Texas QB Quinn Ewers was a much lower selection than many thought he’d someday be in the NFL Draft. That ended up costing him a lot of money, especially within the debate of whether he should’ve been playing next season in the NCAA or in the NFL.

Ewers, the No. 231 overall pick in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins in the 2025 NFL Draft, will, per reporting by Spotrac, make $4.33 million over his four-year rookie deal with the franchise. That, according to reports by experts like On3’s Pete Nakos, will be a significant loss as compared to what he could have made by entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

It was clear after last season that, one way or another, Ewers would not be back on The 40 Acres. He played well during his career with the Longhorns but it appeared to be time for Arch Manning for the program. That made it a decision for him between transferring elsewhere in college or entering the draft and going pro.

Ewers was already one of the highest-valued athletes in all of college sports, let alone college football, per his valuation. That, according to Nakos at On3 before their season had even ended in the College Football Playoff, was going to earn him a chance at a deal worth as much as $6 million from teams apparently tampering with him to get him into the portal for his final year of eligibility.

Now, even with his selection in the final round of this year’s draft on Saturday, Ewers is looking at just over $1 million a year on his rookie contract with Miami. Assuming he doesn’t have the professional career that would allow him to make up for that with another, bigger contract later on, that’s a significant difference in incoming profit for him over the next few years.

That has led to said conversation about what was the ‘right’ decision for Ewers. On3’s Ari Wasserman gave his take on it while Inside Texas’ Joe Cook did as well. Both opinions had understanding of the choice he made as, in the end, loyalty to Texas and a desire to make it to the NFL obviously meant more to him.

“Ewers had opportunities to play college football in 2025. Ewers had the chance to earn more in 2025 than he would have on his seventh round rookie deal. But there was something he viewed as being more valuable than an extra million or two,” Cook wrote on Sunday. “When it was time for him to get selected, there were two words he wanted to hear when national television announced the Miami Dolphins’ seventh-round pick – ‘Quarterback. Texas.’”

Even in this era, money isn’t always everything when it comes to decisions like this one, for example, by Ewers. Still, it’s of note considering what it reportedly will have cost him to be a pro quarterback now rather than, loyalty or not, a college quarterback for one more season instead.

STORRS, Conn. – UConn football’s Malik Dixon-Williams (Orlando, FL) signed an NFL contract as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams at the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Dixon-Williams spent his entire college career with the Huskies, appearing in two games during his freshman season in 2019. He would go on to wrap up his career this past fall having playing in 46 games with a total of 258 tackles, 7.5 for losses, with seven career interceptions and 18 career pass break-ups while helping to lead the Huskies to a pair of bowl games.

During his final season in Storrs, he played in 11 games and led the team with three interceptions while posting 67 tackles and six pass break-ups. He helped anchor a defensive unit from his safety spot under first year defensive coordinator Matt Brock. The Huskies would finish the season ranked fourth nationally in third down defense (.297), 31st in first down defense (235), 39th in rushing defense (132.3) and 46th in team passing efficiency defense (123.69).

His best season for the Huskies came in 2022 when he played in all 13 games and was fourth on the team with 90 tackles with two interceptions and eight pass break-ups.

Dixon-Williams joins teammate Chase Lundt (Arlington, TX) in reaching their NFL dream this offseason.  Lundt was drafted in the sixth round of the draft by the Buffalo Bills.

The Alabama football roster visited the doctor in April for its bi-annual physical, and the results are in.

The Crimson Tide couldn’t be much healthier. After evaluating blood pressure, heart rate, and going through the infamous spring-transfer-portal-window test, Alabama’s roster passed the checkup with flying colors.

Not a single scholarship player entered the transfer portal in the 10-day period. Not one. No other school in the SEC can say that. Ole Miss led the conference with nine scholarship player portal entries in the spring.

Losing players to the portal has become commonplace in today’s college football. Maybe a program doesn’t lose starters each window, but it’s difficult to hold onto depth each portal window. Other programs might be willing to pay another team’s depth players more money than they would get as a backup at their current school. So they enter the portal. Or players seeking more playing time might enter the portal.

Yet none for Alabama did in this cycle. The deadline to submit the paperwork to enter the transfer portal arrived Friday, and a source with knowledge of transfer portal movement told AL.com none had submitted the paperwork.

That’s rare these days. So what does it mean? Here are a few takeaways.

What it says about Kalen DeBoer

If there were any kind of prevalent disbelief on the roster in DeBoer’s ability to lead the Crimson Tide, at least one player would have gone elsewhere in the spring window. At least. Probably more.

Instead, none did. That’s DeBoer and company’s investment in relationships paying off. It’s players buying what he’s selling. It’s one thing for players to say nice things about DeBoer during interviews, but their actions speak much louder than words.

Listen to this roster’s action of staying put.

What it says about NIL, athlete compensation

Alabama would not be retaining all of its talent, whether it be the starting quarterback or a third-string offensive tackle, if it was struggling to compensate athletes.

Good roster retention just doesn’t happen these days if you have bad NIL infrastructure.

That’s not to say Alabama’s rolling in all this extra cash and paying all of these players more than any other school. But this much roster retention would indicate Alabama’s ability to compensate athletes sits in a healthy spot, whether it be through future revenue sharing (expected to be made possible this fall through the House settlement) or through facilitating NIL deals.

Mix solid compensation with relationship building and development, and players are more inclined to stick around. So they did.

What it says about 2025 outlook

The spring provided a chance for each player on this roster to see what the Crimson Tide could be this season. Players would probably be less likely to stay if the outlook was bleak.

Particularly reserves. If a player who is set to be a backup didn’t think they could be part of a notable season, transferring could become more appealing. Maybe some would see a benefit to staying for development purposes, but for others, transferring could open the door to making more money and/or getting more playing time.

Yet none did from the spring roster. Specifically the backups. That bodes well for Alabama’s outlook in 2025.

Final thoughts

Don’t hand Alabama the national championship crown solely because it retained its scholarship roster from the spring, but it’s a good early piece to the puzzle. It’s worth highlighting, considering the rarity of it these days.

The Crimson Tide will surely have its depth tested throughout the season, especially if Alabama reaches the College Football Playoff and makes a deep run. So, hanging onto all of the depth it did is a good thing on face value.

How it’s of greater significance — DeBoer’s way seems to be registering with players in Tuscaloosa. We’ll find out this fall how that translates to the field.

Alabama is listed at +1400 to win the National Championship over on DraftKings. Our comprehensive guide to Alabama’s championship odds provides a deeper look at their chances to win it all.

CBS Sports reported late Saturday night that the University of Arkansas’s NIL collective has hired Rogers-based attorney Tom Mars to collect damages from two Razorback transfers, including freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava, who reportedly violated the terms of his contract with the collective when he entered the transfer portal this week before ever playing a snap for the Razorbacks. Mars confirmed to the Arkansas Times Sunday morning that he has been retained by the collective to enforce the terms of the players’ NIL agreements but declined to discuss the details any further.

Iamaleava reportedly signed a contract worth about $500,000 with Arkansas Edge, the sort-of-separate athlete compensation arm of Razorback sports. Shortly after the news of the transfer went public, Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek raised eyebrows when he suggested he supports Arkansas Edge going after the money. Or, as Yurachek phrased it, their “pursuit to enforce their rights under any agreement.”

The hiring of Mars, an attorney who has earned a national reputation for his legal work in college sports, puts the Razorbacks in a situation that could break new ground across collegiate athletics.

Iamaleava, a California native who picked Arkansas in a surprising last-second switcheroo in December after previously committing to UCLA, is the younger brother of Nico Iamaleava, a star quarterback who led Tennessee to 10 wins last season and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Nico Iamaleava has been in the national spotlight in recent weeks after entering the transfer portal following a high-profile, NFL-style holdout over a contract dispute at Tennessee, where he was already set to reportedly earn $2.4 million in 2025. He committed to UCLA on April 20.

CBS Sports reported earlier this week that Madden Iamaleava informed Arkansas coaching staff members that he was homesick and wanted to enter the portal the day after his brother Nico signed with UCLA. It’s unclear if he had been in contact with UCLA before that. CBS Sports also reported that Arkansas Edge is seeking damages from former Razorback receiver Dazmin James.

There is a question as to whether the NIL contracts are enforceable and NIL compensation for student athletes is fairly new territory. Since 2021, when a U.S. Supreme Court ruling said college athletes could earn money for use of their name, image and likeness, collectives like Arkansas Edge have sprouted up around the country. So far, it seems unfulfilled NIL contracts have been treated as the cost of doing business in the world of college athletics, where players can transfer every year without penalty. Schools might be hesitant to publicly seek liquidated damages from players over concerns that it could have a negative impact on recruiting.

Contracts with Arkansas Edge typically include language requiring athletes to reimburse 50% of the money remaining on their deal if they depart for another school, according to a report from CBS Sports. Madden Iamaleava had about eight months remaining on his contract, and Arkansas Edge is asking for approximately $200,000 back from Iamaleava, the report said. 

It’s not fully clear who’s in charge of Arkansas Edge, which was launched by Las Vegas-based Blueprint Sports in 2023. Kevin Trainor, a senior associate athletics director in charge of public relations at the University of Arkansas, told the Arkansas Times on Friday that he didn’t have a recommendation for who to speak with at the organization.

“Arkansas Edge has some transition in leadership, so there is not an obvious point of contact to pass along at this time,” he said.

The Arkansas Edge website shows four profiles under the “Our Team” section, including Interim Executive Director Marcus Madlock. Madlock is the vice president of client partnerships at Blueprint Sports, a company that coordinates NIL with 70-plus collegiate partners, according to its website.

Madlock declined to comment on questions sent by the Arkansas Times on Friday “due to the sensitive nature of our ongoing discussions.”

Mars spoke with the Arkansas Times on Thursday before he was retained in this matter by Blueprint. In that interview, Mars said NIL contracts like the one between Arkansas Edge and Iamaleava have gotten more sophisticated and are now written similar to coaching contracts. If a player violates the terms of the contract, the situation meets the legal test for what is called “liquidated damages.” Those types of damages are enforceable by law, whereas penalties are not, Mars said.

These types of contract terms are similar to the ones commonly used for college head coaches, who often change jobs before a contract ends. If coaches jump ship to another school, a portion of their compensation typically must be paid back. Mars said Thursday that the contract of nearly every NCAA head coach has what is often referred to as a “reverse buyout” clause with similar language. When coaches leave a school for a job at another university, the new school typically absorbs the cost of the buyout. 

Still, he said some coaches have challenged the enforceability of those buyout clauses by claiming that they were actually a penalty, not liquidated damages.

“Every one of those few cases, the courts rejected those arguments, so there’s really no precedent for anyone to challenge the enforceability of those contracts,” he said. 

Player contracts should be just as enforceable, he said. 

There’s “really nothing that makes them novel just because it’s a college athlete,” Mars said. 

Brenlee Gonzales threw 2.0 innings to close out the game and allowed just two hits while striking out three batters. Gonzales gave up a run, but it was unearned.

Victoria Valdez was solid at the plate today, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double. Lauren Allred drove in the other Red Raider RBI and scored two runs herself.

Seniors Demi Elder and Alexa Langeliers were honored before the game as they played in their final home Big 12 game.

How it happened:

Tech jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning before Arizona State responded with three runs in the third.

The Red Raiders got one back in their half of the third but weren’t able to score again until the sixth inning.

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, tacked on a run in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth to give themselves a comfortable 7-2 lead before the Red Raiders were able to score again.

UP NEXT: Tech will play its last home and non-conference game of the season on Tuesday against Abilene Christian.

 

LAKE CHARLES, La. – The first ever postseason game in the Division I era for the East Texas A&M University softball team comes on Thursday at top seeded McNeese to begin the 2025 Southland Conference Tournament.
 
The Lions, who picked up a win over HCU on Saturday to clinch the final spot into the eight-team conference tournament, are grouped with the top seed Cowgirls, who clinched their fourth SLC title in a row on Saturday, as well as fourth seed UIW and fifth seed Lamar in the double-elimination bracket-play portion of the SLC Tournament.
 
The bracket-play portion of the tournament runs from Thursday through Sunday with the winner of the Lake Charles bracket advancing to face the winner of the Hammond bracket in the SLC Championship Series next weekend. Along with the second seed Southeastern, the Hammond bracket consists of third seed Nicholls, sixth seed SFA, and seventh seed HCU.
 

East Texas A&M finished 10-40 in the regular season and 6-21 in conference play, finishing in a tie with A&M-Corpus Christi for eighth place in the standings, but swept the season series over the Islanders to earn the eighth seed. The eighth-place finish for the Lions in the highest in the Southland era and the 10 overall wins and six conference wins are the most in the Division I era.
 
First pitch for the first round game between the Lions and the Cowgirls is set for 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Cowgirl Diamond. The winner advances to face the winner of the UIW/Lamar game on Friday at 6 p.m., while the losing teams of the two games will play an elimination game at 3 p.m. on Friday. The rest of the schedule for the Lake Charles bracket can be found below.
 
The Lions and the Cowgirls are playing in the postseason for the first time, but McNeese has won each of the previous nine contests between the two teams.
 
All games of the Lake Charles bracket will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and all Lion games can be listened to on the Lion Sports Network. More information on the Southland Conference Tournament can be found HERE.
 
Lake Charles Bracket

Thursday, May 1

Game 1: No. 1 McNeese vs. No. 8 East Texas A&M, 3 p.m.
Game 2: No. 4 UIW vs. No. 5 Lamar, 6 p.m.
 
Friday, May 2

Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 3

Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 4

Game 5: Loser of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 6 (if nec), 1 p.m.

 

-ETAMU-