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NCAA faces $4 million lawsuit by former player over lost NIL

Zakai Zeigler has never backed down on the court. Now, he’s taking his toughest shot yet—this time, at the NCAA. The former Tennessee Volunteers star is suing college sports’ governing body, challenging a rule that he says unfairly blocks him from returning for a fifth season. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court […]

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Zakai Zeigler has never backed down on the court. Now, he’s taking his toughest shot yet—this time, at the NCAA.

The former Tennessee Volunteers star is suing college sports’ governing body, challenging a rule that he says unfairly blocks him from returning for a fifth season. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, argues that the NCAA’s “Four-Seasons Rule” is not only arbitrary but costly—potentially to the tune of $2 to $4 million in NIL earnings.



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Federal Judge Approves $2.8 Billion NCAA Settlement, Paving Way for US Colleges to Pay Athletes — The Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – On Friday, a federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for […]

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – On Friday, a federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for more than a century.

Nearly five years after Arizona State University swimmer Grant House sued the NCAA and its five biggest conferences to lift restrictions on revenue sharing, U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken approved the final proposal that had been hung up on roster limits, just one of many changes ahead amid concerns that thousands of walk-on athletes will lose their chance to play college sports.

The sweeping terms of the so-called House settlement include approval for each school to share up to $20.5 million with athletes over the next year and $2.8 billion that will be paid over the next decade to thousands of former players who were barred from that revenue for years.

One of the lead plaintiff attorneys, Steve Berman, called Friday’s news “a fantastic win for hundreds of thousands of college athletes.”

The agreement brings a seismic shift to hundreds of schools that were forced to reckon with the reality that their players are the ones producing the billions in TV and other revenue, mostly through football and basketball, that keep this machine humming.

The scope of the changes—some have already begun—is difficult to overstate. The professionalization of college athletics will be seen in the high-stakes and expensive recruitment of stars on their way to the NFL and NBA, and they will be felt by athletes whose schools have decided to pare their programs. The agreement will resonate in nearly every one of the NCAA’s 1,100 member schools boasting nearly 500,000 athletes.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said the deal “opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports.”

The road to a settlement

Wilken’s ruling comes 11 years after she dealt the first significant blow to the NCAA ideal of amateurism. Then, she ruled in favor of former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and others seeking a way to earn money from the use of their “name, image and likeness” —a term that is now as common in college sports as “March Madness” or “Roll Tide.” 

It was just four years ago that the NCAA cleared the way for NIL money to start flowing, but the changes coming are even bigger.

Wilken granted preliminary approval to the settlement last October. That sent colleges scurrying to determine not only how they were going to afford the payments, but how to regulate an industry that also allows players to cut deals with third parties so long as they are deemed compliant by a newly formed enforcement group that will be run by auditors at Deloitte.

The agreement takes a big chunk of oversight away from the NCAA and puts it in the hands of the four biggest conferences. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC hold most of the power and decision-making heft, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff, which is the most significant financial driver in the industry and is not under the NCAA umbrella like the March Madness tournaments are.

Roster limits held things up

The deal looked ready to go, but Wilken put a halt to it this spring after listening to a number of players who had lost their spots because of newly imposed roster limits being placed on teams. 

The limits were part of a trade-off that allowed the schools to offer scholarships to everyone on the roster, instead of only a fraction, as has been the case for decades. Schools started cutting walk-ons in anticipation of the deal being approved. 

Wilken asked for a solution and, after weeks, the parties decided to let anyone cut from a roster—now termed a “Designated Student-Athlete”—return to their old school or play for a new one without counting against the new limit. 

Wilken ultimately agreed, going point-by-point through the objectors’ arguments to explain why they didn’t hold up. The main point pushed by the parties was that those roster spots were never guaranteed in the first place.

“The modifications provide Designated Student-Athletes with what they had prior to the roster limits provisions being implemented, which was the opportunity to be on a roster at the discretion of a Division I school,” Wilken wrote.

Her decision, however, took nearly a month to write, leaving the schools and conferences in limbo—unsure if the plans they’d been making for months, really years, would go into play.

Winners and losers

The list of winners and losers is long and, in some cases, hard to tease out.

A rough guide of winners would include football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, which will devote much of their bankroll to signing and retaining them. For instance, University of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s NIL deal is reportedly worth between $10.5 million and $12 million.

Losers, despite Wilken’s ruling, figure to be at least some of the walk-ons and partial scholarship athletes whose spots are gone. 

Also in limbo are the Olympic sports many of those athletes play and that serve as the main pipeline for a U.S. team that has won the most medals at every Olympics since the downfall of the Soviet Union.

All this is a price worth paying, according to the attorneys who crafted the settlement and argue they delivered exactly what they were asked for: an attempt to put more money in the pockets of the players whose sweat and toil keep people watching from the start of football season through March Madness and the College World Series in June.

What the settlement does not solve is the threat of further litigation.

Though this deal brings some uniformity to the rules, states still have separate laws regarding how NIL can be doled out, which could lead to legal challenges. Baker has been consistent in pushing for federal legislation that would put college sports under one rulebook and, if he has his way, provide some form of antitrust protection to prevent the new model from being disrupted again.



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Jake Knapp named the 2025 College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year

When you refer to Jake Knapp, make sure you refer to him properly: Jake Knapp: the 2025 National Pitcher of the Year! 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 👏 Jake Knapp is the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿. pic.twitter.com/uFaFnNZAWy — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) June 13, 2025 Knapp becomes the first UNC baseball pitcher to earn the College […]

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When you refer to Jake Knapp, make sure you refer to him properly:

Jake Knapp: the 2025 National Pitcher of the Year!

Knapp becomes the first UNC baseball pitcher to earn the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year, an award that has been presented since 2009. He becomes the first Tar Heel since Andrew Miller (2006) to earn the top pitcher in the country award, and joins the likes of Paul Skenes, Stephen Strasburg and Aaron Nola as players who have been awarded this honor.

Fans of the UNC baseball program got to witness Knapp’s dominance on the mound up close, being there every step of the way. His story is even more remarkable, given he spent the entire 2024 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

No one expected Knapp to return and be as dominant as he was. The right-hander proved everyone wrong.

National Pitcher of the Year Committee Chair Chris Snead had some high praise for what Knapp accomplished in what will be his final season with the UNC baseball program:

“Jake represents everything that is good about college baseball. Here is a young man that battled through one of the worst injuries a pitcher can suffer to return to the field. In the process, he inspired his teammates and became the unquestioned leader of his team. Fourteen consecutive wins is significant and impressive. He was a complete pitcher and more importantly, he was a great person and teammate.”

What an honor for Jake Knapp, who put together a season for the record books. While some media outlets (cough, Perfect Game), didn’t feel the need to award Knapp with first-team All-American honors, the National Pitcher of the Year Committee realized just how remarkable his season was.

The main thing that will be remembered from Knapp’s incredible season is this fact: when he took the mound, the UNC baseball program simply didn’t lose.

No one else in the country can hold that claim.





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Tennessee Baseball lost four payers to transfer portal on Friday

Four Tennessee baseball names surfaced in the NCAAA transfer portal Friday morning, bringing the total number of departures up to seven since the end of the 2025 campaign. Senior outfielder Colby Backus, sophomore right-handed pitcher Thomas Crabtree, redshirt-sophomore right-handed pitcher Austin Hunley and redshirt-freshman right-handed pitcher Brayden Sharp were the Vols who entered, joining pitcher […]

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Four Tennessee baseball names surfaced in the NCAAA transfer portal Friday morning, bringing the total number of departures up to seven since the end of the 2025 campaign.

Senior outfielder Colby Backus, sophomore right-handed pitcher Thomas Crabtree, redshirt-sophomore right-handed pitcher Austin Hunley and redshirt-freshman right-handed pitcher Brayden Sharp were the Vols who entered, joining pitcher Bryson Thacker and infielders Jack Jones and Robinson Martin who entered earlier in the week.

Backus, who may have one final year of eligibility due to the junior college waiver situation, played in 21 games this season for Tennessee, logging a .188 batting average with one run driven in. The Johnson City, Tenn. native spent three seasons on rocky Top and two seasons on the active roster, totaling five home runs on 13 RBI 15 hits with 23 runs scored. Backus was used primarily as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement throughout his Tennessee career.

Crabtree spent one season with the Vols after transferring up form the junior college ranks. The righty appeared in 12 games, accumulating a 2-0 record with a 3.00 ERA across 15.0 innings pitched. He struck out 20 batters, walked five and opponents registered a .151 batting average against him.   

Hunley, the younger brother of VFL Sean Hunley, combined to pitch 18.1 innings for Tennessee the past two seasons after redshirting in 2023 as a true freshman. The righty was 3-0 with a 4.42 ERA and 17 strikeouts to five walks with Tennessee.

Sharp, a two-way player for Tennessee, primarily focused on the mound his second year in the system. He appeared in eight games for the Vols this past season, totaling 15 strikeouts and five walks. In two seasons on the bump, sharp registered 11 appearances with a career ERA of 4.91. He also tallied seven career at-bats with Tennessee, scoring two runs.    

The 2025 non-graduate transfer portal opened on June 2 and will remain open until July 1. Players must have their name entered in the transfer portal by July 1 if they want to move on, but new destinations do not have to be made by that time.

Tennessee has added four players from the transfer portal thus far in the cycle and they are all right handed pitchers: Clay Edmondson (UNC Asheville), Mason Estrada (MIT), Bo Rhudy (Kennesaw State) and Brady Frederick (ETSU).



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A Look at the Florida Gators' Moves in the NCAA Transfer Portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla.– Since its early exit in the Women’s College World Series, the Florida Gators have been a victim and a beneficiary of the NCAA Transfer Portal with five departures and two additions. Florida Gators on SI quickly breaks down each move as the Gators turn the page from the season to the offseason. The […]

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A Look at the Florida Gators' Moves in the NCAA Transfer Portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla.– Since its early exit in the Women’s College World Series, the Florida Gators have been a victim and a beneficiary of the NCAA Transfer Portal with five departures and two additions.

Florida Gators on SI quickly breaks down each move as the Gators turn the page from the season to the offseason.

The Departures

Of the five portal departures, infielder Mia Williams headlines the group after transferring to Texas Tech following a breakout sophomore campaign. Williams, who was named to the All-SEC Second Team last season, hit 19 home runs while plating 44 total runs.

Her departure on June 4 came as a surprise as she held down second base over the last two years while dramatically improving at the plate, going from a .164 batting average as a freshman to a .335 average as a sophomore.

Rounding out the departures are a pair of rising sophomores in outfielder Kylie Shaw and catcher Makenna Bellaire, both of whom left high school a year early to enroll at Florida, alongside rising junior infielders Alyssa Hovermale and Layla Lamar.

Shaw has since committed to Auburn, Hovermale to South Carolina and Lamar to Arizona. Bellaire has yet to announce her future plans.

The Additions

The Gators have added two players to its roster so far, both of whom came from fellow SEC programs.

Former Mississippi State catcher/outfielder Ella Wesolowski, the first to commit, joined after two seasons with the Bulldogs, while Missouri infielder Madison Walker followed suit after two seasons with the Tigers.

Wesolowski saw a slight dip in production last season with a .293 batting average, down from a .318 average in 2024, after starting in less games last season (43) than total appearances in 2025 (47). With two outfielders graduating from the program in Kendra Falby and Korbe Ortis, Wesolowski does provide a nice veteran at the position in 2026.

Meanwhile, Walker provides the same veteran presence in the infield with three departures in the aforementioned Williams and outgoing seniors Rylee Holtorf and Reagan Walsh. With experience at first base, Walker is poised to take over Walsh’s spot in the infield and at the plate.

Last season, she hit 18 home runs, which ranked third in the SEC while being the third-most in Missouri history. For comparison’s sake, Walsh hit 15 home runs last season.

While the Gators likely are not done adding in the portal, Florida has found a pair of play-now veterans who can help ease the loss of multiple senior stars from 2025.

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Changes sweeping NCAA sports don’t change everything

Resolution of the House v. NCAA settlement allows schools to distribute $20.5 million to athletes. This is the first time schools have been permitted to pay their athletes direct compensation. If you’re still arguing that a full-ride scholarship should be enough incentive for college kids to represent a school, that mom-and-pop operation on main street […]

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Resolution of the House v. NCAA settlement allows schools to distribute $20.5 million to athletes. This is the first time schools have been permitted to pay their athletes direct compensation.

If you’re still arguing that a full-ride scholarship should be enough incentive for college kids to represent a school, that mom-and-pop operation on main street no longer exists. It has been steamrolled by an enterprise that generates billions of dollars, and yes, the people who supply the labor and the entertainment deserve a cut of that ever-expanding pie.

I hear a familiar complaint often. That college sports have been ruined. That the free-for-all created by NIL has made things out of control. That they are done being fans.

Believe me, I feel that frustration and have concerns about how things will look and function, say, five years from now. Schools have a lot to sort out, starting with how they plan to pay for revenue-sharing every year.

The transfer portal has created more disruption to my passion for college sports than financial exchanges, though, obviously, athlete movement and money are intertwined.



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UNC Baseball lands its shortstop of the future with this transfer portal addition

Featuring a veteran team during the 2025 season, it was well-known that the UNC baseball program had some work to do in the transfer portal this offseason. With a handful of roster voids due to players exhausting their eligibility (and potential MLB Draft picks), Scott Forbes and the Diamond Heels need to replenish that talent […]

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Featuring a veteran team during the 2025 season, it was well-known that the UNC baseball program had some work to do in the transfer portal this offseason.

With a handful of roster voids due to players exhausting their eligibility (and potential MLB Draft picks), Scott Forbes and the Diamond Heels need to replenish that talent by bringing in some transfers who can help that objective.

The shortstop position is a major need for North Carolina, given Alex Madera has exhausted his eligibility. Looking for its third starting shortstop in as many seasons, Forbes seems to have found his guy, securing a commitment from North Dakota State transfer Jake Schaffner.

A top-of-the-order caliber bat, Schaffner put together two very strong seasons at North Dakota State. Over 108 games played, the Janesville, Wisconsin native posted a .353 batting average, swiping 34 bases. Along with his elite ability to get on base (and eventually steal them), Schaffner provides a steady presence at shortstop, a defensive position that is extremely important for any baseball team.

North Carolina has now landed four transfers to help bolster next year’s squad. While the names aren’t necessarily ones that you often hear about, the Tar Heels have done a nice job in identifying talent that can transition to Chapel Hill nicely.

Let’s remember: guys like Alex Madera, Kane Kepley, and Tyson Bass (among others) are some of the transfer portal additions that made big-time noise for the Diamond Heels over the last few seasons.

The UNC baseball program isn’t looking to rebuild: they are looking to reload. Coming up just short of a trip to Omaha, the Diamond Heels are motivated to get back there, as Forbes and his staff will ensure that they field the best everyday lineup in order to accomplish that goal.

Adding Schaffner is an underrated move that has the potential of being a big-time addition for the UNC baseball program.

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