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Miami Heat draft Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis with No. 20 pick in 2025 NBA Draft

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The Miami Heat drafted Illinois freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday.

One of the top international prospects in the world, Jakucionis earned Third Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman for Illinois this season after averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 44.0% from the field and 31.8% from three. 

Jakucionis, who just celebrated his 19th birthday in late May, started the season on a tear before a midseason wrist injury and late-season slump. 

The 6-foot-6 guard from Lithuania averaged 16.7 points on 50% shooting (41.6%) three to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists during his first 15 games to lead Illinois to a 12-3 start. Jakucionis then suffered a wrist injury and missed two games but had five 17+ point performances in an eight-game stretch to seemingly bounce back. But Jakucionis struggled in his final nine games at Illinois, averaging 12.2 points on 36% shooting (25% three) with more turnovers (38) than assists (26).

Still, Jakucionis had one of the most productive freshmen seasons in Illinois history. He set the Illinois freshman record for 20+ point games (10) and averaged the fourth most points (15.0) by an Illini freshman behind only Kiwane Garris (15.9), Cory Bradford (15.4) and Deon Thomas (15.1) while also averaging the fourth-most assists (4.7) by an Illini freshman and the seventh-most rebounds by an Illini freshman (5.7). 

“Kasparas had a fantastic year, and I am so impressed with how well he handled all that was thrown at him,” head coach Brad Underwood said in a statement in April. “To come in at 18 years old, new country, new program, new teammates, and be handed the keys and tasked with running the offense against the competition he faced every night, that’s a lot to ask of a freshman. But he impacted the game in every area, by scoring, decision making and passing, and rebounding. KJ is successful because of his love for the game, his intelligence, his work ethic, his desire to be great, and most importantly his character. Those traits will continue to serve him well in the NBA.”

Why it matters: Jakucionis is the first Illinois basketball player to become a one-and-done NBA Draft pick. Furthermore, Illinois has now had first-round draft picks in back-to-back years for the first time since Frank Williams and Brian Cook were selected in the first round in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Illini guard Terrence Shannon in the first round (No. 27 overall) last year. 

How he fits: Jakucionis fell farther than most expected, but what a landing spot for him. He will play next to a top-tier scorer in Tyler Herro and complements him well as a big lead guard who can distribute for others, including great three-point shooters in Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic, but Jakucionis can also play off the ball. Jakucionis isn’t a strong defender, but he should be helped playing alongside two very good defenders in Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins. He’ll also be coached by one of the best coaches in the NBA in Eric Spoelstra. The wait was longer than expected, but the fit might be as good as it gets.

What it means: After a sensational run last spring and summer against international competition, Jakucionis came to Illinois as a first-round draft pick, but he only boosted his stock while in Champaign. He had a rough last month, but Jakucionis was one of the Big Ten’s best players for most of last season and showed he can succeed against top-tier competition. His success only strengthens the Illini’s recruiting pitch in Europe moving forward as Illinois looks to build a Gonzaga-like presence abroad.

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Oregon State’s NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports is officially dead

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Oregon State athletics’ NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports has been terminated, the university confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday.

The controversial deal — the terms of which faced scrutiny from media and fans amid the resignation of Brent Blaylock, the former OSU deputy athletic director who negotiated it — was mutually agreed to be terminated effective Dec. 8.

“Blueprint will retain the $280,000 management fee that OSU paid for the 2025-2026 contract year, but OSU will not make any additional payments to the company,” a university spokesperson said in a written statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Within 30 days of termination, Blueprint will transfer to OSU all net proceeds stemming from NIL activity under the contract, including 100% of net revenues from memberships and/or subscriptions. Those proceeds will be placed in OSU Athletics’ revenue sharing account to benefit Beaver student-athletes.”

Effective with the termination, Dam Nation — acquired by Blueprint as part of the deal — will no longer serve as OSU’s NIL collective and won’t have any official affiliation with the school, OSU said. But all donations made to Dam Nation under Blueprint’s control are required to be surrendered back to OSU by Blueprint under the terms of the contract.

After news of the Blueprint deal being wound down, Dam Nation co-founder and former Oregon State athletics general manager Kyle Bjornstad re-filed the LLC’s annual report on Nov. 5 in order to prevent its administrative dissolution, he said. His plans going forward with the name are as of yet unclear.

“The LLC’s annual report, which all Oregon LLCs must file, was due in September,” Bjornstad told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Because the transfer of the ‘Dam Nation Collective’ name was not — and has not been — completed, I filed the annual report to prevent administrative dissolution of the LLC. While my LLC still has the ‘Dam Nation Collective’ name, it is not involved in providing NIL opportunities to Oregon State student-athletes.”

OSU athletics said fans can continue to support individual OSU athletes through the Woodshop Exchange, and Oregon State Athletics through gifts to Our Beaver Nation.

“Moving forward, we will continue to pursue revenue sharing and NIL efforts within the department and through the OSU Foundation and Beaver Sports Properties,” OSU’s statement reads. “More details – including a possible new option for fans interested in membership subscriptions – will be forthcoming in the next few months.”

Whatever OSU ends up deciding in terms of NIL-related memberships for everyday fans, NIL will make up a smaller piece of the pie when it comes to compensating student-athletes. OSU athletic director Scott Barnes said in an October Q&A with The Oregonian/OregonLive that revenue sharing — for which OSU can raise up to a $20.5 million cap as determined by the House settlement — is the far bigger pot to draw from.

The Beavers are unlikely to come close to the cap, however. Their revenue sharing budget is not publicly known. This is not unique to OSU, as most schools including the biggest spenders like Oregon do not disclose their revenue share and NIL budgets.

OSU is set to bring in former Alabama assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges to manage NIL deals and recruiting specifically for football. His exact title and responsibilities have not been made public, nor have OSU’s specific plans for allocating athlete payments toward other sports.



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Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss on waiver, transfer portal, NFL draft

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Dec. 15, 2025, 3:17 p.m. CT



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DJ Lagway Transfer Sparks Wild College Football Portal Season With NIL Market

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DJ Lagway’s bails on Florida looking for greener pastures in the transfer portal.

Here we go, the college football transfer portal is three weeks away from opening, and we already have one significant name deciding it’s time to move on, with Florida quarterback DJ Lagway announcing his intentions on Monday. 

The Gators prized recruit in Billy Napier’s first year is moving on, and I hope college football fans are ready for what is set to be a wild month of movement. Unfortunately for Florida and Lagway, it seemed as though both needed a fresh start. 

Florida’s New Coach Has A Chance To Turn DJ Lagway Into A Monster, Or Another Lesson On NIL Risks

While fans of the program were ecstatic when the 5-star committed to Florida, the expectations exceeded reality. Even though Lagway ended the 2024 season with a bang, the offseason shoulder surgery felt like a catalyst for things to come. Not once during the 2025 season did he look comfortable in the pocket, and neither did his throwing motion. 

But, the bigger question is what will happen over the next four weeks in terms of others deciding to look for a better opportunity? 

After Sherrone Moore Scandal, Michigan Board Orders Investigation Into Athletic Department

Payments Are Being Completed, New Destinations Await

One of the most interesting parts of this past summer came when schools were racing to the finish line before the House Settlement was complete. 

Needing to beat the ruling, programs were financially taking care of contracts with front-loaded deals that saw athletes cashing lump-sum checks to help offset the $20.3 million roster caps that schools were forced to stay under. 

Don’t forget that a lot of players are receiving final payments over the next few weeks from pervious contracts, though some even signed long-term deals that could have them owing the former school money. 

NIL Collectives Are Back In The Game Like They Never Left, As House Settlement Lawyers Reach Agreement

This meant the majority of payments to athletes were taken care of from the start. But, this also led to players potentially having to pay back some of that money if they were intending to leave. It could be anywhere between $30,000 to the high six-figures, but players are going to take what they eventually earn at their next school, and pay back their previous team. 

I don’t know if you’d want to call it a ‘buyout’, but more of a repayment plan. And, while some might think the market will settle down, the College Sports Commission not having enforcement in place right now could complicate matters. 

But, are boosters getting tired of spending money on lackluster results?

Return On Investment Fatigue Is Real For Boosters

Whether a school wants to admit it or not, there are plenty of high-dollar donors across the country that have grown tired of the lack of ROI. 

Let’s be clear, these boosters are not going to be happy if the school they donate to is not holding up a trophy at the end of each season. That’s a given. But, even while some colleges continue to say they are in great shape when it comes to roster retention and receiving that extra $10-15 million from outside sources. 

Heck, Monday morning, current Tulane, and Florida, coach Jon Summrall announced he was donating $100,000 to the Green Wave for its ‘Talent Fund’. Yes, that’s what some are calling this period of buying players. 

What Happens When College Athletes Don’t Disclose NIL Deals In House Settlement Era? Backdoor Deals Return

The reason why LSU was so hellbent on making it known that they would be providing Lane Kiffin with at least an extra $10-15 million in NIL money centers around the shiny new toy they hired to become the head coach. 

Being able to actually spend that type of money will rely on schools making sure they can make this all look legitimate. This is the part that is intriguing. How do you funnel the money? 

You can expect some pretty big names to test the waters that are also known as the ‘transfer portal’. Will every player that makes an announcement end up leaving for a different school? No, it’s also a bargaining tool, just like coaches using other openings to garner a new contract at their current school. 

But, this will certainly turn into a pretty wild month for programs across the sport of college football. And, DJ Lagway was the first big name to kick things off. 





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Florida coach Jon Sumrall donates $100,000 to Tulane’s NIL fund

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Florida’s newly hired head coach, Jon Sumrall, has made it clear he intends to leave the Tulane program in a better place than he found it. 

After two seasons with the Green Wave, Sumrall is headed to Gainesville, though not before helping lead the program through the remainder of the 2025 season, with Tulane set to take on No. 6-seeded Ole Miss Saturday in Oxford in the College Football Playoff’s first round. 

Along with continuing to coach his team, unlike former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, who’s now in Baton Rouge at LSU, Sumrall chose not to poach commits from Tulane ahead of Early Signing Day. 

“I Zoomed with my signees or my commits at Tulane, and I told them to sign at Tulane because I’m not trying to poach their class,” Sumrall said at his introductory press conference in Gainesville. “I want those guys to go play there.”

Now, Sumrall has taken another step in ensuring the Green Wave remain competitive after he’s no longer in New Orleans. 

Sumrall has donated $100,000 to the Green Wave Talent Fund in support of newly promoted head coach Will Hall. 

The six-figure gift to the Green Wave Talent Fund, Tulane’s associated NIL collective, will aid Tulane’s ability to recruit, retain, and develop collegiate athletes. 

“Tulane University and New Orleans are special to me and my family. Ginny and I are honored to support the Green Wave Talent Fund because we believe in the vision of Tulane Athletics and want to contribute to the continued success of its student-athletes. The future is incredibly bright, and we are excited for Will Hall and his family to be part of it,” Sumrall said. “Coach Hall possesses a keen understanding of Tulane University and its football program, along with a passion that greatly benefits the Green Wave. As a leader, he cares deeply about helping others reach their full potential and is dedicated to equipping them to achieve that goal in every way possible. He has our family’s full support, and we wish him nothing but success as he leads Tulane Football!”

It’s not the first time the Sumrall family has looked to invest in Tulane’s continued success; In 2024, they joined the Olive & Blue Society through a recurring philanthropic commitment to Tulane Athletics.

Sumrall’s high regard for the program is clear, and he’s taken another step to ensure the program won’t experience a significant decline now that he’s no longer leading the program. 

“We are grateful to Jon and Ginny for this incredible gift,” David Harris, the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair, said in a statement. “Their leadership and generosity will have a direct and lasting impact on our student-athletes as we continue to grow and elevate Tulane Athletics.”



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Brendan Sorsby, DJ Lagway could be Tennessee football quarterback picks

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Updated Dec. 15, 2025, 12:57 p.m. CT





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Jon Sumrall donating $100,000 to Tulane’s NIL fund

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Dec. 15, 2025, 12:33 p.m. ET



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