In this episode of Next Up, Adam Breneman sits down with the man behind the curtain at Penn State Football—general manager Andy Frank. For years, Andy has played a critical but often unseen role in building one of the top programs in college football. He’s been Coach Franklin’s right-hand man going all the way back to their time at Vanderbilt, and now he’s overseeing everything from roster construction and recruiting strategy to navigating the chaos of NIL (name, image, and likeness), the transfer portal, and revenue sharing.

With revenue sharing on the horizon and college football entering a new era, this conversation is a rare look at how top programs are preparing for massive change — and how Penn State is positioning itself to win big. Andy is one of the most thoughtful minds in the sport, and this conversation is packed with insights you won’t get anywhere else.

The NIL era of college basketball comes with drawbacks, but it also means players who previously would have declared for the NBA Draft are returning to school — either with their original teams or new ones via the transfer portal. 

Only 106 players declared early for the 2025 NBA Draft — the fewest since 2015, when just 91 elected to forgo their remaining eligibility to turn pro. That trend has played out this offseason with players like Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, who bypassed the draft process entirely thanks to a lucrative NIL deal.

Several players in this year’s class still have a decision to make ahead of the May 28 stay-or-go draft deadline. One of them is Florida starting center Alex Condon, who played a key role in the Gators’ run to the national title. Condon is a borderline late first-round pick, and his return would likely solidify Florida as a preseason top-five team.

Here are five players who should bypass the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school.

Alex Condon, Florida

2024-25 season stats: GP: 37 | PPG: 10.6 | RPG: 7.5 | APG: 2.2

Another college year could do wonders for Condon’s long-term draft stock. The 6-foot-11 forward/center is projected to go at the end of the first round in several mock drafts, but he could easily slide into the second round if he stays. That’s why returning to school — where he would reinforce the deepest frontcourt in the country — is the wise decision.

Condon started all but two games during a magical 2024-25 season and recorded at least 10 rebounds in 10 regular-season games last year. Florida’s star big man didn’t match that production in the NCAA Tournament. He suffered an ankle injury against Maryland in the Sweet 16 but was able to return for the stretch run. If Condon stays and plays well, he could become a lottery pick in 2026.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 30 | PPG: 12.3 | RPG: 4.4 | APG: 2.7

The lengthy 6-foot-7 wing is coming off a breakout 2024-25 campaign, but he still needs more time in college to maximize his stock. Byrd started 30 games and averaged career-highs in points, steals, blocks, assists and rebounds.

Byrd is a volume 3-point shooter who connected on 30.1% of his 5.9 attempts per night. The SDSU star projects as a second-round pick, so it would be wise for him to return to build off a standout season where he showed flashes of being a two-way talent at the next level. Returning to school and being “the guy” at San Diego State should put him in the middle of the first round in 2026. NBA teams will buy into his length and the projectability of his shot if he chooses to stay in the NBA Draft.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 36 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 4.7 | APG: 1.7

It makes sense for Oweh to return to school for multiple reasons. It’s doubtful Oweh will sneak into the end of the first round. If he returns to school, Oweh can build off a standout 2024-25 season, which saw him finish as UK’s leading scorer in Year 1 of the Mark Pope era.

Oweh is a true two-way talent, so getting him back in the fold would be a huge win for Pope and his staff. He averaged a career-high 16.2 points and 1.6 steals during his first season with the Wildcats. Kentucky has rebuilt its roster this offseason mostly through the transfer portal, but members of last year’s team running it back include Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah. Oweh would be the best player on Kentucky’s roster and a potential SEC Player of the Year candidate if he runs it back. The pros of returning to school outweigh the risk of sliding in the second round.

Kentucky basketball recruiting: Braydon Hawthorne’s commitment marks latest offseason win for Mark Pope

Cameron Salerno

2024-25 season stats: GP: 38 | PPG: 11.6 | RPG: 2.2 | APG: 3.0

The door is open for Pettiford to return to Auburn if he doesn’t get a first-round guarantee. Pettiford did have a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month, but it still seems more likely than not that he won’t get that first-round promise he is looking for.

The other reason why Pettiford running it back would be the right decision is he’s a potential All-American if he returns to Auburn. Last year, he was a true microwave scorer off the bench. There were multiple instances when he took over down the stretch to help the Tigers pull away. If he returns for his sophomore season, he will be the focal point of Auburn’s offense. Getting the keys handed to him and improving his all-around game would do wonders for his draft stock in 2026.

2024-25 season stats: GP: 40 | PPG: 11.4 | RPG: 3.1 | APG: 4.3

Uzan took a significant step forward during his first year at Houston. He was the Cougars’ best 3-point shooter, connecting on 42.8% of his shots from beyond the arc, but outside of Uzan’s performance against Purdue in the Sweet 16 — which saw him score a game-winning bucket to help the Cougars advance — he didn’t have his best showing in the NCAA Tournament. 

Uzan running it back would be a perfect marriage for both parties because, at this moment, he’s a second-round pick if he stays in the draft. 

Houston projects as a preseason top-three team heading into the 2025-26 campaign. Getting Uzan back would help the Cougars make the case for preseason No.1. He can also shake off a lackluster showing at the NCAA Tournament, which saw him shoot just 5 of 19 against Duke and Florida during the final weekend of the college basketball season.

The Super Regionals are underway during the 2025 NCAA Tournament following an action-packed Regional weekend. Now, each team are two wins away from qualifying for the 2025 Women’s College World Series.

Matchups in the 2025 NCAA Softball Super Regionals kicked off with two top-16 matchups on Thursday. That includes the Tallahassee Super Regional between Florida State and Texas Tech, as well as the Austin Super Regional between Texas and Clemson. After that, the six other series will begin on Friday.

The second stage of the tournament will feature eight best of three series between the Regional champions crowned last weekend. These matchups will begin play on May 22 and conclude on May 26, if a game three is necessary. The winners of these two cities will meet for the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City at the WCWS later this month. Here’s how those series shape up:

Eugene Super Regional: Liberty vs. No. 16 Oregon

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Norman Super Regional: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Alabama

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Gainesville Super Regional: No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 11:00 a.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 11:00 a.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Fayetteville Super Regional: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 3:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD

Austin Super Regional: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson

Game 1: Thursday, May 22 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Friday, May 23 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24 | TBD

Knoxville Super Regional: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 5:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

Columbia Super Regional: No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA

Game 1: Friday, May 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Saturday, May 24 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 25 | TBD

All times ET.

2025 Women’s College World Series

May 29 through June 5 or 6 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

College Football and NIL now go hand in hand from here on out, and until further notice, it’s fair to expect highly random yet interesting deals to be made with some of the more high profile players within the Power 5 conferences, especially the SEC.