NIL

New Mexico State brings Spring Football to the Bulldog Bowl

By JT Keith Tony Sanchez has come far in life as a former wide receiver for the New Mexico State Aggies. Not because of his career statistics of 54 pass receptions for 741 yards and five touchdowns during the 1994-1995 seasons. But what those playing days led to when he became an undergraduate assistant in […]

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2 months ago

April 4, 2025

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New Mexico State brings Spring Football to the Bulldog Bowl

By JT Keith

Tony Sanchez has come far in life as a former wide receiver for the New Mexico State Aggies.

Not because of his career statistics of 54 pass receptions for 741 yards and five touchdowns during the 1994-1995 seasons. But what those playing days led to when he became an undergraduate assistant in 1996 and a graduate in 1998.

Spring game 

In honor of his success in life, Sanchez, head coach of the New Mexico State Aggies, will bring his team to Artesia’s Bulldog Bowl at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 5, for a spring football game.

Promotion 

Sanchez, 51, worked as the NMSU wide receivers coach in the 2022-2023 seasons and was promoted on Dec. 24, 2023, the same day that former head coach Jerry Kill resigned.

Kill left to become chief consultant to Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea.

As he begins his second season in Conference USA, Sanchez will try to improve on a 3-9 overall and 2-6 conference record.

Sanchez said that after being hired, he had to deal with recruiting for the first and second signing days after the loss of tight ends, running backs and safeties when the transfer portal opened.

Sanchez said he knew the holes that needed to be filled for the 2025 season. He has recruited and stabilized the roster while attacking the name, image and likeness (NIL).

What NIL means is “name, image and likeness” which means a student-athlete can sign NIL deals and are able to enter into contracts to endorse products and make money off their personal brand.

Where it becomes problematic for coaches is, there are no regulations on how much money an athlete can make, or how many products they can endorse. Which in turn can disrupt the competitive balance in college sports by allowing some athletes to gain significant financial advantages. Also, an unregulated NIL market may lead to increased scandals, as athletes could be taken advantage of.

Sanchez said the players he recruited are longer, faster, and stronger, and the team has more depth.

“I think the quarterback spot, which is key, is much better,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez previously coached at UNLV for five seasons (2015-2019) as the head coach, compiling a 20-40 record.

Lifelong relationships 

Sanchez said the most attractive thing about being the coach at NMSU is he knows the state well.

Sanchez remembers being the wide receivers coach under Kelly McKee at Onate High School. And every preseason, Onate would scrimmage the Bulldogs in the Bulldog Bowl.

One of his favorite memories as a coach in New Mexico was Onate defeating Goddard 17-14 in the 2002 Class 4A state championship game.

“I met some lifelong friends when I played and coached here,” Sanchez said. “I got the chance to develop my football skills there (NMSU) as a competitor, and I started my coaching career there (NMSU), so I know the state.”

How the spring game came about 

Sanchez said he talked with former New Mexico State athletic director Mario Moccia about dates, spring football, and getting out of Las Cruces. He thought about the location’s proximity to Hobbs, Carlsbad, Roswell, Ruidoso and Artesia, and playing at the Bulldog Bowl.

“They (Artesia) have great facilities,” Sanchez said. “I played with many guys, Ty Houghtaling, David Patterson, old Bulldog players. The spring game would be nice to play in the southeastern part of the state that loves football.”

Sanchez said he called Bulldogs coach Jeremy Maupin, who talked to Artesia Superintendent Darian Jaramillo and the Chamber of Commerce.

“Everyone got excited about it,” Sanchez said. “We know how much football is loved there and Artesia’s great history and tradition.”

Sanchez said coming to the Bulldog Bowl and sharing a day and a game with everyone would be good – and good to get “Eyes on the Aggies.”

Coaches Clinic on Friday Night 

Before the game on Saturday, the Aggies football team will spend the night at a hotel, which Sanchez said will be good for the economy of Artesia and to teach his team how to travel. He wants his players to get into a routine of how the team will travel in the fall.

The college coaches will host a high school coaches’ clinic on Friday night across the street from the campus at the training facility. He will attend some events by A-Mountain Sports that NMSU is still solidifying. A-Mountain Sports is a collective organized by Aggies fans to promote NIL opportunities for student-athletes at New Mexico State.

Sanchez will also host a meet and greet for Aggies supporters.

Game Day 

When fans come to the game on Saturday, it will be a spring game – but not like a regular football game, Sanchez said. The game will have offense versus defense, short yardage, goal-line situations, and special team opportunities. After the game, the players will sign autographs and mingle with the fans.

**Former New Mexico State Aggie wide receiver David Patterson makes a catch during an Aggie football game.** **Photo by New Mexico State Athletics Communcations**

Related Topics:athlete athletic coach college college sports deals football high school history new night nil photo season skills sports team try usa

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NIL

Adidas Signs NIL Deals With Eight High School Basketball Recruits

According to On3’s Nick Schultz, eight athletes with locations ranging from Arizona, California, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and Washington have signed a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals with sporting goods giant Adidas which are set to take affect during the next high school basketball season. The eight athletes now on board are rising junior guard […]

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11 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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The eight athletes now on board are rising junior guard Kaleena Smith from Ontario Christian High School and rising senior Adam Oumiddoch from Overtime Elite, who have already signed their agreements with Adidas.

Top 2026 boys basketball recruits such as Grayson (Georgia) five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt, Overtime Elite five-star point guard Tay Kinney, and five-star small forward Anthony Thompson are on board. On the girls’ side, five-star power forward Oliviyah Edwards and five-star shooting guard Kate Harpring have also signed their NIL agreements with Adidas. Five-star rising junior guard Bruce Branch III, out of Perry High School in Arizona has also agreed to the deal.

The new crew of athletes are part of Adidas’ plan to support young athletes with resources, opportunities and a platform to reach their full potential. Additionally, the company is further investing in the NIL space after making multiple splashes last year.

Holt, is rated as the No. 5 ranked player in the nation, the No. 2 shooting guard, and the No. 1 overall ranked player in the state of Georgia for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports. Holt has had heavy interest from Houston and Kentucky as well as already taken an official visit to Ole Miss.

Thompson, is rated as the No. 11 ranked player in the nation, the No. 3 small forward, and the No. 1 overall ranked player in the state of Ohio for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports. Thompson is currently hearing from Auburn, BYU, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, and several others.

Branch, is rated as the No. 10 ranked player in the nation, the No. 5 small forward, and the No. 2 overall ranked player in the state of Arizona for the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports. He is currently holding offers from Arizona State, California, Fresno State, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Louisville, and several others.

Kinney, is rated as the No. 16 ranked player in the nation, the No. 4 point guard, and the No. 2 overall ranked player in the state of Georgia for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports. Kinney is hearing from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville, Oregon, Purdue, and several others.

Harpring, is rated as the No. 2 ranked player in the nation, the No. 1 point guard, and the No. 1 overall ranked player in the state of Georgia for the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports. She currently holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa, LSU, and several others.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

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Kirby Smart details major NIL issue impacting pursuit of National Championship

The NIL era has changed college football forever. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for debate, but in reality there are both positives and negatives from NIL taking over college football. Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart recently spoke with the media, and he detailed one reason why he thinks NIL is […]

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28 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NIL era has changed college football forever. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for debate, but in reality there are both positives and negatives from NIL taking over college football.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart recently spoke with the media, and he detailed one reason why he thinks NIL is a bad thing for college football.

“You could end up with some haves and have-nots out there and ultimately a team could drive prices and go buy a championship, like you’re talking about with super teams,” Smart shared via ugawire.usatoday.com.

Kirby Smart believes teams will buy championships with NIL

One of the best things about the “old” version of college football, the version before hundreds of players transferred every offseason chasing better NIL deals, was being able to watch players grow up within one program. Watching a true freshman come in and struggle during their first season before ultimately becoming one of the best players on the team as an upperclassmen was always a joy to watch.

But that happens less and less now in today’s college football world, and NIL is to blame. This is what Smart is describing in the above quote as he detailed how there are programs who have a lot of NIL money and programs that do not. So it’s quite obvious that the teams with a lot of money are going to do much better than the teams who do not.

Georgia is one of the programs that has a lot of money, but that isn’t really what bothers Smart. The thing that Smart is afraid of is a program going out and buying a championship. Instead of developing their own players, Smart thinks a school will just go out and buy all the best players across the country and win a championship that way.

Sure that will still count as a championship just as much as any other title, but it does feel a little less impressive. So hopefully changes will come to how NIL is structure so teams are unable to buy championships and have to resort to developing their own recruits like the good ole days.

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College Basketball NIL Deals Have Important Ripple Effect on NBA Draft

Pendulum swings occur in most areas of life, and the pathway from college basketball to the NBA draft is no exception. For a long time, college basketball teams struggled to build a team of contenders with players electing to go to the NBA as soon as possible out of college. With the infusion of NIL […]

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29 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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Pendulum swings occur in most areas of life, and the pathway from college basketball to the NBA draft is no exception.

For a long time, college basketball teams struggled to build a team of contenders with players electing to go to the NBA as soon as possible out of college.

With the infusion of NIL in the college sports landscape, that trend has flipped entirely, compounded by star college basketball players hitting the transfer portal.

The NCAA deadline for players to declare for the draft or return to school passed on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., and that notion became quite clear.

College basketball insider Jeff Borzello and NBA draft insiders Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo collaborated on a story on ESPN.com that dove into the new landscape of college basketball.

As Givony points out, the 106 early-entrant candidates were the lowest number in a decade.

Another dozen draftable players withdrew at the deadline, compounding the issue and leaving a bare-bones second round.

From the NBA’s perspective, that’s concerning for them as they build summer league and G League rosters. However, the complete explosion of the NIL market is believed to eventually settle by those in the league.

It will lead to a group of older prospects who elected to return and exhaust their eligibility. The flip side of that for the league is more pro-ready rookies.

It will necessitate a shift in scouting philosophy, as previously, it was easy to dismiss older prospects due to their dominance over 18- and 19-year-olds.

Players were previously criticized for staying in school, but as the entire crop of prospects continues to do so, so grows the level of competition in college basketball.

As Borzello adds, the previous allure of being selected in the second round was enough to entice prospects and has dissipated with multimillion-dollar NIL deals.

It’s not just lower-round players. Multiple first-round projections are returning to their programs for deals up to $3 million. That nearly matches up to the end of the first round on the rookie scale.

“A prospect’s decision no longer hinges on hoping his draft stock is good enough to make real money in the NBA vs. playing for free while developing at the collegiate level,” Borzello writes.

With the perspective on players staying in college for three to four years changing, there’s less risk of perception for prospects to stay and possibly improve their draft stock.

That’s not only due to NIL but also the transfer portal, as they point to several first-rounders who weren’t once that, including Danny Wolf, who transferred to Yale from Michigan.

While the initial effects of NIL on the draft depth will sting for NBA teams, in a few seasons, they may come to appreciate the more pro-ready prospects they receive that have proved their dominance against valid competition.

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Texas Tech Red Raiders – Official Athletics Website

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – The Collegiate Women Sport Awards (CWSA) announced its four finalists for the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Softball on Friday. Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady was named one of the finalists after winning the award last season and having another phenomenal season on and off the field. The Honda Sport Award […]

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31 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – The Collegiate Women Sport Awards (CWSA) announced its four finalists for the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Softball on Friday. Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady was named one of the finalists after winning the award last season and having another phenomenal season on and off the field.

The Honda Sport Award is being presented for the 49^th year and it recognizes the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. The award is chosen to symbolize the best of the best in their respective sport and the winner becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup presented on June 30.

The finalists are chosen by a panel of coaches that are members of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and is voted on by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA institutions.

Full release here.

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Ball State University – Official Athletics Site

Published

33 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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The Ball State soccer team and head coach Andy Stoots have announced the additions of Fiona Kilian, Alyssa Mella and Joy Zeeman in advance of the 2025 season.

“We are very happy to welcome Joy, Alyssa and Fiona to Ball State Soccer,” Stoots said. “They represent the soccer, experience and character qualities we were looking for, and I am excited to see them add to our current roster!”

Fiona Kilian
Levittown, N.Y. | General Douglas MacArthur HS | Temple University

A midfielder who played her freshman year at Xavier and sophomore and junior seasons at Temple, Kilian started in 18 out of 19 games played last year with the Owls while scoring a goal and getting two assists.

Academically, Kilian will major in kinesiology before pursuing a career playing professional soccer.

Coach Stoots on Kilian
“Fiona will add to our midfield and our team with her experience at the collegiate level. She has played over 2,600 minutes the past two seasons and has the technical qualities we were looking for to add to the midfield group.”

Alyssa Mella
Oakville, Canada | Thomas A. Blakelock HS | Saint Francis University

A forward who started in 16 of 18 matches played as a freshman in 2024 at Saint Francis, Mella scored the most goals (three) by a freshman at Saint Francis since 2018. Mella was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week last year on Sept. 23 and earned two NEC Prime Performer recognitions.

Mella intends to major in exercise science with a physical therapy concentration at Ball State and attend either physical therapy school or medical school after graduating.

Coach Stoots on Mella
“Alyssa is a versatile player with an attacking mindset and ability to put service into the box. She is another player that played a ton as a freshman, and we are looking forward to her joining us in August!”

Joy Zeeman
Montreal, Canada | Royal West Academy | Saint Francis University

A defender who started in all 18 matches in her freshman season at Saint Francis, Zeeman played in all but 56 minutes in 2024 for the Red Flash back line that had its best defensive season since 2012.

Academically, Zeeman plans on majoring in accounting with a minor in international business at Ball State before pursuing a career as an accountant after graduation.

Coach Stoots on Zeeman
“Joy brings a calm presence and very solid distribution out of the back. She has played a ton of minutes as a freshman and gained valuable experience playing almost every minute last fall. We are excited for her to join us in August!”

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Brett Yormark

After considering selling an ownership stake through private equity, the Big 12 opted not to do so, commissioner Brett Yormark told Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey. Yormark said the league board is “not ready right now.” Yormark said the Big 12 did its legwork on the idea of selling to private equity. The idea came […]

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42 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

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After considering selling an ownership stake through private equity, the Big 12 opted not to do so, commissioner Brett Yormark told Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey. Yormark said the league board is “not ready right now.”

Yormark said the Big 12 did its legwork on the idea of selling to private equity. The idea came about last summer when CBS Sports reported a potential cash infusion of $800 million to $1 billion could come through Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners in exchange for a 15-20% stake in the conference.

Yormark later addressed the idea of private equity at Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, saying a capital partner could “make a ton of sense” in the current landscape. However, speaking with FOS Thursday after the Big 12 spring meetings, he said the league is no longer pursuing the move.

“The board’s not ready right now,” Yormark said. “And there’s probably lots of reasons for that. There are so many different things going on right now. But I think we’re well informed. We know what’s going on in that world. We hired a bank to consult and give us direction – show us what the optionality is out there. And we’re just not ready to jump in just yet.”

The idea of private equity and a potential sale of Big 12 naming rights came as the House v. NCAA settlement process got underway. Under the agreement – which is still waiting full approval – schools will be able to share up to $20.5 million directly with athletes through revenue-sharing. As a result, they started looking for more ways to generate revenue.

One of the Big 12’s ideas included exploring a sale of its naming rights. The league reportedly discussed a deal with Allstate worth $30-50 million that would change the conference’s name to idea such as the “Allstate Conference,” “Allstate 12 Conference” or “Allstate 12.”

Like private equity, the idea of naming rights is also not being discussed at this time. Yormark said it’s not exactly “off the table,” per se, but talks are rather “on pause.”

“I don’t know if it’s on the table or off the table, because we’ve created a lot of equity behind ‘Big 12,’” Yormark said. “We have put a lot behind it. I think our narrative and profile is very different today than it’s ever been, especially on the heels of realignment. We’re 16 strong now, coast to coast.

“I think there are ways that we can monetize our business without necessarily giving up our name. So, not that it’s off the table, but I would say it’s probably on pause right now, because we are finding other ways to grow the commercial side of the business without necessarily having to give up the equity that we’re building.”

Since taking over as Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark has shown the ability to be innovative in the role. Formerly the CEO of Roc Nation, he helped broker a partnership with WWE that’s reportedly preparing to expand and led the charge on a new media rights deal with FOX and ESPN, which will kick in at the end of the current agreement.