NIL

Mid majors face potential NIL legislation

Former Wildcat football standout Anthony Egbo, Jr., spoke on March 4 to a congressional committee about the potential changes to name, image and likeness deals for college athletes. Egbo, the vice-chair of the NCAA Div. I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, spoke to the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the importance of letting student-athletes remain students. […]

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2 weeks ago

May 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Mid majors face potential NIL legislation

Former Wildcat football standout Anthony Egbo, Jr., spoke on March 4 to a congressional committee about the potential changes to name, image and likeness deals for college athletes.

Egbo, the vice-chair of the NCAA Div. I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, spoke to the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the importance of letting student-athletes remain students.

“There’s been a strong push to have student athletes classified as employees,” Egbo said. “What that would do is that student athletes wouldn’t be students anymore.”

This potential legislation is based on the fact that student-athletes may be considered employees of the university instead of students who attend the school for education. Egbo said this would be detrimental to student-athletes because the quality of their education could decrease.

Egbo emphasized the importance of letting student-athletes remain students to the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee.

“They are students who dedicate their time and energy to their sport while simultaneously earning their degree and catapulting themselves into life after athletics,” he said. “For these student-athletes, the unique opportunity to do all these things at once is unique to college sports.”

Many departments of athletics across the country have seen how some schools have lobbied their congressional representatives to write different legislation, some asking for advantages over other states.

“Some states are writing bills that will pretty much exempt NIL money from getting taxed,” Egbo said. “So now if the University of Oregon is trying to recruit a kid that also is getting recruited by the University of Idaho, now they can offer him this amount of money and tell him that it’s not gonna get taxed, versus if he goes to another state that doesn’t have that in place, he’s gonna get taxed.”

Egbo said the most important thing for legislators to realize when it comes to NIL is that all schools need to be on a level playing field.

“Uniform rules and clarity on them are needed to ensure that NIL is here to stay;” Egbo said, “it fulfills its intended purposes and is not harmful to the ones it was created to benefit.”

Another setback for smaller universities like ACU is that football has become the basis for how popular a school is, which widens the gap even further between Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision schools, even if FCS schools have basketball programs far better than FBS schools.

“As beloved as the NCAA basketball tournament is to many,” said Paul Weir, deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, “college football has become the primary element in defining a school and its relevance in the national landscape and many schools right now are jockeying for where they will end up in that landscape.”

Another drawback to classifying student athletes as employees is that it would hurt the athletics programs that do not draw as much attention or revenue. While most sports bring in at least a little bit of revenue, the main revenue-gaining sports are football and men’s basketball, Egbo said.

“Most every other sport across the NCAA doesn’t generate revenue,” he said. “So going to an employment model would just pretty much deteriorate the opportunities of all these sports that probably don’t generate revenue.”

Another result of NIL now being considered employment law is that Title IX legislation is no longer required to be taken into consideration. Previously, universities had to provide the same opportunities to male and female athletic programs but no longer do.

Hannah Gonzalez, sophomore volleyball player from Lucas, said this makes sense, as unfortunate as it is for female athletics. She said she understands sports that make more money should receive more money, no matter if it is a male or female sport.

“It makes sense for schools to pay money to what brings in money,” she said. “So if football is bringing in the most money, then it makes sense that football is receiving the most money. But, for example, a school like Nebraska, where volleyball is one of their biggest sports, if it’s bringing in the most money, then give those student athletes the most money.”

Egbo said schools will have to be more intentional about giving female athletes opportunities since it is no longer required by law to do so.

“I think the biggest thing is that schools have to take the initiative to make sure that they’re highlighting and giving due attention to non-revenue generating sports, specifically their women’s sports,” he said. “There has to be more of an emphasis from institutions to push that forward.”

Gonzalez has an NIL deal as the brand ambassador for First Financial Bank, a role that belonged to Egbo during his time as a student athlete. The bank recently signed six other Wildcat athletes to NIL deals in addition to Gonzalez’s deal.

The three women are Bella Earle, senior women’s basketball player from Corinth, Lili Ross, junior soccer player from Beaumont, and Elizabeth Schaefer, junior softball player from Rockwall.

The male athletes are Bradyn Hubbard, junior men’s basketball player from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Zion Stephens, sophomore baseball player from Missouri City, and Jed Castles, junior football player from Wichita Falls.

Gonzalez said the other six were signed to deals as a group effort to introduce a new First Financial debit card, and Samantha Baker, vice president of marketing at First Financial, believed a larger group would help sell to more people.

“This particular advertising movement was that they wanted to promote the new ACU Wildcat debit card,” Gonzalez said. “But she just wanted to get a bigger audience because it is targeted towards Wildcats.”

Many people are concerned with how student athletes will have their academics impacted in this new “era of NIL,” but Weir said college athletics has faced threats to academics several times in the past.

“The ‘one and done’ basketball players, athletes who leave early for professional opportunities, the entire idea has been around for quite some time,” Weir said. “This new era of NIL will take on a new meaning, but nothing that the NCAA, the term student-athlete, or our higher education institutions haven’t faced questions about before.”

Egbo agreed this is not new for college athletics, but also said the education of these student athletes needs to be taken more seriously, especially when it comes to athletes potentially attending four schools in four years.

“I think a lot of these student athletes, a lot in the revenue-generating sports, are chasing the dollars right now,” Egbo said, “but they’re sacrificing educational experience, and it’s sacrificing the networking experience you get when you stay somewhere.”

NIL

Former IU basketball player applies business degree to sports tech innovation

BLOOMINGTON— A former IU basketball player is putting his business degree to use and creating a platform to help other student athletes. Anthony Leal played for Hoosiers and graduated from the IU Kelley School of Business. His junior year, he came up with an idea to help athletes with NIL deals. “The final class of […]

Published

20 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BLOOMINGTON— A former IU basketball player is putting his business degree to use and creating a platform to help other student athletes.

Anthony Leal played for Hoosiers and graduated from the IU Kelley School of Business. His junior year, he came up with an idea to help athletes with NIL deals.

“The final class of my entrepreneurship degree was to kind of try to start a business, so I started doing that and it started at just an NIL focused thing since NIL was so brand new so I started with that and realized you know there’s a lot bigger problem can be solved,” said Leal.

Leal was just starting his college career when in 2021 NIL came into play and athletes could capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.

“It was so new, and for me personally, my own NIL I tried to do as many deals as I could and raise as much as I could and try and save and do it for a good cause,” said Leal.

Leal did show that good can come out of NIL. He chose to pay off his sister’s student loans as a Christmas gift and a video of it went viral.

“I had athletes from all around the country reaching out to me asking for advice. Basically asking me to help them do the same thing I was doing,” said Leal.

“I think if you learn one thing about Anthony he’s usually on the cutting edge of applying his business experience to being an athlete and how he can monetize that and be a business and a brand,” said Jay Townsend, one of Leal’s business partners.

Leal teamed up with Townsend and Nate Ebel, both IU graduates, to co-found Motion Sports Inc. It’s a technology platform for college athletic departments putting team management, compliance, and NIL deals all in one place.

“It’s everything a college athletic department needs for how to function and manage the day to day,” said Ebel.

Ebel and Townsend helped Leal expand the app beyond just NIL. The money side of the platform is still developing as the House vs NCAA Settlement play outs, which could create revenue sharing.

“That gives the athletic department the opportunity to directly pay students athletes from a university bank account,” said Townsend.

Right now Motion Sports has deals with five athletic departments. The goal is to help them operate more efficiently and with everything in one place.

“We don’t think they should be spending lots of hours in the day to day of what the new revenue sharing looks like or what the new academic requirements are or how many hours you can spend on a practice field. We want to have their back on that,” said Townsend.

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Kentucky Baseball aids cleanup efforts in Russell County

Following its 5-1 loss to Oklahoma on Tuesday in the First Round of the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament, the Kentucky Baseball team made a stop in Russell County to aid with cleanup efforts following the weekend’s deadly tornado outbreak. “Today’s story is quite remarkable! The University of Kentucky Baseball team, en route back from Hoover, […]

Published

21 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“Today’s story is quite remarkable! The University of Kentucky Baseball team, en route back from Hoover, Alabama, made a noteworthy stop in Russell County, lending a hand with cleanup efforts following this past weekend’s devastating tornado,” Laker Country 104.9 WJRS wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. ‘The team and coaches provided valuable assistance with cleanup operations in the John St. area.”

Last Friday night, an EF-4 tornado that boasted winds of 170 mph tore a 55.6 mile-long path across multiple Kentucky counties. In the following days, relief efforts have spawned from all across the state and even the country. Prominent Kentucky figures in Mark Pope and Reed Sheppard have been amongst those helping with the efforts, and they were joined by Nick Mingione and the Bat Cats on Wednesday.

In the pictures posted, the team is seen disposing of limbs, trees and debris in the John St. area of Russell County.

Although it has lost four consecutive games heading into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Kentucky has dropped just one spot to No. 37 in the RPI Rankings. The ‘Cats are 11-19 against Quad One teams and remain a consensus No. 3 seed in the latest Field of 64 Projections.

Kentucky will now have to wait until the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, May 26, at 12 p.m. ET to learn where (or if) it will be traveling next week.

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.

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Which 2024 College Football Playoff team had the strongest offseason?

There is no calm period in the college football offseason, especially in this day and age with NIL, the transfer portal, recruiting and coaching movement. What was once considered a slow month on the college football calander, May has been anything but slow, with headlines surrounding just about everything from Bill Belichick’s first season in […]

Published

24 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

There is no calm period in the college football offseason, especially in this day and age with NIL, the transfer portal, recruiting and coaching movement.

What was once considered a slow month on the college football calander, May has been anything but slow, with headlines surrounding just about everything from Bill Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill to early recruiting wins for traditional powerhouse programs like USC and Miami.

But when taking everything into account that has occurred from the second the final buzzer sounded in Ohio State’s memorable national championship win over Notre Dame until now, which program has had the best offseason?

FOX Sports college football writers Laken Litman, Michael Cohen and RJ Young provide their answers to that question here.

Laken Litman: Texas seems poised to make a national title run this season. The Longhorns are back-to-back CFP semifinalists who also made it to the SEC championship game in their first season in the league. Steve Sarkisian’s team was close to looking the part of a contender last year, but this year, they’re even more intriguing.

That’s simply because of the X-Factor that is Arch Manning. It’s so rare in this era of college football for a quarterback to sit on the bench for two years and develop while waiting his turn. But Manning was patient while Quinn Ewers started and led the Longhorns deep into the playoffs two years in a row. Now it’s Manning’s turn, and he has plenty of support around the roster. Sure, Texas lost four of five starting offensive linemen, but the guys returning gained valuable experience last year when they stepped up for injured teammates. Texas also lost its top three pass catchers from 2024, but Sarkisian has already reloaded there and in the backfield where CJ Baxter returns after missing last year with a torn ACL. Defensively, the Longhorns return safety Michael Taaffe, the team’s most vocal leader, as well as All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and freshman All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons.

An additional tidbit that shouldn’t go unnoticed is the fact that this team will be coached by three coordinators – Kyle Flood, Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Banks – who have been with Sarkisian since he joined the program in 2021. That kind of cohesion is also unusual in the sport these days, and a huge bonus for a team trying to win a national championship.

Texas & Ohio State in Joel Klatt’s Post-Spring top 5 teams

RJ Young: Clemson. The Tigers have a third-year starter at QB in Cade Klubnik and two bonafide first-round talents on the defensive line in Peter Woods and T.J. Parker for former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen to deploy. This 2025 team could be Dabo Swinney’s best since Trevor Lawrence last stalked Death Valley.

Also coming from the Big Ten is former Purdue defensive end Will Heldt, who was a star during a mostly forgettable team and season in West Lafayette. Heldt had 56 tackles, including 10 for a loss, and five sacks as a sophomore last season. With Parker and Woods alongside him, this could become the best defensive line Swinney has had at his disposal since 2018.

From 2018 to 2020 — the Lawrence years — Clemson scored at least 43 points per game. Since then, no Clemson team has scored more than 34.7. Now, with Klubnik entering his third season as a starter and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley calling plays, the Tigers are expected to leap back into scoring on opponents at will.

Clemson opens the 2025 season against LSU, perhaps the only program to acquire more talent in the offseason on the field than Texas Tech. Swinney is going to lean on the maturity of his quarterback and wide receivers, as well as Allen’s talent for fielding defenses that can compete against the nation’s best in December.

Michael Cohen: Had Penn State not lost leading wide receivers Harrison Wallace III (Ole Miss) and Omari Evans (Washington) to the transfer portal, imperiling an offense that is otherwise stocked with talent, the Nittany Lions would have been an easy choice here. The efforts from head coach James Franklin and his staff to retain the bulk of their 2022 recruiting class, which includes the likes of quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nicholas Singleton, running back Kaytron Allen, edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant, have positioned the program among the most experienced rosters in the country — not unlike the cores that fueled national championship runs by conference rivals Michigan and Ohio State in recent years. What might have been a debilitating loss when defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who oversaw the seventh-ranked unit in the country last season, departed for the same role at Clemson was quickly offset by the aggressive and high-priced hire of Jim Knowles, arguably the best defensive coordinator in the sport, given what he achieved for the Buckeyes in recent years. There’s plenty to like about how Penn State is shaping up for 2025.

But another team worth noting here is Texas, a College Football Playoff semifinalist from the other side of the bracket. Head coach Steve Sarkisian nimbly navigated what could have been a prickly situation at quarterback had veteran Quinn Ewers, who guided the Longhorns to back-to-back playoff appearances, decided to return for another season with understudy Arch Manning, the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country, primed to ascend the depth chart. That Sarkisian never closed the door on Ewers in public, even though it was widely assumed Manning would take over ahead of the 2025 campaign, showcased the head coach’s loyalty at a time when such a trait is becoming harder and harder to find. Sarkisian also retooled his roster with a transfer portal haul ranked seventh nationally in average prospect score (88.40) thanks to high-profile commits like former Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson (No. 56 transfer), former Purdue defensive lineman Cole Brevard (No. 105 transfer), former North Carolina defensive lineman Travis Shaw (No. 119 transfer) and former Cal tight end Jack Endries (No. 131 transfer). It’s a group that should pair nicely with the Longhorns’ sparkling high school recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in the country for the 2025 cycle and includes a quintet of five-star prospects, tied with Georgia for the most in the country: safety Jonah Williams (No. 10 overall, No. 1 S); defensive lineman Justus Terry (No. 12 overall, No. 2 DL); wide receiver Kaliq Lockett (No. 18 overall, No. 2 WR), edge rusher Lance Jackson (No. 21 overall, No. 2 edge) and cornerback Kade Phillips (No. 27 overall, No. 5 CB).

Texas is locked and reloaded for another run at the College Football Playoff this fall.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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Here's how Brenda Frese and the Terps have succeeded in the transfer portal.

It was around 9 o’clock Eastern on a night in April when Brenda Frese called her latest transfer portal target to pitch a whirlwind suggestion. Yarden Garzon, a three-year standout and the all-time 3-point leader at Indiana, had been talking with Frese on the phone and liked what she was hearing. So then, Maryland’s coach […]

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41 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Here's how Brenda Frese and the Terps have succeeded in the transfer portal.

It was around 9 o’clock Eastern on a night in April when Brenda Frese called her latest transfer portal target to pitch a whirlwind suggestion.

Yarden Garzon, a three-year standout and the all-time 3-point leader at Indiana, had been talking with Frese on the phone and liked what she was hearing. So then, Maryland’s coach asked, Why don’t we get you on a visit to College Park? Could you fly out tomorrow morning?

Garzon was game — but had an added request. Could her sister, Lior, in Boulder, Colorado, join the visit? The Israel native wanted to see Maryland, but she wanted another pair of eyes she could trust at her side.

No problem, Frese said. The Terps would make it happen.

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The next day, Garzon flew in from Indiana, took a car service to College Park and by midday was enjoying lunch with her sister — whom she hadn’t expected to see until Passover later in the month. It was days later that Garzon, with her family’s blessing, committed to Maryland, where she took her only official visit.

“We had this conversation that was really great, and it was fun to hear from the players and the whole staff,” she said. “The most important thing at the end of the day is the people.”

That’s always been a truism when it comes to recruiting in college sports. But now, with drastic changes caused by the loosening of transfer rules and proliferation of name, image and likeness dollars, building championship teams often comes down to speed.

Relationships once unfurled over years of recruiting and were cemented with long-planned and relatively relaxed campus visits. The new environment forces coaches to forge bonds quickly, often on a player’s terms.

Frese and her staff have adapted well to the NCAA’s Wild West era, which saw more than 1,300 Division I women’s basketball players enter the portal this offseason. Last month, the Terps signed Garzon and Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa, ESPN’s No. 7- and No. 11-ranked available players, respectively. The acquisitions come on the heels of a season when Maryland went to the Sweet 16 and finished with a No. 12 Associated Press ranking on a team built largely with transfers — many of whom return next season.

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Entering her 24th season at Maryland, Frese says she’s “hesitant to say we’ve mastered” the transfer portal process, but the Terps are clearly doing something right. Their success has come amid a modern-day process that is so tense and fast-paced that Frese calls the recruiting window more stressful than March Madness.

On a recent Wednesday, Frese told her husband she could come up to Pittsburgh for the weekend to watch her twin sons play in their own basketball tournament. By Thursday, she was forced to recant. She had to recruit. Things change that fast.

“April is by far more intense than March now,” she said. “It’s the transfer portal. It’s how quickly things move. You might think you have tomorrow off, then by that night you have a visit scheduled in the morning.”

The trick for the Terps is making the process look smooth to the recruits. Bringing in a transfer portal target is like cramming for a final exam — and it takes a huge, cohesive team. Frese’s job is to get the recruit to say yes to the visit, then she hands things off to Lindsey Spann and Noelle Cobb, her assistants who handle the bulk of recruiting tasks: “I don’t think they get any sleep on those nights.”

There’s some sleep, Spann said, but not a lot. Once she and Cobb get a green light that a recruit is coming in less than 24 hours, they have to figure out all the logistics. They see which coaches and players are free the next day to meet. They coordinate with the compliance department. They see which airports are closest to the recruit and which flights are available in the morning, and they arrange the car service to pick them up.

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“We’re using a lot of that midnight oil,” Spann said.

Coaches are also responsible for showing how much work they’ve done scouting the recruit, which played a huge role in Okananwa’s decision to come to Maryland. Like Garzon’s, her official visit was scheduled the night before it happened. When Okananwa — a rising junior whom the Terps had recruited in high school before she committed to Duke — flew in from Durham, North Carolina, she was overwhelmed by the reams of notes the Terps had taken about her game.

“You talk about quick turnaround time — everything’s already laid out, everything’s already done,” Okananwa said. “There’s all these printed sheets going into detail about where I can improve, where they see me in the offense, where they see my game going all the way into the professional league — which is my dream. It was just so meticulously thought out and planned.”

Spann appreciated the positive feedback. In Okananwa’s case, it helped the staff that the Terps had played Duke in November and had scouting notes to use as a reference point. But creating the perfect package requires calibrating to the recruit’s goals: “We tailor these to her specific needs and situation, so when they come in they can see we know their game.”

Preexisting knowledge also put the Terps in strong position to recruit Garzon, who had challenged them in Big Ten play with the Hoosiers. Like Okananwa, Garzon’s dream is to be a pro player — “it’s not a secret, this is the main reason I came to the U.S.,” she said — but Maryland has other ways to sell that, too.

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One of the most impactful conversations Garzon had before committing was with Abby Meyers, herself a 3-point shooter who transferred in for a graduate season at Maryland in 2022 and has played professionally overseas, including in Israel.

“She came to Maryland for one year, which is basically my situation,” Garzon said. “She had amazing stuff to say about Coach Brenda and the staff — nothing bad to say about them.”

In Garzon’s case, Maryland’s substantial Jewish community also played a role in her decision to transfer. “It’s a big part of my identity, and I’m really proud of it.”

Some of these “fit” factors may seem antiquated or even besides the point in the modern era, because athletes also now negotiate NIL deals when they sign at schools. Cynics might believe only the highest dollar figure matters in a recruit’s decision. These market figures are closely guarded in part because schools want it that way. Notably, men’s coach Kevin Willard decried Maryland’s ability to compete in the NIL space, kicking dirt on the Terps before hightailing to Villanova.

Yet Maryland’s recruits say, although the money matters (and that the Terps are competitive in this space), it doesn’t matter most. Okananwa has an agent in her inner circle who advises her, but the top factor in committing to Maryland was Frese. “I trust Brenda to get me where I want to go.” The fact that Okananwa has already been at one school helps keep perspective that there are more important factors than how much money she can get.

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“It’s easy to get wrapped up and then you go to a place where you don’t fit as a player, because you didn’t pay as much attention to the basketball piece,” Okananwa said. “NIL is definitely something, but it’s coming underneath the part that’s about basketball. I’m going to get squared away with the categories that matter most.”

Not every swing is a home run. The Terps also thought as recently as the start of May that Gracie Merkle, a forward from Penn State, would bolster their frontcourt next year. Last week, Merkle announced she had decommitted from Maryland and would return to the Nittany Lions.

The Terps also lost depth up front when vet Allie Kubek announced she was transferring to Florida State. Just as quickly as the portal giveth, it can taketh away.

In the uncomfortable wake of Willard’s exit, Frese was asked many times throughout her March run about Maryland’s capacity to compete in the NIL space, and she’s only ever said that the Terps have gotten her what she needs. For Frese, the important part might just be that the components of her staff and support from the administration allow her to focus on what she does best: establishing relationships with recruits and players, and then coaching.

“I think we’re far ahead because of the team we’ve put together,” Frese said. “It allows me to do my job.”

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Maryland’s success in the transfer portal era is its own kind of advertising. Coaching in the NCAA tournament is stressful, Spann said, because the staff has more tasks to divvy up. Some will be assigned scouting for the next game; some will have to spend a few hours contacting recruits or keeping tabs on which players are entering the portal.

Kaylene Smikle made a significant impact on the Maryland program after transferring from Rutgers. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Going on a postseason run is advantageous, and when players see what the Terps did with transfers Kaylene Smikle (Rutgers), Sarah Te-Biasu (VCU) and Saylor Poffenbarger (Arkansas), it speaks to their ability to blend newcomers in. A 14-0 start to last season was a powerful endorsement of how Maryland builds cohesion on the fly.

Everything, from recruiting to team building, is on a shorter timeline now. NCAA structures have evolved (or devolved, depending on whom you ask) so quickly in the past three years that Frese said she’s seen more change in that period than in her previous three decades of coaching. But however college sports zigs, she’s ready to zag. The Terps have managed the transition well.

“You hope it settles in at some point to a new normal,” Frese said. “But I just roll up my sleeves and go with what’s in front of me. I just dig in.”

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Ryan Puglisi takes the college football world by storm with $165K NIL portfolio and impressive GPA while chasing greatness

Published

41 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of college football, few stories capture the imagination and inspire as much as that of Ryan Puglisi. Before even taking a snap on the Bulldogs’ field, Puglisi is already a name that resonates beyond the boundaries of traditional sports narratives. His journey is not just about athletic prowess; it’s a testament to the modern collegiate athlete’s potential to blend academic excellence with commercial success. With a burgeoning Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) portfolio valued at an impressive $165,000 and an equally remarkable GPA, Puglisi is redefining what it means to chase greatness in the realm of college football.

The Rise of a Modern Collegiate Athlete

Ryan Puglisi’s ascent is a narrative of ambition, discipline, and strategic foresight. As a quarterback with a rocket arm and a recruiting ranking that places him among the elite, his physical talents on the field are undeniable. However, what sets Puglisi apart in the crowded landscape of college football is his holistic approach to his career. Balancing a rigorous academic schedule with the demands of high-level athletics, he not only excels but also leverages his growing fame to build a substantial NIL portfolio. This strategic move not only underscores his understanding of the modern sports industry but also highlights the evolving dynamics of athlete branding and marketability.

A Balancing Act: Academics and Athletics

The significance of Puglisi’s impressive GPA cannot be overstated. In a world where athletes are often stereotyped for prioritizing sports over academics, he shatters these preconceived notions. His academic achievements speak volumes about his dedication, time management skills, and the importance he places on education. This commitment to academic excellence not only enhances his personal development but also adds a layer of respectability and influence to his growing brand. It sends a powerful message to aspiring athletes everywhere: success on the field is paramount, but intellectual growth and education hold equal, if not more, value.

Navigating the NIL Landscape

The introduction of NIL rights has revolutionized the college sports industry, offering athletes unprecedented opportunities to monetize their personal brands. Puglisi’s impressive NIL portfolio, valued at $165,000, is a beacon for what’s possible when talent meets opportunity. Through sponsorships, endorsements, and contracts, he is not just preparing for a future in professional sports but also building a financial foundation that transcends the game. This foresight and entrepreneurial spirit are what make Puglisi’s story so compelling. It’s a narrative that underscores the changing tide in college athletics, where players are now empowered to take control of their destinies, both on and off the field.

A Glimpse into the Future

As Ryan Puglisi continues to prepare for his collegiate debut with the Bulldogs, his journey is a powerful reminder of the multifaceted nature of success in modern sports. His story is not just about a promising athlete with a bright future in football; it’s about a young man who is navigating the complexities of fame, education, and entrepreneurship with remarkable poise and vision. Puglisi’s journey is a blueprint for the next generation of athletes, showcasing the potential to achieve greatness not only in their chosen sport but also in life beyond the game.

In reflecting on Ryan Puglisi’s burgeoning career, it’s clear that his impact extends far beyond the football field. As he continues to balance the demands of academics and athletics while navigating the lucrative waters of NIL opportunities, Puglisi is not just chasing greatness; he’s redefining it. His story is a testament to the power of ambition, the importance of education, and the endless possibilities that await those willing to embrace the evolving landscape of college sports. As we look to the future, Ryan Puglisi stands as a beacon of what it means to be a modern collegiate athlete, and his journey is one that will undoubtedly inspire generations to come.

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Rumor claims Alabama, Texas and other SEC schools could kick Tennessee out of conference over loyalty document

A huge new report claims that SEC schools like Alabama, Texas, and LSU could soon push to have conference rivals from the state of Tennessee removed from the league over potential resistance to sign a new NIL loyalty document. Name, image, and likeness rules have forever changed college sports. No longer can colleges get away […]

Published

46 minutes ago

May 23, 2025

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Name, image, and likeness rules have forever changed college sports. No longer can colleges get away with making billions from sports and not fairly compensating athletes. Now, millions have flowed into amateur sports from NIL collectives. However, a new settlement between the government and the NCAA will lead to schools paying players directly. As well as put salary cap limits on how much can be spent on college sports.

However, Tennessee is looking to circumvent that and benefit its college sports teams with a new law that will protect universities in the state from antitrust lawsuits by athletes and NIL collectives unhappy with the updated player-pay rules. It would essentially allow those schools to compete without the guardrails being used by the rest of the universities around the country.

Could SEC powerhouses like Alabama and Texas kick Tennessee out of the conference?

tennessee volunteers — Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Well, the NCAA and all the major conferences, including the SEC, have concerns about schools sticking to the news guidelines. On Thursday, Knox News reported that a loyalty document is being circulated in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and the SEC. It requires schools to agree to follow the guidelines from the House vs. NCAA settlement. Despite new laws giving them the freedom to circumvent the rules.

The loyalty document also requires schools to waive their right to sue the NCAA or conferences over issues with those rules. There is reason to believe schools like Tennessee or Vanderbilt could forego signing the document because of how much the law benefits their sports programs. Well, if they decline signing, Knox News claims a serious penalty could be levied on those universities.

“The document has not been finalized. But potential consequences of not signing it include expulsion from the conference. Or participation in playing games against other power conference schools,” the outlet claimed.

Tennessee claims it will follow the new guidelines of ‘House vs. NCAA’ settlement

In a statement to Knox News, Tennessee claimed it would comply with the settlement. However, it is still no guarantee that they will sign the SEC loyalty document.

“The University of Tennessee has committed to following the House settlement if it is approved,” UT said in a statement. “That commitment has not changed. We appreciate the Tennessee General Assembly’s forethought in passing NIL legislation that provides future protections for student-athletes and institutions beyond the House settlement.”

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