KC Concepcion is set to be one of the most important players for Texas A&M football next season. The star wide receiver, a transfer from NC State, comes to the Aggies after two highly productive years up in Raleigh, and was one of the most highly-coveted players in the transfer portal.

In this modern era of college football, then, this means that most fans conclude that he will command a high amount of leverage when it comes to NIL compensation. So no one was surprised when a number began circulating recently of 2.5MM total compensation for Concepcion in this upcoming year.

As a matter of fact, I took that reporting to mean that the Aggies were taking the next step to be competitive in the NIL space. There’s a lot that’s still opaque about amounts that certain players are earning, and the lack of transparency makes things difficult, but it didn’t seem out of the question that Concepcion could be earning that much from the collective and other deals.

Mike Elko dismisses rumored, eye-popping NIL amount for KC Concepcion: “He does not have that much money”

However, Mike Elko at a coach’s night last night had some definitive words about such rumors.

This does not necessarily mean that the Aggies are not competitive on the NIL front: I don’t think that they would have a guy like Concepcion on the team if they weren’t competitive. It clearly is not their entire pitch to any recruit, unlike certain schools.

But it’s good for Elko to address these things in one way, because it can lead to other recruits being of the belief that, if they are offered less, they are being lowballed. If that’s not the case, then it doesn’t help anyone.

This was a smart move by Elko to dismiss this rumor. It’s hard to be upfront as a modern college football program, but the strategic way that Elko is doing so is paying off.

When Ohio State athletics boss Ross Bjork took the stage last week and clued us in on all the new NIL rules, what did you think?

How will the Buckeyes fare in the updated era? Can they remain atop the food chain? Is it … you know … good to be King?

We welcome in The People’s Champ – Matt Baxendell – to dive deep on all the changes and possible ramifications.

How will it all look when practically applied by the NCAA and sheriffed by Deloitte, a multinational professional services network and one of the Big Four accounting firms?

Is the city of Columbus now THE ideal college town (if it wasn’t already)?

What other programs are in a similar spot to Ohio State?

In the end … is it good or bad for the Buckeyes?

Spend 5ish with us this a.m., ‘Nutters!

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The NCAA softball rules committee proposed multiple rule changes for the 2025-26 season. Additionally, the committee clarified obstruction.

The recommended changes include a modified illegally batted ball, meaning it would be a dead ball call if a player has one foot completely out of a batter’s box. A double first base was also part of the proposal as committee members argued it would create a clearer running lane between home plate and first base. Baseball approved a double first base for this current season.

Obstruction took center stage at this year’s Women’s College World Series, though. Some controversial reviews took place, and the committee clarified the rule. Obstruction occurs when a player does not have possession of the ball and either blocks any part of the leading edge of a base or otherwise blocks the runner from advancing or returning.

One note in the clarification centered around if the runner would clearly be out regardless of obstruction. Note No. 5 reads, “If the base runner would have been out, regardless of the defensive player’s movement or positioning, which had no effect on the play, the runner would remain out, and the obstruction would be ignored.” The previous clarification left it up to umpire’s judgment.

“By clarifying this rule, it allows our athletes to make softball plays,” said Tina Phillips, Pitt-Bradford coach and chair of the committee. “We wanted to avoid the scenarios where someone is safe due to a technicality.”

Obstruction became key WCWS storyline

One of the key moments involving an obstruction call came in the Women’s College World Series final between Texas and Texas Tech. Longhorns infielder Leighann Goode went to tag Red Raiders baserunner Logan Halleman out on a stolen base attempt. Goode placed the tag well before Halleman got to the base, but Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco challenged the call and argued Goode obstructed.

Umpires overturned the call after a review, and the reaction was swift as criticism came in from around the sport. ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza was among the voices calling for the NCAA to change the rule.

The NCAA changed the obstruction rule for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The goal is to allow a runner a path to the base while running on a live ball. A play is deemed to be obstruction if a defensive player blocks any part of the leading edge of a base – including home plate – or “otherwise blocks the runner from advancing or returning to a base,” according to Rule 9.5.1.

“Obstruction occurs when a defensive player, neither in possession of the ball nor in the act of fielding a batted ball, impedes a batter’s attempt to make contact with a pitch or impedes the progress of any runner who is legally running bases on a live ball,” the rule states. “It can be intentional or unintentional.”

The SEC was its best, maybe ever, last season, and Auburn emerged as the outright champion. What do the new-look Tigers have in store for an encore?

Auburn basketball got a better idea of what its conference schedule will look like Wednesday morning, when the SEC unveiled opponents and locations for each team’s 18 conference games.

Here are Auburn’s designations for next season, with the most notable change that Arkansas is now a home-and-home opponent, replacing Georgia. So that means, under the league’s new scheduling model, Alabama and Ole Miss will be the Tigers’ permanent home-and-home foes, with the third spot able to be rotated every year.

• HOME AND AWAY: Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas

• HOME ONLY: Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

• AWAY ONLY: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Next season will mark the first time since 2014 that Auburn will not play rival Georgia twice in a regular season.

Exact dates for each SEC game will be announced closer to the season; last year they were announced in August.

Auburn went 15-3 last season and won the league outright in a loaded SEC that earned a record 14 NCAA Tournament bids. The Tigers went on to their second Final Four under Bruce Pearl, then had to replace every scholarship player from the team, with the exception of point guard Tahaad Pettiford who opted to return from the NBA draft process.

Auburn added four players from the transfer portal — UCF forward Keyshawn Hall, Mississippi State big man KeShawn Murphy, Texas Tech guard Kevin Overton and Lincoln Memorial wing Elyjah Freeman — along with JUCO pickups Abdul Bashir, a guard, and Emeka Opurum, a center. Auburn also landed a commitment from Serbian forward Filip Jovic.

The Tigers bring in the nation’s No. 14-ranked freshman class with forward Sebastian Williams-Adams, point guard Kaden Magwood and shooting guard Simon Walker. 

The Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients were announced on Tuesday, June 17. The award is given to one male and one female student-athlete of the graduating class in each school in the conference that “demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career.” It is considered the highest honor awarded in the Big Ten.

This year, Nittany Lions of Penn State football and softball received the Big Ten Medal of Honor.

Tight end Tyler Warren receives Big Ten Medal of Honor

Warren, who was recently drafted No. 14 overall by the Indianapolis Colts, was named the male recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor.

With the Nittany Lions on the field, he finished his NCAA career with a total of 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards, 19 receiving touchdowns, 32 carries, 224 rushing yards, and six rushing touchdowns. He had five, 100-yard games as well at Penn State. Leaving the Nittany Lions, he leads the program’s tight ends in total touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and 100-yard games. Warren is also tied at fourth among tight ends in the Big Ten for career receptions and receiving touchdowns.

In his senior season alone, he had 104 receptions for 1,233 yards, averaging 11.9 yards per catch, and eight receiving touchdowns. Warren also had 26 rushing attempts for 218 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, was honored as the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game, and won the John Mackey Award.

In the classroom, he earned his first degree in Fall 2023 in advertising and public relations with a 3.36 cumulative GPA. Warren then completed his second degree in telecommunications in Fall 2024. His academics led him to be a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy (AKA the “Academic Heisman”).

Utility player Maddie Gordon receives Big Ten Medal of Honor

Gordon, a three-year graduate from Penn State, was honored as the female recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor.

She had a breakout season as a junior, leading her to being named to the NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team. Gordon was also selected to the Second Team All-Big Ten. She joined three other players in program history to start in all 55 games, according to Penn State Athletics, which is unsurprising given her program-high at-bats, runs scored, home runs, RBIs, total bases, and slugging percentage in a single season. Gordon hit .342 with 12 home runs and a 1.122 on-base plus slugging as a junior.

She also helped her team make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Gordon’s breakout year also moved her to fourth in Penn State batting history for most home run hits. She was considered one of the all-around batting stars for the Nittany Lions.

Off the field, she completed a double major with a cumulative 3.93 GPA in recreation, park, and tourism management and human development and family studies. Her thesis was based around spreading mental health awareness and fostering support for student-athletes. She was an active member of Penn State’s community as a member of the university’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Athletic Department Leadership Institute, and Penn State Christian Athletes.

Gordon’s off-the-field work went beyond the classroom as well. Of some of her volunteer work, she assisted in Penn State’s Special Olympics Sports Fest and visited elementary schools to encourage young students. She also participated in a pep rally, motivating her teammates to join, after her consistent work with the YMCA.