The University of Georgia Athletic Association (UGAA)’s NIL lawsuit against former linebacker Damon Wilson II, who transferred to Missouri earlier this year, could become a standard type of litigation as more and more athletes sign NIL deals with one school and then transfer to another. 

The specific legal dispute is straightforward: UGAA claims that Wilson, 20, breached his NIL contract with Classic City Collective (CCC)—a Georgia-aligned former NIL collective—and failed to pay a liquidated damages provision that was triggered upon breach.

A four-star recruit from Venice High School (Fla.), Wilson played for the Bulldogs in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and, while on the Tigers in 2025, earned second-team All-SEC recognition as he amassed nine sacks—tied for third-best in the SEC.

According to litigation records at Athens-Clarke County (Ga.) Superior Court, Wilson signed a 13-month, $500,000 NIL deal with CCC on Dec. 21, 2024. The deal runs from Dec. 1, 2024, to Jan. 31, 2026 and was contingent on Wilson being enrolled as a student at Georgia and part of the football team. He was paid $30,000, his first monthly licensing fee payment, on Dec. 25, 2024. UGAA emphasizes that Wilson accepted this payment, meaning the contract went into effect. On Jan. 6, 2025, Wilson announced he was entering the transfer portal, a move that Georgia says constituted a breach of the NIL deal.  About a week later Wilson withdrew from Georgia and began the process of transferring to Missouri. It’s unknown how much money Wilson received to transfer to Missouri.

Georgia moved to close CCC over the summer, when U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval of the House settlement, and has partnered with Learfield on NIL matters. Relevant to the school’s dispute with Wilson, CCC assigned its Wilson contract to UGAA, meaning the athletic association has the legal right to enforce the contract. 

UGAA argues that under the NIL deal’s liquidated damages clause, Wilson, as the licensor, must pay all remaining license fees that would have been payable. The remaining value, according to court filings, is $390,000. 

In May, attorney Spence Johnson wrote a demand letter to Wilson on behalf of CCC. The letter told Wilson that while CCC “does not want to unnecessarily undermine your financial future,” CCC also “insists that its student athletes be accountable for promises they make.” Wilson was told he had 14 days to pay or else CCC would “pursue legal action against you based on your breaches” of the NIL deal.

In August, Johnson wrote another letter to Wilson. Johnson said that UGAA had been assigned Wilson’s NIL deal with CCC. The letter indicated Wilson didn’t pay as demanded and that the NIL deal calls for arbitration to resolve disputes. In October, UGAA, through Johnson, filed a lawsuit to compel arbitration, with the complaint stating that Wilson hasn’t responded to demand for arbitration. There is no attorney listed for Wilson and it does not appear from the court docket he has responded to the litigation.

The actual legal controversy—alleged breach of contract—is ordinary, but the circumstances are extraordinary. A university, through its athletic association, is suing a former student athlete who transferred for reneging on his NIL deal. 

A lawsuit like UGAA v. Wilson would have been inconceivable five years ago, but in the new college sports world, it’s the kind of case that could become more common. 

Through antitrust litigation and accompanying settlements, college athletes can now transfer without sitting out of sports for a period of time. That approach is consistent with college students in general as they can transfer schools, but typical college students aren’t signing NIL deals.

There’s plenty of money to be made, too, for power conference football players to switch schools. University-aligned NIL collectives can pay athletes, some of whom also stand to benefit from the injunctive relief portion of the House settlement. Participating colleges can directly pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million pegged as the initial annual cap. There are thus three buckets of money for some college athletes: revenue share, NIL deals and athletic scholarships.

And playing in college could become something of a career depending on the ultimate trajectory of antitrust litigation brought by Vanderbilt quarterback and former JUCO transfer Diego Pavia—the runner-up for the 2025 Heisman Trophy—and other seasoned college athletes. They wish to continue playing college football past the NCAA eligibility clock, which limits eligibility to four seasons of intercollegiate competition, including JUCO and D-II play, within a five-year period.

College sports, at least football at power conference schools, resembles professional sports—except without free agency restrictions and similar player restraints found in the NFL. Those restraints are lawful because the NFL collectively bargains them with the NFL players association. They are thus protected by the non-statutory labor exemption, which reflects U.S. Supreme Court decisions that provide antitrust immunity for bargained rules relating to wages, hours and other working conditions. The non-statutory labor exemption can’t apply in college football because the athletes are, for now at least, not recognized as employees and under labor law only employees can unionize. 

Unless and until college football players are recognized as employees who in turn unionize, cases like UGAA v. Wilson could happen again and again. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just a reflection of the chaotic blend of pro and amateur sports known as modern day power conference football.

Changed landscape

Roster management

The Heisman hype is finally over, so time to move on to arguing who is actually the best player in this year’s College Football Playoff. There’s no politics, no consideration of position or age or the endless parade of hassle that can make the Heisman drag. The best news– we’ll settle it all (more or less) on the field. Here’s the eight best players in this year’s College Football Playoff.

1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Smith is the best player in college football as a true sophomore. He caught 80 passes for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns this season for Ohio State. Smith put up five different 100 yard receiving games and was by far the prime mover and shaker at the most dangerous big-play passing attack in the nation. Sayin gets the headlines and the Heisman support, but Smith is the most untouchable talent in his entire sport.

2. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

So he’s not the best, but he’s pretty darn close. The best argument for Mendoza is that few if any quarterbacks could make Indiana take off with the gusto that Mendoza managed all season. Mendoza has thrown for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns while running for 240 yards and six more scores. He’s impressively consistent, is a natural leader, and has done things at Indiana that were previously unimaginable. He deserved the Heisman… but he’s not the best player in the CFP.

3. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech LB

The best defensive player in the nation, there’s an argument to be made that Rodriguez is the best overall. He’s already racked up 117 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and a pair of rushing touchdowns just for fun. He is the engine that makes the ridiculously good Texas Tech defense roll. The only reason he’s not higher than he is would be that Tech’s defense would still be formidable without him. But it probably wouldn’t be in the CFP.

4. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Yes, it feels like anybody could succeed at QB for Ohio State. But it only feels that way because of how smooth and effortless Sayin makes his job seem. He’s completing 78.4% of his passes on the year for 3,323 yards and 31 touchdowns. If that sounds like video game numbers, it’s because Sayin makes Ohio State’s excellent feel inevitable.

5. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

No Gunner Stockton or Ty Simpson make an appearance here, but Diego Pavia aside, Chambliss was the class of the SEC. Despite starting the season as a backup, he has 3,016 passing yards and another 470 yards on the ground, with a combined 24 touchdowns. He started his career as a starter with three 300+ yard passing games and has replicated that feat in his last three games heading into the CFP.

6. Louis Moore, Indiana

Moore is one of the great weird stories of the season. A JUCO guy who came to Indiana and played well in the struggilng pre-Cignetti days, he transferred to Ole Miss for 2024. He then returned to Indiana for 2025, sued the NCAA to gain eligibility, and played like a maniac. Moore has 74 tackles and six interceptions. He’s 24 years old, he’s back at a school he originally left, and he’s a magnet for the ball at cornerback.

7. Francis Mauigoa, Miami

Offensive linemen tend to get more blame than credit. They don’t put up massive totals of stats and they get noticed mostly when they pick up a holding penalty or a false start. But Mauigoa is the real deal. He’s helped keep Carson Beck clean, with Miami allowing just 11 total sacks all season. Mauigoa was already great. He almost never gets beat in the trenches and probably is the biggest reason that Miami is even in the CFP.

8. Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

The former Bowling Green edge rusher was an absolute terror to opposing linemen. In the 2025 season, Howell has racked up 14 tackles for loss, including 11.5 sacks. He didn’t just feast off easy opponents– 8.5 of those sacks came in SEC play. Howell’s athleticism allows A&M to play aggressively and freely on defense, with no real fear of mistakes. He’s a game-changer.

The 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony wrapped up at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City on Saturday night.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was selected as the 91st recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Mendoza received the award over Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.

With the 2025 Heisman Trophy race in the rearview mirror, the next question about the award is who can win it in 2026. There are many star players from the 2025 season who could find themselves in the mix next season.

Below is a look at the top five players who are most likely to win the award in 2026.

No. 5- QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Year: Senior

2025 stats: 3,016 passing yards, 18 pass touchdowns, three interceptions, 470 rush yards, six rush touchdowns

If Diego Pavia can successfully sue his way to another season of eligibility for his 2025 Heisman campaign, Trinidad Chambliss should be able to do the same for 2026.

Chambliss’ career at Ole Miss began with him being thrust into action in the third game of the season with the injury to Austin Simmons. The adaptability Chambliss demonstrated midseason will be critical once again as offensive controls shift from Lane Kiffin to John David Baker.

No. 4- QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Year: Redshirt junior

2025 stats: 2,932 pass yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 466 rush yards, six rush touchdowns

Marcel Reed entered 2025 as an intriguing dual-threat quarterback who needed to hone his passing skills. Fast forward to the end of the 2025 season, and Reed has increased his production in the air substantially and is primed to make another jump in 2026.

The biggest challenge for Reed in 2026 will be working with a new offensive coordinator following Collin Klein’s departure. But any capable offensive mind should be able to do good work with an athlete like Reed.

No. 3- QB Arch Manning, Texas

Year: Redshirt junior

2025 stats: 2,942 pass yards, 24 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions, 244 rush yards, eight rush touchdowns

Arch Manning’s start to the 2025 season shuts down any and all preseason Heisman conversations by the end of September. But the way he ended the 2025 season has the college football landscape giving him a second look.

A faulty offensive line should be much improved in 2026 for Manning’s protection. If he can ride off the momentum of performances against quality competition like Vanderbilt and Texas A&M into 2026, watch out.

No. 2- QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Year- Senior

2025 stats: 2,691 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, 442 rush yards, eight rush touchdowns

Gunner Stockton proved a lot of doubters wrong with his heroics for the Bulldogs in 2025. His ability to make plays with his feet is a big reason why he will be in consideration for a Heisman Trophy in 2026.

Stetson Bennett IV will always receive the most attention for winning two national titles, but Stockton may be the most complete quarterback Georgia has fielded under Kirby Smart

No. 1- WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Year: Junior

2025 stats: 80 receptions, 1,086 receiving yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, 20 rush yards, one rush touchdown

Very rarely is there a wide receiver who is capable of competing with the best quarterbacks in college football for a Heisman Trophy. Jeremiah Smith is one of those wide receivers.

The run he put together as a freshman in the 2024 College Football Playoff would have the NFL considering him as the best receiver in the 2025 draft had he been eligible. Another run like that in the 2025 College Football Playoff would firmly insert him into the 2026 Heisman conversation.