Much like the NBA in the 2010s, once the actual season ends for college football, the real drama begins off the field. Since the conclusion of the regular season, many players have already announced whether they’ll enter the transfer portal or re-sign NIL and rev-share deals with their current teams.

There is no real contract system set up for college athletics the way there is in professional sports, where deals can be signed for four or five years, binding both sides. In college football, every player is basically a free agent every offseason and has the power to re-negotiate their deal or enter the transfer portal if they can’t agree to terms with their school. However, perhaps the most famous athlete in all of college sports is now deciding to reduce his salary, not increase it, as he plans to return for 2026.

That would be Texas quarterback Arch Manning. According to Sporting News and On3, Manning entered the 2025 college football season as, reportedly, the highest-paid player in the entire sport. On3’s NIL valuation database had Manning as the highest-valued player in the country heading into the year, and despite some dips in play, Manning still remains No. 1 in On3’s NIL100 rating the top 100 highest-valued college athletes. His current value is listed at $5.3 million.

But according to a report that came out Friday morning, Manning actually will accept less money from Texas’ direct revenue share next season in an attempt to help the team better equip themselves for a 2026 national championship run after disappointing their CFP expectations in 2025. It’s important to note that Manning’s endorsement deals, nor money from any NIL collective, are impacted by this.

“Sources tell Inside Texas that star quarterback has agreed to a reduced compensation amount from Texas’ House settlement revenue sharing pool in 2026,” On3 ‘s Justin Wells published on Friday. “This ostensibly doesn’t affect his compensation from fair market NIL, commonly referred to by Texas administrators as ‘real NIL.’ Manning has partnerships with Warby Parker, Waymo, Vuori, and Red Bull and is one of the most high-profile college athletes regardless of sport.”

This move here is noble by Manning but also makes most sense for the team. As Wells mentioned above, Manning is heavily partnered with national brands and is the unique college athlete who brings his own marketability to the table, outside of his performance. This is a guy that can generate millions of dollars from endorsements and public partnerships — what Texas admins consider “real NIL.”

Essentially, Texas can guarantee Manning less raw money via the rev-share route but still assure him that he’ll get his money through other NIL means. Then, the Longhorns can take that guaranteed rev-share money and use it on high-level players who may not have the same name recognition or personal brand as Manning.

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OXFORD, Miss. — The Rebel Walk’s Kam Wicker and Zach Moreth sat down this week with Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter for an episode of The Rebel Talk, covering a wide range of topics relevant to Rebel fans.

Carter discussed the evolving landscape of college athletics, including NIL, revenue sharing, and the College Football Playoff, offering insight into where Ole Miss fits in a rapidly changing environment.

The Rebels’ athletics director also provided additional details on Ole Miss’ recent Request for Proposals (RFP), which seeks a development team to lead a transformative, multi-asset public-private partnership aimed at reshaping the areas surrounding Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the campus edge.

In addition to the business of college athletics, Carter shared a more personal side, giving the hosts a glimpse into how he spends what little free time he has away from the office.

WATCH the full episode below:

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Brendan Sorsby, a redshirt junior who split his first two years at Indiana before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024, posted an efficient, productive 2025 season. 

In 12 games, he threw for 2,800 passing yards with 27 passing touchdowns and five interceptions, plus 580 rushing yards and nine rushing scores, making him among the more complete dual-threat QBs in the country. 

Unfortunately for the Bearcats, he informed Cincinnati of his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Monday and is also awaiting an NFL draft grade while he gauges options. 

Brendan Sorsby’s public NIL profile ranks him among the higher-valued transfer assets nationally, with a reported valuation of around $2.4 million, ranking 12th among all NCAA athletes in 2025.

As college football’s winter transfer market quickens, Tennessee has now been connected to Sorsby, according to reporting by On3’s Pete Nakos.

The link arrives as the Vols’ quarterback picture for 2026 grows murky, creating a plausible landing spot for a veteran signal-caller. 

Tennessee starter Joey Aguilar closed the 2025 regular slate with 3,444 passing yards, 24 TDs, and 11 INTs, but the depth chart behind him has thinned. 

Backup Jake Merklinger has reportedly told staff he plans to enter the portal, and the only experienced alternatives are true freshmen and early enrollees such as George MacIntyre and incoming five-star signee Faizon Brandon.

That combination leaves Tennessee weighing whether to chase an established transfer or roll with youth.

Several other programs, including Big Ten and Big 12 teams, have also been linked to Sorsby, notably Indiana, Oregon, Penn State, and Texas Tech.

Sorsby’s decision will likely hinge on three factors: NFL feedback on his draft prospects, immediate playing opportunity, and a clear path to a starting role.

Tennessee checks two of those boxes: potential playing time if depth erodes and a high-usage offense, though competition from programs willing to offer larger NIL guarantees remains a factor.

Expect conversations and movement to heat up with the portal opening on January 2, 2025.

Read More at College Football HQ

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• $64 million college football coach emerges as prime candidate to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan

• $45 million college football head coach reportedly offers Lane Kiffin unexpected role

• $3.7 million college football head coach named clear candidate for Michigan vacancy

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Receiver Jeremiah Smith, safety Caleb Downs and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald have earned first-team All-American honors from all five major publications this postseason, officially making them unanimous selections.

In doing so, the collection of stars helped Ohio State football set a record.

The Buckeyes now have a college-football best 42 unanimous All-Americans in program history.

Alabama, which entered the season with a record 41 unanimous selections, had none. Notre Dame, which was tied with OSU at 39 coming into the season, had two (Jeremiyah Love, Leonard Moore).

This is the first time Ohio State has ever had three unanimous selections in the same year.

Downs is the first defensive player in program history to earn multiple unanimous All-American honors.

He’s in his second campaign at OSU after transferring from Alabama. Along with his All-American honors, Downs won the Lott IMPACT Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award this year.

Smith is also in his second season with the Buckeyes after arriving as one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history. He’s lived up to the hype, highlighted by his 80 receptions for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

McDonald has been a fixture in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line, collecting 57 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He’s anchored a unit allowing only 84.46 rushing yards per game.

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt drew instant scrutiny this week when he made the claim that the only reason the Group of Five was in the College Football Playoff was the threat of litigation. He also suggested, in a parallel vein, that the NCAA basketball tournament isn’t an effective way to crown a champion in the sport.

He railed against Cinderellas a bit and just generally came off seeming a touch antagonistic toward both college basketball and the G5. On Thursday, he apologized for his delivery.

“I had an interesting take. It was a bad take. It was a terrible take,” Joel Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “I have this take about the NCAA Tournament that is a bad take. And it’s a hot take. But it’s what I believe about the NCAA Tournament.

“Now, to be fair, what I said on their show on Monday morning early was sloppy and worded wrong. So it was kind of like I landed the plane but it was in a corn field and so like we had to hit the eject and the plane didn’t crash necessarily. Here’s the deal: I did not articulate what I wanted to articulate.”

He later spent a few minutes on his podcast further outlining his thoughts on Thursday morning. But has his stance really changed?

“Here’s the take: The NCAA basketball tournament, if the objective was to crown the best basketball team of the college basketball season, then it’s a bad format,” Klatt said. “And because of that, then it’s not fair, is what I said. And I said it is a joke and it’s the dumbest, and that’s obviously going to grab headlines. That’s stupid of me to use those terms.

“But the structure of the NCAA basketball tournament, its objective is entertainment, it’s meant to be a gauntlet. So the point is the best college basketball team for the year doesn’t always win the NCAA basketball tournament. That tournament is set up to just crown its own champion. It’s a made-for-TV, entertainment event. And it’s great. And by the way, I do love the NCAA basketball tournament. But if you’re asking me if it’s structured properly to crown the best team of the season, then the answer is no.”

Klatt would admit his opinion is unpopular. But he was unflinching in defending the heart of his point, even if not his delivery of the initial comments.

“Now… it’s a hot take. It’s a bad take,” Klatt said. “Not everyone’s going to share that with me, because everyone loves the entertainment value of Cinderellas in the NCAA basketball tournament. But there’s the thing, if you’re actually honest with yourself, you love the Cinderellas early, but late, you want to see the best teams playing against each other. You want to see incredible regional finals. You want to see Kentucky and Duke with (Christian) Laettner hitting it at the buzzer. Why? Because that’s greatness. So I root for good teams to become the participants late in the tournament.”

Here’s where the argument starts to come back around to the Group of Five and the College Football Playoff a little more. The links that were perhaps missing or not well-enough established in Joel Klatt’s initial go-round were filled in.

“In college football, ours is much more selective. We have 12 teams of 130-whatever in college football,” Klatt said. “So once we’re down to 12, well, now we don’t really want Cinderellas. And I will maintain that opinion. You can disagree and more power to you.”

As for the NCAA basketball tournament, perhaps it was just a case of Joel Klatt conflating two ideas and two different opinions that didn’t need to intersect. Maybe.

Still, the analyst stuck to his guns on his overall points. Especially with the G5 in the playoff.

“The way I said it on Monday morning was so dumb. Dumb take,” Klatt said. “And I prefaced it by saying it’s like the hottest of all takes. There’s 68 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament. So yeah, people love the Cinderellas, but you want the great teams playing late. That makes it awesome in the Final Four and the regional finals. And I’m saying we’re already at that point in college football.”

So what should the Group of Five do if they’re no longer welcome in the playoff? Well, Klatt suggested an alternative. It’s likely to be controversial. But it’s not something totally out of the realm of possibility, either.

“By the way, I’m not a Group of Five hater,” Klatt said. “I think it would be better for the Group of Five if they played their own championship, so that we could celebrate them. Focus on them. More teams could be involved, more fanbases could be involved. That would be awesome. I think that would be great for everyone. Not having to go up to Autzen and face one of the best five teams in the country. That’s impossible for JMU. … I will just say I think it would be better if they played their own playoff.”