
A multisport athlete at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, Justin Aimonetti comes from a family with deep Bay Area roots.
Nate Cavanaugh, left, and Justin Aimonetti, both with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington before being turned away on Monday, March 17, 2025. A representative of the institute said that DOGE employees came inside the building on Monday. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) A multisport athlete at […]
A multisport athlete at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, Justin Aimonetti comes from a family with deep Bay Area roots.
Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry (21) reacts to making the last out against LSU during the SEC Softball Tournament at Jack Turner Stadium. The former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns star was named SEC Newcomer of the Year for Sooners. — Photo by Dale Zanine-Imagn Images/Reuters The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team has become an organ donor. The […]
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team has become an organ donor.
The program with three-plus decades of rich history, encompassing 33 NCAA Regional appearances, eight NCAA Super Regional appearances, and six trips to the Women’s College World Series, has now seen its parts farmed out for top dollar. This quote from “Moneyball” seems quite fitting: “And now we’re being gutted, organ donors for the rich.”
Those Ragin’ Cajun body parts are providing life to other teams such as Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Alabama. All three teams are playing in Super Regionals this weekend. The Sooners and Crimson Tide face each other, ensuring Louisiana will be represented in the Women’s College World Series in some form, just not the one in which its supporters would most appreciate.
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns lost seven starters to the NCAA Transfer Portal, including five to the Red Raiders, who also harvested the program’s former head coach, Gerry Glasco.
The result of being gutted? The once-healthy program began to experience symptoms of illness.
The program’s NCAA record 89 consecutive SBC series winning streak was snapped against Marshall. Not that big of a deal, but Louisiana would lose three more series, which just seems unfathomable for the program. The team won 29 games, which was the fewest in a season since 1984, when the team went 28-9. That year was the program’s fourth season of existence.
The program under first-year head coach Alyson Habetz appeared to regain its health late in the season, with three straight conference series wins, earning the No. 3 seed at the SBC Tournament. Yet, the team fell short and was eliminated after its second game.
That meant no postseason berth as for the first time since 1998, the Ragin’ Cajuns weren’t playing in an NCAA Regional.
While the Cajuns struggled, Glasco and the Ragin’ Raiders quintet helped put together the greatest season in Red Raider history.
Texas Tech broke a record for most wins in a season, won the first Big 12 regular season title, its first Big 12 Tournament Championship, with a run differential of 26-0, and hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in program, and then advanced to the Super Regional for the first time.
It just wasn’t Texas Tech that harvested Louisiana’s program for healthy talent. Four-time defending national champion Oklahoma and perennial national powerhouse Alabama did, too.
Oklahoma won the SEC regular season title and the co-SEC Tournament championship in the Sooners’ first year in the conference. Former Ragin’ Cajuns pitcher Sam Landry, who some thought would be at best a part-time starter, was dominant, going 19-4, earning first-team All-SEC honors, and being named SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Habetz’s former team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, earned the No. 15 national seed after winning 40 games. Former Ragin’ Cajuns infielder Brooke Ellestad was an integral part of that as she started 56 games for Alabama.
That’s seven starters and a head coach who are no longer part of a program that was the epitome of consistent excellence. Not even a program from the SEC or ACC could survive having that much talent and experience surgically removed from its body.
It is not unreasonable to state that it could have been avoided if Glasco hadn’t left for the greener pastures of Lubbock, Texas.
In his seven seasons (six full), Louisiana won 300 games, amassed six SBC regular season titles, four tournament titles, and appeared in six NCAA Regionals. Not to mention, Glasco, who was named SBC Coach of the Year twice, took over the program after the tumultuous ending of the Michael Lotief era, and had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, which took away what appeared to be a team bound for the WCWS in 2020.
Yes, some of the vermilion and white faithful grew frustrated with the team losing in the regionals until breaking through in 2023 by beating rival LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional. That was followed up with the team hosting a regional for the first time in eight years, but they lost to Baylor in the title game.
Glasco had the Ragin’ Cajuns nationally ranked, winning SBC titles and playing in NCAA Regionals. Yet, he left a program with all the consistent success for one that had made only six NCAA Regionals in its history. The reason was simple — money.
Texas Tech has prominent boosters pumping massive amounts of money into its NIL collective like an IV drip, while Louisiana does not.
Cody Campbell — a former Texas Tech football player who became a billionaire in the energy industry — is leading the charge at Texas Tech. He is the co-founder of the Matador Club, the chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, and a man who has the ear of President Donald Trump when it comes to the state of college athletics.
With Campbell, Texas Tech’s leadership has no qualms dropping up to $15,000 to $25,000 in NIL deals for softball players.
That’s exactly what they did.
Not only did the Red Raiders poach Glasco from Louisiana, but also starters and all-conference players in pitcher Chloe Riassetto, infielders Lauren Allred and Alexa Langeliers, catcher Victoria Valdez and center fielder Mihyia Davis, the 2024 Sun Belt Player of the Year.
Texas Tech’s historic season doesn’t happen without them removing the heart of Louisiana’s team.
How can the Ragin’ Cajuns turn things around and breathe life back into the program?
There is no doubt that Habetz can turn things around; we all saw that with how the team appeared to turn a corner late in conference play. We also know the Crowley native and former Ragin’ Cajuns All-American was a longtime assistant at Alabama, and helped them advance to a dozen Women’s College World Series and one national title.
Habetz knows how to win, she has love for the program she played for, and she can coach. Yet, she won’t be able to bring the Ragin’ Cajuns back to prominence unless there is money, and significant money being dumped into the NIL collective for the softball program.
Louisiana athletics has had to overcome having their best players, the ones they recruited and developed, leave them via the NCAA Transfer Portal for NIL deals. Football coach Michael Desormeaux has had to fight this ever since he took over the job, and former men’s basketball coach Bob Marlin had players get taken for the same reasons. This isn’t foreign for the athletic department.
Even though this sickness isn’t new, that doesn’t mean that the Ragin’ Cajuns can take any of this lightly. The Ragin’ Cajuns NIL collective Krewe Allons has to be aggressive, like a powerful antibiotic, and raise the funds needed to keep its teams from being harvested for larger programs.
If not, the Ragin’ Cajuns will continue to give life to other programs, which will only end in one way.
Raymond Partsch III is the co-host of “RP3 & Meche” which is broadcast weekdays (11-1) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has followed in the footsteps of former Texas star Quinn Ewers, now of the Miami Dolphines, by signing a lucrative private jet NIL deal Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed has signed a lucrative private jet NIL deal(Image: Getty Images) Marcel Reed has followed in the steps of Quinn Ewers after […]
Marcel Reed has followed in the steps of Quinn Ewers after the Texas A&M quarterback signed a lucrative NIL deal with jet company ENG Aviation Group.
According to On3 Sports, Reed has joined the likes of Jaxson Dart and Ewers, who were recently drafted by the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins respectively during the 2025 NFL Draft, and former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami earlier this year, as the only college athletes with private jet deals.
While the full details of the deal have not been disclosed, it comes in the wake of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban telling President Donald Trump he does not believe college football needs an NIL commission. Saban was earmarked to sit on the commission Trump wants to set up but has insisted he does not believe the sport needs one.
READ MORE: Michael Irvin’s verdict of Shedeur Sanders is hard to disagree withREAD MORE: Scottie Scheffler sends brutal message to LIV Golf defectors after latest major victory
A four-star prospect, Reed committed to Texas A&M in 2022, with the quarterback redshirting for the 2023 season.
But, last year he started seven games for the Aggies following an injury to starter Conner Weigman, with Reed throwing 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added another six touchdowns on the ground.
ENG Aviation is known for its private jet charter service, which Reed will now get access to. However, they also use their fleet of jets for organ donation transport something which resonated with Reed.
The Aggies star will serve as an official brand ambassador for ENG, with the sophomore quarterback “set to visit a Houston hospital this summer to meet with organ donors, recipients and their families” according to On3.
“I’m really excited to team up with ENG Aviation,” Reed said following the announcement of the NIL deal.
“It’s an honor to work with a local Texas company that’s doing something so important—helping save lives through organ donation.
“Their mission to save lives is something I wanted to join in on, and for us, this isn’t just a sponsorship—it’s a chance to make a real difference together, and I’m all in.”
ENG president Steve Hofmann added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Marcel Reed to the ENG family.
“Marcel is a standout athlete whose determination, discipline, and leadership reflect the very values we live by at ENG—Earned. Never Given.
“Just as Marcel earned the trust of his coaches to lead on the field, we work every day to earn the trust of our clients by delivering world-class service and mission-critical flights.
“We’re proud to have Marcel supporting our work in time-sensitive organ transplant transportation, and we look forward to cheering him on as he continues to rise — both on and off the field.”
By Justin Williams, Sam Khan Jr. and Chris Vannini Plans for a presidential commission exploring issues in college sports have been paused, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday. The commission will be paused indefinitely as members of Congress continue to pursue legislation in hopes of addressing major issues facing […]
By Justin Williams, Sam Khan Jr. and Chris Vannini
Plans for a presidential commission exploring issues in college sports have been paused, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday.
The commission will be paused indefinitely as members of Congress continue to pursue legislation in hopes of addressing major issues facing college sports, the source said. There is no definitive timetable for when the commission could resume, but planning and coordinating could continue in the interim. Yahoo Sports was the first to report that the commission would be paused.
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Texas Tech board of regents chair Cody Campbell were the expected co-chairs of the commission and met in person last week and were said to be aligned on key issues. A presidential commission would typically dig into various aspects of an issue or enterprise and deliver a report suggesting possible solutions that could involve executive and legislative action.
But Saban has publicly downplayed the need for a commission in recent public statements.
During a May 14 appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Saban simultaneously downplayed the commission’s necessity while advocating for solutions from a group of people.
“Well, first of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban said on the show. “I think a lot of people know exactly what the issues are in college football and exactly what we need to do to fix them. I think the key to the drill is getting people together so that we can move it forward.”
Saban discussed possibly constructing a group that addresses the ongoing legal, financial and competitive issues college sports have struggled to navigate in this era of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation and the transfer portal.
“I think there are a lot of people out there that know how to fix it,” Saban said. “I just think we have to push it forward and get everybody together, and some of it may need to be done on the federal level.”
News of the possible commission broke on May 7, shortly after President Donald J. Trump spoke at Alabama’s commencement and visited with Saban personally afterward.
College sports leaders have been lobbying Congress for several years for a bill that would support the NCAA and conferences as they try to regain control of regulating college athletics issues, including NIL compensation, transfer portal movement and possibly obtaining an antitrust exemption.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been leading a bipartisan group, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who is working on a bill that could provide some relief to the NCAA and conferences.
In early May, Cruz expressed optimism about the possible legislation, while acknowledging the multiple steps that remain in the process.
“That is actively moving forward,” Cruz said on May 6. “We are negotiating. I think we are close to having a bipartisan product that can move. … I think college athletics is in crisis, and Congress has an obligation to step in and solve this problem.
“That is a major priority for me and for this committee. We have been spending hundreds of hours working, trying to get bipartisan agreement.”
(Photo: Jim Watson / Getty Images)
After earning its first NCAA Tournament win in program history but falling short in the final game of the elimination bracket to Virginia Tech, Belmont’s best arm in the circle has entered the transfer portal. Maya Johnson, the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Pitcher of the Year, holds a career 1.63 ERA with 50 wins, […]
After earning its first NCAA Tournament win in program history but falling short in the final game of the elimination bracket to Virginia Tech, Belmont’s best arm in the circle has entered the transfer portal.
Maya Johnson, the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Pitcher of the Year, holds a career 1.63 ERA with 50 wins, a 1.77 opponent’s batting average, and 757 strikeouts in 458 1 innings of work across three years with Belmont.
Johnson is no stranger to the transfer portal. Battling Lupus since she was a sophomore in high school, she initially committed to play at the University of Pittsburgh. Coming off an excellent high school and travel ball season, Pitt decided they wouldn’t clear her to play just days before arriving on campus. Never getting cleared, she was forced to redshirt her freshman year while she struggled with lupus and dealt with post-viral gastroparesis.
Entering the portal for the first time, she was ready to head to Bowling Green with the Falcons, but coaching changes led to another bump in the road with another training staff refusing to clear her to play.
Then she found Belmont, a place that welcomed her with open arms. Though she is undoubtedly performing at peak levels on the field, hopefully, entering the portal for the third time will not cause as much chaos as her journey to Belmont did.
She will have one year of eligibility left.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — I wonder if Chucky Hepburn has heard the news about Tennessee guard Zakai Ziegler. Because if Ziegler wins his case against the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility because his “ability to engage in commerce” has been truncated to four years, there’s certainly truncating happening to Hepburn at the University […]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — I wonder if Chucky Hepburn has heard the news about Tennessee guard Zakai Ziegler.
Because if Ziegler wins his case against the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility because his “ability to engage in commerce” has been truncated to four years, there’s certainly truncating happening to Hepburn at the University of Louisville, too.
Like Ziegler, all Hepburn got was four measly years. Ditto for Hepburn’s U of L teammate Reyne Smith.
How about Derek Willis? Shouldn’t he have a case of some kind?
Not only was Willis limited to four seasons of college eligibility at the University of Kentucky between 2013-17, he was an in-state hero who was also denied the opportunity to receive the Name/Image/Likeness benefits awarded to the current generation of players.
And now that I’m thinking about it, what about Jordan Hulls at Indiana? Not only did he grow up in Bloomington, he carried the added burden of joining a IU program that won only six games during the season before his arrival.
How much money did those nasty NCAA rules deny Hulls during his Indiana career? Hulls could have named his number at IU — and done it for at least five years.
I could go on. And on. And on.
Ziegler and his team of legal advisors are prepared to argue the guys who played in the class one year ahead of his class received five seasons of eligibility, not four.
And they did. Why? Because the NCAA tossed in an extra season because COVID-19 restrictions made the 2020-21 season less than the complete college experience.
The COVID bump has finally ended. But guys like Ziegler are not happy to see it go.
Hey, it was not Ziegler’s fault he wasn’t born one year earlier. But it is the NCAA’s fault that he is being denied that fifth season because there are NIL evaluators who believe Ziegler could earn as much as $4 million in another college season.
And the NBA won’t be paying him that, even though Ziegler averaged 22 minutes per game as a freshman, nearly 29 as a sophomore, more than 31 as a junior and 34 as a senior, all for Rick Barnes at Tennessee.
I’m certain that the list of players eager to push a case similar to Ziegler’s will go on. And on. And on.
But at some point, doesn’t somebody have to say, “No! Stop the madness. Enough.”
These are the rules. You get four years of competition that you can use over five seasons. When the four years of competition or five-season markers are met, you’re finished.
Move along.
Yes, you’re now getting paid. That’s not the issue. The players have prevailed on that issue, trouncing the old NCAA rules.
But even though they are getting paid, this is not supposed to be professional basketball. It’s professional college basketball. You can play four seasons.
In what might end up being a regrettable moment of compassion, the NCAA temporarily changed the rules because of COVID. But it was never intended to be a gateway to five seasons of eligibility.
You arrive as a freshman, you depart as a senior — like the majority of students. Take a look around at all those buildings on campus. That’s where you attend class.
They don’t attend class in professional basketball. Not in the NBA. Not in the G-League. Not in Europe.
I understand that the college years might be the best years of your life. Trust me, I get it. I didn’t want to leave after four years either. Many people don’t.
It’s got to be more difficult to walk away when you’re no longer going to have 18,000 people chanting your name on Tuesday and Saturday winter nights. People have written books about the challenges of moving forward in life after the cheering stops.
I’ve read some of them. You should read some of them.
But being a college basketball player is not supposed to be a vocation. People used to describe it as an opportunity or a privilege.
Now it’s a privilege and an opportunity as well as a way to make money. Money that the players deserve. I’m not arguing against that.
You practice hard. You compete in a public forum. People pay to watch you perform.
But let’s not turn this completely into professional basketball. You get five years to play four seasons.
And then you move along.
Sports Coverage:
BOZICH | Hoosier vs. Hoosier — for trip to the NBA Finals
Kentucky basketball lands 4-star high school forward Braydon Hawthorne
Before joining Louisville, heralded freshman Mikel Brown hoping to represent Team USA
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
Story Links Five South Dakota State student-athletes – three women and two men – were recognized recently for their many accomplishments with the Outstanding Jackrabbit Senior Athlete Award for the 2024-25 academic year. The honorees were: Cade DevosDeVos spent six years on the campus of South Dakota State University and was highly successful both in the […]
Five South Dakota State student-athletes – three women and two men – were recognized recently for their many accomplishments with the Outstanding Jackrabbit Senior Athlete Award for the 2024-25 academic year.
The honorees were:
Cade Devos
DeVos spent six years on the campus of South Dakota State University and was highly successful both in the classroom and on the mat.
The Altoona, Iowa, native worked his way on to the Jackrabbits’ 100-win club with much of his exploits coming at 174 pounds. DeVos put the stamp on a tremendous 2023-24 season when he claimed the Big 12 Championship title in his weight class. That year also saw him earn his first All-America accolades as he took fifth place at the NCAA Championships. He cemented his legacy this past season as DeVos placed sixth at the NCAA Championships for his second consecutive season finishing as an All-American.
DeVos was named a Scholar All-American on five occasions. He is a two-time graduate of South Dakota State as he earned his doctorate in pharmacy.
Brielle Dixon
Dixon has left her impact on the SDSU women’s track and field program.
The Brandon, S.D., native has been a six-time all-conference performer for the Jackrabbits. Her all-league finishes are highlighted by a gold medal in the 2025 Summit League Indoor Championships behind a school-record time of 8.16 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles this February on the SDSU campus. She topped her previous school-record time in the 100-meter hurdles by clocking in at 13.44 seconds en route to claiming a silver medal in the event at the 2025 Summit League Outdoor Championships this past weekend in Vermillion.
Dixon has qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries twice including the upcoming 2025 edition. Dixon graduated from SDSU with her bachelor’s degree in education.
Mark Gronowski
Gronowski took the reins of the quarterback position within the Jackrabbit football program as a freshman and established one of the most decorated careers in FCS history.
Gronowski became a four-time all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and was a two-time MVFC offensive Player of the Year. He led the Jackrabbits to three national championship games and won two of them. Gronowski’s standout season came in 2023 in which he led SDSU to a second consecutive FCS title while winning the Walter Payton Award.
The Naperville, Ill., product finished his Jackrabbit career with a 49-6 record and tied the FCS record for career wins. He holds three of the top-10 single-season marks in program history for passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense. Gronowski is second in school history in career passing yards (10,309), passing touchdowns (93) and total offense (12,076 yards), while he’s sixth in career rushing touchdowns (37).
The Jackrabbit quarterback earned the Scholar Athlete of the Year award handed out by FCS Athletic Directors. A three-time captain, Gronowski earned his degree in mechanical engineering during his time at SDSU.
Mia Jarecki
Jarecki became one of the best in the Jackrabbit softball program’s history during her four years in Yellow and Blue.
Jarecki was a three-time All-Summit League First Team performer. Her 2024 season served as the highlight of her college career as she claimed The Summit League Player of the Year award. That season saw her lead the Jackrabbits in nearly 10 offensive categories and finish with top-10 program single season marks in runs scored, hits, total bases, batting average and on-base percentage. Her accolades led Jarecki to earning NFCA All-Midwest Region 1st Team honors.
The Papillion, Neb., native ended her SDSU career this May as the program’s record holder in runs scored with 154. She finished her tenure as a Jackrabbit top five all-time in batting average, walks, on-base percentage, triples and double plays turned. Jarecki also hit 24 home runs which ranks ninth. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from South Dakota State.
Paige Meyer
Meyer was instrumental to the continuing tradition of the SDSU women’s basketball program over the past four seasons.
The Albany, Minn., product started in every game she played her freshman season and eventually started in over 100 contests over the course of her career. Meyer went on to become a four-time All-Summit League selection, was twice chosen as The Summit League Tournament MVP, while she was an All-Newcomer Team and All-Defensive Team honoree during her career.
Meyer sits 16th on the program’s all-time scoring chart with 1,417 career points. Her 493 career assists are third most ever by a Jackrabbit (first in DI era) while she holds the school record in 3-point shooting in a career with her 43.3% clip from beyond the line. Meyer set the program’s Division I single-game record for points scored with 37 and her 179 assists she dished out as a senior are the most in a single season ever by a Jackrabbit.
A two-year captain, Meyer helped guide SDSU to three NCAA Tournament appearances along with a WNIT championship. She earned a business degree from South Dakota State.
In addition, 18 Jackrabbit senior student-athletes were honored as Impact Award winners in their respective sports. Those honorees included:
Baseball: Jess Bellows
Football: Dalys Beanum, Adam Bock, Hunter Dustman, Amar Johnson, Gus Miller
Men’s Golf: Ty Kretz
Women’s Golf: Piper Stubbs
Softball: Brooke Dumont
Soccer: Katherine Jones, Hayley Lindaman, Kaycee Manding, Avery Murdzek, Laney Murdzek
Men’s Track & Field: Pierre Lear, Hunter Wallster
Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country: Claire Beckman
Wrestling: Tanner Jordan
South Dakota State also recognized four Jackrabbit Scholar-Athlete Award recipients. The four honorees compiled perfect 4.0 grade-point averages in their undergraduate coursework. They include Evan Henderson (Men’s Track & Field, Exercise Science), Shakira-Ann Keys (Women’s Golf, Psychology), Katie Pattee (Women’s Swimming & Diving, Mechanical Engineering) and Kallie Theisen (Psychology & Advertising).
-GoJacks.com-
How to watch Avalanche vs. Stars Game 7 FREE stream today
Web exclusive
Princeton University
2025 NCAA softball bracket: Women’s College World Series scores, schedule
Bowman Gray is the site of NASCAR’S “Advance Auto Parts Night at the Races” this Saturday
2025 Big Ten Softball Tournament Bracket: Updated matchups, scores, schedule
Patty Gasso confirms Sophia Bordi will not finish season with Oklahoma softball
MOTORSPORTS: Three local track set to open this week | Sports
$1.5 Billion Legal Powerhouse Announces Multi-Year NASCAR Deal With Kyle Busch
USA Volleyball Announces 2025 Women’s VNL Roster