NIL

Rich Rodriguez details challenges of recruiting in NIL era

When Rich Rodriguez wrapped up his first stint at West Virginia, NIL was 14 years away. Now, he’s back in Morgantown – and he’s adapting to the new landscape. Rodriguez spent the last three years at Jacksonville State, including the last two at the FBS level in Conference USA. That gave him a taste of […]

Published

5 days ago

May 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

When Rich Rodriguez wrapped up his first stint at West Virginia, NIL was 14 years away. Now, he’s back in Morgantown – and he’s adapting to the new landscape.

Rodriguez spent the last three years at Jacksonville State, including the last two at the FBS level in Conference USA. That gave him a taste of what it’s like navigating the intersection of NIL and the transfer portal.

Now, he’s back in a power conference at his alma mater. Rodriguez noted the amount of changes since he last roamed the sidelines at WVU, particularly the “open free agency” of the transfer portal every offseason.

“The goalposts have certainly moved a long way, and you have to adapt to it,” Rodriguez said on the College GameDay podcast. “You just throw your hands up. … This is really hard to build a program when you have open free agency every year.

“The NIL and paying them is one part. It’s like the NFL on steroids. But the biggest part is the open free agency. There’s no rookie salary cap, there’s no three-year contracts. That makes it really, really difficult. But that is what it is.”

However, Rich Rodriguez also stressed the importance of sticking to a plan to create a “culture” within a program. With so much roster movement during the transfer windows, he noted the need to stay transparent with players about their development and not getting too far away from the process in place.

“You have to [say], okay, how do I adjust to this new thing and still have the right culture?” Rodriguez said. “Everybody uses that word, ‘culture,’ but do they live it every day? Do they adhere to it in the way they go acquire players, develop players, build their roster. And that’s one thing I said from the start. We’re going to be okay [in] the rev-share world. We’re not going to have in the pre-rev share all the money – maybe somebody else does – but we can still have the best culture. And you have to adhere to that and you have to be disciplined enough that this is how you’re going to pay your guys, this is how you’re going to run your team, this is your salary cap and everybody’s got to understand that.

“You’ve got to be open and honest with your players. We’ve done that – we’ve tried to do that in the last four or five months – and that way, our culture’s going to be set for not just now, but next year and the year after that.”

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Texas Tech Red Raiders – Official Athletics Website

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech’s first NCAA Softball Regional will have the full fan experience. The roughly 2,100 seats at Rocky Johnson Field have been sold and there will be pregame tailgate all three days this weekend for Red Raider fans regardless of if they have a ticket or not. Below lists all the information […]

Published

25 seconds ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech’s first NCAA Softball Regional will have the full fan experience. The roughly 2,100 seats at Rocky Johnson Field have been sold and there will be pregame tailgate all three days this weekend for Red Raider fans regardless of if they have a ticket or not.

Below lists all the information for fans regarding this historic weekend.

PREGAME TAILGATE
Texas Tech Athletics is hosting a pregame tailgate all three days of the NCAA Regional that will feature free T-shirts for the first 1,000 fans and free food for fans while supplies last. The tailgate will be set up three hours before first pitch and feature a live deejay that fans can enjoy. Fans will not need a ticket to enjoy this event.

PARKING INFORMATION | MAP
The maps attached here and here shows fans all available parking locations on game days. Additional parking can be found in the S-lots by the John Walker Soccer Complex, the lots by International Cultural Center and lot C10 by the Animal and Food Sciences Building. Fans are NOT permitted to park in the Ronald McDonald House or American Cancer Society parking lots.

ADDITIONAL SEATING AND CONCESSIONS IN THE OUTFIELD | MAP
Texas Tech has added additional seats in the outfield on either side of the videoboard. Fans sitting in this area will have access to their own concessions and restroom but will not be able to go to the regular general admission section and vice versa. Additional concessions have been added to the main concourse with concessions behind either dugout. Another concessions stand has been added outside the stadium gates near the McLeod Tennis Center Pavillion.

EXTENSION OF MAIN GATE
Texas Tech will extend the main gate back to the guest pavilion and have a south and north gate where fans can enter this season. A merchandise table will be against the south gate with tickets being available at the north gate.

CLEAR BAG POLICY REMAINS IN PLACE AT ALL ATHLETIC VENUES

Texas Tech’s clear bag policy will remain in effect for all athletic venues during the 2024-25 athletic year. Fans will be able to bring the following style and size bag or package into the venue:

    –           Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12.”

    –           One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).

    –           Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the venue with one of the clear plastic bags.

    –           An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection.

    –           Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes will be permitted into Rocky Johnson Field.

Fans will once again be allowed to bring an unopened 20 ounce (or less) bottle of water into any outdoor athletics venue on campus this year. Please note that frozen water will not be allowed through the stadium gates. Opened bottles other than 20-ounce (or less) bottles will not be permitted. Empty drink containers are allowed in Rocky Johnson Field and all athletic venues.

Guests carrying medically necessary bags or equipment into a venue will be required to have their bag inspected and tagged by security. For questions about medical equipment or other needs, please contact the Athletics Operations office at 806-834-7111.

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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips feels good about the league’s newfound stability after chaos

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The Atlantic Coast Conference is entering a period of stability. How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Not even commissioner Jim Phillips knows for sure. “I still live one day at a time,” Phillips quipped. The ACC wrapped up its spring meetings Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, with athletic […]

Published

27 minutes ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The Atlantic Coast Conference is entering a period of stability.

How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Not even commissioner Jim Phillips knows for sure.

“I still live one day at a time,” Phillips quipped.

The ACC wrapped up its spring meetings Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, with athletic directors and coaches having spent three days discussing wide-ranging issues affecting football and basketball.

The event came amid the backdrop of the pending $2.8 billion NCAA settlement, which would allow schools to share up to $20.5 million annually directly with their athletes.

The ACC spent the past two years tracking that legal battle while also wading through contentious litigation from two of its top member schools, Clemson and Florida State.

The Tigers and Seminoles approved a settlement in March that changed the league’s revenue-distribution model to benefit schools with marquee football brands. Both would presumably fall into that category.

Although the 2030-31 season looms as a potential spot for more changes to the college football landscape, the revised deal should fortify a league that looked to be on the verge of collapse while falling further behind the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten.

“I just think you got to settle down,” Phillips said, noting he envisions four or five years of stability ahead. “And I think college athletics needs it to settle down, not just the ACC. I think we’ve positioned ourselves for that, and that’s a good thing. It just is.

“Chaos and the constant wondering of what’s happening here or there, I just think that distracts from the business at hand. But I feel good about where we’re at.”

The league’s revised revenue-distribution model incorporates TV viewership as a way for the league’s top programs to generate more money.

Florida State, for example, expects roughly $18 million extra annually from the tweaked structure. Those schools outside the top tier could see a decline of about $7 million a year.

“We’re really excited that this is now put behind us,” FSU athletic director Michael Alford said. “We have a path going forward. We have a path to really look at how we control the conference together, how we expand on the great brands that are in this conference and really promote the ACC and especially ACC football moving forward and give it its day in the sun.”

Presidential help ahead?

Even though ACC schools are bracing for the NCAA settlement and how it will change their business model, Phillips believes President Donald Trump’s proposed commission on collegiate athletics could help.

“We have not been able to get this thing into the end zone, so to speak,” Phillips said. “If the President feels that a commission could potentially help, I’m all for it.”

The proposed commission would be co-chaired by former Alabama coach Nick Saban and current Texas Tech board of regents chairman Cody Campbell.

“I think it’s well-intended,” Phillips said. “I do feel that the time is right based on all the work that’s previously been done and a supportive administration that’s in there. So I’m hopeful that that can be a positive to an end result that gets us a standardized law across the country with NIL.”

NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke at the ACC meetings Monday and said he was “up for anything” if it helped formalize NIL laws that differ from state to state.

“I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said. “I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Future of the CFP

While power four conferences — the ACC, the Big Ten, Big 12 and the SEC — continue to negotiate the future of the College Football Playoff beginning in 2026, Phillips declined to reveal specifics regarding the league’s stance on automatic qualifiers.

“I remain steadfast about fairness in the system and access,” he said. “Out of respect for my colleagues, I want to hold off on commenting about AQs and specific models.”

The 16-team playoff model that has been widely discussed would grant four automatic berths to the Big Ten, four to the SEC, two to the ACC and two to the Big 12. That would leave four bids, with as many as three of those going to at-large teams and the other to the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six.

The ACC, according to several coaches, wants three guaranteed spots.

“You start to wonder if we are going to have an invitational,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Every year, one league may be better than the other, and it can change to some degree.

“To say we’re going to pick teams based on what’s happened the last 15 years, especially in an environment where we have more and more parity with the way the rules are, I think it’s a slippery slope.”

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Huskers to Play in 2026 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series – University of Nebraska

Nebraska will return to Globe Life Field for the third time since 2022, as the Huskers are one of six teams competing in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field on Feb. 20-22, 2026. The Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is the second of three consecutive college baseball weekends hosted at Globe […]

Published

28 minutes ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is the second of three consecutive college baseball weekends hosted at Globe Life Field, with all three weekends benefiting Shriners Children’s.

Joining the Huskers in the three-day tournament are Auburn, Florida State, Kansas State, Louisville and Michigan. Matchups and game times will be announced at a later date.

Group ticket rates are available for parties of 10 or more by contacting REV Entertainment at 817-533-1833. General admission tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit GlobeLifeField.com.

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Louisville transfer big man Aly Khalifa ruled ineligible by NCAA, will appeal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Aly Khalifa, a 6-foot-11-inch BYU transfer expected to anchor Louisville’s frontcourt next season, has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA — a decision he plans to appeal with the help of legal counsel. “University of Louisville men’s basketball student-athlete Aly Khalifa’s request for an extension of his five-year clock that would […]

Published

32 minutes ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Louisville transfer big man Aly Khalifa ruled ineligible by NCAA, will appeal

“University of Louisville men’s basketball student-athlete Aly Khalifa’s request for an extension of his five-year clock that would allow him to utilize his fourth and final season of eligibility was denied by the NCAA,” the school said in a statement Thursday. “The university is appealing that decision and believes that Aly has a strong case that warrants an additional year. After earning his bachelor’s degree, Aly continues to work towards a master’s degree at the University while preparing for the 2025-26 basketball season.”

Khalifa, a native of Alexandria, Egypt, transferred to Louisville ahead of Pat Kelsey’s first season as head coach but redshirted while recovering from knee surgery. During his rehab, he dropped 50 pounds and frequently expressed excitement about the 2025-26 season on social media.

His game is as distinctive as his journey — and tailor-made for Kelsey’s system. He’s widely regarded, including by Kelsey himself, as “one of the best passing big men in the world.”

Just ask his former coach, Kentucky’s Mark Pope. Speaking in Lexington before last season, Pope described how Khalifa changed the way he thought about the game.

“He actually changed the way that I think about processing the game,” Pope said. “Changed passing angles, changed alternatives and changed the whole process of tracking — tracking as a big, when you’re working in any number of actions.”

If healthy, Khalifa was expected to give Louisville a versatile offensive weapon — a floor-stretching center who can facilitate like a guard and knock down outside shots when needed.

Khalifa has played three college seasons: the 2023-24 campaign at BYU and the two prior years at Charlotte.

He started 26 of 29 games for Pope at BYU, averaging 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 31.5% from three-point range. His assist-to-turnover ratio (3.6:1) led all centers nationally.

As a sophomore at Charlotte, he averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds while starting 34 games. He was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2021-22.

Across his college career, Khalifa has totaled 315 assists to just 142 turnovers and has shot 35% from beyond the arc.

Louisville Basketball Coverage:

Coffee with Crawford | Kelsey, Pope, Pitino, Cal — who really had the most rewarding season?

Freedom Hall comeback set as Louisville renews rivalry with Cincinnati

Early Start: Louisville-Kentucky men’s basketball rivalry set for rare November tipoff

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Explaining why Tennessee athletics could switch from Nike to Adidas

Published

42 minutes ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Explaining why Tennessee athletics could switch from Nike to Adidas

AI-assisted summaryThe University of Tennessee’s athletics contract with Nike expires in 2026, prompting the university to consider other apparel brands.While Nike has been UT’s apparel provider since 2014, the university is exploring options like Adidas and Under Armour to potentially increase revenue.In the NIL era, player pay is a top priority, and a more lucrative apparel contract could help fund higher player salaries.Tennessee athletics’ contract with Nike expires in 2026, and the university is mulling different brand options, Knox News has learned.

It’s a divisive debate among UT fans.

Some fans forget the 1998 national title football team wore Adidas. They instead recall awkward designs and bad memories of UT football losing late in the Adidas era, which ended with the 2014 season.

Other fans argue that a new apparel contract could bolster athletic department revenues and therefore help fund rising pay for players.

UT is exploring its options. No decisions have been made, and there’s plenty of time of negotiate.

Here’s where the Nike contract stands and what UT must consider in its next apparel deal.

Here’s the status of Tennessee’s Nike contract

UT’s contract with Nike as its official apparel supplier expires on June 30, 2026, according to the amendment provided by the university to Knox News upon request.

The deal was initially set to run through 2023, but former athletics director Dave Hart signed an extension through the 2025-26 academic year.

Here’s why Tennessee is looking at other brands

Per the contract, UT and Nike began negotiations for extending the deal in late 2024. But that exclusive negotiating window ended March 30.

UT is now free to explore other options. It could sign with another brand or use those negotiations to drive up the price of a new Nike deal.

Nike, Adidas and Under Armour are among the top apparel brands in college sports.

It’s reasonable to believe UT could sign a new apparel contract as early as this summer. Those deals are usually inked a year ahead so new uniforms can be created and distributed.

Here’s why Tennessee could stick with Nike

Nike is a popular brand, and it’s been identified with the Vols since 2014. Before that, Adidas had a 16-year run with UT.

The Vols are a popular brand, as well, in college sports. And they have an enormous fan base and enjoy the widespread exposure of the SEC.

If Nike wants to remain UT’s apparel provider, it will get a fair shot. Typically in these deals, the existing provider gets the last opportunity to match the highest bid. But that price could skyrocket now that the Vols are on the open market.

Here’s why Tennessee could switch to Adidas or another brand

Traditionally, athletes have considered the apparel brand when choosing a school. In fact, a decade ago, it was common for a recruit to have that as a top priority, and Nike was a popular choice.

But in the NIL era, the school’s apparel brand has slid down that priority list in recent years.

The highest priority is now player pay, and by a wide margin. Athletes want to know how much money they can earn in NIL and direct school-to-player pay, once revenue sharing begins as early as July.

If Adidas, for example, can offer UT a much higher payout, it would help fund a more talented roster. It’s certainly something to consider in the player-pay era of college sports.

Corporate campaigns are a new factor in NIL era

UT also could be prioritized and promoted as a premier partner of another brand, and its athletes would benefit from it.

That’s a new concept in the NIL era, where schools can facilitate corporate contracts for their athletes. National campaigns then feature those college athletes in ways they couldn’t do in the previous era.

Imagine a Tennessee star player being part of national campaign similar to an NFL or NBA player. Don’t underestimate that factor in UT’s negotiations and ultimate decision in choosing an apparel partner.

Here’s why uniform design might not be a factor

Most fans assume that apparel brands have full control over uniform designs, but that’s changed in recent years.

UT actually designs its own uniforms in house and partners with the brand to bring them to the field, the court and official team stores.

That doesn’t guarantee that fans will like every uniform design. But it does assure that UT won’t be caught off guard by a color scheme or design that it did not intend.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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NCAA Baseball Tournament Preview – Bridgewater St.

By Jim Fenton BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The Bridgewater State University baseball team is once again opening the NCAA Division III tournament against a nationally ranked opponent. When the Bears face Endicott College on Friday morning at Alumni Park starting at 10 a.m., it will mark the fourth year in a row that BSU will be facing a team […]

Published

44 minutes ago

May 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The Bridgewater State University baseball team is once again opening the NCAA Division III tournament against a nationally ranked opponent.

When the Bears face Endicott College on Friday morning at Alumni Park starting at 10 a.m., it will mark the fourth year in a row that BSU will be facing a team in the top 25.

The Gulls (38-4) are currently No. 3 in the American Baseball Coaches Association poll and No. 4 in the D3baseball.com poll.

In 2022, the Bears started the tournament by facing host Cortland, which was No. 8 in the nation, and in 2023, BSU also hosted Endicott, which was ranked fourth in the country, in the first game.

Last season, the Bears traveled to Pennsylvania and played the tourney opener against Penn State Harrisburg, which was 11th in the nation.

BSU lost two of those three games with a 2023 win over Endicott, 4-2. The Gulls then rallied to earn four straight victories and the regional championship, defeating the Bears, 6-0, along the way.

Endicott is one of two nationally ranked teams in the Bridgewater Regional this weekend.

Concordia University of Austin, Texas (33-11) is No. 19 in the ABCA poll and 24th in the D3baseball.com rankins. The Tornadoes will open against Oswego State of New York (27-13) at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

BSU faces a tough test in the Gulls, who started the season 8-3 and have gone 30-1 since March 19 with the lone loss to Trinity College of Connecticut.

“We’ve just got to play our game,” said Bears coach Greg Zackrison, who has taken the program to four straight NCAA tournaments for the first time since 1996-2001.

BSU lost to Cortland, 4-3 in 10 innings, on a walk-off home run in 2022 and dropped a 5-4 decision to St. John Fisher in the second game.

In 2023 at home, the Bears upset Endicott, then lost to Johnson & Wales, 10-0, and the Gulls, 6-0.

Last season, BSU had a 3-0 lead over Penn State Harrisburg but lost, 5-3, when the hosts scored twice in the ninth. The Bears were eliminated by Elizabethtown, 8-3, after holding a 3-0 lead.

“We’ve had some tough losses in the regionals,” said shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.). “But we’ve got a lot of experience on this roster.”

Said second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.), “I think we get better and better every year in the regional. The record doesn’t show it.

But the experience is going to help a lot. We still have a lot of guys from previous years. We’ll be prepared and hopefully will come out with some success.”

Hosting a regional once again should only be a boost for the program.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the athletics department for really stepping up and helping out the baseball team and the student-athletes,” said Zackrison. “It shows what great support we have.

“It’s pretty cool to put it out there for recruits and alumni that we’ve having this here. It’s kind of a big deal when you start seeing not just local teams like Endicott but a team from Texas and from New York.”

The Bears have put together a 17-4 record at Alumni Park this season.

Their last road game was May 2 at Westfield State, and the game against Endicott Friday will be the eighth straight at home.

The BSU-Endicott winner plays at noon on Saturday while the loser has an elimination game at 8:30 a.m. that day.

“To know we’re going to get more games at Alumni with these seniors and the rest of the team, it’s something special,” said junior first baseman Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.), who set the single-season BSU records for homers and RBI this spring.

“I couldn’t be more excited for this weekend. The camaraderie of this team, the culture, never backing down, that’s something that is going to carry over into this tournament.”

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