Napheesa Collier Signs With Jordan Brand After 'Meaningful' MJ Pitch
Napheesa Collier has swapped Nike properties, trading in the Swoosh for the Jumpman. The Minnesota Lynx star has signed a multiyear deal with Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand—the apparel company inspired by NBA legend Michael Jordan. Collier, a four-time WNBA All-Star, had been with Nike for the last five years, regularly playing in player-exclusive Nike Kobes […]
Napheesa Collier has swapped Nike properties, trading in the Swoosh for the Jumpman.
The Minnesota Lynx star has signed a multiyear deal with Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand—the apparel company inspired by NBA legend Michael Jordan. Collier, a four-time WNBA All-Star, had been with Nike for the last five years, regularly playing in player-exclusive Nike Kobes and KDs.
But it was time for a change, she said, citing the investment Jordan Brand is making into the women’s game. Jumpman branding, for example, has appeared on game uniforms for the last two WNBA All-Star Games as part of Nike’s partnership with the WNBA.
“Jordan has [its] own identity, [its] own athletes and does things a different way,” Collier said in a video interview. “There’s a big separation.”
In February, the Jumpman himself made an in-person recruiting pitch to Collier while she was in Miami for Unrivaled’s inaugural season. Collier said the Hall-of-Famer highlighted UConn and Lynx legend Maya Moore, the first woman basketball player to sign with the company, and the apparel giant’s potential to elevate her personal brand.
Jordan made a point to say that his company would continue to support her regardless of her sneaker decision. It was a conversation she described as far more about the brand’s ethos than money or merchandise allotment.
“It’s his brand but he doesn’t need to be on the ground doing these things,” she said. “So, for him to come to the meeting and do that was really meaningful. It was awesome.”
The Jordan Brand business has become a top performer for Nike, surpassing $7 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024.
Collier is switching to Jordan Brand as women’s basketball is experiencing unprecedented growth in viewership and cultural influence. The 28-year-old has put together a decorated career since being drafted in 2019, leading the Lynx to the WNBA Finals last season. But the WNBPA executive committee vice president and co-founder of new 3-on-3 league Unrivaled has also been one of the league’s most important voices off the court as a catalyst pushing for increased player wages amid collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
Collier, who officially signed with Jordan Brand last month, spoke with Jordan again after turning down the other shoe brands that had expressed interest during her sneaker free-agency period.
Collier said she’s happy to finally be on the same team as Moore, who officially retired in 2023. The Missouri native joins the Jordan Brand women’s roster of 12 WNBA players that includes Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and Las Vegas Aces guard Dana Evans. Collier’s move coincides with Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally leaving Jordan Brand for Adidas.
“This is a partnership that I want to have for the rest of my career,” Collier said.
Stars across the WNBA are dropping signature shoes; this month, Aces star A’Ja Wilson released her own sneaker, the A’One, which sold out in minutes. The three-time MVP is the 13th WNBA player to have a signature shoe.
When asked if Collier could be the next, she hinted that she and Jordan Brand may have something in the works. “You’ll have to stay tuned,” she said.
On Tuesday Morning, the ACC Conference gathers in Charlotte, NC for the league’s annual Media Days event. The 2025 ACC Media Days may be the most exciting event yet, between the big headlines Nationally paired with some of the moves made in the Conference. The star power at ACC Media Days will stack up with […]
On Tuesday Morning, the ACC Conference gathers in Charlotte, NC for the league’s annual Media Days event. The 2025 ACC Media Days may be the most exciting event yet, between the big headlines Nationally paired with some of the moves made in the Conference. The star power at ACC Media Days will stack up with any other conference headlined by Bill Belichick and Dabo Swinney.
The event should give everyone insight into how each coach views their team heading into the season as everyone can convince themselves they’re a College Football Playoff contender in the expanded 12 team model. Ahead of ACC Media Days, we have you covered with key storylines to follow, which coaches and players will speak, and how to tune into the ACC Media Days.
3 Storylines to Follow at ACC Media Days
1. Bill Belichick’s first ACC Media Days appearance
The fact that Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches in football history is now coaching at the college level is still to crazy to accept. While Arch Manning was a massive draw at SEC Media Days, Bill Belichick will truly have everyone’s attention ahead of his first season. Belichick will be asked about the transition to the college game, his views on recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL, and more likely than not, Jordon Hudson.
2. What will Thomas Castellanos say next?
Former Boston College Quarterback and Florida State starter Thomas Castellanos has been the quote king of the offseason with his shots at Alabama and Kalen DeBoer along with stating that he was trying to instill confidence in his new team. At ACC Media Days, Thomas Castellanos will certainly make headlines once again the only questions is over who will be his next target.
3. How confident is Dabo Swinney ahead of Clemson’s big year?
Dabo Swinney has gotten a ton of hate over the past few years, even from his own fanbase as Clemson has slipped a bit from their place at the top of the sport. As Clemson looks like National Championship front runners, we may see a new side of Dabo Swinney as his naysayers may not have anything left to say.
Tuesday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips will kick off the week by giving his annual forum at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. Given how hectic this offseason has been, Phillips will give his insightful takes on the House Settlement, NIL, expanding the College Football Playoff, and more.
The Miami Hurricanes are the first team to kick off the the event as Mario Cristobal takes the stage at 11:00 AM. The Hurricanes will bring Georgia transfer Carson Beck, LB Wesley Bissainthe, OL Francis Mauigoa, and DL Ahkeem Mesidor to the event.
The SMU Mustangs will follow Miami fresh off of their first season which resulted in an ACC Championship Game appearance and a College Football Playoff appearance. Rhett Lashlee will take the stage at 12:00 PM Eastern while he brings QB Kevin Jennings, LB Alexander Kilgore, S Isaiah Nwokobia, and OL Logan Parr to the event.
Frank Reich will make his debut as Stanford’s Head Coach at ACC Media Days on Tuesday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The program has a ton of questions as Head Coach Troy Taylor was fired in March amid allegations that he mistreated his staff. Joining Frank Reich at the event will be OL Simione Pale, TE Sam Roush, LB Tevarua Tafiti, and CB Collin Wright.
The California Golden Bears will follow Stanford onto the stage at 2:00 PM led by Head Coach Justin Wilcox. Former Ohio State QB Devin Brown, DL Aidan Keanaaina, LB Cade Uluave, and QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Justin Wilcox bringing two quarterbacks to the event is fascinating like Deion Sanders bringing two QBs as Devin Brown is the expected starter but, the true Freshman attending always leads to intrigue.
Tony Elliott and the Virginia Cavaliers are the final program to speak on Day 1 of the event taking the stage at 3:00 PM. Joining Elliott in Charlotte are QB Chandler Morris, DL Mitchell Melton, OL Noah Josey, and DT Jahmeer Carter.
Wednesday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:
Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles will take the stage to lead off the second day of the event at 10:00 AM. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos, DL Darrell Jackson Jr, OL Richie Leonard IV, and DB Earl Little Jr will speak at the event as well. Given how much Thomas Castellanos has made headlines this offseason, seeing the Seminoles new quarterback at the microphone will be interesting.
Following up Mike Norvell and the Seminoles are Jeff Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals at 11:00 AM. The Cardinals will be bringing transfer Quarterback Miller Moss, WR Chris Bell, LB TJ Quinn, and LB Antonio Watts. It’ll be most interesting to hear from Miller Moss on his move across the Country and how he’s adjusting to Louisville’s offense.
Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange get the spotlight at Noon Eastern after an exciting offseason for the program. DB Duce Chestnut, LB Derek McDonald, DL Dion Watson Jr, and QB Rickie Collins will make the trip. Syracuse bringing Rickie Collins is interesting as Fran Brown named him the starting quarterback but, brought in Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli in the Spring.
Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers get to follow up Syracuse at 1:00 PM and it’s always entertaining whenever Narduzzi is in front of the microphone. Pittsburgh is bringing RB Desmond Reid, DB Javon McIntrye, LB Kyle Louis, and OL Lyndon Cooper.
Georgia Tech’s turn comes at 2:00 PM Eastern after their exciting season under Brent Key. The Yellow Jackets may have one of the most exciting groups of athletes in attendance with QB Haynes King, WR Malik Rutherford, OL Keylan Rutledge, and LB Kyle Efford. This group has the top end talent to make a run in the ACC and it’ll be exciting to hear about how Key feels about his roster this season.
Wake Forest will get to end the second day of ACC Media Days at 3:00 PM when new head coach Jake Dickert takes the stage. Joining Jake Dickert in Charlotte will be DB Nick Anderson, RB Demond Claiborne, OL Devin Kylany, and DB Davaughn Patterson.
Thursday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:
An action packed Day 3 of the ACC Media Days begins with Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Eagles at 10:00 AM. WR Lewis Bond, LB Daveon Crouch, DB KP Price, and OL Logan Taylor will join Bill O’Brien in attendance.
Virginia Tech and Brent Pry will get to follow Boston College at 11:00 AM ahead of a pivotal year for Brent Pry and the the Hokies. Pry will be joined by QB Kyron Drones, LB Jaden Keller, WR Donavon Greene, and DL Kelvin Gilliam Jr.
At Noon, the fun truly begins as Dabo Swinney gets on stage as the Clemson Tigers head into a season where they’re National Championship front runners. Joining Dabo Swinney is a loaded group headlined by QB Cade Klubnik, DE T.J. Parker, WR Antonio Williams, and DL Peter Woods. Dabo Swinney will always steal the show but, it’ll be interesting to see his tone as he has a group capable of taking him back to the top of the sport.
Dabo Swinney gets followed up by another electric personality in Manny Diaz and the Duke Blue Devils. Duke will bring its prized offseason addition QB Darian Mensah, OL Brian Parker II, CB Chandler Rivers, and DE Wesley Williams. Mensah was one of the most talked about transfers of the offseason which will make his availability interesting.
The show will be stolen at 2:00 PM when Bill Belichick takes the stage for his first ACC Media Days as North Carolina’s Head Coach. Bill Belichick brings with him QB Gio Lopez, WR Jordan Shipp, DB Will Hardy, and DB Thaddeus Dixon. Hearing Bill Belichick talk about his team and the adjustments he’s making will make for an entertaining session.
Finally, wrapping up the ACC Media Days and the run on Carolina schools are the NC State Wolfpack at 3:00 PM. Dave Doern brings with him star TE Justin Joly, LB Caden Fordham, DL Brandon Cleveland, and QB CJ Bailey.
How to watch the 2025 ACC Media Days
ESPN’s ACC Network will be broadcasting live from the ACC Media Days starting at 9:00 AM Eastern Time and running through 5:00 PM. ACC Networks is an additional channel which means you may or may not be able to view the event depending on your TV or Streaming provider.
Has The Big Ten Overtaken The SEC as The Most Dominant College Football Conference?
Could the tide be turning soon on the SEC’s decades-long dominance in college football? It’s a no-brainer, if you ask FOX Sports’s Colin Cowherd, who is convinced that the past two national champions — which were won by Michigan and Ohio State, respectively — are indicative of a power shift in the Big Ten’s favor. […]
Could the tide be turning soon on the SEC’s decades-long dominance in college football?
It’s a no-brainer, if you ask FOX Sports’s Colin Cowherd, who is convinced that the past two national champions — which were won by Michigan and Ohio State, respectively — are indicative of a power shift in the Big Ten’s favor.
Cowherd took a step further, stating that the Big Ten is now the premier college football conference headed into 2025.
“The best offensive player (Jeremiah Smith) in college football is a Buckeye,” he said on Monday’s edition of “The Herd.” “The best defensive player, Caleb Downs, is a Buckeye. Their recruiting, once again, was through the roof. Their NIL money is through the roof. … This is gonna be hard to stomach for a lot of people. The Big Ten is officially better than the SEC. It’s not just that Ohio State won the [national championship] last year, it’s that they humiliated Tennessee and dominated Texas. Texas scored 14 points. They’d scored over 14 points in 32 straight games in the SEC. … The year before, Alabama played Michigan when Michigan won the [national championship]. Alabama couldn’t move the ball. They barely had 100 yards passing.
“It looks a lot like it used to eight years ago when a Georgia [team] or a Bama [team] would face a Big Ten team, and the Big Ten teams couldn’t really generate consistent offense. The defenses, the athletes were just too good.”
With an expanded conference, the Big Ten conference now includes 18 teams, with the newest additions being Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington — all of which officially joined the conference in 2024.
In its first year in the Big Ten, Oregon capped off a perfect 13-0 regular season by taking down Penn State in the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship Game. Oregon earned a first-round bye in the newly formatted CFP, while two other Big Ten teams prepared for their first-round games. In those matchups, Penn State easily handled ACC hopeful SMU, 38-10, and Ohio State, coming off an upset by unranked rival Michigan, routed SEC powerhouse Tennessee, 42-17.
“Something’s changing, and what’s changing is money,” Cowherd added. “Big Ten schools are bigger. They have more graduates. It’s easier to raise money for NIL. You add in (Oregon alum) Phil Knight and the Nike money. You add in USC and the LA economy money. The Big Ten cities — LA, New York with Rutgers, Chicago [with] Northwestern, Minneapolis, D.C., Seattle — Big Ten money is Hollywood, tech, and financial centers.
Currently, four of the top seven spenders in college football are Big Ten teams, according to On3. Ohio State, which had the most expensive roster ($20 million) last year, checks in at No. 3 on this year’s list, behind only Texas and Texas Tech. Three other Big Ten schools are close behind, with Oregon at No. 4, and Michigan and USC tied at No. 7.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the CFP format, which will almost certainly expand again in 2026, going from a 12-team format to a 14- or 16-team format. The Big Ten’s favored 4+4+2+2+1+3 plan, which would earmark 13 of 16 spots as automatic bids preassigned to conferences, was recently squashed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey last week at his conference’s media days, according to USA Today. To expand the CFP in 2026, the SEC and the Big Ten would need to align behind a plan by Dec. 1. The 12-team CFP remains in place for the 2025 season.
[MORE: How 2024-25 CFP Would’ve Looked Under Proposed Expansion Formats]
To kick off the 2025-26 season, Ohio State is set to host Texas in a rematch of the Cotton Bowl in Week 1 (Aug. 30 at noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), and the Buckeyes are slight favorites over the Longhorns.
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Penn State’s NIL Strategy: How Penn State’s NIL strategy is evolving in the transfer era
Let’s be real — in 2025, college football isn’t just about schemes and stars anymore. It’s about money. And if your NIL game isn’t right, you’re going to fall behind. That’s why Penn State’s recent push in the name, image, and likeness world is a huge deal for the program’s future. It starts with the […]
Let’s be real — in 2025, college football isn’t just about schemes and stars anymore. It’s about money. And if your NIL game isn’t right, you’re going to fall behind. That’s why Penn State’s recent push in the name, image, and likeness world is a huge deal for the program’s future.
It starts with the faces of the team. Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Abdul Carter before he left — those guys were top-dollar targets for NIL. And now, younger stars like Tony Rojas and Jameial Lyons are starting to see those deals come in too. But Penn State’s approach isn’t just about paying the top guys. It’s about rewarding the full roster.
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Through partnerships with collectives like Happy Valley United, players are getting deals that support them year-round — not just the Heisman hopefuls. Whether it’s car deals, merch drops, or small business collabs, the Nittany Lions are finally treating NIL like the major recruiting and retention tool it is.
The best part? It hasn’t fractured the locker room.
Penn State’s done a solid job making NIL feel like a team thing, not a “me-first” thing. Coaches like James Franklin have emphasized that NIL opportunities are earned, not handed out. That’s kept guys motivated and hungry without letting money become a distraction.
And when players like Allar and Kaytron Allen decide to come back instead of jumping early to the NFL, you know NIL’s part of that. It gives guys real incentives to stay, grow, and lead.
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That matters in a world where the transfer portal is a revolving door. NIL has helped Penn State hold onto talent and avoid mass exodus seasons like other big programs.
Where PSU Stands Nationally
Are they leading the nation in NIL spending? No. But Penn State isn’t trying to play the same game as Texas A&M or Miami. They’re playing smart and building something sustainable.
More importantly, they’re figuring out how to sell that message to recruits. When a four-star kid from the South sees guys thriving in Happy Valley — getting paid and developing — that changes the perception. Suddenly Penn State feels modern, competitive, and invested.
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The next step? Keep growing the infrastructure. More transparency. More partnerships. More consistency.
And with the Big Ten turning into a mega-conference with coast-to-coast visibility, the opportunity to market players is bigger than ever. NIL isn’t just about surviving anymore — it’s about thriving.
If Penn State continues this trend, they’ll stay in that top-tier conversation year after year. Talent will come. Talent will stay. And the culture won’t get compromised.
That’s how you build a winner in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Inside Penn State’s evolving NIL game in 2025
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz on Bill Belichick, College Football Changes, Retirement
When Kirk Ferentz began his Iowa Hawkeyes head coach tenure in 1999, things were very different in college football. The BCS picked just two teams to play for the national championship, part of a postseason structure that had only 23 bowl games. A young freshman quarterback named Michael Vick, coincidentally beginning his first season as […]
When Kirk Ferentz began his Iowa Hawkeyes head coach tenure in 1999, things were very different in college football.
The BCS picked just two teams to play for the national championship, part of a postseason structure that had only 23 bowl games. A young freshman quarterback named Michael Vick, coincidentally beginning his first season as a head coach himself this year, was about to burst onto the scene for Virginia Tech that fall. The Mountain West had just been formed as a new conference out of a good portion of the old WAC and the Big Ten was only slightly a misnomer with 11 members compared to its current state.
Now, there is a 12-team College Football Playoff, an 18-team conference the Hawkeyes must navigate and, most seismic of all, schools directly paying athletes from their coffers. Through it all, Ferentz has seen and heard plenty entering his 27th season in Iowa City as the longest active FBS head coach at one institution.
“The ironic part is I never had the dream or goal or ambition of being a head coach. That was never on my list. It just kind of happened organically back 20-plus years ago,” Ferentz says. “For me, I’ve never had a dream job, but if there was one, this is probably the only job I would have come back to in college football. It was the only one I would have been interested in.”
Ferentz is opening up and willing to reminisce instead of dancing around the length of his tenure ahead of the conference’s annual media days this week in Las Vegas. Ferentz, who will turn 70 just a few days into fall camp, may be further away from thinking about retirement than he was a few years ago.
“We’re almost proactive on the topic now because you figure certainly in recruiting people are using that against us and maybe other areas, too,” he says. “But my answer on the recruiting front is this, if you’d tried to stake the probability of me being in coaching five years from now, both in 2000 or now, I would suggest the odds are a lot better now than they were in 2000. I can’t really answer the question other than I feel great and this is what I like doing, and I don’t have a real good reason to stop right now.”
Coaches even older are jumping into the game now, including new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, Ferentz’s 73-year-old former mentor. Belichick brought Ferentz back into the NFL as an offensive line coach with the Browns in 1993.
“Bill is a football purist,” Ferentz says. “I probably didn’t envision him [in college football] because he was a career lifer in the NFL, but he’s also a career football coach and a teacher. And I think that’ll translate really well to the college level. And he’s got [general manager] Mike Lombardi with him who’s handling a lot of the things that maybe, when you’re just thinking about coaching, are the things you don’t want to have to deal with in a prominent way. So, he’s got a great support staff there, and my guess is he’ll do a tremendous job.”
It helps that college football has grown to become more like the NFL to hasten that transition. Still, this year might be the most drastic difference off the field for those like Ferentz with the onset of revenue sharing and changes surrounding NIL with new restrictions on payments to players.
“The football part itself really hasn’t changed in my mind. We still put 11 guys on the field and coaching is still coaching,” he says. “But if you got to go into our staff room now, we’ve got guys sitting around the table, then we’ve got more people around the edge of the room. That’s where the growth has been. However we got here, at least now there’s an attempt to maybe create a structure that’s going to be fair for everybody involved. And you know that’s an ongoing process, too.
“As the revenue grew, it just made common sense, I think, to share that with the people involved. And, a big part of this whole enterprise, obviously the main part of the enterprise, are the players involved.”
That’s also what gets Ferentz fired up: his current team.
The Hawkeyes will be a bit of a dark horse with expectations running higher than normal thanks to the arrival of FCS national title–winning quarterback Mark Gronowski and a depth chart stuffed full of veterans who understand the culture Ferentz has instilled.
“I don’t know how good we are right now, and we’ll find that out this season, but I like the way the guys have approached things—and this goes back to January when we started getting together,” Ferentz says. “Then we added guys in the portal, a couple guys joined the team, and then a new group of guys in incoming freshmen that weren’t here early joined us in June. So along each step of the way the team’s changing, it’s growing. This team’s got a good vibe. I think we’ve got really good leadership, probably surprisingly good considering some of the guys we’ve lost over the last two years. But it’s a good group of guys and just anxious to see how it all pulls together.”
After five top-10 finishes, a pair of Big Ten titles, 22 bowl appearances and more than a handful of stars, Ferentz is in the same spot as his peers in wondering just how good, bad or indifferent his team will be. Even the dean of college football coaches seems to have that same sort of anxiousness in the weeks before kickoff just like he did back when he first took over at Iowa.
“Dean’s kind of a funny term. It’s an academic term, but I always think of the movie Animal House when I hear ‘dean,’” jokes Ferentz, who recently was named chair of the Big Ten coaches during conference meetings. “So, I’m not sure that’s a good thing either, but I’ve just been around a while.”
Through enough change in college football to fill several tenures, Ferentz certainly has been around.
Kirk Herbstreit on how to solve the transfer portal, NIL & the playoff
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz spoke with the ESPN college football analyst about what needs to happens over the next five years to answer some of the biggest questions in the sport. Kirk joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Purina Pro Plan and its “Fueled By” video series featuring NFL tight end George Kittle and USWNT […]
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz spoke with the ESPN college football analyst about what needs to happens over the next five years to answer some of the biggest questions in the sport. Kirk joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Purina Pro Plan and its “Fueled By” video series featuring NFL tight end George Kittle and USWNT stars Rose Lavelle and Sophia Smith.
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Video Transcript
Jason Fitz with Yahoo Sports hanging out with the great Kirk Herbstreit joining us on behalf of Purina Pro Plan.
Start with what you actually think is realistic for what college football will look like in 5 years.
I’m just taking it day by day like you are to imagine, hopefully in 5 years, we will have some, some concrete, this is who college football is decisions.
And I feel like we’ve been drinking out of a fire hose for the last 3 or 4 years.
And I don’t see that going away for the next few years anyway.
I think there’s so many layers to it.
There’s the postseason part, you know, we’re at 12, the contract’s up.
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Are we going to 14, are we going to 16?
Is it a 4-4-2-2-1-1?
Is it a 5 and 11?
Like what, what are we going to?
And then the obvious is the transfer portal, NIL Revshare.
I would love to see us somehow get to a point where we would have a collective bargaining agreement with somebody that’s representing the players.
And, you know, the conference commissioners or, or college football.
And I would love to see us be able to agree on a lot of those issues, NIL portal, and all those things that drive all of us crazy.
And then have an agreement, and then you don’t have to worry about antitrust laws.
My hope is we have some kind of CBA and some kind of understanding the players are essentially employees.
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And that doesn’t mean school’s not still important for some of these guys, doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t go get a degree.
It just means we need to find a way to knock down the threat of litigation.
You are sitting next to Purina Pro Plan.
Talk to me about it, brother.
What do you love about this?
I’m very big into the ingredients that are in it.
That they put in their dog food.
The more real and the more organic, the better, as far as I’m concerned.
That’s why with this, what we’ve done, you know, over the last, oh, I don’t know, 2 or 3 months, having a chance to do this fueled by docuseries with George Kittle.
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We had Sophia Wilson, Rose Lavelle, elite athletes in their own field.
We had a chance to visit with them and, you know, they train hard, but they also fuel their body with the right food.
No different than humans, anybody out there that tries to stay in good shape.
Well, why shouldn’t we be doing that for our dogs?
And no matter what their age, no matter, no matter what their activity level or their breed, and it’s so important to be able to give our dogs, it’s our responsibility to give our dogs the right food and the right lifestyle.
Former BYU star Travis Hansen will help school navigate NIL, revenue share
College sports have become a legal quagmire, and BYU just hired an expert to untangle and pilot its athletic department through the sticky morass of NIL and revenue sharing. BYU athletic director Brian Santiago announced Monday the appointment of former Cougar star and current businessman Travis Hansen of Mapleton as a senior associate athletic director, […]
College sports have become a legal quagmire, and BYU just hired an expert to untangle and pilot its athletic department through the sticky morass of NIL and revenue sharing.
BYU athletic director Brian Santiago announced Monday the appointment of former Cougar star and current businessman Travis Hansen of Mapleton as a senior associate athletic director, where he’ll oversee revenue share and NIL operations for the entire athletic department.
In Hansen, Santiago brings in a seasoned expert in finances, a person well-versed in not only contract negotiations, but also experience in working with sports agents. It’s the agents who are the recruiting gatekeepers in today’s college sports.
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Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.
While Santiago will shuffle athletic personnel around and promote key employees — several of which were also announced Monday — Hansen is his first external hire since he was named BYU’s athletic director.
In a sense, Santiago hired himself, what he was to former AD Tom Holmoe — a doer, a task assault man, a finisher and deal closer.
Hansen and Santiago first met after BYU basketball coach Steve Cleveland hired Santiago as director of basketball operations and became an athletic administrator under Holmoe early in 2005.
Both Santiago and Hansen were star high school athletes in Utah County, Santiago at Provo High and Hansen at Mountain View. Both played for Utah Valley University before moving on to Division I stardom, Santiago at Fresno State and Hansen at BYU.
It is no wonder they have bonded like brothers the past 15 years.
Like Santiago, Hansen is extremely competitive, energetic and extroverted. He is the chairman of the board, founder and managing partner of Tesani, a hedge fund with $250 million in assets encompassing 11 companies with 1,200 employees. Tesani recently sold a company for $50 million. In the past months, Hansen has been considered for three NBA head office jobs because of his connections and negotiation talent.
Hansen can afford to take the job in BYU’s athletic department because he’ll still keep a hand in Tesani, but he vows he will be all-in with the Cougars.
For more than two decades, Hansen has been a close friend, confidant and advisor to Santiago in his spare time, and has established a working relationship with BYU president Shane Reese. Hansen is well-connected to BYU’s major donors and knows many of them. A gifted, creative entrepreneur and negotiator, Hansen turned down an offer from the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks last week when he and his wife LaRee zeroed in on the BYU opportunity.
Travis Hansen, former NBA and Euroleague player and keynote speaker, gives Ms. Track Jane Hedengren BYU hats at the Deseret News High School Sports Awards 2025 at the Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan on Monday, June 9, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
“One of the main reasons we are attracted to this job is because of Santiago and Reese,” Hansen said.
Hansen will be administrator over BYU’s two major cash cows, football and basketball, and will oversee all NIL contracts and revenue sharing for all 21 sports. He will be the athletic department’s chief negotiator with prospective agents and work directly with the general managers for football and basketball, overseeing the building of their rosters.
As proposals come in, Hansen will review them and make recommendations to the athletic department’s chief financial officer and Santiago. He will present a budget to those two, including individual and team salary figures.
“You’ve got to be able to say no and you’ve got to be able to say yes, and not be manipulated or make promises you can’t keep,” Hansen said.
Hansen’s job is to bring that power to him instead of the coaches. He will also need to be cagey with agents who sometimes negotiate for players just to get a boost with another school’s offer.
In other words, Hansen will work in the crosshairs of where the craziness of college sports resides today, taking immense pressure off Santiago and other administrators.
Egor Demin receives a hug from Travis Hansen after being selected No. 8 overall in the NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | Nate Edwards
“Egor’s experience at BYU will change his life forever and I think this will be the same for AJ Dybantsa,” said Hansen. “This is one of the major reasons I want to be involved at BYU — because I know what it can do for people. The experience can change lives and impact their futures in ways they cannot find anywhere else.”
Hansen is currently serving in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake presidency with students at Utah Valley University’s institutes of religion and housing. He is a former bishop and he believes his experience training bishops and working with youth in his ecclesiastical experience prepares him for this job.
“It’s all about relationships and getting the most out of our lives,” he said.
In his interview process with school and church leaders, the 47-year-old Hansen said it was emphasized how important it is for university administrators, coaches and athletes to be aligned with the school’s unique mission and standards.
“Those are ideals I love,” he said.
In BYU’s recent recruiting success with basketball coach Kevin Young and football coach Kalani Sitake, committing and signing some of the top players in the country, Hansen believes the successes will not fade as a Big 12 competitor and entity on the national stage.
“We signed the projected No. 1 player in the draft, just had the No. 8 draft pick on the team and I foresee BYU continuing to get first-round-type talent in years to come. The system is in place. We have the coaches, the interest and resources to keep momentum going.”
Hansen said he and his wife LaRee are not making this move for financial reasons.
“My family and wife love it and I wouldn’t be going back to BYU if not for Brian and President Reese. I have so much respect for those I’ll work with,” he said.
Travis Hansen (2) kicks the air in frustration after being called for a loose-ball foul against New Mexico Saturday on Feb. 1, 2003, at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. The Cougars went on to win 80-64. | Keith Johnson, Deseret News
“My wife has been so supportive of me and she’s all-in on this. She had my back when I went to the NBA and she was there for me when I played in Russia and Spain. I couldn’t ask for more in a wife. She is a lover and hugger. She is adorable and a great person.”
Hansen said his wife and kids have loved getting involved in BYU events as spectators because it provides an outlet and balancing impact on their lives.
Now it will be part of his work to take his fandom to another level.
Newly-named Brigham Young University Director of Athletics Brian Santiago speaks as he’s joined by BYU President C. Shane Reese during a press conference announcing Santiago’s hiring for the position held at the BYU Broadcast Building on the university’s campus in Provo on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
