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Morning Buzz

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: Why a new stadium in D.C. is so important; NFL gets into the jersey rotation and a new leader over BofA’s sports marketing and sponsorship

The Pac-12 has finalized its 2025 football media rights deals.
The 13-game package composed of Washington State and Oregon State’s home games will be dispersed across three networks — The CW, CBS and ESPN — and will serve as a one-year stopgap between now and what is expected to be a separate, lengthier set of media rights agreements that will incorporate the additions of at least six new members beginning in 2026.
The CW is expected to take on the bulk of the 2025 package with nine games, while ESPN and CBS will broadcast two games apiece. Financial terms were not readily available at press time.
Octagon, the Pac-12’s exclusive media advisor, consulted on the deal.

Fox Sports EVP Charlie Dixon, who is a co-defendant in two lawsuits in which he was accused of sexual battery, is “officially done at the network.” Dixon had been placed on administrative leave at the network in February. Dixon joined Fox Sports in 2015 and was eventually promoted to be its “top programming decision-maker on the cable side” with FS1 (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28). An attorney for Dixon in a statement said that his client had been told by Fox Sports “‘that he was being let go for violating company policy’ in a matter that had nothing to do with the lawsuits filed in January.” Attorney John Ly wrote according to the network, Dixon did “not disclose to human resources or the legal department that a third-party production company had hired his wife as a temporary freelancer.” However, he added Dixon “had asked his supervisor about the hire and was told that there were no objections” (L.A. TIMES, 4/29).

The only thing missing from the White Sox’ new City Connect jerseys is a pair of Air Jordans.
The team’s City Connect jerseys, which will debut on Friday, were inspired by another Chicago team: the Bulls. It’s the first on-field jersey that combines brand elements from both MLB and the NBA.
It’s also the first time an MLB team has two on-field cap designs for a City Connect uniform: a winged “BRED Cap” and a red and black “City Pinstripes Cap.”
Merchandise will be available on April 29. The jerseys feature red (Bulls) and black (White Sox) stripes. They also features several other unique elements like the “CHICAGO” wordmark across the chest in the same style as what the Bulls have long had; a winged sock inspired by the logo the White Sox used in the 1950s; a Crossover tag; “SOUTHSIDE” being etched around the sleeve and down the pant leg; and the neckline has detail honoring the teams’ combined nine championships.

Basketball HOFer and TNT Sports NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal has “agreed to become the Sacramento State men’s basketball general manager,” according to sources. It will be an “unpaid, voluntary role” for Shaq, whose son Shaqir O’Neal will play for Sacramento State this coming season. Shaq is the “latest high-profile athlete” to accept a GM role with a school, joining Warriors G Stephen Curry (assistant GM for Davidson basketball), Hawks G Trae Young (assistant GM for Oklahoma basketball) and former NFLer Andrew Luck (GM for Stanford football) (ESPN.com, 4/28).

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and President of League Operations Byron Spruell said “discussions were being held with new broadcast partner NBC for an ‘international competition’ as the league’s All-Star Game,” which is set for Feb. 15, 2026, at Intuit Dome. Silver said, “Our All-Star Game will return to NBC next season in the middle of their coverage of the Winter Olympics. Given the strong interest we’ve seen in international basketball competitions, most recently in last summer’s Olympics in Paris, we’re discussing concepts with the players association that focus on NBA players representing their countries or regions instead of the more traditional formats that we’ve used in the past.” The next Olympic basketball tournament will be in L.A. in 2028, “played at the same arena where next year’s All-Star Game will take place.” There is a “general appetite for international basketball that is only growing,” after “arguably the most star-studded international tournament ever” took place last summer at the Paris Olympics (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28).

A federal judge on Monday “dismissed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit” brought by former NBAer Mario Chalmers and “other prolific college basketball players against the NCAA.” Chalmers filed the antitrust class action last year alongside 15 other former college basketball players, who claimed that the NCAA is “unjustly enriching itself” off the NIL of its athletes to promote the NCAA Tournament. But U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer “sided with the NCAA in dismissing Chalmers’ complaint Monday, finding it untimely.” A four-year statute of limitations “limits legal action for violations of federal antitrust law.” Chalmers and the other plaintiffs contested that the law “continues to be breached to this day by the NCAA using their likeness in promotional material, making their claims timely despite the four-year limit,” but Engelmayer “wasn’t persuaded.” At a court hearing in January, Engelmayer also implied that past litigation like O’Bannon v. NCAA “didn’t help plaintiffs’ current case, since many of those same issues were already litigated.” Engelmayer “acknowledged that again in his Monday order, writing that ‘all named plaintiffs were members of the O’Bannon injunctive class’” (COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE, 4/28).

Sports agent Mark Termini “settled his lawsuit” against Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul on Monday, less than a year after Termini made accusations that Paul “cut him out of $4.9 million worth of fees for signing two NBA player contracts” for the agency. The filing says that the case was settled “at Klutch’s costs,” but it “doesn’t list the terms of the settlement.” Paul hired Termini in 2012 when he launched Klutch Sports and “very significantly” relied on Termini’s experience to grow the agency, according to the lawsuit. Termini’s contract “called for him to get 25% of the agent fees for any contract he helped negotiate.” The lawsuit accused Paul of “breach of contract by failing to pay Termini the full amount of fees he was owed and intentionally waiting to ink deals for two unidentified players in December 2020 until Termini’s contract expired so Paul wouldn’t have to pay him for his work on the deals,” the lawsuit said (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/28).

The Eagles visited the White House on Monday to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LIX. QB Jalen Hurts was a “notable absence,” as he and other players “missed the event due to scheduling conflicts.” President Donald Trump “praised the team while a sea of Eagles fans wearing green filled the White House lawn” (THE HILL, 4/28). The visit was “not mandatory for players.” Others that did not attend included WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and “some members of the Eagles defense” (NBCPHILADELPHIA.com, 4/28). The trip to the White House “came after speculation the team would skip the trip like it did” following their win in Super Bowl LII in 2018 during Trump’s first term in office (DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL, 4/28).
The Eagles’ visit to the White House “wasn’t going to be the typical winners-go-to-Washington photo opportunity.” As the event started, the Marine Band “played the ‘Rocky’ theme.” Among the first persons that Trump summoned to the podium during the ceremony “wasn’t the owner, coach, or a future hall-of-famer,” but Eagles Chief Security Officer Dom DiSandro (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/28).

PepsiCo’s Gatorade unit on Monday “won the dismissal” of a lawsuit by former world champion sprinter Issam Asinga, who “blamed his four-year doping ban on eating ‘recovery gummies’ contaminated by a performance-enhancing drug.” U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel ruled Asinga, who is from Suriname, “could not pursue strict liability and negligence claims because he did not allege that eating the gummies caused physical injury.” She also “found no proof that Gatorade intentionally caused him to ingest a banned substance,” thereby “undermining his athletic scholarship from Texas A&M University and agreement to abide by world anti-doping rules” (REUTERS, 4/28).
Speed Reads…
Marshall AD Christian Spears and the school have “mutually agreed that they will not be renewing his contract,” which expires in March 2026, according to sources. Spears “will stay on” as AD “until the school finds a replacement” (ESPN.com, 4/28).
The USTA and American Tennis Association announced a “new initiative to expand diversity in tennis,” with a “focus on increasing Black representation in the sport” (REUTERS, 4/28).
Morning Hot Reads: What’s Your Role?
The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER went with the header, “What is Jordon Hudson’s role at UNC? Bill Belichick CBS interview adds confusion.” Since Belichick was hired as UNC’s football coach in December, he’s “faced questions and criticism about his relationship and Hudson’s role.” She was “spotted putting a microphone on Belichick ahead of Carolina’s ‘Practice Like a Pro’ open spring practice,” and she “made appearances at multiple men’s basketball games alongside Belichick.” Videos of those interactions “also went viral.” The couple also appeared last week at a Hurricanes playoff game at Lenovo Center, and “when shown on the big screen, the capacity crowd in the traditionally pro-N.C. State building let out a chorus of boos.” Questions “still surround Hudson’s role” at UNC, as she’s “not employed by the university.”
Also:
Social Scoop…
Nike says it will not be using the term “Never Again” going forward after the phrase was used in a London billboard promoting the marathon.
The all-red billboard said “Never Again. Until Next Year.”
“We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused,” Nike said. pic.twitter.com/Aqd9wZGpyE
— Louis Keene (@thislouis) April 28, 2025
I’ll say it again for those in the back…in 5 years Gillette stadium will be a fossil compared to the rest of the league. Build a new one right in Boston. Drop it in the Charles River if you have too. @Patriots are too big to be out in the country like a SEC college team. pic.twitter.com/a9HRYLNnia
— Cerrone Battle (@Cerrone_Battle) April 28, 2025
Among the #Eagles not at the White House today:
• Jalen Hurts
• AJ Brown
• DeVonta Smith
• Brandon Graham
• Darius Slay
• Nolan Smith
• Jordan Davis
• Jalen Carter
• CJ Gardner-Johnson
• Zack Baun
• Nakobe Dean
• Isaiah Rodgers
• Jalyx Hunt
• Josh Sweat pic.twitter.com/5yr5BNYRF3— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) April 28, 2025
“Deion has worked for so many media outlets and has so many friends in the NFL… Nobody wanted to give him the truth: your son’s okay.”@ColinCowherd discusses how Deion Sanders’ presence made the hype around Shedeur overblown. pic.twitter.com/HIBUVwMjoy
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 28, 2025
“At the start of his writing career, his wife told him, if it didn’t work out, at 6’4″, he could be a reacher in a supermarket.”
Off the presses…
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back pages and sports covers from some of North America’s major metropolitan newspapers:
Final Jeopardy…
“Who is Lee Child?”
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College Basketball Rankings: Coaches Poll Top 25 updated after Week 8
The USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25 has been refreshed following the eighth week of the season. It was a bit of a light week due to Christmas, but some showdowns still took place amid the holiday celebrations, resulting in some movement throughout the Top 25.
With conference play picking up this coming weekend, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of the season, where the rankings will fluctuate week-in and week-out. While this past week was packed with tune-up games and not a ton of riveting action, that won’t be the case from now until April.
Regardless, the Coaches Poll Top 25 is certain to see plenty of movement. For now, here’s how things stack up after Week 8. This week’s updated rankings are below.
Michigan enjoyed a full week off and enters the week undefeated at 11–0. The Wolverines return to action with home games against McNeese State on Monday and USC on Friday.
Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg has been the engine, stuffing the stat sheet with 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Michigan will look to stay perfect as conference play looms.

Arizona rolled past Bethune 107–71 last Monday to improve to 12–0 on the season. The Wildcats host South Dakota State before traveling to Utah for a road test on Saturday.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries has emerged as a steady scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game. Arizona’s depth and tempo continue to overwhelm opponents early in the season.
Iowa State remained perfect at 12–0 after an off week. The Cyclones host Houston Christian on Monday and West Virginia on Friday.
Junior forward Milan Momcilovic leads the team at 18.3 points per game. Iowa State’s balance continues to separate it from most of the field.
UConn had the week off and remains one of the nation’s most complete teams at 12–1. The Huskies head to Xavier on Wednesday before hosting Marquette on Sunday.
Junior guard Solo Ball leads the backcourt with 15.4 points per game. This week offers a strong measuring stick against Big East competition.

Purdue stayed idle last week but remains firmly entrenched near the top of the Coaches Poll with an 11–1 record. The Boilermakers face a tricky week with a home matchup against Kent State on Monday before heading to Wisconsin on Saturday.
Senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn continues to anchor the frontcourt, averaging a double-double at 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Purdue’s ability to maintain consistency through a two-game week will be closely watched.
Duke remained idle last week and sits at 11–1 entering a two-game stretch. The Blue Devils host Georgia Tech on Wednesday before traveling to Florida State on Saturday.
Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer has been dominant, averaging 23.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Duke will be tested defensively as ACC play intensifies.
Gonzaga extended its winning streak with a victory over Pepperdine on Sunday and sits at 13–1. The Bulldogs play three times this week, traveling to San Diego before hosting Seattle U and LMU.
Junior forward Braden Huff leads the way with 19.1 points per game. Gonzaga’s depth will be tested during the busy stretch.

Houston enters the week at 11–1 after a quiet stretch. The Cougars host Middle Tennessee State on Monday before heading to Cincinnati on Saturday.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp continues to pace the offense with 17.9 points per game. Houston’s defensive pressure remains its calling card heading into conference play.
Michigan State enjoyed a week off and sits at 11–1 on the season. The Spartans host Cornell on Monday before traveling to Nebraska on Friday.
Senior forward Jaxon Kohler has been a force inside, averaging 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds. Michigan State will look to sharpen its execution away from home.
BYU cruised past Eastern Washington 109–81 last Monday to improve to 12–1. The Cougars face a lone test this week with a road trip to Kansas State on Saturday.
Freshman star AJ Dybantsa has lived up to the hype, averaging 23.1 points per game. BYU’s offense remains one of the most explosive in the country.
11. Vanderbilt
12. North Carolina
13-T. Nebraska
13-T. Louisville (+1)
15. Alabama
16. Texas Tech
17. Kansas
18. Arkansas
19. Illinois
20. Tennessee
21. Virginia
22. Florida
23. Iowa
24. Georgia
25. St. John’s
Dropped Out: No. 25 USC
Others Receiving Votes: Kentucky 35; USC 25; Utah State 14; Auburn 7; Saint Louis 6; Clemson 6; Seton Hall 5; Oklahoma State 5; Yale 4; UCLA 4; Saint Mary’s 4; LSU 3; California 2; Villanova 1; Miami (OH) 1; Indiana 1
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Petrino’s Friend Found a Workaround to Pay Taylen Green That’s Now Prohibited by NCAA
When Bobby Petrino returned to Arkansas after the 2023 season, his first task was finding a new quarterback.
In this era of college football, that also meant funding a new quarterback. For that, the former head coach leaned on his old friend Frank Fletcher.
The Little Rock-based businessman stepped up and footed a large chunk of the bill for Taylen Green, the talented signal caller Petrino identified to run his offense for the Razorbacks.
It hasn’t only been a transactional relationship, though. Over the last two years, Fletcher has been mindful of Green’s life after sports. Rather than simply handing the star quarterback a boatload of cash, he offered something few college athletes receive: personal relationship and mentorship.
“I had a wonderful two years with Taylen Green,” Fletcher said during Monday’s edition of Morning Mayhem on 103.7 The Buzz. “I was lucky that I happened to back a player that was that nice a kid and [had] great parents. I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m teaching him everything I know, and he wants to learn.”
Fletcher helped Green navigate the financial market by giving the QB1 homework, making him chart a series of stocks over a few months – something that could prove even more important after his subpar finish to the 2025 season likely impacted his pro prospects.
But it wasn’t just financial exercises. Fletcher turned the lessons into on-the-job training – especially when it comes to creative thinking.
After dealing with complicated, 15-page NIL contracts from the university, Fletcher found a way to work around the red tape.
“We had a one-page deal that Taylen’s dad looked at, that we paid him quarterly,” Fletcher said. “He was a direct employee of Fletcher Auto Group, and he advertised for our Honda store in Northwest Arkansas.”
Such arrangements, which align with the original spirit of NIL, allowed boosters to effectively pay student-athletes whatever they deemed the market value of the service provided. That changed with the House settlement that went into effect this summer.
Among other things, it introduced a centralized clearinghouse through which all NIL deals over $600 must be approved. Now, Fletcher can no longer bypass the red tape and unilaterally make deals with players like Green. His contract with the quarterback would still be subject to the “fair market value” requirement, hence why the original agreement ended in April.
The settlement also ushered in a new era of rev-share payrolls alongside NIL agreements that was supposed to cap football roster spending and effectively level the playing field. Boosters of many Power Four programs, however, have found loopholes of their own.
Creative maneuvering remains alive and well.
Peeling Back the Curtain
During his now infamous appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in September, Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek referenced a shady “third lane” in which other schools are operating.
He was confident in how the UA has adapted to the two primary “lanes” — revenue sharing and “legitimate” NIL deals — on the financial front, but the eighth-year AD has long been a vocal opponent of pay-for-play deals that were supposed to be eliminated when the House settlement went into effect over the summer.
Of course, that hasn’t happened.
Despite the revenue sharing “cap” being set at $20.5 million, which is distributed amongst all sports on campus, there have been numerous reports this offseason of new coaches being promised roster “salaries” well over that number — even before factoring out the portion going to men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and other sports.
According to The Advocate, Lane Kiffin will get $25-30 million to build his roster at LSU. After flirting with Arkansas, Alex Golesh will instead have close to $30 million to spend on players at Auburn, according to 247Sports’ Auburn Undercover.
Related Articles
The above-the-cap difference comes from third-party NIL deals, which must be submitted to NIL Go and approved by the clearinghouse to keep everyone in the good graces of the College Sports Commission.
While people like Frank Fletcher used to do it simply for convenience, schools have been forced to get creative when finding workarounds to navigate Yurachek’s so-called “third lane” — which The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Ralph Russo pulled the curtain back on over the weekend.
Their reporting found that some have simply not reported deals, especially since the Power Four schools have yet to agree on enforcement rules, but there are also some seemingly above-board ways to fudge the cap with the help of collectives.
One such way, according to The Athletic, is by paying agents separately. In this scenario, a $100,000 deal negotiated by an agent taking a 10% cut would come out to $90,000 from the school to the player, which counts against the rev-share cap, and $10,000 from the collective to the agent, which doesn’t and also isn’t subject to the clearinghouse.
When collective employees are worried about a large deal being approved by the CSC, they have reportedly been known to verbally agree to a certain amount, only to split it up into smaller deals submitted throughout the year that ultimately equal the agreed upon total.
The Athletic also reported that at least one school’s collective is believed to have paid the entire incoming freshman class to avoid having to count it against the rev-share limit.
It’s worth noting that the UA doesn’t have an active NIL collective at the moment, as it cut ties with the Blueprint Sports-run Arkansas Edge in October. Sources have indicated to Best of Arkansas Sports that the UA has something else in the works, but no such announcements have been made.
Still, like Fletcher and its fellow SEC programs, Arkansas has room to be creative. Yurachek must be willing to navigate that “third lane” or risk the Razorbacks being left in the dust.
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Frank Fletcher talks about his NIL agreement with Taylen Green beginning at the 2:16:55 mark below:
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More coverage of Arkansas football from BoAS…
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Mass Exodus at LSU could be big opportunity for Kentucky
College football free agency does not officially kick off until the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, but planning for the eventful two-week period is well underway. Players are announcing their intentions as coaching staffs prepare a plan of attack. It’s a busy time for every college football program, but the intensity is amplified even more for first-year head coaches, like Kentucky’s Will Stein.
With every coaching change, there is significant roster turnover. You can expect some schools to change more than half of their roster as a coach tells the old players to kick rocks as he brings in new ones from the transfer portal.
Lane Kiffin was called the “Portal King” during his time at Ole Miss. The man has frequent flyer miles in college football free agency. One of his first hires in Baton Rouge was Eric Wolford. The former Kentucky assistant coach did not fix the Wildcats’ high school recruiting woes on the offensive line, but his intense style actually might help Kentucky this offseason.
You have to be a certain type of person to play for Eric Wolford. Not every LSU offensive lineman is gonna sign up for that. Kentucky needs offensive linemen. You know who is well acquainted with those LSU players who need a new home? Joe Sloan.
Kentucky needs five new starters on the offensive line. There are a few reserves from last year’s squad that may be ready to emerge as starters, but the Cats need players in the trenches. Plenty of Joe Sloan’s former LSU players will be available in free agency.
Lock in for a pivotal Kentucky Football offseason KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join now for 50% off an annual subscription.
LSU Offensive Linemen hitting the Transfer Portal
OT Carius Curne — A top 15 overall talent in the 2025 recruiting class who was evaluated as a guard, the Arkansas native started five games as a true freshman, splitting time at both left and right tackle. He showed plenty of potential and will be a hot commodity in the transfer portal. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
OT Tyree Adams — Adams earned a starting role at left tackle ahead of the 2025 season before an injury forced him to undergo season-ending surgery in November. The New Orleans native has two years of eligibility remaining.
IOL Coen Echols — Started the last eight games at left guard and played the third-most snaps on the offense. The former Texas A&M commit will be a true junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
C DJ Chester — LSU’s starting center in 2024 led the team in snaps, but was replaced by a Virginia Tech transfer this fall. He enters the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
OT Ory Williams — The redshirt freshman earned two starts at left tackle at the end of the season. He appeared in four games total and logged 150 snaps.
The LSU offensive line was far from a juggernaut for Sloan last fall. PFF gave the Tigers the worst run-blocking grade in the SEC after finishing at the bottom of the league in rushing yards per game (104). Even though the unit had plenty of imperfections, there are still players with plenty of upside and SEC experience who could find a second wind by following their old offensive coordinator to Kentucky via the transfer portal.
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Red Raiders arrive for CFP Quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl
Texas Tech will begin its first full day in South Florida on Tuesday with a morning practice followed by College Football Playoff quarterfinal media day at Hard Rock Stadium, site of Thursday’s game against Oregon.
No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1, 8-1 Big 12) meets No. 5 Oregon (12-1, 8-1 Big Ten) at noon ET on New Year’s Day. ESPN will televise the game, with Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer in the booth and Stormy Buonantony and Katie George on the sidelines.
This will be the first time the programs have met in the Capital One Orange Bowl and the fourth meeting overall dating to 1991. It is also the first College Football Playoff quarterfinal in Orange Bowl history.
– TECH –
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NIL’s Mercenary March of College Football Athletes
This isn’t isolated to mid-tier teams like Iowa State. Even former powerhouses are reeling from portal raids. USC, under Lincoln Riley, hemorrhaged 15 players after a disappointing 2025 season, including backups and starters seeking better NIL opportunities elsewhere. The Trojans’ losses exacerbate roster instability in a program once synonymous with West Coast dominance. Similarly, Florida State shed 25 athletes, UNC lost 15, and over 10 programs nationwide saw 20 or more departures, highlighting how NIL bidding wars amplify turnover at underperforming or underfunded schools. These exits often follow coaching changes or subpar seasons, with athletes prioritizing financial incentives over rebuilding efforts.
The fallout extends beyond regular-season rosters, contributing to a palpable lack of interest in the multitude of bowl games not tied to the College Football Playoff (CFP). With the transfer portal overlapping bowl season and NIL deals luring players away, non-playoff bowls have become exhibitions of depleted teams, rife with opt-outs and makeshift lineups. Players, now professionalized through NIL earnings, increasingly skip these games to avoid injury risks ahead of the NFL draft or to chase better opportunities via the portal, rendering many matchups unwatchable and irrelevant. This year alone, several 5-7 teams declined bowl invitations outright, including Iowa State and Notre Dame that also had a 10-2 winning record in 2025, signaling diminished prestige, while opt-outs have turned storied bowls into shadow versions of themselves. Viewership for non-playoff bowls remains robust in aggregate—Disney’s 33 such games averaged 2.7 million viewers last season, up from prior years—but fan sentiment and expert analysis point to growing apathy, with complaints that NIL and the portal have “demolished bowl season” by eroding competitive integrity. As one observer noted, these games hold “no interest” for teams anymore, fueling calls for reforms like paying players to participate or shifting the portal window post-bowls.
As the 2025 calendar winds down, the NCAA’s revamped transfer portal is poised to swing open on January 2, 2026, ushering in a condensed 15-day frenzy that closes on January 16, 2026, for most football programs. This single-window structure, a shift from previous dual periods to curb ongoing tampering and streamline chaos, includes extensions: Players from teams in the College Football Playoff national championship (set for January 19, 2026) get an extra five days from January 20-24, while coaching changes trigger separate 15-day windows starting five days after a new hire. Amid NIL’s financial allure, this upcoming portal period could accelerate roster volatility, with programs like Iowa State still reeling from pre-window announcements and others bracing for bidding wars.
Yet, in Texas—the epicenter of NIL spending—some programs thrive amid the chaos, leveraging deep-pocketed boosters to build fortresses against portal losses. The University of Texas (UT) boasts the nation’s top football NIL budget at $35-40 million for 2025, enabling net gains like edge rusher Colin Simmons from LSU and wideout Isaiah Bond from Alabama while minimizing outflows. Texas A&M follows closely with $51.4 million in total NIL revenue (football-dominant), adding 12 transfers like quarterback Marcel Reed despite some exits tied to NIL dissatisfaction. Texas Tech, spending nearly $30 million, turned the portal into a weapon with 15 additions, including quarterback Brendan Sorsby on a rumored $4 million deal, fueling a playoff push. SMU, raising $65 million for all sports via its Mustang Club, focused on retention bonuses to limit departures to just five, adding talents like edge Braden Carter and earning ACC buzz.
Contrast this with in-state rivals Baylor, TCU, and the University of Houston, where modest NIL resources expose vulnerabilities. Baylor ramped up to $15 million in NIL spending, adding 24 transfers to flip its roster, but still suffered heavy losses post-2025, prompting coach Dave Aranda to fight for key retentions like four critical players amid portal risks. TCU, also allocating around $15 million to football under Big 12 revenue sharing, balanced gains (e.g., experienced quarterbacks) with lumps from departures, reflecting the portal’s double-edged sword in a new era of $20.5 million caps. Houston, with unspecified but lower NIL figures, bolstered its roster with 15 transfers and 30 overall additions, yet faces ongoing portal needs after a 4-8 season, lacking the financial firepower to consistently outbid elites.
This Texas divide underscores NIL’s inequality: Wealthy programs like UT and A&M buy stability and stars, while others like Baylor and TCU scramble to plug holes, often becoming feeder systems. As the transfer portal window in 2026 looms, college football’s soul hangs in the balance and talk of reform is already in the air.
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Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert revives the Demon Deacons in debut season

For over a decade, Dave Clawson built Wake Forest into one of the steadiest football programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference, crafting a developmental model that produced seven consecutive bowl appearances.
Clawson’s approach to making the Demon Deacons a fixture in North Carolina’s college football landscape was deliberate: recruit under-the-radar prospects, develop them patiently for two or three seasons, then rely on experienced upperclassmen to carry the program.
As the transfer portal and NIL opportunities reshaped college football, that model became harder to sustain. After back-to-back 4-8 seasons, Clawson resigned, citing a rapidly changing landscape and acknowledging he could no longer give the job everything it required.
Wake Forest suddenly faced a reset as a coaching change, roster turnover and evolving expectations left the program searching for direction. When Jake Dickert, former coach at Washington State, arrived in Winston-Salem ahead of the 2025 season, optimism was cautious at best.
What followed was one of the ACC’s most striking turnarounds.
In his first season, Dickert — the North State Journal’s 2025 Coach of the Year — restored stability and belief, guiding Wake to an 8-4 record and a return to bowl eligibility.
Capping off Dickert’s debut season, the Demon Deacons (8-4) will face SEC representative Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
In their 2025 campaign, the Deacs tied for the most victories among all FBS programs in the Carolinas, underscoring the program’s rapid rebound. Wake Forest defeated two teams ranked at the time, including a road victory at Virginia (the Cavaliers’ only home loss of the season) and a home win that snapped SMU’s 20-game regular-season conference winning streak.
After back-to-back losses in September, Wake responded by winning six of seven games before closing the regular season with a loss at Duke; the Deacs finished 4-4 in ACC play.
On the field, Dickert leaned on a blend of experience and toughness. Graduate transfer quarterback Robby Ashford brought leadership to an offense that had struggled for consistency in recent seasons, while senior running back Demond Claiborne anchored the ground game and emerged as a physical focal point in key moments.
Defense again proved to be the program’s backbone. The Demon Deacons ranked sixth in the ACC and 38th nationally in scoring defense, finished top five in the league in total and passing defense, and did not allow a touchdown against either Virginia or North Carolina.
Dickert’s impact extended well beyond Saturdays.
Before the season, he overhauled Wake Forest’s recruiting and scouting infrastructure, assembling a 10-person staff dedicated to identifying talent and building depth in a new era of college football. The early returns have been promising.
During the recent National Signing Day, Wake Forest announced a 30-player 2026 recruiting class — the highest-ranked in program history — currently inside the national top 50. The class includes one four-star and 29 three-star recruits, signaling a shift toward broader talent acquisition and immediate competitiveness.
Dickert’s efforts were rewarded following the regular season. On Dec. 2, Wake Forest Vice President and Athletics Director John Currie announced that Dickert had signed a long-term contract extension.
“Jake Dickert has proven himself to be one of college football’s rising head coaches and one of the truly special leaders in the ACC,” Currie said. “He has galvanized our locker room, our campus, and our community. Coach Dickert is exactly the type of leader who inspires players, and he and his family fit seamlessly into the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem community.”
Dickert echoed that sentiment, pointing to long-term investment as central to Wake Forest’s direction.
“Our family could not be more grateful to call Wake Forest and Winston-Salem home,” he said. “Over the last 11-plus months, our staff and student-athletes have embraced a new process of being ‘Built in the Dark.’ When John approached me a few weeks ago about the university’s desire to further invest in our program, I was both humbled and energized.”
“This commitment ensures that our staff has the stability, resources and support necessary to continue elevating Wake Forest football,” Dickert added. “I’m proud of this team, our staff and our seniors who built the foundation for this new era, and excited for what’s ahead. There has never been a better time to be a Demon Deacon.”
While roster turnover remains a reality, Wake Forest’s trajectory is still heading upward. With a retooled staff, a revamped recruiting approach and renewed confidence throughout the program, Dickert has revived the Demon Deacons and positioned them for sustained relevance for years to come.
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