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LSU athletes can benefit from revenue sharing with new NIL rules

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First News) — When the LSU baseball team lifted its eighth championship trophy Sunday, it symbolized the end of a consequential era for college sports: the beginning of name, image and likeness (NIL). New rule changes will impact what it takes to stay atop the college sports world. Advertisement “You have […]

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BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First News) — When the LSU baseball team lifted its eighth championship trophy Sunday, it symbolized the end of a consequential era for college sports: the beginning of name, image and likeness (NIL). New rule changes will impact what it takes to stay atop the college sports world.

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“You have to be able to adapt,” said Fritz Metzinger, a New Orleans sports attorney.

A House settlement earlier this month paved the way for revenue sharing. Under this new model, athletic departments will be able to spend up to $20.5 million on the people who drive a program’s success.

“Schools like LSU can now directly pay their student athletes,” Metzinger said.

That will add a new wrinkle to what has been possible since 2021, when the NIL era first began. For the last four years, athletes could only profit from endorsement deals. Metzinger said an “arms race” started to acquire top talent, and a “pay-for-play” system developed across college sports.

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Groups called collectives stepped in to become fundraising arms for schools. At LSU, the collective is called Bayou Traditions. The money required to field top teams increased over the last four years, particularly in football and basketball.

“These collectives have become very powerful,” Metzinger said. “Local businesses that’re LSU supporters or Tulane supporters have thrown a lot of money at it.”

Baton Rouge attorney Gordon McKernan got in early.

“I signed (former LSU women’s basketball player) Alexis Morris,” McKernan said. “I think it was the first NIL deal at LSU. I don’t remember.”

McKernan signed many more athletes to deals, where they appeared on billboards, in commercials, and on social media posts. The money necessary to keep these players in Baton Rouge continued to rise.

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“You’ve got to have the facilities, the tradition, all the winning and all that stuff is great,” McKernan said. “But you have to have the money, or they’ll go somewhere else.”

Under new changes, boosters will be relied on less. An athlete who signs any deals with a booster or collective will need to prove the deal isn’t a pay-for-play situation to a newly-created board, Metzinger said, as programs can use their own revenue for that money.

“I’ve been told they’re not going to ask me for as much, or other boosters, as well,” McKernan said. “Like, ‘hey, we’ve got more money now, we’re in a good spot.”

Athletes can still do third-party deals, which will be advantageous for businesses and athletes in a culture that has become increasingly star-powered.

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“Any other businesses can pay any athlete whatever they want,” Metzinger said.

AJ’s Sports Cards on Drusilla Lane in Baton Rouge has been doing NIL signing deals with athletes, where they come to the shop and autograph memorabilia for fans.

“I think it’s good for the hobby,” said Nikki Erckert, AJ’s Sports Cards owner. “The little collectors get to meet their heroes.”

Erckert said the first NIL deal was with former baseball player Tre Morgan. The return on investment was immediately apparent.

“At least 150 people showed up to our very first in-person signing,” Morgan said.

The next AJ’s signing is Saturday, and it will feature members from the newly crowned LSU baseball champions. Erckert said that the signing was set up months in advance.

“A show that probably would’ve brought in about 500 customers…no telling what that’s going to look like now,” Erckert said.

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Under the new rules, Metzinger said LSU is primed to continue to thrive athletically because of the business support, marketability and revenue opportunities.

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Michigan Sees Stunning Loss as Five-Star WR Calvin Russell Picks Syracuse

Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell has committed to Syracuse, surprising many by choosing the Orange over Michigan and Oregon. This decision highlights a falling out over a $4.2 million NIL deal with Michigan, which reportedly did not materialize. Instead, Russell secured a three-year deal worth $4.3 million with Syracuse, making him the highest-rated recruit in […]

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Five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell has committed to Syracuse, surprising many by choosing the Orange over Michigan and Oregon. This decision highlights a falling out over a $4.2 million NIL deal with Michigan, which reportedly did not materialize. Instead, Russell secured a three-year deal worth $4.3 million with Syracuse, making him the highest-rated recruit in their program’s history. While Michigan is still poised with a strong recruiting class ranked No. 7 nationally, the loss of Russell is a significant blow to their efforts. This event underscores the increasing influence of NIL agreements in college football recruiting.

By the Numbers

  • Calvin Russell is ranked the No. 21 overall player and No. 3 wide receiver in the 2026 class.
  • He had 704 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on just 39 catches during his junior season.

State of Play

  • Michigan’s commitment of $10 million over four years to No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood raises questions about their financial strategy.
  • Syracuse’s acquisition of Russell demonstrates their growing competitiveness in the NIL space.

What’s Next

As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, expect more top recruits to weigh financial packages heavily in their decisions, potentially reshaping traditional power dynamics in college football recruiting.

Bottom Line

The loss of Calvin Russell highlights how crucial NIL deals are becoming in recruiting. Michigan must navigate this changing landscape carefully to maintain its competitive edge, while Syracuse illustrates the potential for emerging programs to attract top talent.





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The Weekender: LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements, Notre Dame Lands Third 2026 Prospect with NFL Bloodlines and Texas State Joins the Pac-12

Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next. LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements In the new world of NIL and revenue sharing, colleges are finding every way possible to bring in additional money to help keep up. […]

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Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.

LSU to Sell Jersey Patch Advertisements

In the new world of NIL and revenue sharing, colleges are finding every way possible to bring in additional money to help keep up.

The latest attempt to do so by LSU is following in the footsteps of professional sports: Sponsored patches on its jerseys, according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander.

“LSU has mapped out where the patches would go on every jersey, from cross country to football. Most of them would appear on the chest in purple and gold,” Alexander wrote.

This comes one year after Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin brought up the idea as a potential revenue stream, a topic that was also discussed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“We’ve had jersey patches in bowl games,” he said. “I would anticipate there’s going to be a continuing push (for new revenues). We’re going to have to come to some agreement in this new environment on where those limits exist.”

According to a report by Sportico in June 2024, the top patch valuation for a college football program is $6 million. For men’s college basketball, it’s $2.2 million.

The range for the upper tier of football programs is between $3.5 million and $6 million, with an average valuation of $4.6 million. For the top 10 men’s basketball programs, the range is from $754,000 to $2.2 million, with an average valuation of $1.2 million.

Among all 50 programs for both sports, the average valuations are $2.2 million for a football team and $590,000 for a men’s basketball team.

Notre Dame Lands Third 2026 Prospect with NFL Bloodlines

At some points in life, you have those “Wow, I’m getting old” moments. It happens far too often nowadays, and the last few days have been another example of that. This past week, Notre Dame football landed two 2026 recruits with NFL bloodlines, giving the Fighting Irish three commits in the cycle who are sons of former NFL stars:

  • Three-star wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, the son of Larry Fitzgerald
  • Four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finley, the son of Jermichael Finley
  • Four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., the son of Thomas Davis Sr.

Fitzgerald, Notre Dame’s latest commitment, explained that having a former NFL star as his father helps tremendously in the recruiting process.

“Having my dad there to help me throughout the recruiting process has been great,” he told ESPN. “He knows what’s important. You want to go somewhere you feel like you belong and where you fit in.”

Texas State Joins Pac-12

While conference realignment has slowed down quite a bit this offseason, the Pac-12 has continued to add universities to its conference after Oregon State and Washington State were the only two remaining in the conference last year.

Texas State officially joined the Pac-12 last Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State will remain in the Sun Belt Conference through the 2025-26 athletic seasons before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Bobcats will pay a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference.

ICYMI

Ohio State Tight End Bennett Christian Using Time at the “Very Bottom” to Inspire Others

Bennett Christian is drawing on his experiences at the “very bottom,” a year-long suspension in 2023, to play a leadership role in Ohio State’s crowded tight end room.

What to Know About Revenue Sharing, Ohio State’s Approach As New Era of College Sports Begins

As the new era of college sports officially begins, we take a look at how Ohio State is approaching revenue sharing, NIL, roster limits and its commitment to keeping 36 sports.

Ohio State Star Jeremiah Smith Vows to Beat Michigan the Rest of His College Career: “For The Next Two Years, I Promise You, I Will Not Lose to Them”

Jeremiah Smith says he hates Michigan and vows not to lose to the Wolverines the rest of his career: “For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them.”

What’s Next

  • 55 Days: Ohio State kicks off the 2025 football season against Texas
  • 118 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
  • 146 Days: The Game





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A CFB commissioner and the Presidential Commission are beginning to look like pipe dr

As the era of NIL, the transfer portal, and now revenue share started to bubble over nearly out of control, it looked like help was on the way with the announcement of a Presidential Commission on College Sports in May 2025. When it was announced that the legendary Nick Saban was going to co-chair this […]

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As the era of NIL, the transfer portal, and now revenue share started to bubble over nearly out of control, it looked like help was on the way with the announcement of a Presidential Commission on College Sports in May 2025.

When it was announced that the legendary Nick Saban was going to co-chair this committee, even more hope blazed throughout the country, as it seems we were about to lasso in some of the madness.

Joining Saban was Texas businessman Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech offensive lineman, whose experience with the Texas Tech NIL collective would have brought real world experience to the committee.

Most could see (and hoped for) Saban moving from a seat on the committee to eventually becoming the first (and sorely-needed) college football commissioner. But, as with most things that have government ties, things have not progressed in an expeditious manner.

Shortly after the announcement of this commission, the White House brought the idea to a grinding halt, citing Senate negotiations regarding payments to college athletes as the reason for the stall.

Those Senate negotiations were over the NCAA settlement, which was finally announced in late June, and has now taken effect.

With that settlement now in the rearview, and the fall quickly approaching, we find ourselves in an all-too familiar position. A toothless NCAA making little effort to improve the situation, a transfer portal that has spiraled out of control, and players being promised more money than that might make in their NFL or NBA rookie deal before they’ve played a single minute of college ball.

The idea of real leadership for both college football and basketball seems to have become more of a dream than a balanced federal budget, and while the settlement temporarily solved some issues, it has also raised more questions and created its own set of problems.

Ask any international player who would like to profit from his name, image and likeness. Per sports business expert Kristi Dosh, author of The Athlete’s NIL Playbook, there are many limitations that international athletes face that are not obstacles for those in the United States. Varying Visa types, passive vs active income-generating activities, and other risks make it nightmarish for those outside the U.S. borders.

“Unfortunately, navigating NIL opportunities as an international athlete ultimately boils down to your risk tolerance because of the lack of clear guidance from the federal government on these issues,” Dosh stated in her book.

This is one of the many problems that a Presidential Commission could work to solve. But instead, the student-athletes are once again left to navigate their own way through unfriendly obstacles.

Why isn’t it happening? Follow the money would be the most obvious reasons. Who stands to benefit, and who stands to lose if the current unstable, yet somehow profitable (for some) situation?

The longer things go on, the more our hope for strong leadership becomes a pipe dream, and the more damage will be done to collegiate sports. We seem to be approaching a point of no return already.



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Hugh Freeze Blames NIL Shadiness, Not Golf, For Recruiting Woes

© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Audio By Carbonatix The Auburn Tigers are struggling to recruit ahead of Year 3 in the Hugh Freeze era. The program, which often finds itself in the top half of the SEC rankings, is rated near the bottom of the Power 4. The Tigers‘ […]

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Hugh Freeze Blames NIL Shadiness, Not Golf, For Recruiting Woes

Hugh Freeze greets Auburn football fans.

© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Auburn Tigers are struggling to recruit ahead of Year 3 in the Hugh Freeze era. The program, which often finds itself in the top half of the SEC rankings, is rated near the bottom of the Power 4.

The Tigers‘ 2026 class currently sits at 85th nationally in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings. That’s good for dead last in the Southeastern Conference.

Some of that is due to quantity. Auburn has a league-low seven commitments this offseason and is the only school in single digits.

Some has to do with quality. The Tigers’ average prospect rating is 88.99, which ranks 11th out of 16 SEC teams.

What gives? Freeze was hired in large part due to his recruiting prowess. The Tigers took a chance despite his checkered past. To this point, it hasn’t paid off.

The team is 11-14 across two seasons with the head coach at the helm. Still, they’ve had back-to-back Top 10 recruiting classes to fall back on. That’s changed this summer.

With struggles now being seen both on and off the field, Auburn football supporters are growing anxious. It’s led to over-the-top criticisms from the fanbase.

Hugh Freeze golfs too much!

At least according to some fans. They believe he’s prioritized his golf game above recruiting. Those claims cite his 10 trips to the links over the first 20 days of June.

Auburn’s recruiting ranking alone was enough to cause uneasiness. Rival Alabama’s dominance has fans spiraling.

The Crimson Tide boast a Top 5 class. They’ve swiped a pair of five-star prospects from the Tigers’ grasps in the last week.

Cedarian Morgan, the top-ranked player in the Yellowhammer State, committed to Alabama on July 2nd. Three days later, Jireh Edwards chose the Crimson Tide after taking an official visit to Auburn.

Alabama has been stuffing Auburn in a locker on the recruiting trail. Hugh Freeze says golf isn’t to blame for his poor recruiting. Instead, he referenced shady NIL practices from his competitors.

@auburn_football Hugh Freeze on how the House settlement’s approval of revenue sharing in June has caused new challenges in the ever evolving world of recruiting. #auburn #auburnfootball #nil #recruiting #wareagle #wde #collegefootball #ncaa #nationalsigningday ♬ original sound – Auburn_Football

“We’re doing things the right way,” he said when discussing the House settlement surrounding player payment. “At the end of the day, that’s really what we have to do, in my opinion. We can’t put ourselves in jeopardy…

“If others are operating in a manner not with that, I’m hopeful that they’ll be called out on that at some point… We’re going by what we believe to be the accurate interpretation of [the settlement]. It’s not really to our advantage to what we’re doing right now because others, I think, are operating in a different manner.”

That sudden attention to rule following came off as ironic given his previous firing from Ole Miss. Still, Hugh Freeze believes he’s been put at a disadvantage. He hopes that changes in the coming weeks.

Auburn is struggling to recruit. Should they experience a third straight losing season, criticism of the head coach will grow. But hey, maybe this latest excuse can buy him another few rounds of golf!

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Reece Potter believes this Kentucky team would be banned in a college basketball video game with ‘all 99s’

On June 30, EA Sports announced that it is reviving its college basketball series, starting in 2028. While this year’s Kentucky team won’t be in the game, center Reece Potter didn’t mind daydreaming about what the Wildcats would look like if they were included. “We’d definitely be one of those teams that you’d probably have […]

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On June 30, EA Sports announced that it is reviving its college basketball series, starting in 2028. While this year’s Kentucky team won’t be in the game, center Reece Potter didn’t mind daydreaming about what the Wildcats would look like if they were included.

“We’d definitely be one of those teams that you’d probably have to ban, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Potter said. “In (EA Sports) College Football (25), there was a couple schools, where everybody was like — ‘You can’t use those teams because they’re too good.’

“I feel like we’d definitely probably be one of them. We’re gonna have all 99s probably, definitely going to be on the X-list, ‘You can’t use Kentucky basketball versus me.’”

Potter transferred to Kentucky this offseason after spending two years at Miami (OH). Potter is a Bluegrass State native and went to Lexington Catholic Academy, which is just a few miles down the road from the University of Kentucky.

Potter averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season while shooting 46.6% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Despite Potter’s successful campaign, he isn’t expected to see much action for the Wildcats this season.

Potter’s jokes about the team’s 99 ratings aside, Kentucky loaded up on legitimate talent this offseason. The Wildcats secured the No. 2 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

The class includes standouts such as former All-ACC guard Jaland Lowe and projected 2026 lottery draft pick Jayden Quaintance. Moreover, Kentucky is returning a significant portion of its talent from last season.

The ‘Cats only lost two players to the transfer portal last season — neither of which were starters. In contrast, Kentucky is returning 2024 All-SEC Second-Team selection Otega Oweh, along with other contributors: Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah.

Kentucky is ranked No. 5 in On3 college basketball expert James Fletcher III’s “way-too-early” 2025-26 rankings. Additionally, the Wildcats are tied with Florida for the third-best odds to win the national championship next season. Simply put, Kentucky will be a handful for any opponent next season.

“We always say we’re the deepest team in the country, one through 15 guys, everybody can probably play anywhere in the country,” Potter said. “Every single day, it’s a challenge. Every single day, everybody is trying to bring it, fighting for spots. Our whole team can go… I feel like that’s what is gonna make us a national championship (team).”



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Texas Tech FB Commit Felix Ojo Lands Eye-Popping Revenue-Sharing Deal

Texas Tech commit Felix Ojo is one of the first big winners in the revenue-sharing world that has now begun in college sports. As part of his commitment to Texas Tech, the five-star offensive tackle recruit agreed to a three-year, $2.3 million revenue-sharing deal with the school, The Athletic reported. Ojo’s deal is believed to […]

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Texas Tech commit Felix Ojo is one of the first big winners in the revenue-sharing world that has now begun in college sports. As part of his commitment to Texas Tech, the five-star offensive tackle recruit agreed to a three-year, $2.3 million revenue-sharing deal with the school, The Athletic reported.

Ojo’s deal is believed to be one of the largest revenue-sharing agreements between a school and a student-athlete since the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement in June, which allowed schools and student-athletes to agree to revenue-sharing deals starting on July 1. The deal will pay Ojo $775,000 per year, according to The Athletic.

When news first broke about Ojo’s commitment, his agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, told ESPN that the revenue-sharing deal he received was worth $5.1 million. While that figure isn’t fully guaranteed, Ojo’s revenue-sharing deal can climb to that number if there’s a large jump in the cap schools can spend on revenue-sharing deals with student-athletes, The Athletic added in its report. 

Entering the 2025-26 academic year, schools are allowed to spend roughly $20.5 million in revenue-sharing deals per year across all sponsored sports. However, that number is expected to increase on a yearly basis. 

Ojo can’t officially put pen to paper on his revenue-sharing agreement with Texas Tech just yet, though. Recruits can’t sign their revenue-sharing deals with schools until the signing period begins, which is Dec. 3 for FBS football. Student-athletes enrolled for the 2025-26 academic year could begin negotiating revenue-sharing deals with their current schools starting on July 1. 

Still, Ojo will likely become one of the richest players in college football, at least through revenue sharing, when he takes the field in 2026. To put his agreement in perspective, the total potential value of Ojo’s agreement ($5.1 million) would be equal to what a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft would make over the totality of their rookie deal, per Spotrac. Ojo could actually make more on a per-year basis than those players as well, as NFL rookie deals are four years long. 

“Football is a brutal sport, and athletes are not able to play professionally until their graduating class has been in college three years,” Shelby told ESPN of Ojo’s deal. “It was important to be able to secure Felix Ojo’s future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick.”

Prior to landing Ojo in a rich revenue-sharing deal, Texas Tech has made major financial commitments in obtaining and securing student-athletes as of late in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era. Softball phenom NiJaree Canady has reportedly received two $1 million deals through Texas Tech’s NIL collective, reciting one to transfer from Stanford in 2024 and earning another to remain with the school in June. 

Basketball star JT Toppin also remained at Texas Tech following his All-American season in 2024-25 by reportedly signing a $3 million deal with the school’s NIL collective. That deal has made Toppin one of the most valuable players in all of college sports. 

Texas Tech’s JT Toppin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries in the school’s financial commitment to athletics. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

That spending has also carried into the football program. The Red Raiders spent more than $10 million through their NIL collective to land 21 players in the transfer portal this offseason, according to The Athletic. Its transfer portal class ranked as the second-best this offseason, via 247 Sports. 

Ojo, who also had offers from and visited Michigan, Texas, Florida, Ohio State and others, headlines a 2026 recruiting class that currently ranks 26th in the nation, via 247 Sports. He’s currently 247 Sports’ fifth-best prospect in the Class of 2026 and is the best recruit the program has ever landed, according to the recruiting service. 

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