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Media, ad execs and celebs return to Cannes Lions

It’s that time of year again when the mega-yachts of titans of media, tech and advertising drop anchor in the Mediterranean Sea, where the industry’s biggest names will convene in the glitzy French seaside town of Cannes to make deals and debate the industry’s biggest issues. The rosé and champagne-infused week-long event, known as the […]

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Media, ad execs and celebs return to Cannes Lions

It’s that time of year again when the mega-yachts of titans of media, tech and advertising drop anchor in the Mediterranean Sea, where the industry’s biggest names will convene in the glitzy French seaside town of Cannes to make deals and debate the industry’s biggest issues.

The rosé and champagne-infused week-long event, known as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is roaring back this week for its 72nd year – and boasting over 12,000 attendees from over 97 countries, including a heavy-hitting list of top execs, celebs and athletes.

“These are the biggest numbers they’ve ever had,” said 3CV founder Michael Kassan, who has not only been going to Cannes Lions for over 25 years, but is also instrumental in shaping it into what the event has become.

The VIP dinner party hosted by iHeartMedia and MediaLink at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc during the Cannes Lions Festival in 2023 in Cap d’Antibes, France. Getty Images for iHeartMedia

“You have the agencies, you have the brands, you have the creatives, you have the media side and the platforms,” he said. That’s why you get the buzz and that’s why Cannes is a must-attend event. I’m not saying it’s immune to economic pressures and the like but the numbers for Cannes Lions are through the roof [this year].”

The self-proclaimed grand poobah of the illustrious event rattled off a slew of top names in media who will be at this week’s event, including Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy, newly named Instacart CEO Chris Rogers and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, who is in the running for the top job when Mouse House CEO Bob Iger is slated to step down in late 2026.

Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen will grab the Creative Champion of the Year award at Cannes Lions. AP

Headlining speakers for the five-day fest, which starts Monday, include Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen, who will grab the Creative Champion of the Year award, as well as YouTube CEO Neal Mohan tennis star and entrepreneur Serena Williams, NFL player and Taylor Swift beau Travis Kelce, actress and Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon and “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon.

Despite the strong attendance, the economy will be top of mind for execs, who are grappling with how to deal with President Trump’s looming  tariffs, a tepid mergers and acquisition environment and uncertainty about how the implementation of artificial intelligence will impact the advertising industry.

“I might have a bit of a hot take on the economy,” said Yahoo Chief Revenue Officer Rob Wilk.”If you look at what you read, it seems way more gloomy than what I experience day to day.”

Tennis legend and entrepreneur Serena Williams will speak at the media and advertising conference. AFP via Getty Images

Wilk. whose media company is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, said that the advertisers are “holding on to dry powder” and waiting to spend versus “slashing budgets and pulling back”  and that he’s seeing that same caution reflected in dealmaking, due in part to the tariff conversation. 

He said M&A deals will only happen if they’re an “accretive acquisition,” giving the example of Yahoo’s April acquisition of Artifact, the AI-driven news aggregation app from Instagram cofounders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.

3CV’s Kasan  said he expects the M&A environment to heat up later once two major deals close. He cited  the $13.25 billion merger between ad giant Omnicom and Interpublic, which is expected to close later this year, and Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global.

NFL star and Taylor Swift beau Travis Kelce is returning to Cannes this year, as the festival continues to lean into the topics of sports media. Erik Messori for NY Post

CBS-parent Paramount is currently embroiled in talks to settle President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against “60 Minutes” over the editing of its sitdown with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The legal settlement will be key for the deal to move forward, according to media experts.

“I do think the M&A landscape and entertainment will get a little busy once the Paramount deal is done,” Kassan said, noting that Cannes will be a hot bed for dealmaking and conversations about how to grow businesses.

Media execs and ad titans will explore how artificial intelligence, influencer marketing and retail media can boost their businesses. Getty Images for iHeartMedia

This year, execs will be focused on four top issues that can drive revenue; artificial intelligence, commerce, creators and sports media, he said, adding that his new company 3CV will be hosting talks on these themes throughout the week at Plage 3CV on the Croisette.

“AI is everything, everywhere all at once,” he said with a laugh. 

Christopher Vollmer, managing director of MediaLink and partner at UTA agreed, explaining that the “conversations around AI have shifted from can AI create something interesting to how do we create AI responsibly, distinctively and at scale?”

Cannes will soon be flooded with mega-yachts as elites from tech, media and advertising descend on the seaside town. Ella Pellegrini for NY Post

“It’s more about a pragmatic application of AI versus a ‘gee whiz’ reaction,” he said, adding that chief financial officers of companies are pushing their marketing heads to spend efficiently and do more with less money.

“The ability to do that – with the advancements in data, technology, etcetera— reinforces that it is possible to do more with less every year,” he said. “There’s a real focus on what price performance, what marketing investments of any kind can be tied to return on investment.”

Retail or commerce media has become a huge focus for brands looking for growth. He pointed to Amazon– which will have a strong presence once again at Lions– as leading the charge in its value-proposition to partners. 

“Amazon’s whole proposition is ‘we know what you watch and we know what you buy,’” he said, adding that the e-commerce giant is driving a convergence across content, advertising, commerce and shopping.

Sports Beach will return this year and welcome a slew of athletes once again. Erik Messori for NY Post

“It’s not just the big giants anymore,” said Lauren Wiener, Global lead of the marketing, sales and pricing practice of the Boston Consulting Group.”New players and category leaders are turning commerce data into media engines and redefining how advertisers reach consumers.”

Wiener added that chief marketing officers are “reshaping” how they spend, “not retreating,” and this is taking the form of “doubling down” on areas that unlock both efficiency and growth while slashing costs and legacy business models.

Brand building is also central to any marketer’s agenda, and that the importance of sports media and creators/ influencers have exploded in recent years due in part to, its ability to reach younger audiences.

Professional athletes will take center stage at events held by Axios, Medialink, Deep Blue Sports and Stagwell with its impressive Sports Beach complex, addressing a variety of topics from the creator economy, AI, mental health, style and how to support female athletes.

“Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon will take to Cannes Lions this year and talk about how his viral comedy segments have help draw in new viewers and advertisers. Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

Cannes will welcome NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony, WNBA champion Sue Bird, former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, former Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez and  soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, among others.

Brands have leaned on athletes because they have become as important as traditional entertainment franchises due to their popularity and ability to drive engagement with consumers.

Pointing to the NBA finals, Josh Rosenberg, CEO of creative communications firm, Day One Agency said fans across the country are “really lit up.”

“I think it is perfect for storytelling,” he said, referring to the finals. “Everyone is rooting for their person and I think that in this day and age, it is what is uniting large groups of people – and also this is one of the only times that audiences are tuned in at the same time to the same things.”

Rosenberg touted the rise in popularity of women’s sports and sports overall, as a way to also reach younger audiences.

Cannes is expected to welcome over 12,000 attendees to Cannes Lions this year. Ella Pellegrini

“There are all these new personalities that have their own social media followings and platforms and communities that fans are really engaged with, which are prime opportunities for a brand to capitalize on and for them to support athletes on their journey,” he said.

According to Harry Kargman, CEO of ad tech agency Kargo, working with creators can help brands expand their reach but it’s imperative to have a diversified, measurable and targeted marketing strategy.

Working with influencers can be tricky because it’s almost impossible to measure the power of their reach, unlike with targeted ads, but he said it can be worth it for a brand if they’re looking to reach new customers.

“I think influencers unlike other places- if they build the right content around a brand or around the brand message and if they have authenticity- it can be extraordinarily effective,” Kargman said, “It’s like close to word of mouth but it’s word of mouth to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers.”

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Why Alabama Football could have college football’s No. 1 defense

From a position of being more than good last season, the Alabama Football defense can be better in the coming season. Among all FBS teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense finished at a credible No. 10 in Scoring Defense last season. Against FBS teams with a winning record, Alabama was No. 3 in allowing 4.62 […]

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From a position of being more than good last season, the Alabama Football defense can be better in the coming season. Among all FBS teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense finished at a credible No. 10 in Scoring Defense last season. Against FBS teams with a winning record, Alabama was No. 3 in allowing 4.62 yards-per-play. National Champion Ohio State was only slightly better at 4.52 yards.

The problem for Alabama last season was when Kane Wommack’s defense was bad, it was glaringly bad. The Crimson Tide outscored Georgia, but gave up 519 yards to the Bulldogs. After the loss to Vandy, Alabama legends George Teague and Roman Harper questioned Wommack’s scheme. Harper stated that being “brutally honest …(the Tide’s) vision coverage was a failure, lacking eye discipline.”

Though the Tide’s defense improved in the latter half of the season, Oklahoma’s offense out-schemed Kane Wommack’s defense, allowing Jackson Arnold to rush for 131 yards.

A second season playing Wommack’s system should benefit many Alabama defenders. Based on the talents of individual players, a calculation by Pro Football Focus (PFF) projects the Crimson Tide will be college football’s No. 1 defense for 2025. PFF is sometimes questioned for its rating system. In ranking the best defensive teams, it does not consider how schemes will fare against a team’s schedule.

According to PFF, college football’s best defenses will be Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. PFF’s short explanation for rating Alabama Football No. 1 is “Alabama is also the only school in college football that features a top-10 player at every defensive position.”

Using Phil Steele’s ranking of position groups, the Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan defenses are ahead of the Crimson Tide. Close behind Alabama in Steele’s calculations are Texas and Georgia.

According to a subjective projection by Saturday Down South, the SEC’s top defenses are expected to be in order: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. According to Steele, the Sooners have the 20th-best defensive back group, but OU is top four for defensive line and linebackers. Steele’s analysis does not rate Tennessee as being top five in the SEC.

An Alabama Football Defense at No. 1?

Talent and experience favor the Crimson Tide. Add into consideration depth and Alabama has the potential to be at or near No.1 defensively. To the extent scheme was a problem last season, it is reasonable to believe that Wommack, Mo Linguist, Chuck Morrell, Freddie Roach, and Christian Robinson have made adjustments.

When will Alabama football fans know how good the defense will be? The September date in Athens, GA will be telling. It is possible the Tide’s defensive front will prove too much for the Bulldogs’ offensive line.



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National outlet ranks two different Kansas teams among some of the best in recent history

The Athletic’s Brendan Marks (subscription required) took on the daunting task of ranking each great college basketball team since 2000. The Jayhawks made some splashes throughout the list, No. 25 Kansas 2019-20 This was a fan favorite Kansas team of recent memory. When you think of “What if” teams, this one has to be up […]

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The Athletic’s Brendan Marks (subscription required) took on the daunting task of ranking each great college basketball team since 2000. The Jayhawks made some splashes throughout the list,

No. 25 Kansas 2019-20

This was a fan favorite Kansas team of recent memory. When you think of “What if” teams, this one has to be up there for Jayhawk fans. This was a squad loaded with imressive stats. To start, a 28-3 record prior to the season’s cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Combine that with the fact that the Jayhawks marked a 48.4% from the field which ranked 9th-best in the nation, along with the second-best amount of losses in the nation (3).

In that shortened season, Kansas posed the 11th-best defense in the land as the 1882 points that Bill Self’s squad gave up helped drive a stout defense.

Kansas was in the midst of a 16-game winning streak, which has included a 64-61 win over the No. 1 Baylor in what was one of the final games of that season.

Now, maybe when you look at a majority of stats, there aren’t many that will jump out as “fantastic” but one really sticks out.

Stat website Sports Reference measure strength of schedule, by this description.

“The rating is denominated in points above/below average, where zero is average. Non-Division I games are excluded from the ratings.”

Kansas ranked the hardest SOS with an 11.63, was the only team with 25+ wins up until Baylor who ranked 32nd with a 9.13 SOS.

Leading the team was Devin Dotson with 18 points per game Udoka Azubuike followed up with 13.7 points per night.

6. Kansas 2007-08

Self’s fifth year at the helm of the Jayhawks ranks as his most wins as Kansas totaled 37 wins to just three losses.

A 20-game win streak launched the season for this special squad, which was halted by a 4-3 stretch before Self and Co. saw a 13-game win streak go off en route to a Kansas National Championship in that thrilling 75-68 OT win against a Memphis team marshaled by John Calipari and the high-flying Derrick Rose.

In the Final Four, Kansas beat up North Carolina by 18 points in a game that featured five future NBA Tar Heels in Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Ty Lawson, and Alex Stepheson.

Seven different Kansas players went on from that team to join the NBA, the likes of Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Darnell Jackson, Sherron Collins, Sasha Kaun, and Cole Aldrich

Self’s team averaged 80.5 points per game, which ranked 13th in the nation, while also holding firm with a defense 21st-best which allowed just 61.5 points per game.

The leading scorer on that team was Brandon rush, who returned 13.3 points per game, three more Jayhawks kept over 10 points per game during that championship-winning season.

More Kansas Basketball News



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Arkansas coach Sam Pittman says House settlement provides level NIL playing field in competitive SEC

ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team. Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said […]

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ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team.

Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said Thursday at SEC media days his program previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against the schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.

According to the terms of the House settlement, each school now can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.

“Financially with revenue sharing I think we are finally back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”

Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded on Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.

Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”

“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”

The House settlement era began on July 1.

The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission has informed athletic directors in letters last week it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for name, likeness and image.

Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have a necessarily a good opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”

When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”

Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta.

“Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”

Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.

“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”



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President Trump mulls executive order to ‘preserve college sports’: What a draft calls for

By Ralph D. Russo, Justin Williams and Stewart Mandel As the future of college sports faces continued legal and legislative friction, President Donald Trump could soon get involved in the form of an executive order that seeks to “preserve college athletics” through antitrust protections and clarity on student-athlete status. A draft of an executive order […]

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By Ralph D. Russo, Justin Williams and Stewart Mandel

As the future of college sports faces continued legal and legislative friction, President Donald Trump could soon get involved in the form of an executive order that seeks to “preserve college athletics” through antitrust protections and clarity on student-athlete status.

A draft of an executive order titled “Saving College Sports” was obtained by The Athletic on Thursday, but it is not believed to be a finalized version. It is unclear if or when such an executive order will be formalized, but Trump has considered taking executive action on college sports for months. CBS News reported this week that the president was set to sign an order related to name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for college athletes. Yahoo! Sports first reported on the contents of an executive order draft on Thursday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The seven-page draft directs the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to address the debate over the employment status of college athletes.

“Ongoing litigation seeks to transform student-athletes into employees, which would make college sports financially untenable for many, if not most, schools,” the draft states.

It also directs members of President Trump’s cabinet and other political officials to pursue policy and protections in a number of other areas related to college sports, including rules that could be challenged by antitrust complaints and continued opportunity for scholarships and roster spots, along with preventing “unqualified or unscrupulous agents from representing athletes.” The draft also calls for better uniformity with federal and state laws, and safeguarding the role college sports have played in the development of Olympic athletes.

The draft points to the “waves of recent litigation against NCAA governing rules” and states that, while changes in recent years allowing college athletes to be compensated were “overdue and should be maintained, the inability to maintain rules at all … will destroy what Americans recognize today as college sports.”

This potential executive order comes at a time of heightened political and legal involvement in college sports. The recently approved House v. NCAA settlement, which took effect July 1, created a revenue sharing model that allows schools to directly pay college athletes and provides back-pay damages to former college athletes who could not earn NIL compensation.

College sports leaders have also been lobbying congressional lawmakers for federal legislation and antitrust protections to help regulate the NIL market and supersede a patchwork of varying state laws on the matter.

The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act is the latest bill to be drafted in Congress. Introduced last week by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, it was advanced through a subcommittee earlier this week and has bipartisan support. As written, the SCORE Act would codify many of the terms in the House settlement, but it has already faced considerable public opposition.

Trump has long held an interest in college athletics, according to industry sources familiar with his thinking, including preserving Olympic and other non-revenue sports amid the changing landscape. The president came away from a meeting with former Alabama football coach Nick Saban in May motivated to get involved. There were reports of a potential commission led by Saban and billionaire oil businessman Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech football player and current board chair, but its implementation was put on hold as lawmakers worked on legislative solutions.

An executive order could be considered a way for Trump to either circumvent or push through congressional gridlock, but executive orders are not ideal long-term solutions — they are often repealed when a new administration takes office or can be challenged by courts. An order cannot grant antitrust exemptions or deny employee status to college athletes, but an order in line with the obtained draft would strongly signal Trump’s intent on those issues.

Legal battles are not new to college athletics. The House settlement is already being challenged despite being formally implemented just weeks ago, and the drafted order takes aim at the settlement as well.

“Even a recent litigation settlement that provides billions in back pay to former athletes and a revenue-sharing model between universities and student-athletes provides little assurance that it will not soon be upended by new litigation seeking more compensation with fewer rules, further reducing in the number of student-athletes,” the draft states.

Steve Berman, co-lead plaintiff counsel in the House settlement, took issue with Trump’s potential intervention in a statement on Thursday.

“Plain and simple, college athletes don’t need Trump’s help, and he shouldn’t be aiding the NCAA at the expense of athletes,” Berman said. “Mr. Trump boasts of his deal-making prowess. As a result of our case, college athletes are now free to make their own deals. For Trump to want to put his foot on their deal-making abilities is unwarranted and flouts his own philosophy on the supposed ‘art of the deal.’ Step back, Mr. President.”

Earlier this week, players’ unions for the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL and MLS issued a joint statement urging Congress to reject the proposed SCORE Act legislation, warning that an antitrust exemption would permit the NCAA and its members to “collude to harm athletes.”

“Whatever progress the athletes have made has been a result of their use of the antitrust laws,” they wrote. “The SCORE Act would take that weapon away from them.”

Despite questioning the legal viability of the settlement, the executive order draft overlaps with the settlement in its vision for NIL regulations. It also calls for the creation of a commission that would include individuals and organizations involved in collegiate athletics to continue exploring the order’s stated efforts to protect college sports.

“It is the policy of my Administration that college sports should be preserved,” the draft states. “My Administration will therefore support solutions that provide the long-term stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports.”

(Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)



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How Josh Hubbard can get even better thanks to 6 transfers Mississippi State basketball added

AI-assisted summaryMississippi State basketball star Josh Hubbard returns with a largely new supporting cast for the 2025-26 season.The Bulldogs added six transfers, including guards Jayden Epps and Ja’Borri McGhee, to improve 3-point shooting efficiency.STARKVILLE — Only two players who averaged more than 10 minutes last season are returning to Mississippi State basketball in 2025-26. That […]

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How Josh Hubbard can get even better thanks to 6 transfers Mississippi State basketball added


AI-assisted summaryMississippi State basketball star Josh Hubbard returns with a largely new supporting cast for the 2025-26 season.The Bulldogs added six transfers, including guards Jayden Epps and Ja’Borri McGhee, to improve 3-point shooting efficiency.STARKVILLE — Only two players who averaged more than 10 minutes last season are returning to Mississippi State basketball in 2025-26.

That means star guard Josh Hubbard will have an almost completely new supporting cast for the second straight season. The junior withdrew from the NBA draft after consecutive seasons on the All-SEC second team. 

The Bulldogs and fourth-year coach Chris Jans added six transfers after reaching a third consecutive NCAA tournament.

Here’s how those transfers can help Hubbard after he scored a career high 18.9 points per game last season.

Mississippi State can improve 3-point efficiency with ‘scary’ backcourt

The Bulldogs attempted the third-most 3-pointers in the SEC last season but had the 14th best efficiency at 31.4%.

The 3-point shot is a massive part of Hubbard’s game. He holds program records for 3s in a season (108 in each of his two seasons) and consecutive games with a made 3-pointer at 47. However, the 3-point shooting around him wasn’t consistent enough last season.

Jayden Epps, a Georgetown guard transfer, shot 34.4% from 3 on 154 attempts in 2024-25. UAB transfer guard Ja’Borri McGhee was even more efficient at 40.8%, but only on 71 attempts. Epps started 50 games in the last two seasons, averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds. McGhee averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds last season. 

“Us three in the backcourt is definitely going to be scary,” Epps told reporters on July 17.

Montana State transfer Brandon Walker, a 6-foot-7 forward, was a 36.8% 3-point shooter last season but only on 1.5 attempts per game. He was an All-Big Sky honorable mention, scoring 14.7 points per game with 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Quincy Ballard is a different style for Mississippi State in the postMississippi State will be a different team in the paint after KeShawn Murphy and Michael Nwoko transferred. They didn’t protect the rim the same as Wichita State transfer Quincy Ballard does.Ballard swatted 1.9 blocks per game last season while hauling in 9.2 rebounds. His 62 dunks and 75.1 field-goal percentage were single-season records for Wichita State. The 6-foot-11, 251-pound center also scored a career-high 10.0 points per game.”I like to bring the force on both sides,” Ballard said. “Obviously with defense, people already know how I am on defense. I’ve been working on my offense and everything pretty much all summer. I feel like it’s going to be a big factor by the time the season starts.”MORE: Mississippi State basketball releases full nonconference schedule, including season opener

Amier Ali, Achor Achor add length at the wing

Shawn Jones Jr. made strides as an improved two-way player on the wing. He returns for the 2025-26 season, and Mississippi State has some other intriguing wings to complement him.

Amier Ali from Arizona State is a 6-foot-8 guard/forward. He was a four-star in the 2024 recruiting class who played 19.1 minutes per game mostly off the bench with the Sun Devils. Ali scored 5.5 points per game while shooting 32.6% from 3 on 92 attempts.

“Individually, I just want to be able to play harder,” Ali said. “The main thing is to get me on the floor and all that stuff.”

Achor Achor, a 6-foot-9, 227-pound wing, only played nine games at Kansas State last season but was All-Southern Conference first team in 2023-24 at Samford with 16.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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President Trump working on executive order intending to ‘preserve’ college sports from ‘threat’

WASHINGTON — A draft of the long-discussed presidential executive order intends to “preserve” college athletics from “unprecedented threat” and destruction, it says, by implementing new policies related to athlete compensation, antitrust protection, athlete employment, state law uniformity and Olympic sport participation. The draft, though not believed to be the final version, is expected to align […]

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WASHINGTON — A draft of the long-discussed presidential executive order intends to “preserve” college athletics from “unprecedented threat” and destruction, it says, by implementing new policies related to athlete compensation, antitrust protection, athlete employment, state law uniformity and Olympic sport participation.

The draft, though not believed to be the final version, is expected to align closely with the order that President Donald Trump has long been exploring and offers a window into his thinking. It is unclear when, or even if, Trump will announce an executive order, which for four months has been discussed in the public sphere.

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The draft was provided to Yahoo Sports by three different congressional sources, all confirming that the document is believed to have originated from the White House. Attempts to reach White House staff were unsuccessful.

Here’s how President Trump wants federal government involved

The draft, seven pages long and titled “SAVING COLLEGE SPORTS,” outlines directives from Trump to members of his Cabinet to create policy related to various aspects of college athletics. Those aspects primarily include directing the attorney general and Federal Trade Commission to: (1) provide college leaders with protection from antitrust law around the “long-term availability” of scholarships and opportunities for athletes; (2) prevent “unqualified and unscrupulous agents” from representing athletes; and (3) support uniformity by, presumably, preempting the varying name, image and likeness state laws.

The draft also requests the assistant to the president for domestic policy work with the U.S. Olympic team to provide “safeguards” for NCAA Olympic sports; and directs the secretary of education and National Labor Relations Board to implement policy “clarifying that status” of athletes, presumably as students and not employees.

US President-elect Donald Trump introduces US Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, 2024. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

While Sen. Ted Cruz has been working on bipartisan legislation in Congress, President Donald Trump now appears to be entering the fray on college sports’ myriad issues. (Josh Edelson/Getty)

(JOSH EDELSON via Getty Images)

In its introduction, the order purports that such directives are necessary to preserve an industry in chaos and on the brink of destruction.

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“It is no exaggeration to say that America’s system of collegiate athletics plays an integral role in forging the leaders that drive our Nation’s success,” the order says. “Yet the future of college sports is under unprecedented threat.”

Court rulings, the order says, have “eliminated limits on athlete compensation, recruiting inducements, and transfers between universities, unleashing a sea change that threatens the viability of college sports.”

While some of these changes are “long overdue,” the order says that the inability to maintain rules “will destroy what Americans recognize today as college sport.”

“It is the policy of my Administration that college sports should be preserved,” the draft reads.

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Pushback vs. presidential order: ‘College athletes don’t need Trump’s help’

The order says the House settlement “provides little assurance” in preserving the sport and expects it to be “upended soon” by new litigation over increased compensation and fewer rules. The order describes a potential athlete-employment model as making the industry “financially untenable.”

Steve Berman, one of the co-lead plaintiff attorneys in the House settlement, released a statement to Yahoo Sports calling a potential executive order as “unwarranted” and describing it as flouting the president’s “own philosophy on the supposed ‘art of the deal.'”

“Plain and simple, college athletes don’t need Trump’s help, and he shouldn’t be aiding the NCAA at the expense of athletes,” Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman, said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “Step back, Mr. President. These fabulous athletes don’t need your help. Let them make their own deals. And the Supreme Court with your appointee, Justice Kavanaugh, condemned the NCAA’s compensation rules as a violation of the antitrust laws. Why give them immunity, Mr. President, in light of that ruling?”

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The order gives the attorney general and Federal Trade Commission 60 days to make necessary revisions to new policy and gives the secretary of education and secretary of the treasury 120 days to develop financial education for athletes.

Any timing on the release of the order — if it is released at all — remains a murky topic.

College sports remains a political football for Trump, senate Republicans and Democrats

Trump has been determined to get involved in college athletics. Most recently, he held a golf outing with two of the sport’s most notable names, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.

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Reports of an executive order surfaced in late April, as well as plans to form a presidential commission to study the industry. In fact, the executive order appears to create a commission (though it does not describe it as such) of “individuals and organizations involved in collegiate athletics, including athletes, schools, conferences, governing bodies, and leaders with experience relating to college sports, as well as the Congress and State governments” to assure that college sports is being preserved.

Trump’s plans — both the order and commission — were “paused” in May as congressional lawmakers urged White House leadership to give them more time to agree to college sports legislation. A congressional bill governing the sport is believed to be a more permanent solution than an executive order that is subject to legal challenges.

The pause in White House action in May provided a runway for House and Senate negotiations over college sports legislation. More movement has taken place in the House, where a bipartisan bill, the SCORE Act, is expected to soon go before a full House committee for vote, at which point it could land on the House floor — the furthest that any all-encompassing college sports legislation has advanced since the NCAA’s lobbying effort began five years ago.

However, the bill faces steep odds in gaining enough Democrat support for passage in the Senate, where filibuster rules require a 60-vote minimum. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate.

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The Senate has been working toward the introduction of its own legislation, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, who, much like Trump, has made college sports regulation a priority. He’s been in negotiations now for months with several Democrats, most notably Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal and Cory Booker. No agreement has been reached despite more than a year of intense talks.

Though at first deemed to be a “bipartisan issue,” college sports legislation has created significant enough differences among Democrats and Republicans that no single bill has reached the House or Senate floor despite the introduction of more than a dozen pieces of legislation over five years.

Dividing the two parties is an array of issues, most notably the idea of preventing athletes from being deemed employees. Democrats are less inclined in such a provision because of their relationship with trial lawyers and labor unions, Cruz said during an interview in September of 2023.

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On the same day and at the same event, Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Rep. Lori Trahan, a Democrat from Massachusetts, pushed college leaders to examine a model to share revenue with athletes and collectively bargain with them.

“You might disagree,” Murphy said, “but I think it feels and smells a lot like employment at the highest level of the sport.”

There are other problematic concepts. For instance, the oversight and enforcement of the college athletics industry (should the NCAA or College Sports Commission be granted such authority or a federal entity, something that many Democrats support); guarantees around long-term athlete healthcare for lower-resourced Division I schools that cannot afford such (will the power conference schools subside?); and how limited is the liability or antitrust protection for the leadership of college sports?

Meanwhile, as lawmakers continue negotiations, college administrators are mired in legal negotiations of their own related to the new House settlement and revenue-sharing concept. The settlement’s primary goal — to shift athlete pay from NIL booster collectives to the schools — is at risk of crumbling as House plaintiff attorneys contend that college leaders are violating terms of the settlement by denying certain collective contracts.



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