MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s running back position received added depth on Monday as the Wildcats signed transfer Antonio Martin Jr.
 
Martin spent spring practices at ULM after competing the 2024 season at Southeastern Louisiana. Prior to that, the Atlanta, Georgia, native was at Blinn College in 2023 after redshirting the 2022 season at Georgia Tech.
 
Last season at Southeastern, Martin played in 12 games with nine starts as he totaled 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to All-Southland Conference First Team honors. He was also named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top offensive player in the FCS. He ranked 12^th in the FCS with 102.3 rushing yards per game, while he was 14^th in total rushing yards and 35^th in all-purpose yards per game (108.50).
 
Martin’s best game of 2024 came against Tarleton State when he racked up 206 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, earning Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week accolades. His 206 rushing yads were the 12^th most by an FCS player in a single game last year, while his three touchdowns tied for 13^th. He also tallied 100-yard rushing games against Eastern Washington (149 yards), East Texas A&M (185 yards) and Northwestern State (110 yards).
 
In 2023 at Blinn, Martin ranked 10^th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with 80.4 rushing yards per game, thanks in part to three 100-yard rushing performances.
 
Martin was regarded as the 256^th-best overall prospect in the Class of 2022 by ESPN, which also rated him the 21^st-best running back. He ran for 1,114 yards and 16 touchdowns during his senior season as he earned first team all-state honors from the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association and honorable mention accolades from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
 
Following a 9-4 campaign in 2024 – its third-straight season with at least nine wins – Kansas State kicks off the 2025 season by taking on Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, August 23, at Avivia Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Maryland interim Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Colleen Sorem has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball Committee, the NCAA announced Monday.

Sorem’s appointment to the committee is effective immediately. Sorem will be part of the 12-member committee that will be chaired in 2025-26 by Amanda Braun, director of athletics at Milwaukee. Other committee members include Vicky Chun of Yale; Liz Darger of Brigham Young; Jill Bodensteiner of Saint Joseph’s; Amy Folan of Central Michigan; Alex Gary of Western Carolina; Josh Heird of Louisville; Jeff Konya of San Jose State and Lynn Tighe of Villanova.

“I am truly honored to be selected to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee,” said Sorem. “At Maryland, we have a long tradition of success and support for women’s basketball, and representing the Big Ten Conference in this capacity is an opportunity I accept with great pride.

“The women’s game has been experiencing an exciting and unprecedented amount of growth over the past few years. As someone who is passionate about the game and supporting our fearless women, I look forward to contributing to the future of women’s basketball alongside my fellow committee members.”

Sorem was named the Interim Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics earlier this spring. Prior to that, she served as Maryland Athletics’ Sr. Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer. She added the role of COO in July 2023 after being named the University of Maryland’s Deputy Athletic Director on July 30, 2018. She is in her 10th year at Maryland.

Sorem supervises the football and women’s basketball programs at Maryland. She has overseen the women’s basketball program for eight seasons. During this time, the Terrapins won the 2020 and 2021 Big Ten regular season and tournament championships and advanced to four Sweet Sixteens and the 2023 Elite Eight. 

She is responsible for implementing new strategies for internal and external initiatives, including revenue generation, contract negotiations, football scheduling, creating operating efficiencies, and enhancing the student-athlete experience. She developed and implemented a new financial model that allows the athletic department to operate with long-term financial stability. In addition, Sorem assisted with the oversight and construction management of the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center and the Cole Field House project, including Jones-Hill House.

 

-TERPS-

Images via Victory Snacks. Photo illustration by Cecilia Lopez

Fresno State is one of several universities discussing joining Victory Campus, a new initiative from Victory Snacks and NIL platform TheLinkU.

The program is designed to support student-athletes by offering school-branded snacks and beverages. A portion of revenue is directed toward name, image, and likeness (NIL) efforts.

Houston University, which recently appeared in the NCAA Basketball Championship Game, was announced as the first official partner, launching a line of “HoustonTX Snacks” that includes jerky, nuts, corn puffs, gummies and more. Products are available online and are expected to roll out at campus stores and sporting venues.

Victory Campus plans to develop similar snack lines designed for each school’s branding. In addition to Fresno State, other schools in talks include Alabama, Florida Atlantic University, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

“Our goal is to create a sustainable revenue stream that supports student-athletes through everyday products,” said Grant Cohen, chief growth officer at Victory Snacks, in a news release.

According to TheLinkU, the program is intended to help universities expand NIL funding opportunities while engaging with alumni and fans.

No formal agreement has been announced yet between Victory Campus and Fresno State. Updates are expected as the program expands later this year.

“By delivering premium, American-produced snacks and beverages that carry the pride of each school’s brand, we are creating a new model for how NIL programs can thrive while celebrating what makes college athletics truly special,” Cohen said.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Following standout performances against UTEP, Macie Harter has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week, and Leila Ammon has been named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Friday, May 2.

It marks the first career weekly award for Harter. For Ammon, it’s her first time being named Pitcher of the Week, having previously earned Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors twice earlier this season.

In MTSU’s sweep of UTEP, Harter posted a .556 batting average, recorded two extra-base hits, and drove in five runs. She notched a slugging percentage of .889 and tied the MTSU program record for triples in a single season with six — a mark that also led Conference USA. The freshman recorded multi-hit games in two of the three contests and maintained a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Harter concluded her season with a team-high .341 batting average in conference play. She added eight extra-base hits, 10 RBI, and a 1.000 fielding percentage. Overall, she finished the season with a .280 batting average.

From the circle, Ammon posted a 2-0 record in the sweep of UTEP. She pitched 12.0 innings, allowed just one run (0.58 ERA), and struck out 13 batters. The freshman held Miner hitters to a miniscule .163 batting average and opened the series with a complete game shutout, tallying six strikeouts. In the series finale, Ammon tossed another complete game — shortened to five innings due to the run rule — and struck out seven.

Ammon ends her freshman season with a team-best 3.12 ERA across 136.2 innings pitched. She struck out 91 batters, held opponents to a .283 batting average, and recorded eight complete games.

FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS     

Follow Middle Tennessee Softball on social media on Facebook (Blue Raider Softball), Twitter (MT_Softball) and Instagram (@mt_softball). 

When Brian Kelly walked into the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas to check in on a Sunday afternoon last summer prior to his appearance at SEC Media Days, he did so in stealth mode. He shook hands with a league administrator near the registration counter, placed his luggage on the floor and greeted the concierge with brief pleasantries.

Free of the customary throng of fans asking for autographs after his arrival, absent were media crews huddled in the corner waiting for comments, and there was no group of LSU handlers around him protecting every move.

This wasn’t Tom Cruise being spotted inside of a local coffee shop with paparazzi in pursuit ahead of a giant movie premiere. No, this might as well have been Kelly back at Cincinnati prior to his run at Notre Dame, unrecognizable to many simply finishing out travel day in Texas.

Delivering this with respect given his track record of success elsewhere, Kelly is still small potatoes within college football’s most competitive conference. Until he wins a league championship or makes his first playoff appearance at LSU, Kelly is just another handsomely paid coach hoping to strike gold with a transfer-infused roster the Tigers have exhausted resources to bring to the field.

Kelly toppled Nick Saban during his first season in Baton Rouge, but the memorable wins have been few and far between since. LSU is 2-7 against ranked competition since Kelly’s dice roll in overtime against the Crimson Tide in 2022 triggered pandemonium inside Tiger Stadium and placed the program in the thick of the playoff conversation.

A flat performance at Texas A&M followed, and a blowout loss to Georgia in Atlanta marked a low point for Kelly to end his first season. The stakes haven’t returned to that level since.

Until now.

Sunday night’s commitment from former All-Big 12 Houston safety A.J. Haulcy brings another immediate-impact starter to LSU’s roster ahead of the 2025 season, further strengthening a group that is undoubtedly Kelly’s deepest of his tenure.

The Tigers beat known big spender Miami for Haulcy, stiff-armed several elite programs for edge rushers Patrick Payton (Florida State) and Jack Pyburn (Florida) this cycle and were first in line to welcome pass-catchers Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and Barion Brown (Kentucky) to upgrade their wideout room.

Haulcy is the second of two post-spring additions for Kelly, who also signed USF defensive tackle Bernard Gooden, one of the top-rated players available and explosive piece on the interior within LSU’s nickel and dime packages.

The Tigers are one of college football’s “haves” in the NIL arms race, and part of that accomplishment came via Kelly, who agreed in December to personally match up to $1 million in contributions to LSU’s NIL fund.

“LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs in college football,” Kelly said in a statement. “In order to remain among the nation’s elite in this new world of college athletics, we have to be competitive in all areas of our program. I am committed to doing all that we can to win championships at LSU.

“While we are not permitted to financially support our NIL efforts directly, (wife) Paqui and I can certainly match this tremendous fanbase’s generosity by investing in the future of LSU Athletics through the Tiger Athletic Foundation.”

Kelly’s yearning to win big at LSU is indisputable. The pressure to guide LSU to its first playoff appearance since 2019 this season increases with every additional recruiting victory. As it stands, 29 wins over three seasons fails to meet program expectations when the three coaches who preceded Kelly all won national championships in Baton Rouge.

Right now, LSU’s trophy case has only added Citrus, ReliaQuest and Texas Bowl trophies to its expansive case. This is a group in 2025, anchored by potential 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Garrett Nussmeier, that is capable of bringing Kelly his first national title and punctuating his career with a new defining moment.

Kelly’s coaching seat in the SEC would cool and he’d have to hire a security team for his next media days appearance as a reigning champion.