Link

CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs and Dan Earl agree in a lot of ways. The biggest is the desire for him to be a long-term solution for the historically proud program. The Mocs announce the 6-year extension of Earl’s contract after a regular season Southern Conference title and run to the team’s first NIT Championship.

“Dan is a proven commodity,” Vice Chancellor for Athletics Mark Wharton began. “We had great faith in who he was as a leader around this time three years ago when we hired him. That faith has been rewarded well beyond wins and championships. We are excited to get this new agreement completed to reward him and his staff for jobs well done.”
 
Earl’s 2024-25 edition tied the school record in wins with 29 matching another SoCon Championship team from 2015-16. They marched through their NIT bracket winning at Middle Tennessee, at home over Dayton and on the road again at Bradley. That led to Indianapolis where Loyola Chicago and UC Irvine were dispatched in just the second national tournament title in school history (1977 NCAA DII).
 
He is 68-38 (.642) over his three seasons with a 34-20 (.630) mark in SoCon play.
 
“Very appreciative of (interim) Chancellor (Robert) Dooley and Mark Wharton,” Earl added. “Chattanooga has quickly become home. My family loves it here, and the city has truly embraced us in a very special way.
 
“This extension is as much about the players and staff as it is me. From the guys who came with us from VMI to all the additions, be it from high school, junior college or out of the portal, they’ve embraced our culture, developed as people and players, and gone on to great success here and are prepared for bright futures.
 
‘I am also thankful to have such a good working relationship with Mark (Wharton) and for his friendship. His support and leadership have been instrumental in our program’s success, and I deeply value our partnership.”
 
At a fluid time in college athletics, Earl and his staff excelled in roster construction. Between returning starters in guards Trey Bonham and Honor Huff to go with reserves and redshirts in Sean Cusano, Noah Melson, Ryan Lopez and Collin Mulholland, the program added 4-year transfers Bash Wieland (Bellarmine), Frank Champion (DII-North Georgia), Jack Kostel (DII-Alabama-Huntsville), Makai Richards (Pacific) and game-winning shot maker Garrison Keeslar (DII-Walsh) along with freshmen Latif Diouf, Parker Robison, Liam Vitters, Houston Holland and Isaiah Otyaluk.
 
That group not only won 29 games, but they did it when it mattered most. Twenty-one of the triumphs came after the calendar flipped to 2025 including a 12-game win streak that fell just two shy of tying another school record. Huff (578), Bonham (554) and Wieland (502) became the first trio in school history to tally 500 points in the same season.
 
Earl’s extension is not the only news for the program’s staff. Ander Galfsky and Scott Greenman are elevated to associate head coach with Logan Dahms moving from special assistant to assistant coach alongside Ricardo Rush, Jr. Director of basketball operations Alan Treakle is adding assistant coach duties as well.
 
“Ander, Scott, Logan and Alan have been with me from the start,” Earl shared about his staff. “I am super appreciative of their efforts as well as Ricardo who was a great addition in year two. We don’t get a regular season conference championship or win the NIT without their tremendous work as the team behind our team.”
 
NOTABLE

• Earl’s 68 wins are the most by any Mocs coach in their first three seasons with the program ahead of Mack McCarthy (62), Murray Arnold (61) and Ron Shumate (59).
• The squad is currently tied with national runner-up Houston for the longest current road win streak in the country at 10.
• The 2024-25 squad won 17 of its final 18 contests.
• Earl’s five postseason wins ranks second in school history behind Shumate (11).
• Another amazing streak, Earl’s Mocs have won 10 straight games when trailing at the half.

 
ACTION ITEMS

• To check out the 2025-26 roster construction, go here.
• For $25 deposits on 2025-26 season tickets, go here.
• To give to the Mocs Club, go here. To contribute to the Flock NIL collective, go here.
• To get involved in sponsorships with Mocs Sports Properties, go here.

 
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. Check out the Mocs on the Mic podcast here.

Some of Alabama baseball‘s biggest contributors during the 2025 season were plucked straight from the transfer portal.

“The scary part of the transfer portal is you can crush your culture really quick if you start bringing the wrong people in,” Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn told the Tuscaloosa News.

Vaughn admits his recruiting process is “probably a little bit slower than most,” but it’s a decision made on good advice. Former St. John’s manager Ed Blankmeyer once told Vaughn and his assistants:

“It’s never the guy you don’t get, it’s the guy you get that you shouldn’t have got.”

Who’s the best competitor? Which guys are tough, and know the difference between toughness and grit? Vaughn wants those guys.

“The truest competitors for me are the ones that say, ‘Hey, whatever I’ve got today is good enough to beat you. I don’t have to have my A stuff. I’m good enough to beat you with my C stuff,’ ” Vaughn said.

Without that mentality, Vaughn says there’s “no chance” to survive in the SEC.

Why Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn thinks the transfer portal is like ‘speed dating’

Recruiting high schools is easier for Vaughn, who likes having the extra time to do the homework compared to shopping for transfers.

“The portal is like speed dating,” Vaughn said. “There’s times kids get in the portal. We talk to him. Two hours later, they’ve already got five offers and six visits lined up. We have to operate in it. If you don’t, you’re gonna get passed.”

Alabama was a hot date to swipe right on last portal season, as thirteen players on the current roster chose to leave programs around the country, whether little-known community colleges or iconic Ivy Leagues, and join the Crimson Tide.

Which Alabama baseball transfers will make their first trips to the SEC Tournament?

Richie Bonomolo Jr., CF, junior

Previous school: Wabash Valley College

Before Alabama, Bonomolo helped Wabash Valley advance to its fourth consecutive JUCO World Series in 2023 and earned second-team All-American honors after a standout freshman season.

Bryce Fowler, RF, redshirt junior

Previous school: Pearl River C.C. (2024), Southern Miss (2022-23)

In Poplarville, Miss. at Pearl River, Fowler got comfortable as a leadoff hitter and worked himself among the all-time leaders with 88 hits, the second most in a season in program history.

JT Blackwood, RHP, junior

Previous school: Wallace State

When Blackwood wasn’t getting called out of the bullpen, he was often the midweek starter for the Crimson Tide, which went undefeated in the midweek during the 2025 regular season. In two seasons at Wallace State, he had the most innings pitched.

Carson Ozmer, RHP, graduate

Previous school: Penn

Ozmer leads all Division I closers with 16 saves, picking up two in one day in the series finale double-header against Georgia. All four years he was at Penn, Ozmer was a two-way starter and earned honorable mention All-Ivy League honors twice.

Aeden Finateri, RHP, senior

Previous school: Georgia Tech

Finateri came to Tuscaloosa after three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he appeared in 58 games and made 23 starts, finishing his career with an 8-9 record with three saves and 172 strikeouts

Brennen Norton, INF, senior

Previous school: Jacksonville State

Norton left Jacksonville State on a high note. As a junior, he achieved a career-best .327 average with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs, seeing him add First Team All-Conference USA honors to his resume.

Garrett Staton, DH/2B, redshirt senior

Previous school: Samford

Staton missed 21 games after suffering a broken finger on Feb. 18 when he was hit by a pitch, putting a delay on Crimson Tide fans seeing all the reasons why he earned preseason All-American honors. Since returning to the lineup on March 25, Staton has lived up to the hype, recording at least one RBI in 13 of his 25 starts.

Jason Torres, 3B, junior

Previous school: Miami

Named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, Torres impressed during his stint in South Florida. At Alabama, he’s started all but one game on the hot corner and is one of the Crimson Tide’s top home run contributors.

More first-timers that joined Alabama’s 2025 roster from the portal

• Beau Bryans, LHP, junior: previously Jones College
• Packy Bradley-Cooney, RHP, senior: previously Campbell (2024), CCBC Essex (2022-23)
• Danny Heintz, RHP, redshirt senior: previously Penn
• Zach Kittrell, RHP, junior: previously Pensacola State College

Which new SEC transfer returns to Hoover, but with the Tide instead?

Brady Neal, C, junior

Previous school: LSU

Sidelined by a back injury, Neal’s career as LSU’s starting catcher hit a roadbump in 2023. Now, he splits time behind the plate with fellow SEC transfer Will Plattner. The nine-hole hitter, Neal leads Alabama with an 18.4% walk rate.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

Link

Link

MORGANTOWN — President Donald Trump can be seen at college football games, UFC events, and even NASCAR races. Trump enjoys appearing at sporting events, and recently has entered himself into the college athletics space, attempting to create order in a wild west that is college sports.

It was inevitable that the NIL system currently in place was going to cause issues. This spring marked the first player to sit out of practice over money disputes. The players currently have all the power and there are no guardrails on how much schools can pay players, making it unfair in some sense.

NIL hasn’t been used like it’s intended so far. Originally, NIL was put in place so players could make money off autographs and jerseys with their name on them. But now, it’s used by boosters to pay players to play for their alma mater.

Trump is stepping in. Trump is reportedly creating a College Sports Commission, which will reportedly be led by former West Virginian and college football legend Nick Saban and Texas businessman Cody Campbell. The commission will regulate the transfer portal, boosters and college athlete employment.

This would be the first leader of college sports and potentially create a system that has structure.

Saban might not be the only West Virginian on the commission. In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Rich Rodriguez showed interest in helping his friend, Saban.

“I’m going to give him my cell number if they want an active coach on the deal,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll be on that sucker. I’ve got some experience. I can help from a current standpoint. I don’t know if they need me, though.”

All spring, Rodriguez voiced his problems with the NCAA. Rodriguez didn’t like the roster limit to 105, how there’s a spring portal, where a player you coached all spring can just leave, and how there are no limitations to how much a player can be paid.

Rodriguez has the background to be a candidate for the commission.

So far, it sounds like Saban will lead. Rodriguez agrees it should be the greatest college football coach of all time as the leader.

“He is the greatest college football coach of all time,” Rodriguez said. “He has a great grasp of the game in general… He’s truly about college football.”

Almost all professional sports leagues have a commissioner who settles issues throughout the league. College football doesn’t because it’s governed by the NCAA.

After NIL was passed, the NCAA lost all its power, leaving it to the schools and players, creating chaos.

There’s no movement to create guardrails, and it’s starting to get out of hand. So much that Trump felt the need to step in.

College sports, and more specifically college football, is a billion-dollar entertainment business. There needs to be structure before it falls apart even further. Saban’s the favorite to lead the next generation of college athletics, and West Virginia’s very own, Rodriguez, could be helping out, too.

“College football is such a great entity, it’s hard to screw it up,” Rodriguez said. “You can do whatever you want. There’s still going to be that passion for your school and that level of athletes. We’ve done enough things to screw it up in the last couple of years.”