NIL
LSU Baseball Linked to Coveted Top
Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are set to navigate a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program looking to reload the roster for the 2026 season. After capturing the 2025 National Championship on Sunday, Johnson and Co. have already been linked to multiple available players in the NCAA Transfer Portal. That includes University […]


Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are set to navigate a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program looking to reload the roster for the 2026 season.
After capturing the 2025 National Championship on Sunday, Johnson and Co. have already been linked to multiple available players in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
That includes University of New Orleans star, Bryce Calloway.
Calloway, a Top-10 available prospect in the NCAA Transfer Portal, has quickly become one of the top names to monitor this offseason with a myriad of schools in the mix.
Johnson and Co. are reportedly in contact with the elite-level prospect that can do it all on the diamond.
Calloway can play first base, third base, outfield and has taken the mound as a right-handed pitcher during his time in college.
The slugger hit .390 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs along with a 1.206 OPS this past season. Calloway also made 20 appearances on mound with a fastball up to 93 mph.
TRANSFER: This is a big one. @PrivateersBSB two-way superstar Bryce Calloway has entered the portal as a graduate transfer. Calloway hit .390 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs + a 1.206 OPS this past season. Also made 20 apps on bump w/ FB up to 93.
Profile: https://t.co/p931hAMRJ0… pic.twitter.com/jJMyyy8COQ
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 3, 2025
LSU continues its pursuit of reloading in the NCAA Transfer Portal with another pair of players on the program’s radar.
The Reported Portal Targets [2]:
RHP Landon Mack: Rutgers
Rutgers freshman right-handed pitcher Landon Mack entered the NCAA Transfer Portal this month after one season with the Scarlet Knights.
Mack, one of the top arms available in the free agent market, has multiple programs pursuing his services as it stands. That includes the LSU Tigers with Johnson and Co. in pursuit.
The talented right-hander rounded out his true freshman campaign with Rutgers after tossing 80.1 innings pitched where he logged 70 strikeouts to 17 walks with a 4.03 ERA.
Mack will be a player to keep tabs on as his recruitment process ramping up this week.
2B Jarren Advincula: Cal
Cal second baseman Jarren Advincula is viewed as one of the top players available in the NCAA Transfer Portal with the LSU Tigers in he mix, according to On3 Sports.
In 2024, Advincula led Cal with a .325 batting average and was second on the team in both runs scored with 44 and hits with 69.
Fast forward to his second season with the Golden Bears and he was second on the team in batting with a .342 average.
He led the team in steals with 13 (in 15 attempts) and hits with 81. Advincula tied for the team lead in runs scored with 48, and had six home runs and 33 RBIs.
Now, he’s in the Transfer Portal with a slew of SEC and ACC programs intensifying their pursuit.
LSU has added a pair of players via the NCAA Transfer Portal to this point as the program begins its quest at reloading the roster.
The Additions [2]:
Brayden Simpson: Infielder
The LSU Tigers landed a commitment from High Point infielder Brayden Simpson in June as the program’s first portal addition.
Simpson, one of the top prospects in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is coming off of a career season in North Carolina.
The coveted infielder primarily handled business as a third baseman for High Point this past season where he shined for his Panthers squad.
Simpson had a dominant two-year stretch at High Point with his 2025 campaign quickly putting his name on the map.
He rounded out the season batting .389 with 22 home runs, 77 RBI and a .477 on base percentage this past season.
Simpson is a Swiss Army Knife in the infield and has also spent some time at first base in 2024 and second base in 2023.
In 2024, the talented High Point transfer started in all 62 games where he batted .300 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. He started in 58 games this year.
Seth Dardar: Infielder
Dardar, a Louisiana native, began his career at Columbia prior to making the move to join the Kansas State Wildcats.
During the 2025 season, he logged a team best .326 batting average with 18 doubles and a 1.065 OPS.
A consistent hitter, Dardar tallied 60 hits, 45 RBI and 13 home runs last season for his Wildcats squad.
The New Orleans (La.) Holy Cross standout started in 50 games for Kansas State on his way to becoming a coveted transfer in the portal.
Now, he’s made his move. Dardar will head home to suit up for the Bayou Bengals in his final season of eligibility.
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LSU Football Holds Commitments From a Pair of Top-10 Wide Receivers in America
Brian Kelly’s Take: LSU Football Searching for Ideal Starting Offensive Line Rotation
Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.
NIL
Remember When: Anonymous Lantern Source Claims College Football is “Corrupt,” “Professionalized” and “Big Business” in 1925
A crystal ball 100 years in the making, that’s what an anonymous source in The Lantern seemed to have in 1925. While college football is now more professional than it’s ever been with players now making money from revenue sharing and their name, image and likeness, the topic of whether the sport has become too professionalized […]

A crystal ball 100 years in the making, that’s what an anonymous source in The Lantern seemed to have in 1925.
While college football is now more professional than it’s ever been with players now making money from revenue sharing and their name, image and likeness, the topic of whether the sport has become too professionalized is one that’s been a century in the making.
Nowadays, some collegiate players make more than their respective position coaches while continuing to be student-athletes. In an era where college athletics continually evolve and adapt on what seems like a daily (or at least weekly) basis, NIL has transformed the sport forever and will continue to do so with the changes that follow.
One hundred years ago, an anonymous source told The Lantern that college football was a “corrupt” sport and that “universities have become professionalized.”
Here’s a snippet from the August 26, 1925, issue of The Lantern:

“Football Finance.”
“Big business.”
“Football is no longer an amateur, college game. Universities have become professionalized.”
Are those statements made in 1925 or 2025? Seriously.
Even though the author in The Lantern didn’t think college football was corrupt, they did discuss college football players getting paid to play for their universities.
We do not believe our athletes are “kept” by the University although we may at times suspect they recive help from interested alumni and friends of the University. But if a man keeps eligible, and if an alumnus helps him to get a job to keep himself in school, we cannot complain that he is being professionalized.
Unviersity scouts can more than likely tell many tales of personal pressure to bear to get an athlete to attend Ohio State instead of some other school.
For those curious, after three consecutive losing seasons, the Buckeyes finished 4-3-1 in 1925 before an impressive 7-1 season a year later.
While some might argue that college football is now corrupt and all about NIL – which, in some cases, might be correct – it’s a sport that continues to revolutionize and is now more popular than ever before.
In 2010, Ohio State players were suspended and Jim Tressel was fired when said players sold memorabilia in exchange for tattoos, a saga often referred to as Tattoogate. Now, players are signing seven-figure deals to attend a school and play college football.
Fast forward to 2025, and collective bargaining might soon become a thing in college athletics.
On a potentially historic day on Capitol Hill – when an all-encompassing college sports bill could advance out of committee – two Democrats are reintroducing a bill that does permit what many within the industry crave: collective bargaining with athleteshttps://t.co/7jz5cqpHDz pic.twitter.com/PBvYFAU5pS
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 23, 2025
That anonymous person in 1925 was kind of right; it just took 100 years for that to come to fruition.
NIL
Nick Saban stresses importance of keeping non-revenue sports after President Donald Trump’s executive order
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the intent of ending third-party, pay-for-play payments in college athletics. In the middle of all that, though, Nick Saban wants to ensure the protection of other collegiate sports outside of football and men’s basketball. In an appearance on FOX News on Friday, Saban stressed the […]

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the intent of ending third-party, pay-for-play payments in college athletics. In the middle of all that, though, Nick Saban wants to ensure the protection of other collegiate sports outside of football and men’s basketball.
In an appearance on FOX News on Friday, Saban stressed the need to take care of the non-revenue sports. That’s because of what the profits made in football and men’s basketball have meant to the other sports outside of those two for many years now.
“Well, I think that, you know, I’m for keeping all the sports that we have, as many that we can have. But, you know, there are financial concerns relative to how many sports can you promote that don’t create revenue?” Saban said. “I think one of the things that people need to understand about college sports – they say it’s a business, but it’s really not a business. It’s revenue-producing and two sports have created the revenue to have 20 other sports, and I think that’s why it’s important that we have a system in place.
“And I think, you know, President Trump has made the first step toward that. I think, you know, the SCORE Act in Congress right now would be another step in that direction, would protect the opportunities that we’ve been able to provide for male and female, non-revenue sports because I think it’s everybody’s goal to keep all those opportunities intact.”
Again, of everything to factor into what name, image, and likeness and revenue sharing looks live moving forward, this aspect is of note. That’s with football and men’s basketball making all of the profits as compared to every other sport around college athletics.
Saban reacts to Trump’s executive order relating to college sports
When President Donald Trump initially expressed concern about the current state of collegiate athletics back in May, he turned to Nick Saban for advice, as, after meeting in Tuscaloosa, Trump tabbed the legendary former coach as a co-chair on a yet-to-be-realized presidential commission on college sports. And, while Trump’s proposed presidential commission never went beyond those initial discussion phases, Saban’s input helped create the framework of what would become Trump’s recent executive order, titled “President Donald J. Trump Saves College Sports,” which the White House announced Thursday.
A day later, Saban praised the president’s executive order. He called it “a huge step” toward moving college athletics back to an “educational model” after the House v. NCAA settlement effectively ended the NCAA’s “amateur” model and ushered in revenue-sharing with student-athletes beginning July 1st.
“I think President Trump’s executive order is a huge step in providing the educational model which is what we’ve always sort of tried to promote to create opportunities for players, male and female alike, revenue and non-revenue, so they can have development as people, students and develop careers or develop professionally if that’s what they choose to do,” Saban said during a Friday morning appearance on FOX’s Fox and Friends. “I think we need to make a decision here relative to do we want to have an education-based model, which I think the President made a huge step toward that, or do we want to have universities sponsor professional teams. And I think most people would choose the former.”
The “Save College Sports” executive order delivers on multiple agenda items the NCAA and Power Four administrators have lobbied Congress for in recent months. That includes directing key members of his administration — specifically his secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services and the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission — to develop a plan to provide antitrust protections for the NCAA and its conferences so it can properly create and enforce rules governing the future of collegiate athletics.
An executive order streamlines some of the top items on the NCAA’s wishlist. The order “requires the preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports.”
NIL
Report: ESPN sees ‘potential’ for Bill Belichick TV ratings to mirror Deion Sanders impact
In 2023, Deion Sanders brought Prime Time to Colorado. The Buffaloes were a ratings hit, making a near-weekly appearance in the Top 10 most-watched college football games. More Hall of Fame star power is coming to college football in 2025, this time in Chapel Hill. Bill Belichick is gearing up for his first season at […]

In 2023, Deion Sanders brought Prime Time to Colorado. The Buffaloes were a ratings hit, making a near-weekly appearance in the Top 10 most-watched college football games.
More Hall of Fame star power is coming to college football in 2025, this time in Chapel Hill. Bill Belichick is gearing up for his first season at North Carolina, bringing plenty of attention to the program along with him. That was apparent at ACC Media Days this week as crowds of reporters listened to what the six-time Super Bowl champion coach had to say.
ESPN is also in position to capitalize with eight – maybe 10 – UNC games on its networks, Front Office Sports reported. As for whether the company is expecting a Coach Prime-like surge, it certainly sees “potential.”
“We have to wait and see. The potential is there,” said Kurt Dargis, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions, in an interview with FOS. “There’s definitely interest in him outside the typical college football fan.
“Deion was such a phenomenon. I still can’t believe some of the numbers we got that first year he was there. It’s too early to say.”
ESPN capitalizing early on Bill Belichick at UNC
ESPN’s main channel is set to air North Carolina’s opener against TCU, which will take place in primetime on Monday, Sept. 1 with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. The network will also broadcast College Football Countdown from Chapel Hill, hosted by Matt Barrie. Analysts Tedy Bruschi, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban will also be in attendance, as will college football insider Pete Thamel.
North Carolina’s Week 2 matchup against Charlotte will be exclusively on ESPN+, and Week 3 against Richmond will be on ACC Network – owned by ESPN. Two other Tar Heels games have already been picked up by ESPN. North Carolina’s Oct. 17 game at Cal will be on ESPN with a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff, and ESPN will air the Oct. 31 matchup at Syracuse.
Of course, TCU was also the season opener for Sanders’ first season at Colorado in 2022. The Buffaloes wound up winning that game 45-42, thrusting the program into the national spotlight as Coach Prime and Co. took down a team fresh off a national championship berth.
Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes previously joked this year’s opener was “bad scheduling” given that recent history. However, at Big 12 Media Days, he told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg he thinks the program is better prepared to deal with such an anticipated matchup.
NIL
Why Hanna Cavinder Is More Than Just an Athlete
Hanna Cavinder turned her college basketball fame into a strong brand and business. With her twin sister Haley, she built a huge social media following and scored major NIL deals. Their TikTok has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Analysts say their influence rivals top male college stars. The Cavinder twins are now […]

Hanna Cavinder turned her college basketball fame into a strong brand and business. With her twin sister Haley, she built a huge social media following and scored major NIL deals. Their TikTok has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Analysts say their influence rivals top male college stars. The Cavinder twins are now big names among student-athletes and young business minds.
Hanna Cavinder’s huge online following led to brand deals (Nike, Under Armour), startup investments, and media gigs. Her smart branding shows how college athletes can use their platform for long-term success.
Social Media
Before NIL rules, Hanna and Haley Cavinder became TikTok stars. By March 2021, they had 2.7 million followers, posting dances and basketball clips from Fresno State. Their reach showed that follower count, not stats, could drive earnings. Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said their impact was nearly as big as Trevor Lawrence’s the NFL’s top draft pick that year.
Today, the Cavinders have a massive online following. Their shared TikTok (@cavindertwins) has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Their Instagram accounts shared and individual total nearly 2 million followers, per SBJ. These numbers rival celebrity influencers, not typical college athletes. Hanna’s team treats these channels as key brand assets. The twins post lifestyle, fitness, and travel content to grow their audience. This steady activity taught Hanna the value of her brand even before NIL rules began.
By July 2021, when NIL rules took effect, Hanna had already shown her market power. Experts said her TikTok presence alone could earn hundreds of thousands a year. Within two years, the Cavinders reported nearly $2 million from NIL and sponsorship deals. They prove daily that social media can turn into real income for athletes.
Branding and Business Ventures
Hanna’s brand play isn’t just about TikTok. She and Haley treat NIL deals like real business. They’ve signed long-term partnerships and taken equity in companies. In July 2024, they landed a three-year exclusive apparel and footwear deal with Under Armour the first for NCAA women’s basketball players. UA even taps them to test and help design new products, using their real fan connection.
The Cavinder twins promote their ventures in a real, relatable way. Their agent says they offer brands a mix of sport, fashion, and wellness influence. Hanna often repeats her dad’s advice: ‘It’s not a four-year plan, it’s a 40-year plan.’ She says NIL taught them to invest, diversify, and think long-term. They work with a trusted attorney and aim to build a lasting business far beyond the norm for college athletes.
Under Armour even ran a playful campaign with the twins, sharing ‘7 easy steps’ to build an NIL empire. The list included ‘be elite,’ ‘sign with Under Armour,’ and ‘star in a Dick’s campaign.’ It was tongue-in-cheek, but Hanna has done it all and more.
NIL Pioneer and Role Model
Hanna Cavinder has become a key voice for college athlete opportunity. She and Haley were among the first to sign an NIL deal partnering with Boost Mobile on July 1, 2021, in a Times Square ad. The deal, reportedly worth five figures each, made headlines and opened doors.
They’ve also pushed for policy change. Both spoke at a U.S. Senate NIL roundtable, backing fair, earned rights for student-athletes.
Their success changed how people view NIL. They started at Fresno State not a sports powerhouse yet out-earned many big-school stars. As one writer said, ‘The twins are proof that NIL benefits go beyond the biggest names in the biggest sports.
In 2024, they were profiled by Sports Business Journal and included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Sports a nod to their pioneering role in the NIL era and their business success off the court.
Building a Lasting Legacy
For student-athletes interested in entrepreneurship and branding, Hanna Cavinder’s journey offers several key takeaways:
1. Invest Early, Think Long-Term
Approach NIL as a long-term opportunity. Hanna treats every deal like an investment, focusing on equity, royalties, and sustainability.
2. Diversify Your Platform
Grow your brand across multiple platforms (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) and use them to authentically support your ventures.
3. Be a Trailblazer
Don’t be afraid to try new things: sign major partnerships, appear in national campaigns, launch your own product lines.
4. Stay Authentic
Hanna’s relatable, humorous, and athletic brand connects with fans. Authenticity builds trust and trust builds influence.
5. Balance Sports and Business
Build a team to help you manage both athletics and business. Hanna has done this well, continuing her NCAA basketball career while growing a business empire.
Conclusion
Hanna Cavinder has become one of the most influential college athletes of the NIL era. Through strategic branding, smart investments, and relentless social media engagement, she has proven that athletic talent is only the beginning. Her story is not just about viral fame or flashy deals it’s about building a business, inspiring future athletes, and showing the world that college athletes can be CEOs in sneakers.
NIL
Dave Aranda draws parallel to ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ when discussing transfer portal
The question was about the negative side-effects of the transfer portal and NIL. The answer was… not about that. At least not at first. Three seconds in, when Baylor head coach Dave Aranda uttered the phrase “they’re throwing midgets,” you realize you’re in for a wild ride. Aranda has a cerebral personality, a deadpan delivery, […]

The question was about the negative side-effects of the transfer portal and NIL. The answer was… not about that. At least not at first.
Three seconds in, when Baylor head coach Dave Aranda uttered the phrase “they’re throwing midgets,” you realize you’re in for a wild ride. Aranda has a cerebral personality, a deadpan delivery, and a diverse set of interests. That means anything is viable to come out of his mouth at any time, and when it does he’ll deliver it with a straight face. Recall last year when he likened calling plays to being a fighter pilot trying to avoid being shot out of the sky.
Aranda was making a point on how too often in college football coaches will make players feel like a part of the proverbial family only to treat them like commodities it’s go time. To make that point, Aranda recalled the scene in The Wolf of Wall Street when Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and company are discussing hiring a little person to throw at a spinning wheel of money. But before they can do that, Hill points out, they must first make the performer feel like one of them.
Here’s how it sounded coming out of Aranda’s mouth.
Is that the best analogy to make that point? Probably not. But also yes, because you’re now going to be thinking about it all day.
NIL
UW football plans to use NIL to enhance community engagement
Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch made it clear at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas this week that his program has everything he needs to make the Huskies a contender on an annual basis. Fisch noted UW athletic director Pat Chun and Deputy Athletic Director & Chief Operating Officer Erin O’Connell as two vital […]

Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch made it clear at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas this week that his program has everything he needs to make the Huskies a contender on an annual basis.
Fisch noted UW athletic director Pat Chun and Deputy Athletic Director & Chief Operating Officer Erin O’Connell as two vital people with the university who have helped usher the football program from the old Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten, viewed as a driving force in the new world of college athletics.
This past offseason, Fisch utilized the resources provided by the duo to increase the size of his football staff, including hiring a dedicated special teams coordinator in Chris Petrilli and hiring several other coaches for new positions.
“We are competing at the highest level,” Fisch said. “Whether that be through staff size, staff compensation, staff retention, player development, player rosters, and player compensation.”
Fisch also affirmed the previous stance UW has taken with respect to Name, Image, and Likeness, with community engagement at the forefront.
Under its partnership with Montlake Futures, the football team has heavily partnered with local non-profit organizations, including Girl Scouts of America, American Heart Association, and others, with the aim of having a more authentic, organic relationship for the players as they enter a new compensation world that previously hadn’t existed.
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