have to beat either Oregon or Texas Tech, the teams with the fourth and fifth-best odds, respectively.

Against its potential quarterfinal round opponents at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Indiana is around a 6.5-point favorite over Alabama, and a 9.5-point favorite over Oklahoma.

Here is the official 2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket