NIL
James Franklin Lays Out ‘Transformational’ Recruiting, Portal & NIL Priorities at Virginia Tech
James Franklin has a proven track record when it comes to bringing premier talents to his program.
After taking over as Penn State’s head coach, Franklin was able to produce consistent results recruiting prospects to his program. He finished his tenure in Happy Valley with 2 Top-10 recruiting classes and finished with 9-of-12 classes ranked inside the Top-15 according to the 247Sports Composite Class Rankings. For reference, Virginia Tech’s highest ranked class since 2014, when Franklin took charge at PSU, was No. 24 — which is coincidently the lowest mark achieved by Franklin, his first year at Penn State.
Franklin aims to turn Virginia Tech’s recruiting into a “transformation, not transactional” process that relies on top high school talent, supplementing the roster with the NCAA Transfer Portal, and providing competitive opportunities in the NIL realm.
While fielding questions during a Q&A portion of his introductory press conference, the new head coach of the Hokies began by discussing his passion when it comes to talent acquisition.
“The passion is critical,” said Franklin at the introductory press conference. “We talked about it on Saturday [November 15]. We’ve already started recruiting. Two nights ago, I had 40 players on the phone. Young men that are committed to Virginia Tech. Also called all the top players in the state of Virginia as well. We’re going to need this stadium rocking on Saturday [November 22].”
And his recruiting mindset has not wavered on ‘old-school’ principles of developing young men into the best versions of themselves. That is the vision for the players his program.
“I’m a big believer that this is still a developmental game of young men,” said Franklin on his mindset of building his program with student-athletes. “That’s developing them on the football field, that’s developing them in the classroom, that’s developing them to be prepared for the next phase of their life. I still believe that you can run your program from an old-school perspective. I want this to be transformation, not transactional. There is more of a business aspect to college football than ever before, but I still believe you can still run your program in a way that is transformational. That starts with education and setting these guys up to be successful the next fifty years of their life.”
It has been a long-time since Virginia Tech competed for top talents in the country that didn’t have a pre-existing family or regional tie to the university. If the Hokies want to enter the race to secure the recruitments of the best players in the country, they’ll have to elevate themselves into a big-time program under the guidance of Franklin.
“I would say it also has to do with, these young men that we’re going to be recruiting, they are going to be recruited from all the top programs in the country. They need to walk in to Virginia Tech football and it needs to look, feel, smell and operate like big-time. Every aspect of it, every aspect of it,” said Franklin emphatically. “How we make them feel when they come into the building, how important they are to what we’re trying to do. When they walk around our facilities and they see our stadium, our indoor facility, and also when they get inside the football facility; it needs to look, feel, and operate like a big-time program, because they are visiting all these other places.”
NIL has brought forth an additional component to recruiting, as programs across the country are seeing more parity in their results due to their methods of acquiring talent to play for their programs. Franklin understands the game as well as anybody, maintaining Virginia Tech will have to be competitive, yet find the players that choose the university primarily focused on fit.
“The reality is, it’s not what you have, because everybody has it, the programs that we’re competing with. What stands out, is the things that you’re lacking. You’ve got to do that. Every box needs to be checked. The reality is in today’s day and age, there is a NIL component. For us, we’re not going to lead with money. I want young men to choose our program because this is where want to be, but then we need to be competitive with all the other schools as well, because it doesn’t make sense for us to ask these young people to walk away from significant money,” said Franklin on the NIL front.
The NCAA Transfer Portal will be heavily relied upon in year one as the new Virginia Tech head coach undertakes a massive roster-makeover. The often perceived quick-fix database of plug-and-play players will be used sparingly in the future as a supplemental tool to support their high school efforts in long-run, according to Franklin.
“We’re going to build it with high school recruits. We’re going to complement that with the portal,” said Franklin on his vision for roster construction. “I also think in year one we’re going to have an opportunity to maybe use the portal, this year in year one, probably different than we would in other years, so we’ll do that. I just think you have to be careful. If you are a portal team, you live by the portal, then every year you’re going to have to live by the portal. You bring in 15 high school players and 30 transfer portal players, most of those guys are seniors they have one year, and now all of a sudden you’ve got to replace 30 guys that are leaving out of your program in the transfer portal. It is hard to ever get out of that cycle. So it’s going to be a high school developmental program that we’re going to compliment with the transfer portal. I would probably describe it a little like how a lot of programs in the past use Junior College to fill holes in the roster, while you’re developing young people to get ready to go out there and compete on the field.
When speaking on his main focuses in recruiting, Franklin brought music to every Hokies’ fans ears by mentioning the trenches, which is the main priority for the head coach that heavily relied upon his big bodies to lead him to a College Football Semi-Final appearance last season.
“I’m a big believer it starts up front with the O-line and D-line,” said Franklin. “You can have all the skill players you want, but if you can’t dominate the line of scrimmage, you’re going to have challenges. The line of scrimmage, the closer you get to the ball. That is a grown man’s game in there. It’s different being a wide receiver or a corner at 18-19 years old compared to being 22-23 years old and 300-pounds up-front. That’s a grown man’s game and you have to make sure you have those guys on your roster. Especially for what we played in last year, which was a 16-game season. The depth is critical.”
Updated Dec. 19, 2025, 10:54 a.m. CT
There are plenty of examples of a star in pro sports taking less money in order to help the overall roster. But it isn’t something that’s hit college football yet … until now, thanks to Arch Manning. Manning has asked to take a reduced portion of the Longhorns’ direct payout pool.
Manning’s aim at taking less NIL funds is to help improve the roster around him. Just like Patrick Mahomes, who regularly gives up millions to help the Kansas City Chief’s roster. Tom Brady did it with New England. Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger have all helped the rosters around them by taking less.
In the pros, there are salary caps to negotiate. While college has no salary cap (yet), there is a finite amount in the NIL house pool. Texas can only spend what it has available. And while that pool is one of the biggest in the nation, Texas still follows a budget.
No doubt, Manning will be hoping the Texas coaching staff uses some of the freed up football revenue sharing funds on the offensive line. The line struggled in front of Manning all season and certainly inhibited his development early in the season.
Two offensive linemen are gone after the Citrus Bowl and Texas might lose a third. Left tackle Trevor Goosby was named first-team All-SEC is now contemplating going pro. Running back Jadan Baugh from Florida is also on Texas’ radar. The talented RB won’t be cheap.
Of course, it’s not like Manning will starve. The redshirt sophomore has one of the highest NIL valuations in nation. Manning has NIL deals with Red Bull, Panani, Uber and Warby Parker. Manning made north of $3.5 million in NIL deals in 2025, according to the Houston Chronicle.
With a big name that attracts major brands, Manning doesn’t need his big deals supplemented. But most college athletes are paid by the common pool of funds. Manning frees up some of that money for transfers.
Much like the NBA in the 2010s, once the actual season ends for college football, the real drama begins off the field. Since the conclusion of the regular season, many players have already announced whether they’ll enter the transfer portal or re-sign NIL and rev-share deals with their current teams.
There is no real contract system set up for college athletics the way there is in professional sports, where deals can be signed for four or five years, binding both sides. In college football, every player is basically a free agent every offseason and has the power to re-negotiate their deal or enter the transfer portal if they can’t agree to terms with their school. However, perhaps the most famous athlete in all of college sports is now deciding to reduce his salary, not increase it, as he plans to return for 2026.
That would be Texas quarterback Arch Manning. According to Sporting News and On3, Manning entered the 2025 college football season as, reportedly, the highest-paid player in the entire sport. On3’s NIL valuation database had Manning as the highest-valued player in the country heading into the year, and despite some dips in play, Manning still remains No. 1 in On3’s NIL100 rating the top 100 highest-valued college athletes. His current value is listed at $5.3 million.
But according to a report that came out Friday morning, Manning actually will accept less money from Texas’ direct revenue share next season in an attempt to help the team better equip themselves for a 2026 national championship run after disappointing their CFP expectations in 2025. It’s important to note that Manning’s endorsement deals, nor money from any NIL collective, are impacted by this.
“Sources tell Inside Texas that star quarterback has agreed to a reduced compensation amount from Texas’ House settlement revenue sharing pool in 2026,” On3 ‘s Justin Wells published on Friday. “This ostensibly doesn’t affect his compensation from fair market NIL, commonly referred to by Texas administrators as ‘real NIL.’ Manning has partnerships with Warby Parker, Waymo, Vuori, and Red Bull and is one of the most high-profile college athletes regardless of sport.”
This move here is noble by Manning but also makes most sense for the team. As Wells mentioned above, Manning is heavily partnered with national brands and is the unique college athlete who brings his own marketability to the table, outside of his performance. This is a guy that can generate millions of dollars from endorsements and public partnerships — what Texas admins consider “real NIL.”
Essentially, Texas can guarantee Manning less raw money via the rev-share route but still assure him that he’ll get his money through other NIL means. Then, the Longhorns can take that guaranteed rev-share money and use it on high-level players who may not have the same name recognition or personal brand as Manning.
More on College Football HQ
For most people, this time of year is about spending time with family and enjoying some well-earned time off, maybe with a glass of eggnog and a holiday movie.
That will be the case for most of the Boise State football squad, which earned itself a long Christmas break after winning the Mountain West championship for a third straight year and playing in the LA Bowl last weekend — one of the earliest postseason games on the schedule.
But for head coach Spencer Danielson and his staff, this time of year is also about keeping the football family together for the following season and trying not to let the stress ruin a visit from Old St. Nick.
Despite the fact that college football’s bowl season and playoffs go deep into January, the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2 and runs through Jan. 16. That means players who are looking to move are already declaring their intentions — whether their reason is playing time, money or location — and being courted by programs across the nation.
After Boise State’s berth in the College Football Playoff last year, which led to the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, the Broncos had to contend with some players going to the portal, such as wide receiver Prince Strachan (USC), linebacker Andrew Simpson (UNC) and defensive tackle Braxton Fely, who ultimately returned.
Things are somewhat less stressful this year, but the next couple of weeks won’t be that restful, either.
Here’s where Boise State stands from a recruitment and Name, Image and Likeness standpoint as the Broncos look to retool for 2026.
How does Boise State approach NIL?
A big indicator of where Boise State stands in the new whirlwind of college athletics is how much NIL money the program is able to dish out. Unfortunately, like most programs, it is tight-lipped about spending power.
Former offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said last January that Boise State’s 2024 NIL budget was just shy of $2 million. Given Boise State pocketed at least $3 million for traveling to the Fiesta Bowl, and there was $8 million paid to the Mountain West to be distributed among its teams, Danielson’s team likely saw a bump in its spending power.
Danielson said that Boise State would see an increase in NIL spending from 2025 to 2026, but that it’s still not enough.
“Is it where we absolutely need to be? No, there’s still a lot of meat on the bone; we need to continue to push,” Danielson said Wednesday. “But it is an increase from last season, and I’m excited to continue to do that in the years to come.”
Danielson said he and his staff are busy prepping for the portal — including working with current players to keep them — but they won’t actively meet with anyone until at least Jan. 2.
The coach said Wednesday that some teams are already reaching out to players and attempting to cut deals, but he has made it clear that Boise State will play by the rules and not be involved in underhanded activity.
“If someone on social media says, ‘Hey, I’m going to transfer,’ we are going to log that to know, ‘Hey, blank player’s leaving, let’s look at some film and see,’” Danielson said. “But we are going to have zero communication with that young man until he’s on the board. … When the portal opens up on January 2, we can have communication.”
What is Boise State looking for in a transfer?
When asked which specific positions the Broncos might try to enhance throught the portal, Danielson again remained coy.
“We’re going to really look at it holistically, and we’ve got some spots left,” Danielson said. “I’m really, really proud of the class that we got coming in as freshmen, and we’ve got a few spots left that we’ll be looking at the transfer portal for.”
He added that the program is also evaluating junior college players, but isn’t going to “recruit a lot of them.”
Danielson already said BSU would not pursue a quarterback, putting his trust in starter Maddux Madsen and primary backup Max Cutforth, as well as the incoming freshmen.
Speculating on some of the team’s other needs, a veteran wide receiver is probably on the wish list. The only upperclassman set to return in 2026 is redshirt junior Chris Marshall. Behind him are exciting but more inexperienced underclassmen Cam Bates, Quinton Brown and Qumonte Williams Jr.
A good chunk of the starting offensive line needs to be replaced, with starting left tackle Kage Casey heading to the NFL Draft, and center-turned-left-tackle Mason Randolph and backup-turned-starting-center Zach Holmes both graduating.
Team captain Marco Notarainni is graduating at linebacker, but redshirt sophomore Boen Phelps made big leaps in 2025. Still, depth at that position is always crucial.
Players declare for the NFL Draft
Casey announced his intention to declare for the draft and opted out of Boise State’s LA Bowl loss to Washington. Casey didn’t even travel with the team to Southern California, and Danielson confirmed on Wednesday that he decided to keep Casey away from the team to avoid any distractions.
Fifth-year cornerback A’Marion McCoy, who missed the last month of the season with an injury, announced on his Instagram that he was declaring for the draft as well. McCoy ended the 2025 season with four interceptions, including a three-game streak of interceptions through October.
Junior safety Ty Benefield also could try to make it in the NFL. Benefield filed paperwork with the league last week to receive a draft projection and make a decision, and Danielson has said he will support whatever the team’s leading tackler from 2025 wants to do.
“It’s not a question of if he would be drafted, it’s a question of when,” Danielson said. “And he and his family are going to go through it and pray through it, and we’re going to go through that process in the next few weeks.”
Are any players leaving Boise State?
Several backups already have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, including redshirt junior kick specialist Jarrett Reeser and redshirt junior offensive tackle Hall Schmidt.
Danielson said he doesn’t expect any major players to attempt to leave the program. One player who could be a target of other programs with lots of NIL money to spend is Benefield, but Danielson is confident that won’t happen if he decided to return for another college football season.
“I do believe that Ty and his family know, through how he’s been able to develop here, how he’s been able to play, the amount of NFL attention he has right now,” Danielson said. “If he decides not to go to the NFL, I believe that we would absolutely have a really good shot to keep him here, because he knows the best thing for his long-term future is being here.”
Danielson also has repeatedly said that a large chunk of the program’s NIL budget goes toward retaining and rewarding current players.
Boise State currently operates a tiered NIL model that provides a consistent package for players based on where the coaching staff believes each player is developmentally. Some of those groups include “guys that haven’t played, to played a little bit, to guys that are on the rise, to guys that are all-league,” Danielson said.
“I believe we’re going to find a way to give our guys really good offers. But more importantly, I need them to want to be here.”
Shaun Goodwin
Idaho Statesman
NIL
WATCH | Ole Miss AD Keith Carter on College Football Playoffs, SEC Schedule, NIL, Rev Share and more
OXFORD, Miss. — The Rebel Walk’s Kam Wicker and Zach Moreth sat down this week with Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter for an episode of The Rebel Talk, covering a wide range of topics relevant to Rebel fans.
Carter discussed the evolving landscape of college athletics, including NIL, revenue sharing, and the College Football Playoff, offering insight into where Ole Miss fits in a rapidly changing environment.
The Rebels’ athletics director also provided additional details on Ole Miss’ recent Request for Proposals (RFP), which seeks a development team to lead a transformative, multi-asset public-private partnership aimed at reshaping the areas surrounding Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the campus edge.
In addition to the business of college athletics, Carter shared a more personal side, giving the hosts a glimpse into how he spends what little free time he has away from the office.
WATCH the full episode below:
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Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
Brendan Sorsby, a redshirt junior who split his first two years at Indiana before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024, posted an efficient, productive 2025 season.
In 12 games, he threw for 2,800 passing yards with 27 passing touchdowns and five interceptions, plus 580 rushing yards and nine rushing scores, making him among the more complete dual-threat QBs in the country.
Unfortunately for the Bearcats, he informed Cincinnati of his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Monday and is also awaiting an NFL draft grade while he gauges options.
Brendan Sorsby’s public NIL profile ranks him among the higher-valued transfer assets nationally, with a reported valuation of around $2.4 million, ranking 12th among all NCAA athletes in 2025.
As college football’s winter transfer market quickens, Tennessee has now been connected to Sorsby, according to reporting by On3’s Pete Nakos.
The link arrives as the Vols’ quarterback picture for 2026 grows murky, creating a plausible landing spot for a veteran signal-caller.
Tennessee starter Joey Aguilar closed the 2025 regular slate with 3,444 passing yards, 24 TDs, and 11 INTs, but the depth chart behind him has thinned.
Backup Jake Merklinger has reportedly told staff he plans to enter the portal, and the only experienced alternatives are true freshmen and early enrollees such as George MacIntyre and incoming five-star signee Faizon Brandon.
That combination leaves Tennessee weighing whether to chase an established transfer or roll with youth.
Several other programs, including Big Ten and Big 12 teams, have also been linked to Sorsby, notably Indiana, Oregon, Penn State, and Texas Tech.
Sorsby’s decision will likely hinge on three factors: NFL feedback on his draft prospects, immediate playing opportunity, and a clear path to a starting role.
Tennessee checks two of those boxes: potential playing time if depth erodes and a high-usage offense, though competition from programs willing to offer larger NIL guarantees remains a factor.
Expect conversations and movement to heat up with the portal opening on January 2, 2025.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Receiver Jeremiah Smith, safety Caleb Downs and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald have earned first-team All-American honors from all five major publications this postseason, officially making them unanimous selections.
In doing so, the collection of stars helped Ohio State football set a record.
The Buckeyes now have a college-football best 42 unanimous All-Americans in program history.
Alabama, which entered the season with a record 41 unanimous selections, had none. Notre Dame, which was tied with OSU at 39 coming into the season, had two (Jeremiyah Love, Leonard Moore).
This is the first time Ohio State has ever had three unanimous selections in the same year.
| Five major All-American publications |
|---|
| Walter Camp Football Foundation |
| Associated Press |
| American Football Coaches Association |
| Sporting News |
| Football Writers Association of America |
Downs is the first defensive player in program history to earn multiple unanimous All-American honors.
He’s in his second campaign at OSU after transferring from Alabama. Along with his All-American honors, Downs won the Lott IMPACT Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award this year.
Smith is also in his second season with the Buckeyes after arriving as one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history. He’s lived up to the hype, highlighted by his 80 receptions for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
McDonald has been a fixture in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line, collecting 57 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He’s anchored a unit allowing only 84.46 rushing yards per game.
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