On Thursday, LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey did something unexpected: she asked for help.
In a back room at Mansurs on the Boulevard, she met with eight Baton Rouge women — not to talk about X’s and O’s but about money. Some of the women were die-hard fans. At least one admitted she didn’t know “what a free throw does.” That didn’t matter. Mulkey was there to explain how women’s sports survive in today’s world.
Thanks to the transfer portal and the rise of name, image and likeness — which allows athletes to earn money while still in school — recruiting has become a high-stakes game.
Lori Brocato LeBlanc, Rose Marie Fife, Kim Mulkey, Jennifer Waguespack, Lisette Prieto, Alli Sims Roberts, Lexie Polito, Jennifer Roberts and Kim Wampold met for lunch on Thursday, May 1, at Mansur’s on the Blvd. to discuss the changing landscape of women’s basketball — and what local women can do to help. BY JAN RISHER | Staff writer ▲
Once the ladies took their seats, Champagne in hand, Mulkey — who has “never had a drop of alcohol or coffee” — told them she’s not a fundraiser and doesn’t enjoy playing that role.
To stay in the game, in every sense, Mulkey has got to figure out a way to supplement the money the women’s basketball program gets from the LSU athletic department.
“I want to educate you in a way where you understand what’s going on. LSU takes care of me, OK? Our coaches are well paid, I’m well paid,” Mulkey said. “But this NIL, here’s the deal …”
Mulkey gave a crash course on college sports economics — the tectonic shifts of NIL and the power and reach of “television money.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey is flanked by Rose Marie Fife and Jennifer Waguespack at a private luncheon to raise awareness about the fund raising involved to recruit. The luncheon was held at Mansur’s on the Blvd. in Baton Rouge. BY JAN RISHER | Staff writer ▲
“For all of us in athletics, we’ve got to pull for football, and we’ve got to pull for men’s basketball because the NCAA Tournament is where the men in basketball get the money and we reap it. When we get to the College Football Playoffs, we reap it.”
Mulkey explained that none of the big women’s basketball programs make money — not LSU, not UConn, not Tennessee, not even South Carolina, a program that generated nearly $5.9 million in revenue in fiscal year 2024. The program’s expenses, however, were at $11.5 million, resulting in a $5.6 million loss.
“Even though you win national championships and you get to the tournament, there’s no dollar value from TV that they’re paying the same way they do for the men, right?” Mulkey said.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey gets a hug from LSU former player and current Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) before the game against the Brazil National Team on Friday, May 2, 2025 at the PMAC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON▲
Most of the women gathered previously had understood NIL to mean that an individual player can get a contract with a sponsor — like Olivia Dunne and Flau’jae Johnson have done — and not that university athletic programs had to guarantee top dollar to athletes to persuade them to sign on the dotted line.
For star players, Mulkey explained, the program itself has to offer what amounts to an annual salary — $400,000 or more for top women’s players, and even higher for the men.
Recruiting wins like LSU getting former South Carolina player MiLaysia Fulwiley don’t come cheap. When asked what a player like Fulwiley costs, Mulkey said that “some kids can be $400,000. Some kids can be $500 grand.”
LSU director of player personnel and influence Jennifer Roberts on the court in an exhibition game against Loyola, Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La. STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK▲
Jennifer Roberts, an LSU assistant coach who has been with Mulkey since her days at Louisiana Tech, said she organized the lunch to help get the word out.
“Kim is the only boss that I’ve ever had,” Roberts said. “I went straight to work for her (after college) and she is tired.”
These were seasoned lunch-goers, but this gathering wasn’t a typical midday meet-up. The conversation zigzagged. At times, it was hard to follow the many tangents. There were questions about how to ensure that the money they give to the Tiger Athletic Foundation goes to support the women’s program. They started brainstorming ways to reach the fundraising gap.
LSU director of player personnel and influence Jennifer Roberts coaches in an exhibition game against Loyola, Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at the LSU PMAC in Baton Rouge, La. STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK▲
Then someone tossed out a name that made everyone perk up: Britney Spears.
Mulkey is a big fan. She and Spears both grew up in Tangipahoa Parish. Both played point guard on their high school basketball teams. The group wondered aloud whether Spears might be willing to lend her celebrity to the cause.
Lexie Polito attended the luncheon because she’s been a longtime Mulkey fan. Originally from Ruston where Mulkey played college ball and became an assistant coach, Polito said that “shocked” was not the right word to describe her takeaway from the lunch.
She added that she was happy to be part of a group of women who want to help, “not only for LSU women’s basketball, but primarily for coach Mulkey.”
Lexie Polito, center, celebrated her birthday at the luncheon with LSU coach Kim Mulkey. From left to right, Allie Sims Roberts, Polito, Jennifer Roberts and Kim Wampold. BY JAN RISHER | Staff writer ▲
“I’m more in awe of coach Mulkey and her genius in coaching — and that she has to raise money to recruit more,” Polito said.
Mulkey explained that the pay-to-play conundrum is the reason Nick Saban left coaching. He didn’t sign up to raise money that would allow him to recruit student-athletes. Even though everyone involved wants the athletes to get their due, Mulkey says the current system isn’t sustainable.
Mulkey said Roberts arranged the luncheon not just to educate — but “to keep me from retiring.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) warms up on the field before Big-12 Football action between the Utah Utes and the Kansas State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
I enjoy college football, but the College Football Playoff Selection Committee just killed my postseason viewing. I’ll only watch the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl, but I’m supporting Notre Dame’s bowl boycott after it was cheated out of a spot in the College Football Playoff. The University of Alabama was chosen instead, despite having poorer performance stats and losing big in its conference championship game. The University of Miami was also elevated above Notre Dame despite its less impressive stats — with the exception of having narrowly beaten The Fighting Irish in the season opener.
In recent years, the National Collegiate Athletics Association has made a mess of college football, but if the NCAA wants to redeem itself, it could:
1. Expand the playoff to 16 teams with no byes which would have eliminated this year’s fiasco.
2. Realign conferences to have no more than ten teams. The conference champion would be the team with the best record in nine conference games. No conference championship game needed.
3. Eliminate publishing CFP rankings before the end of the season. The committee embarrasses itself when it reorders those without cause.
4. Put income limits on Name Image Likeness as it grossly enriches some players. NIL has turned college football into the NFL Lite.
5. Fix the transfer portal. Allow players only one transfer and perhaps a second if a coach moves on.
6. Convince the Heisman Trophy Trust to award its statue at the end of the playoffs eliminating the embarrassment when an awardee fizzles in postseason play.
7. Consider eliminating conferences altogether. Create leagues of 60 or so teams in upper and lower divisions like European sports are structured with fluidity between the divisions based on teams’ previous year’s performance.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nick Saban knows his strengths with seven national championships as a college football coach. He also understands how to put coaches and athletes in the best position to succeed.
That’s what he hopes to bring to the NHL’s Nashville Predators after joining the franchise as a minority owner.
“I’m no expert in hockey, so don’t look at me like I’m going to make some huge impact coaching around here because that’s not going to happen,” Saban said Monday. “But I do have a pretty good idea of what it takes to have successful organizations.”
Saban made his first appearance Monday in his new role as a minority owner alongside Predators chairman Bill Haslam.
The Predators announced Saban’s purchase Dec. 16 through Dream Sports Ventures LLC, an entity controlled by Saban and business partner Joe Agresti. That business group features 10 car dealerships, including two in Nashville.
Haslam, a former Tennessee governor, was working on a possible WNBA expansion franchise when Saban told the Predators controlling owner that he also might be interested in hockey.
“I thought, ‘Well, that’s the greatest no brainer of all time,’” Haslam said. “You have somebody who understands building a championship culture, who understands, I think, better than almost anybody in sports the process that’s needed to get to where you can compete as a champion.”
Saban grew up in West Virginia with no hockey around. He became interested in hockey when coaching at Michigan State and became friends and shared ideas with that team’s coach. Saban called this an opportunity to be involved with a team for the first time since he announced his retirement Jan. 10, 2024.
So what will Saban bring to the NHL and the Predators in his newest role?
His experience building programs both in college football and six seasons in the NFL working for Bill Belichick in Cleveland and as head coach of Miami. A “transformational leader” as Saban put it. Once college football season ends, Saban said he will be involved as much as Haslam wants.
Saban already has spoken to coaches and some players during what he called a minicamp. Saban also has met a couple times with general manager Barry Trotz, saying his goal is to support Trotz and everyone else with the Predators.
Nashville won the Western Conference before losing the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 to Pittsburgh in six games. The Predators won the Presidents’ Trophy for the 2017-18 season but ranked 26th out of 32 NHL teams Monday five points back of the second wild-card spot in the West.
“To be a part of the hockey team here is something special, and we’d love to build it into a championship,” Saban said. “We’d love to partner with Mr. Haslam to do anything that we can do to help this organization be successful.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II claims that the athletic department at Georgia is trying to illegally punish him for entering the transfer portal in a lawsuit filed by the linebacker in state court Tuesday in Boone County, Missouri.
Wilson transferred to the Tigers last January after signing a 14-month deal with Georgia’s booster collective to capitalize on his name, image and likeness. He received $30,000 in an initial payment on a $500,000 deal before entering the transfer portal.
Georgia filed a lawsuit last month claiming that Wilson owed its athletic department $390,000 in liquidated damages for leaving the team. Wilson’s countersuit claims that his former school is using such damages to “punish” him for his decision to leave.
Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said the school had no comment because it involves pending litigation.
“When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same,” Drummond said upon the school’s initial lawsuit in early December.
Wilson had nine sacks and an interception this season for the Tigers. They will play Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Saturday.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — One day after South Carolina received word that star quarterback LaNorris Sellers was staying in town, another star said he plans to return to the fold.
Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks’ star edge rusher, announced he is returning for his true junior season in 2026, according to Pete Thamel, ESPN’s college football insider.
Stewart has 11 sacks in his two seasons at South Carolina and has forced 6 fumbles. Among ESPN’s draft projections, he appears to be a top prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft.
READ MORE | “South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers stays put, vows stronger return for 2026 season.”
The former five-star recruit and rising SEC pass rusher chose continuity over the transfer portal, agreeing to an NIL deal that places him among the highest compensated non-quarterbacks in college football, according to ESPN’s reporting.
South Carolina’s defense is back in reliable hands, as the Gamecocks ready themselves to bounceback from a 4-8 season.
After the pitiful finish, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer shook up his coaching staff.
South Carolina is also expected to hire Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes as the defensive end and outside linebacker coach.
He’s been Penn State’s defensive line coach the past three years and worked with the line there since 2020. He coached Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac.
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READ MORE | “South Carolina to kick off 2026 football season at home against Kent State.”
Until Michigan officially hires a head coach, the name Kalen DeBoer is going to be mentioned with the search. Even after DeBoer released statements saying he would stay with Alabama, rumors are out there. Folks in Ann Arbor might have been cheering for Oklahoma on Friday night to potentially speed up the process.
Instead, Alabama is heading to the Rose Bowl to face Indiana on Jan. 1. So, if DeBoer was going to be Michigan’s hire, the wait will continue. Which is exactly what ESPN’s Rece Davis believes the Wolverines should be doing in this situation.
“From Michigan’s standpoint, if that’s the guy you want, wait,” Davis said via the College GameDay Podcast. “If it takes waiting until they finish, if they were to upset Indiana, wait if that’s the guy you want. Why settle? One portal class, one recruiting class is not worth settling for a program like Michigan. Now, I understand the concept that there’s no guarantee you’re going to get him. I get that. But if you are convicted that this is your guy, wait it out. See what happens, push forward.”
If Alabama were to win in Pasadena, the next College Football Playoff date would be Jan. 8 or 9. A run to the national championship means DeBoer would not be done coaching the 2025 season until Jan. 19. But Davis mentions no singular NCAA transfer portal and/or recruiting class is as important as getting the right guy for Michigan.
When it comes down to it, Davis does not think DeBoer will leave Tuscaloosa this offseason. Those released statements were viewed as pretty telling in Davis’s eyes. And at the end of the day, DeBoer is still looking to prove to be the guy who can replace Nick Saban at Alabama.
“I do not think Kalen DeBoer will take the job,” Davis said. “Ultimately, because I don’t think he wants to be perceived as running from what he ran to. Michigan’s a great job. If he does, he does, and great for him if that’s what he decides. I don’t think he will end up doing that. Maybe he will.”
The latest update on where the Michigan coaching search came from On3’s Pete Nakos on Saturday. Nakos outlined who the top candidates are at the moment, mainly after Kenny Dillingham signed an extension to stay in Tempe with the Arizona State Sun Devils not too long ago.
Wilson’s lawsuit states that UGA’s attempt to collect the $390K lump sum was a ‘strong-arm tactic.’
Damon Wilson II played 417 defensive snaps for UGA during the 2024-25 season. He transferred to Missouri. (Jason Getz / AJC)
Damon Wilson ll, who transferred from Georgia to Missouri, is suing the University of Georgia Athletic Association and the Classic City Collective claiming the term sheet he signed to remain with the program is not a legally binding agreement.
The 42-page lawsuit, acquired by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after it was filed in the circuit court of Boone County, Mo. on Tuesday, seeks to grant Wilson relief from UGA seeking a $390,000 lump sum it claims Wilson owes by contract and hold defendants liable for “damages sufficient to compensate him for the financial and reputational harm” suffered.
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Mike is in his 10th season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 25 years of CFB experience. Mike is a Heisman Trophy voter and former Football Writers President who was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
Mike is in his 10th season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 25 years of CFB experience. Mike is a Heisman Trophy voter and former Football Writers President who was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
