College Football Insider Names Big Ten Program as ‘Powerful’ as any in NIL Era originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

As NIL continues to unfold across the land of College Sports, one insider believes that USC can be as “Powerful” as any team in the NIL Era.

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On Monday, on3’s Wiltfong Whiparound show, Steve Wiltfong said no team in college football is more equipped to handle recruiting in the NIL Era than USC.

Right now, the Trojans are ranked number one in the country for the 2026 recruiting class, and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down after signing tight end Mark Bowman, out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.

“There’s a lot of excitement around this program,” Wiltfong said. “And in the NIL era, USC is as powerful as any program in the country right now.”

Bowman is considered the number one tight end recruit in the country and still has to suit up one more season at Mater Dei before he arrives on campus for the Trojans, but he is already being compared to former Georgia and current Raiders tight end Brock Powers.

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While the exact numbers remain unknown, Scott Schrader of WeAreSC.com wrote that Bowman is expected to make $8-10 million in NIL within three years of playing.

With the addition of Bowman, USC now has two five-star recruits in this recruiting class. The other five-star recruit is offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe out of IMG Academy. The Trojans also have 14 four-star recruits to have committed as well.

USC’s class of 2026 also has 27 total commitments, 13 of which are from the Southern California area.

Related: USC Legend Attempting to Prevent 4-Star From Choosing Alma Mater

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.

Syracuse, N.Y. – In putting together a roster for the 2025-26 season, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry and his staff hit the transfer portal with more preparation and more money to pay players than a year ago.

Of Syracuse’s six transfers, four come from schools in Power-Five conferences. Five, if one counts Nate Kingz, a wing from former Pac-12 member Oregon State, in that group.

The Orange’s transfers include William Kyle, a center from UCLA; Tyler Betsey, a forward from Cincinnati; Ibrahim Souare, a center from Georgia Tech; and the crown jewel of the class, Nait George, who led the ACC in assists last season as a sophomore at Georgia Tech.

“We got who we got,’’ Autry said of SU’s transfers. “Did we beat some people? Yes. I felt like we could compete. I didn’t feel like we lost anyone because we couldn’t afford them.’’

Did that happen a year ago? Autry was asked.

“Um, probably,’’ Autry said.

A year ago, Syracuse went into the transfer portal with limited financial resources.

As a result, Autry and his staff either passed on or were out-bid for several high-profile transfers. Of the four transfers who eventually committed to Syracuse, three came from mid- or low-major schools.

Syracuse’s budget wound up being the subject of much scrutiny and conversation as the Orange went 14-19 this past season.

In a wide-ranging interview with syracuse.com | The Post-Standard last week in his office at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, Autry said the Orange basketball program had more money at its disposal this year thanks in part to the revenue-sharing plan that is a result of the soon-to-be finalized settlement in the House v. NCAA case. The settlement still needs formal approval and is expected to take effect July 1.

“I think this year with the anticipation of the revenue sharing, I thought that helped,’’ Autry said. “I think it helped everybody, but it definitely helped us.’’

Autry declined to give exact financial details of how much money Syracuse had available to spend on players, but it seems clear Syracuse is operating at a different level, albeit still a level below the country’s biggest-spending college basketball programs.

“To answer your question,’’ Autry said, referring as to whether SU lost out on transfers last year due to a lack of money, “I do think probably the year before, we lost a couple of guys or just went after some different types of guys because it was just a different setup.’’

In addition to the House v. NCAA case, which will place a $20.5 million cap on how much schools can directly pay athletes, Autry also acknowledged that some schools with heavily funded NIL collectives were able to capitalize on the NCAA’s relaxation of NIL rules quicker than Syracuse.

“You hear about these (schools) with unbelievable collectives,’’ Autry said. “They were able to operate faster because you need to have money.’’

Autry also indicated SU general manager Alex Kline, who was hired last June to aid the Orange’s efforts in the transfer portal, helped prepare Autry and his staff identify players they would target in the transfer portal.

“This year we rolled into the off-season,’’ Autry said. “That’s why you see everyone hiring general managers now because when you try to do it as a head coach and your assistant coaches, you’re focused on finishing up the season.

“This year we literally rolled in.’’

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If you are looking to win the lottery, you might want to consult Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco.

To say that 25-26 is a critical season for the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball would be an understatement.

Adrian Autry sat down with Mike Waters of Syracuse.com to discuss the transfer additions and Syracuse’s NIL situation. While the Orange didn’t land too many “high-profile” players from the portal, Autry feels that the pieces they were able to get will fit around JJ Starling and Donnie Freeman.

In that first piece, Autry talked about identifying players with particular skill sets and not getting caught up in the production numbers. The goal was to make the Orange longer, more athletic and better prepared for playing against NCAA Tournament teams.

You should read the piece for full breakdowns on each transfer but here’s a nugget for what each brought in terms of appeal:

• Nait George- vision and ability to run the offense
• Nate Kingz- shooting and defensive potential
• William Kyle – defense
• Tyler Betsey- size and versatility
• Ibrahim Souare- motor
• Bryce Zephir-toughness

Autry shared that money didn’t prevent the staff from landing anyone this season, as opposed to last. The Orange head coach also commented on the addition of Alex Kline as GM and how it helped Syracuse attack the portal.

“This year we rolled into the off-season,’’ Autry said. “That’s why you see everyone hiring general managers now because when you try to do it as a head coach and your assistant coaches, you’re focused on finishing up the season.”

We’ll have to see how these pieces come together on the court, but it sounds as though the staff has what they wanted to complete the NCAA Tournament bid puzzle.

Baseball America listed four Texas baseball players with eligibility remaining when it recently updated its list of the top 500 MLB draft prospects. 

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Published on Jun 03, 2025