A Jacksonville State football standout will be a member of the fifth WWE Next In Line Program.

The WWE announced that Brock Rechsteiner, a wide receiver with the Gamecocks, will be a part of the 12 athlete class. USA TODAY Sports first reported the news and WWE posted the news on social media June 7.

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Rechsteiner is the son of former WWE champion Scott Steiner. Scott wrestled alongside his brother Rick Steiner, with Rick’s son and Brock’s cousin currently wrestling in the WWE under the name Bron Breakker.

The WWE Next In Line program helps identify future stars and can prepare them for a career in wrestling, something that Rechsteiner has told the Gadsden Times that he is interested in doing once football ends.

“Right now I’m one hundred percent focused on football. Once I’m done football I’m going to get in to it,” Brock said in October of 2024.

FAMILY BUSINESS: Jacksonville State’s Brock Rechsteiner focused on football but ready to continue family legacy

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Rechsteiner broke out on to the scene with an 85-yard touchdown catch against Southern Miss, which saw Jax State coaches and teammates start posting photos of Rechsteiner with WWE belts and chainmail armor. He finished the year with 16 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns.

The full class includes the son of another WWE legend, Oklahoma football player and wrestler Jacob Henry. He is the son of former World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Jax State, WWE legacy Brock Rechsteiner announced as NIL class member

In the wake of the NCAA’s $2.78 billion House Settlement, which made new provisions for athletic departments and conferences to oversee their student-athletes’ NIL earnings, the Ohio State athletic department and Learfield have announced the formation of Buckeye Sports Group.

BSG will consolidate the Buckeyes’ existing NIL collectives, namely The 1870 Society and The Foundation, into one NIL management team within the athletics department. Founding members of both collectives will serve in advisory roles under BSG.

By creating a dedicated team of NIL leaders to serve under the athletics department, the Ohio State athletics department intends to help its student-athletes “maximize their brand value” and “support, streamline and enhance” NIL opportunities, per a release from OSU athletics and Learfield.

“Ohio State has always been a leader in college athletics, and this initiative is another step forward to build upon our strong NIL foundation,” Ohio State deputy athletic director Carey Hoyt said in the release. “By combining the power of our athletic brand with Learfield’s expansive network, we are creating an innovative, full-service approach to NIL that directly benefits our student-athletes.”

BSG will have access to Learfield’s Compass NIL technology through their partnership, which is used to connect players to brand deals that suit their interests. The partnership is centered on a comprehensive strategy that will also provide student-athletes with financial literacy resources to help with money management and taxes.

BSG will serve all 36 varsity sports at Ohio State.

Leave it to Curt Cignetti to lay bare the new reality in college sports:  Now more than ever, programs within athletic departments are competing for money.

Entering his second year as head football coach at IU, Cignetti was asked recently what he thought of the spring additions to his roster.

Enter tongue into cheek.

“I’d like to have signed a few more, but when we hired Darian (DeVries) and he lost his whole roster, money got a little tight because he had to put a team together, and I felt the pinch,” Cignetti said.

Cignetti managed to crack a smile after his joke drew laughter, but there is at least some basis in reality in those words.

There’s always been some degree of tension between the programs in power conference athletics.  How schools invested in things like facilities and coaching salaries across their various sports signaled how competitive they wanted to be in those endeavors.

But still, there have been plenty of examples over the last quarter century of power conference schools competing at a relatively high level in both football and men’s basketball.  Big Ten programs like Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State come to mind.

But with the introduction of NIL four years ago came a massive sea change, as schools were suddenly in a position to start influencing which athletes in various sports received money.

And with the approval of the House settlement last week, every school will have more than $20 million to directly share with athletes.  So now more than ever we’ll see just how much athletic departments want to be football schools or basketball schools, and how they’ll go about striking that balance.

IU AD Scott Dolson came up as a manager with the basketball program, but he’s stated publicly on multiple occasions he thinks football is the economic engine of his department.  In the years to come, Indiana might try as hard as any school to thread the needle and find the sweet spot for both good football and basketball.

“Football is important. Football drives so much revenue,” Dolson said last September.

“That’s why Coach Cignetti is here. We need to be relevant in football. We need to make sure we get that momentum because it drives the engine for the whole department. Certainly men’s basketball speaks for itself as well, particularly here at Indiana, but football is really, really critical.”

So what impact might the recently approved House settlement have on Indiana?

On the whole, it looks better for football than basketball when it comes to the national landscape.

Schools are allowed to allocate $20.4 million of revenue to athletes as they see fit.  Most will likely give $2-4 million to men’s basketball players, and almost all of the rest to football players.

It won’t come as a surprise if IU gives more $5 million to basketball players, but there will still be a significant amount allocated to football players.  And that should help level the playing field for Indiana in a sport where they haven’t been competitive financially.  Really good football players should be able to come to IU and make really good money.  In general, IU should have enough money that the players they want can evaluate IU on the football opportunity as much as the financial opportunity.

Also coming with the House settlement is oversight for booster/collective payments to athletes.  This is the form of “NIL” we’ve seen over the last four years, where the schools with the richest and most motivated boosters can buy the best rosters.  Those payments will continue, but all of those deals will now be reviewed by Deloitte, and the sham element of payments will be disallowed.  Again, this should level the playing field for IU football, which has had collective cash, but not the silly money we’ve seen elsewhere.

To be determined is how Deloitte views the big brand programs across college football.  In other words, does the starting QB at Ohio State have a higher NIL value than the starter at Northwestern?  You can see the potential logic why that would be the case, along with the potential to permanently reinforce the hierarchy in college football.  That would be a scenario that would not help Indiana football, but continued high-level success by Curt Cignetti could help mitigate any concerns there.

Of course these very same considerations will help level a men’s basketball playing field where IU has had a financial advantage in recent years, along with one of the best national brands.

Now most high major men’s basketball programs should have at least a few million in their war chest, which will help them compete with IU.  And Indiana’s healthy amount of booster/collective money earmarked for men’s basketball will receive more scrutiny.

Another competitive layer in men’s basketball is the Big East Conference, as most of the schools in that league don’t have FBS football.  That could leave the vast majority of their revenue sharing resources to be directed almost exclusively to men’s basketball, giving them a significant advantage.  Of course without FBS football, there isn’t nearly as much revenue to share, so just how great the advantage is remains to be seen.  But we’ve already seen one coach — Kevin Willard — leave Maryland for Villanova in part due to greater financial promises.

The Big Ten does have the benefit of a massive television rights deal which should help at least offset some of the pain within the athletic department of the new $20 million expense.  It’s good to be in the Big Ten or SEC in this brave new world.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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The Future of Georgia’s Secondary: 2025 Safety Outlook

Here’s a look at the Georgia safety position for the 2025 football season, including previous college experience and the likelihood of substantial minutes for each listed player:

The Bulldogs are looking to replace key veterans in the secondary, including Dan Jackson and Malaki Starks, and have been active in the transfer portal to bolster the safety room.

Here are the players listed at safety and their outlook for 2025:

Zion Branch

• Previous College Experience: Redshirt Junior. Transferred to Georgia in the spring of 2025 after three seasons at USC. He saw action in his last two years, redshirting in 2022. He accumulated 41 tackles, 3 TFLs, one sack, and one forced fumble at USC. In 2024 (his redshirt sophomore year at USC), he had 19 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 3 passes defended in 10 games. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he had 22 tackles and one TFL.

• Likelihood of Substantial Minutes: High. Branch is projected to be a key contributor and is listed as the second strong safety on some depth charts. He was a highly-touted transfer and has reportedly acclimated well to the Georgia system, flashing during G-Day. He’s expected to push for significant playing time.

Jaden Harris

• Previous College Experience: Redshirt Junior. Transferred to Georgia in the spring of 2025 after three seasons at Miami (FL). He totaled 47 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, and one interception in 25 games played and 15 starts for the Hurricanes. In 2024 (his redshirt sophomore year at Miami), he started all 13 games with 40 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and an interception.

• Likelihood of Substantial Minutes: High. Harris brings plenty of previous starting experience from Miami and is expected to have ample opportunities for reps at Georgia. He could also see some action at the “STAR” (nickelback) position.

Adrian Maddox

• Previous College Experience: Senior. Transferred to Georgia in the spring of 2025. He played his junior season at UAB, tallying 44 tackles, 2 TFLs, two forced fumbles, and a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown. Before UAB, he played two seasons at Alabama State, where he was a preseason All-HBCU defense selection and a freshman finalist for the Jerry Rice Award. At Alabama State, he had 41 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven pass breakups as a sophomore, and 49 tackles, 6 TFLs, and two interceptions as a freshman.

• Likelihood of Substantial Minutes: High. Maddox is another highly-regarded transfer expected to compete for a starting spot, potentially opposite KJ Bolden at safety. He also flashed during G-Day.

Todd Robinson

• Previous College Experience: Freshman. Robinson is a true freshman in 2025. He was a four-star prospect out of Valdosta HS in Georgia, where he played quarterback and safety.

• Likelihood of Substantial Minutes: Moderate to Low (for substantial starting minutes). As a true freshman, Robinson will likely need time to develop and adjust to the college game. While he’s a talented prospect, the immediate starting spots will likely go to the more experienced transfers. However, he could see playing time on special teams and in rotational depth roles and could push for more minutes as the season progresses or in case of injuries.

Jacob Fleming

• Previous College Experience: Redshirt Junior. His college experience details are not as extensively highlighted as the transfers. He is listed as a Redshirt Junior for the 2025 season.

• Likelihood of Substantial Minutes: Low to Moderate. With the influx of experienced transfers, Fleming may have a harder time cracking the primary rotation for substantial minutes. He will likely provide depth and could see playing time on special teams.

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CINCINNATI – A new path for college athletics begins July 1, as athletics departments nationwide will begin directly sharing revenue with student-athletes following the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement on Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken.
 
The University of Cincinnati Athletics Department has spent months preparing for this shift and has opted into the settlement. The settlement allows schools to directly share up to approximately $20.5 million with student-athletes, while also providing back-pay to certain former athletes. The newly established College Sports Commission will oversee this system, alongside strengthened regulation of third-party NIL deals through NIL Go, ensuring a more transparent and sustainable model for the future of college sports.

Cincinnati plans to be a full revenue-sharing participant in line with its Big 12 peers to compete for championships.

The Athletics Impact Fund, created earlier this year, will play a key role in helping Cincinnati fund this new model by providing critical resources to support revenue sharing and ensure the Bearcats continue to compete for championships.

“This is a transformative moment for college sports and for Cincinnati Athletics,” said Director of Athletics John Cunningham. “We anticipated this change and have been planning carefully to position the Bearcats for continued success in this new model.”

Here is everything you need to know about the House settlement and how it affects the Bearcats.

Revenue Sharing and the Impact Fund

Under the settlement, athletics departments may distribute up to an estimated $20.5 million annually in direct revenue to student-athletes, which includes scholarships.

Cincinnati intends to be full participants in revenue sharing, and will use the newly-formed Athletics Impact Fund to support it.

 

Fans interested in contributing to the Impact Fund can visit GoBearcats.com/Impact to learn more.

NIL Go

To bring consistency and transparency to NIL deals, the settlement introduces NIL Go, a new reporting platform for all third-party NIL agreements valued at $600 or more. This ensures deals reflect legitimate business partnerships.

 

Director of Athletics John Cunningham played a key role in shaping the future of college athletics as a member of the House Settlement Implementation Committee, where he served on the subcommittee that partnered with Deloitte to help define and formalize the national NIL process—work that will directly support Cincinnati’s efforts to thrive in this new model of student-athlete compensation.

College Sports Commission

Oversight of revenue sharing and NIL activity will be handled by the independent College Sports Commission, which was established to provide fairness and consistent enforcement of the new system. Learn more at collegesportscommission.org.

UC Positioned to Thrive in New NIL Landscape

Cincinnati is uniquely positioned to thrive in this more regulated NIL landscape, with eight Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the region and a strong network of local businesses that can engage with UC student-athletes through compliant, transparent partnerships.

UC’s Director of NIL & Innovation Eddie Taylor just won the NIL Educator of the Year Award at AthleteCon on Friday. The Bearcats took home the Best Institutional NIL Department at the NIL Summit in 2024, as well.

Businesses interested in pursuing NIL partnerships with Bearcats student-athletes should contact Taylor at eddie.taylor@uc.edu for more information.



Roster Flexibility and Student-Athlete Support

The settlement also removes previous NCAA scholarship limits, giving Cincinnati greater flexibility to offer more educational and athletic opportunities. Cincinnati will utilize this flexibility to continue supporting its 16 varsity sports and maximizing opportunities for student-athletes.



What About Former Student-Athletes?

Former and current student-athletes who began competing in 2016 through Sept. 15, 2024 are eligible for name, image, and likeness (NIL) backpay. Both parties negotiated a settlement to distribute $2.78 billion to eligible student-athletes. Backpay amounts will be determined by a distribution plan designed by the plaintiffs in the case. Institutions will not have a say in backpay amounts.

Backpay monies will not be paid to former student-athletes directly from UC but as a part of the NCAA’s legal settlement process.

The deadline for former student-athletes to apply for backpay was Jan. 31, 2025.

How Can I Help?

In anticipation of this decision, Cincinnati Athletics and the University of Cincinnati launched the Athletics Impact Fund in April. The purpose of the Impact Fund is to provide UC with the resources to recruit and retain top student-athletes who will position its athletic programs to compete for championships in the Big 12 Conference and on the national stage.

Please visit this link if you would like to make a donation to the Athletics Impact Fund.

Looking Ahead

As this new model begins, Cincinnati is ready. The Bearcats are committed to providing an unparalleled student-athlete experience and competing for championships in this evolving landscape.

 

“We are confident in our position and excited for what’s ahead,” Cunningham said. “Thanks to the support of our community and the strength of our department, we are well-prepared to thrive in this new era.”

 

About Cincinnati Athletics:

The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 450 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 118 conference titles. The Cincinnati men’s basketball team is among the 15 winningest programs all-time, while the football team became the first non-Power Five program to compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021. Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Jordan Thompson, NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Major League Baseball legend Sandy Koufax are among the several luminaries who have competed as Bearcats.

 

In 2023, the Bearcats entered a new era as a Power Four School when they officially joined the Big 12 Conference, positioning Cincinnati among the nation’s premier athletics programs.

 

Off the field, UC student-athletes continue to find success, as well, collectively posting a school-record 3.52 GPA in the spring of 2025.

 

Under the leadership of Director of Athletics John Cunningham, and supported by more than 150 full-time staff members, UC Athletics’ mission is to connect our community, enhance our university and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field.

 

For more information visit gobearcats.com.