J Batt hasn’t even clocked in for his first day as Michigan State’s new athletic director and already locked up one of the university’s top leaders.

Hockey coach Adam Nightingale, who has spearheaded a remarkable program turnaround in just three years, signed a contract extension with a raise barely a year after getting a new deal. It’s essentially worth $1.3 million annually for one of the highest-paid coaches in the country and was approved by Michigan State’s Board of Trustees at a meeting Friday in Traverse City.

Batt, who was hired away from Georgia Tech earlier this month, also had his contract approved Friday and officially starts Tuesday.

The rolling, five-year extension will pay Nightingale $1 million a year with a $300,000 annual retention bonus. His base salary is $700,000 with $300,000 in additional compensation.

Nightingale’s previous extension – also a rolling, five-year deal – was announced in March 2024 and paid him $600,000 in base salary with $100,000 in additional compensation with a $100,000 retention bonus every two years.

“I’m appreciative of the support the Board of Trustees and President Kevin Guskiewicz have demonstrated with today’s announcement of a new contract for Adam Nightingale, helping to ensure he leads the Spartan hockey program for many years to come,” Batt said in a press release. “Under Coach Nightingale’s guidance, Michigan State has returned to its position as one of the elite programs in college hockey, creating incredible excitement both within the hockey community and throughout all of our loyal supporters. Coming off back-to-back Big Ten Championships, there’s a buzz that even greater things are on the horizon. Personally, I can’t wait to experience the excitement of the sold-out crowds at Munn Ice Arena this winter, in what could be a truly special season.”

With Nightingale quickly emerging as one of the top college coaches in the nation, his new contract includes an elevated buyout from his alma mater. It’s $2 million for the first three years before being cut in half and then down to $800,000 in year five. The contract was signed by Nightingale, Guskiewicz and co-interim AD and basketball coach Tom Izzo.

“My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Michigan State University,” Nightingale said in the release. “To coach at an institution like this and be part of the East Lansing community is a privilege and an awesome responsibility. The support our program receives, from President Kevin Guskiewicz, the Board of Trustees, Director of Athletics J Batt and the entire Spartan family, will never be taken for granted, and we make sure our players and staff understand that on a daily basis. We look forward to continuing to make our university, alumni and community proud.”

Three seasons ago, Nightingale took over a history-rich program he played for that hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in more than a decade. That skid nearly ended in his first year on the job and the Spartans are now coming off back-to-back Big Ten championships and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. They were upset in the first round by Cornell in March.

Michigan State is back to being a national championship contender and should be loaded this season. Forward Isaac Howard, who in April won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the country, is delaying a leap to the NHL and returning for his senior year. Big Ten Goalie of the Year Trey Augustine is also holding off on turning pro to come back for a third season between the pipes in East Lansing.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After six years away from the program, Tyler Grayson will be rejoining the Brown wrestling coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. This will be the second stint with the Bears for Grayson, who was originally hired as an assistant coach in August of 2011 and worked his way up to first assistant status in August of 2014. 

In May of 2018, Grayson left the Bears to become the assistant athletic director and head wrestling coach at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island from August of 2018 to January of 2022. From January of 2022 to June of 2025, Grayson was promoted to athletic director of the Naval Academy Preparatory School, overseeing all athletic programs and trainers. 

“We are thrilled that Tyler is joining our staff,” said Marvin Wilenzik ’56 Head Coaching Chair for Brown Wrestling Jordan Leen. “His experience and desire to be at Brown make him the perfect addition. With his skill set and drive he will make our program better right away.” 

During his first stint with the Bears, Grayson has helped mentor six NCAA qualifying wrestlers in CJ LaFragola ’19 (2017), Steven Galiardo ’17 (2016), Justin Staudenmayer ’17 (2015-16), Ophir Bernstein ’15 (2012-15), Billy Watterson ’15 (2013), and Dave Foxen ’12 (2012). He aided Bernstein in earning All-America honors in 2014, becoming Brown’s first wrestler to earn such honors in 16 years.

In 2011-12, he served as an assistant coach at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, a program that boasts eight National Championships and 45 All-Americans at the JUCO level. At Neosho CCC, Grayson helped direct the Panthers to a sixth-place tie as a team at the NJCAA Districts and qualified four wrestlers for Nationals.

A native of Gladstone, Missouri, Grayson headed North to Central Michigan where he compiled 31 wins in his first three seasons. His senior year he finished with a 20-7 overall mark and 13-2 dual meet record on his way to a conference championship at 165 pounds.

Grayson is also a two-time Midlands placer (sixth and eighth), two-time University Nationals placer (second and seventh), and an All-American as well as a two-time state champion at the high school level.

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Since the end of last season’s disappointing 5-7 campaign, Kyle Whittingham and his Utah football staff have been busy acquiring experienced talent to round out their roster ahead of the 2025 season.

Based on a recent report from The Athletic, though, the Utes might not have both the spring and winter months to reel in big-time transfers moving forward.

Following final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, college football’s leaders have swiftly turned their attention to their No. 1 rule change on their minds for next season: move to a single transfer portal window.

According to Chris Vannini, the Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee is expected to have a deep discussion on the topic during a call next Monday. Many coaches have voiced their displeasure over the two-window system, particularly when it comes to players arriving to campus late for spring ball, making it harder to assimilate to their new surroundings before the season starts.

Vannini reports that a transfer cycle in January has gained the “most momentum,” though the timing still hasn’t reached a consensus yet. Some power conference schools, for example, whose academic calendars run on a quarter system prefer the spring because their classes start earlier in January before the portal closes.

There’s also the College Football Playoff to consider. The 2025 National Championship game was on Jan. 20; the American Football Coaches Association around that same time proposed the new window run Jan. 2-12 beginning in 2026. The existing transfer rules allow players an extra five days to enter the portal if their season runs long. Time will tell if that guideline needs an adjustment as well.

The college football transfer portal hasn’t gone through significant change since late 2023, when a series of lawsuits and court rulings forced the NCAA to allow student-athletes an unlimited amount of transfers without penalty. The NCAA has altered the duration of the transfer portal from 60 to 45, to now 30 days, over the past few years.

Switching to a 10-day window would be drastic, though there’s still skepticism over whether the length/timing really matters. Implementing a transfer window only restricts when a player can enter the portal, but it doesn’t force them to pick a new school by a certain date.

Per Vannini, the oversight committee is also discussing changing spring football around the new window. Similar to NFL OTA practices, six non-padded practices would be added onto a team’s current slate of 15 practices, with flexibility to spread the 21 workouts over two different periods from January to June.

Utah’s 21-player incoming transfer portal class, ranked No. 37 in the country by 247Sports, is headlined by former New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, running back Wayshawn Parker from Washington State and Utah State transfer cornerback Blake Cotton.

Urban Meyer said what many have been thinking for the past couple of years: the Big Ten may have passed up the SEC. Winning the last two National Championships certainly helps their case for conference supremacy. Still, it is the more minor nuances that have analysts like Meyer wondering aloud if there has been a power shift.

Big Ten schools like Ohio State and Michigan have leaned on their alumni to provide NIL resources that have allowed them to compete with SEC schools and win. One of the most notable NIL-driven flips of 2025 was Michigan reclaiming hometown talent Bryce Underwood from SEC powerhouse LSU. Michigan reeled Underwood in with an NIL package rumored to be in the $12-million range. They also utilized one of their most powerful alums to help sway Underwood. Jolin Ellison is the wife of Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world, and the founder of Oracle. She and her husband were given multiple shoutouts on social media during the flip of Underwood.