Cooper Flagg was one of the most highly touted men’s college basketball players in recent years. But as he arguably became the sport’s biggest star in the early years of the name, image and likeness (NIL) era, Flagg might have also been one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, college athletes ever.

The Duke star had at least $28 million in NIL deals during his time in Durham, longtime journalist Howard Bryant shared in a conversation with Bob Costas at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. 

That $28 million figure is only based on Flagg’s deals with New Balance and Fanatics. Flagg earned a $13 million deal with New Balance while his Fanatics deal is worth $15 million, according to Bryant. 

It’s unclear if those figures are the annual value or the total value of Flagg’s contracts with those brands. When Flagg agreed to his deal with New Balance in August 2024, ESPN reported it was for a “significant” amount. New Balance also made Flagg one of its top athletes, including him in a commercial that features Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey and Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink. 

As for his deal with Fanatics, Flagg signed an exclusive multi-year contract with the merchandise brand in January. The terms of that deal weren’t unveiled at the time, but it included his first “rookie” card, which was part of the 2025 Bowman University Chrome set.

Flagg had other NIL deals beyond his agreements with New Balance and Fanatics during the 2024-25 season. However, it’s unclear how much those arrangements were worth. He became the first men’s college basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade last October. He also had NIL deals with AT&T, Cort Furniture and The NIL Store, which would likely bring the total amount of money he agreed to in NIL deals north of $28 million.

However, the total value of those deals greatly outnumbers the estimated worth Flagg had on an annual basis. On3 estimated that Flagg had a $4.3 million annual value for the 2024-25 season, which was second among all college athletes. He only trailed Texas quarterback Arch Manning ($6.6 million). 

Flagg lived up to the promise as one of the top college basketball recruits since the turn of the century during his one year at Duke. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from distance – those numbers helped Flagg win all of the major national player of the year awards. He also led Duke to the Final Four, where it lost in the national semifinal to Houston.

Following his strong year at Duke, Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks are widely expected to make Flagg the No. 1 overall pick when the draft is held later in June.

In the likely event Flagg goes No. 1, he’ll make even more money from his first NBA deal than what he’s reportedly made in NIL contracts so far. Flagg’s rookie scale contract is projected to be a four-year deal worth $62.7 million, according to Spotrac.

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AUSTIN, Texas – K-State’s AJ Evasco homered twice to break program’s freshman home run and RBI records, however, the Wildcats were eliminated for the 2025 NCAA Tournament as top-seeded Texas powered to a 15-8 win Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
 
Evasco, a Lincoln, Nebraska native, needed just one home run and one RBI to match both freshman marks. He tied both records with his first homer of the game before breaking the tie in his next at-bat with a two-run shot to left field, taking sole possession of both records. It marked the first multi-homer game of his career and made him the sixth Wildcat this season to hit two or more in a game.
 
“Disappointing day. We got off to a bad start, and you can’t do that in somebody else’s stadium against a really good club – especially one as offensive as Texas,” seventh-year head coach Pete Hughes said. “Proud of the way we punched back in the first inning, that’s for sure. But you know, when you give someone four or sometimes five outs an inning with an offense like that it’s a dangerous way to live, and we just lived the result.”
 
K-State concluded its season with a 32-26 record, making its second straight NCAA Tournament run and first back-to-back appearances since 2010-11.

“It was a rewarding season. Obviously, we want to keep playing baseball but to be here as a regional team and reload – not rebuild – with everything we lost from last year and to maintain the high level of success, that’s the mark of a national team. So really proud of these guys.

 

We had a ton of new guys from all over the place adapt to our culture, which is the strongest thing in our program. That’s what leads you to play in June. And so, so we did it again with different people, and that’s this has a lot about our program and our brand,” added Hughes.

 

Texas (44-13), advancing to the regional finals against UTSA, jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead in the first inning to back starter Rugar Riojas. After giving up the home run to Seth Dardar, the right-hander retired 18 of the next 19 batters. He improved his record to 9-3 and ended the game allowing seven runs, all earned, on six hits through 7 1/3 innings.

 

In addition to Evasco and Dardar, Keegan O’Connor, Sam Flores and Cayden Phillips each singled.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Texas quickly opened scoring in the first frame, spotting K-State starter Tanner Duke and reliever James Guyette for six runs with the help of a two-run homer by Max Belyeu and grand slam from Casey Borba.

 

The Wildcats answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs, as Dee Kennedy walked and moved into scoring position Keegan O’Connor’s shot into center to put runners on the corners. With one out, Dardar shelled his 13^th homer to cut into the Longhorns’ lead to 6-3.

 

After a scoreless second inning, the Longhorns took control of the game, as Borba’s second home run of the game stretched the lead to seven, 10-3.

 

Trailing 14-3, the Wildcats tallied five runs in the final three innings, highlighted by two home runs from Evasco, but the Longhorns held on to advance to the regional finals.

 

INSIDE THE BOX

• K-State scored eight runs on six hits with two errors committed and five runners on base.
• Texas scored 15 runs on 16 hits, committed no errors, and stranded nine men on base.  
• Four different Wildcats recorded a hit, led by two from Evasco (2-for-4) with three RBI.
• K-State had two players homer – Evasco (2), Dardar.
• Duke was spotted for five earned runs on four hits in his 1/3-ining start.
• Texas’ Riojas (9-3) picked up the win, surrendering seven runs, all earned, on six hits with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of work.
• Dardar homered in the first – his second three-run homer at K-State.
• UT had three home runs, led by Borba with two.
• Borba went 4-for-5 with eight RBI.

 TEAM NOTES

• K-State finished the year 32-26 and made its second straight run in the NCAA Tournament – first time making consecutive appearances since 2010-11.
• The Cats were one of six teams from the Big 12 to make it to Sunday.
• Evasco homered twice to break the school’s freshman home run and RBI record.
• K-State is 10-8 all-time during the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, including 4-2 in the Hughes era.
• Dardar is the third Wildcat to homer in the 2025 NCAA Austin Regional.
• Texas’ 15 runs are the most allowed in K-State’s postseason history.

 2025 NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL

Friday, May 30
1 p.m. CT – Game 1: No. 1 Texas 7, Houston Christian 1
6 p.m. CT – Game 2: No. 2 UTSA 10, K-State 2
 
Saturday, May 31
2 p.m. CT – Game 3: No. 3 K-State 7, No. 4 Houston Christian 4
8 p.m. CT – Game 4: No. 2/1 Texas vs. No. 2 UTSA                
 
Sunday, June 1
2 p.m. CT – Game 5: No. 1 Texas 15, No. 3 K-State 8
6 p.m. CT – Game 6: No. 2 UTSA vs. No. 1 Texas

Even after a few down years in Lawrence, the Kansas Jayhawks are still widely recognized as one of the best college basketball programs in the sport.

Not only did head coach Bill Self lead KU to a national championship in 2022, but he has also guided his team through the gauntlet that is the Big 12 Conference.

Despite facing fierce competition from top programs year after year, Self’s Jayhawks have consistently held their own against some of the best teams in the country.

Dating back to the 2010-11 season, Kansas holds the most victories over AP Top 25 opponents with 109.

Kansas leads this key metric by a far margin. Even No. 2 Michigan State (83) trails KU by 26 wins, followed by No. 3 Duke (79), No. 4 Kentucky (76), and No. 5 Baylor (70).

Across the past three regular seasons, the Jayhawks only have an 18-16 record against AP Top 25 teams, but they have over a decade of prior success to make up for it.

This statistic goes to show how battle-tested some KU squads were before entering the postseason.

Considering KU assembles a difficult nonconference schedule every season and plays in a premier basketball conference, the gap between the Jayhawks and the other schools on the list won’t change anytime soon.

Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead.

Weekend winners

› You know who. Yeah, more on Scottie Scheffler winning the Memorial at Jack’s Place in a moment.

› Cooper Flagg. This blew my hair back. Here’s a report on how Cooper Flagg made $28 million in NIL money in his one year at Duke. Say what? Here’s more, and some of that — including a monster deal with New Balance — were signed after his Duke season ended. But buckets of duckets, that’s a lot of coin.

› NCAA softball. There’s star power. There’s drama. The games are quick, and the competition is intense. What more can we ask for? And the cosmic walk-off win for Tennessee had all of it. For those who missed it, UCLA’s Megan Grant hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the top of the seventh at 4. She missed home plate to celebrate, and her teammates redirected her to touch home. Technically, she’s out, but the umps decided it was not reviewable. The home run stood, but justice was served when Tennessee walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. Crazy game for sure. Karlyn Pickens is the truth.

› Paul Skenes. Dude has filthy stuff. Just nasty. His last four starts have covered 26.2 innings, three earned runs and 30 Ks.

› Royals fans. You already have Bobby Witt Jr., who is one of the best young players in the game. Now they are calling up top-ranked prospect Jac Caglianone, who crushes baseballs. Fittingly, there is no “K” for that Jac.

Weekend losers

› The NBA. Look, the TV rights money is already fixed, but when the Nos. 25 (Indianapolis) and 47 (OKC) media markets are in the Finals, it will be comparative crickets. Plus, has there been more than, say, three truly down-to-the-wire playoff games?

› Colorado Rockies. Wow. 9-50 is simply staggeringly bad. Their current season win total is over/under 37.5. Yikes.

› Atlanta Braves. Wow, part II. Atlanta has lost four straight series and are 27-31 as we pass the first third of the season. Moreover, Atlanta is fourth in the NL East and 9.5 games back of the Mets.

› SEC baseball. There was some good — I see you, Auburn — but there is a lot of drama today. It’s undeniable that the home regional stumbles for No. 1 Vandy, No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Georgia make it even impossible for Paul Finebaum to put a positive spin on this weekend for a record-setting SEC baseball season.

› Kyle Pitts’ future in the A-T-L. Have not missed on many draft prospects as badly as I missed on Pitts, whom I thought was going to be a short-list All-Pro regular tight end.

Beam them up, Scottie

OK, a couple of you regulars last week wondered aloud if Scottie deserves the gushing love that he’s getting in the golf world.

It gave me pause, and before we start etching names among the one-name all-timers — Tiger and Jack, Arnie and Phil among them — longevity has to be part of the equation.

You can be great for a few years and turn out to be, say, Jordan Spieth.

Is he a Hall of Famer? Of course. And maybe the narrative changes for Spieth if he can match Rory McIlroy’s recent career grand slam with a PGA Championship in terms of legacy.

But even if your stance on Scottie is, “Yes, he’s No. 1 in the world, but let’s see what the complete career numbers are,” well, that’s completely fair.

And likely smart.

But to dismiss this as simply a heater is underestimating how truly dominant Scottie has been over the last 18 months.

It’s June 2, 2025 — where did May go? — his numbers are staggering.

Try this one for starters: Since May 3, Scottie and the Colorado Rockies have the same number of wins. Read that again.

He has 10 wins since the Arnold Palmer last spring.

In his 12 starts this season, his worst finish was T25. He has more wins (three) than finishes outside the top 11 (two).

Sunday was Scottie’s third win in his last four starts, and he continues to join a slew of lists — including the last back-to-back at Jack’s — that include Eldrick Woods.

He’s now 9-for-9 since the 2023 Phoenix Open when leading after 54 holes.

For all the talk of Brooks being a big tournament trophy hunter, since that first W in Phoenix in ’23, Scottie has 16 wins with three majors, nine signature events and a Tour Championship.

Three players in golf history have gone from 1 win to 16 wins quicker than Scottie’s three years, 108 days. They are Sam Snead (2-182), Jack (3-52) and Tiger (3-95).

Only three players have three or more “back-to-back” wins at the same tournament over the last 30 years. Scottie (3), Phil (5) and Tiger (23).

Do I need to continue?

Does he? I can see that.

But this current streak is every bit as great since the Tiger Slam. And Scottie’s not done.

Are you betting against him any time soon?

This and that

› Inside the NBA with Ernie, Chuck and the crew had their final TNT broadcast over the weekend. The iconic show will move to ESPN next season. Ernie got upset. Shaq O’Neal got profane. Buckle up, Bristol, because there’s a new game coming to town.

› The Tour Championship is returning to stroke-play later this season. Thoughts?

› The Lil’ Miss 5-at-10 pitched well Saturday in her tournament. They got knocked out in the semifinals. She threw 11.2 innings, allowed one earned run, struck out 17 and walked one. So it goes.

› Harris English finished T12 and made $415K. Stephan Jaeger finished T39 and made $82,000.

› Olympic gold medal boxing champion in the women’s competition at the Paris Games Imane Khelif’s medical records were leaked. Imane was born a male. Goodness. Here’s more.

› Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR race in Nashville. Sometimes when you see a kid, you know, you know. When he was just a wee lad I can remember him being around the Atlanta Motor Speedway track with his dad Dave, who was a super nice dude. Every time he walked by — even then at like 5 or 6 — everyone would say, “There’s the best driving Blaney right there.”

› Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld got hitched over the weekend. Count me in team Josh-lee over team Trev-lor in football star-celebrity hook-ups.

› Head on a swivel today as the NFL calendar has moved past the June 1 cut day that allows teams to release veterans and spread the salary cap hits across multiple years.

Today’s questions

Weekend winners and losers. Go

As for Multiple Choice Monday, let’s try this. Not counting football or men’s basketball, which is your third favorite college sport to follow?

> Women’s hoops;

> Baseball;

> Softball;

> Golf;

> Other.

Discuss.

As for today, June 2, let’s review:

Wow, “The Wire” debuted on this day in 2002. Man, arguably my favorite all-time TV series.

I will rewatch that this summer.

Babe Ruth retired on this day in 1935.

Lou Gehrig died on this day in 1941.

Hey, happy June.

Rushmore of “June” and have some fun.

Bill O’Brien and the Boston College staff welcomed their first group of summer official visitors this weekend as the Eagles brought in over ten prospects from the 2026 recruiting class.

As of now, Boston College has 13 commitments in the 2026 class and is ranked by 247Sports’ composite ranking as the No. 21 team in the nation. While there is still a long way to go before the current class of rising seniors makes their final decisions, O’Brien and the staff have gotten of to an excellent start.

Take a look at some of the social media reactions from Boston College’s weekend visitors.

Check out the Boston College football official visit tracker for the full list of summertime visitors.

No games scheduled

No games scheduled

89 days

Boston College football hosted its annual mega camp, welcoming prospects from the 2026 class, 2027 class and beyond for their first glimpse at what it’s like for a member of the Eagles.

2028 DT Dillon Gunnar Fisk

2026 EDGE Noah Keglovitz

2028 RB Trey Alexander

2028 EDGE Michael Degenhart

2027 QB Eli Stumpf

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