The Missouri Tiger athletic department was prepared for change.

Athletic Director Laird Veatch had the Tigers’ ready for the implementation of revenue sharing and roster limits, prepared to take advantage of new rules and opportunities as soon as they arose.

But then, the House settlement wasn’t passed immediately, and now the Tigers are stuck in a holding pattern, waiting to find out if they cut all their walk-ons and prepared for revenue sharing for nothing.

“You’re kind of building the plane as you fly, so to speak,” Veatch said. “… There’s a lot of challenges, a lot of unknown, but we get enough information where we’re able to make some of the key decisions. And, you know, we’re now right at a point with the settlement, where we’re waiting to hear, what’s that kind of final piece with the roster limits and how does this work out? So, we made a lot of decisions up to this point and we continue to adjust and work through that as it finalizes.”

The delay has directly affected the Tigers’ ability to build rosters moving forward.

From the football team having December discussions to the basketball team working in the portal.

“I spent a ton of time trying to figure out the new revenue sharing system and how do you, how are you going to divide the money and the cap,” Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “And what are we going to do with NIL and how do we get to 105, then … the judge says we may grandfather in roster limits. I don’t know what the crap is going on.

“We wasted a lot of mental energy and I’ve heard from a lot of players, we told all our guys in Decemver, you know, ‘This is what we think the new framework is going to be,’ and now, if they go back to grandfathering it in, it’s just frustrating.”

That frustration isn’t new for Drinkwitz. Every year he has been at Missouri, there has been some type of major change to how college football, and sometimes college sports in general, operates. From NIL and the transfer portal to the college football playoff expanding to the still likely implementation of revenue sharing.

And while the Tigers have grown into one of the most successful programs in the sport these past couple of years, that frustration continues to build for the coach.

“Let the practitioners have a say in what we’re doing,” Drinkwitz said. “… We’ll adapt, we’ll adapt to whatever they say, we’ll find a way, we’ll figure it out. But I hope, my hope, is that we understand this is an unbelievable game. College athletics is a worthwhile fabric of the culture of the United States of America, not just football, not just basketball, not just revenue-generating sports, but also the olympic sports, they all matter. We need to have some sort of governing structure that doesn’t have a lawsuit every single day.”

But even if the House settlement passes soon, that wish for a more centralized governing body would still take time to develop and more major changes would have to be implemented almost immediately for a semblance of stability. The clearest example, Veatch noted, is the timing of the sports calendar, largely shown through the football and basketball transfer portals, which occur during the heart of the sports’ postseasons.

“This is one of the many reasons why we need the House settlement to go through and get approved,” Veatch said. “So that we can then move on to all the other things, right? And that is one of the many things we need to really work through is our calendar and how we manage, you know, transfer portals and not only for football, for all of our sports. That there needs to be adjustments that will continue to take place after, after that, after that is settled, then we move on to the next thing.”

The Missouri Tigers have succeeded in recent years because they have been adaptable and willing to change with the times. Taking advantage of NIL early on, building through the transfer portal where possible, investing in the future and making plans for what is to come.

But now the Tigers have spent so much time planning for what was expected to be the next step, they just have to sit and wait for it to happen.

Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell is officially off the board. Cantwell, who is the No. 1 player in the country, has opted to commit to Miami (FL) over Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon.

This news came as somewhat of a surprise because not long ago the Bulldogs were the team predicted to win this recruitment. And not long ago actually means not long ago because 24 hours before his commitment most recruiting experts were siding with Georgia in this recruitment.

But Cantwell once again proved that no one ever actually knows what is happening in a recruitment because he ditched Georgia at the last second.

So why did Cantwell pick the Hurricanes over Georgia? Immediately after committing he shared how he loved Miami’s coaching staff and their proven ability to develop offensive lineman. But there was another reason he chose Miami, and insider Brooks Austin with Bulldogs on SI confirmed what everyone thought after seeing Cantwell choose Miami.

Jackson Cantwell chose Miami because of the money

According to Austin, Cantwell chose Miami because of their large NIL offer. Austin details how Miami was calling Cantwell “late into the evening” and were continuing to increase their offer until he said yes.

About a week ago, Cantwell reportedly was set to make about $2 million from Miami in his first season alone, but Austin shared that Cantwell now expects to make $5 million from Miami. Austin later explained that this $5 million is split between two years, with another increase likely to come ahead of his third season with the Hurricanes.

Knowing how much NIL factored into Cantwell’s decision, it’ s hard to imagine a scenario where Kirby Smart is that upset. In fact, Smart has been quoted saying he doesn’t want players in his program that appear to only care about NIL. So according to this philosphy, missing on Cantwell isn’t all that bad.

No one can deny Cantwell doesn’t love a lot of things about Miami, but it’s also impossible to suggest that NIL wasn’t the biggest factor in his decision to choose the Hurricanes over Georgia.

The gloves are off, and Senator Tommy Tuberville isn’t holding back. In a recent interview with CNN, the former Auburn football coach-turned-lawmaker doubled down on his mission to reshape college athletics—and it starts with rolling back what he sees as the chaos created by Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation.

“I think the NIL is in dire need of restructuring,” Tuberville said, referencing a new college sports commission in the works, with Alabama legend Nick Saban reportedly involved. The commission, according to Tuberville, is designed to bring “order” back to the NCAA’s new financial era—where players now hold a piece of the power that used to belong solely to schools and coaches.

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But let’s be clear: Tuberville isn’t just concerned with fairness—he wants control. In an earlier radio interview, Tuberville spelled out what he envisions: “Everybody would be on the same level. We’ve got to come up with some rules for the transfer portal, possibly a contract for players.” Translation? Less money, less mobility, and more regulation on the athletes who are finally seeing their value recognized.

And he’s not alone. Tuberville cited conversations with Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who called NIL and the transfer portal “an absolute disaster.” But who’s it really a disaster for? Players like Livvy Dunne, Bronny James, and Shedeur Sanders raked in millions—earning what the market says they’re worth. On3 recently estimated Dunne’s NIL valuation at $3.9 million, while Sanders was close to $4.6 million.

The outcry from coaches and politicians sounds less like concern for college sports and more like panic over a shift in power dynamics. Tuberville’s push to restrict freedom and earning potential paints a clear picture: they want amateurism for the players and professionalism for everyone else.

The danger? If this commission is formed without athlete representation, it won’t be reform—it’ll be regression.

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Fans of college sports need to stay loud. NIL isn’t the problem—it’s progress. And if Tuberville gets his way, the clock might just be turned back on the student-athletes who’ve finally started to win.

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A proposal for a new spring college football calendar was shared with coaches at the ACC spring meetings, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported. It would include adding six contactless OTA-style practices, and a single transfer portal window continues to be discussed for either January, March or April.

Under the proposal – shared with multiple ACC coaches – the OTA-like practices would likely be in May or June, according to Dellenger. The limit of 15 spring practices will still be in place, meaning teams would have 21 total counting the contactless practices.

Another version also includes the ability to spread those practices over two five-week periods between February and April and late May into June, per Dellenger. Regardless, a decision is not expected until one comes on a single transfer portal window, as well as the House v. NCAA settlement.

The idea of OTA-style practices gained steam this past spring as programs around the country opted not to hold traditional spring scrimmages. Many around college football also called for a potential change to the calendar due to the expanded College Football Playoff, including Ohio State coach Ryan Day as his team comes off a national championship victory over Notre Dame.

As for the transfer portal, current rules call for two windows – one in the winter after the final CFP rankings announcement and another during the spring. However, coaches don’t want the portal to open during the spring, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Instead, they want one singular window.

“I’m certainly in favor of shortening the portal windows,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer previously told On3. “I’m not anti-portal. We’ve benefited from the portal, but people don’t need two different portal windows that cover around six weeks to decide that they want to transfer from somewhere. You either want to be a part of that program or you don’t.

That decision, however, won’t come until after one comes down on the House settlement. Judge Claudia Wilken sent the two sides back to make changes to the verbiage around roster limits and threatened to deny final approval if they did not do so. Those revisions came last week as the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to a plan to allow schools to opt-in to “grandfather” spots on roster for athletes who were set to lose them due to the settlement.

Friday marks the deadline to file objections to the revisions. Now, it’s up to Wilken to decide whether the agreement warrants final approval.

If Kentucky basketball is playing a money game, head coach Mark Pope just went all-in.

With a smirk and a mic-drop moment, Pope claimed the Wildcats are operating on a nearly $200 million roster. Yes, you read that right — $200 million.

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“It’s close to $200 million,” Pope said during a recent press conference, flashing a grin. “We would like to win at everything, guys. Like, we really would.”

Whether hyperbole or not, the message was loud and clear: Kentucky is embracing the NIL era with open arms — and deep pockets.

Early projections estimate that the Wildcats’ 2025-26 roster could carry a combined NIL value north of $20 million. That figure alone would place Kentucky among the most lucrative programs in the country. While exact numbers remain speculative, Pope’s public stance adds weight to whispers that Big Blue Nation isn’t just aiming to compete — it’s aiming to lead.

“We want to have the highest NIL. We want to have the best players. We want to win the most games,” Pope emphasized. “This is the flagship program in the country.”

That’s more than talk. Pope, in his second year at the helm, is building a team that reflects that ambition — stacked with high-profile recruits and seasoned transfers drawn by both Kentucky’s legacy and its financial opportunities.

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With NIL reshaping the landscape of college sports, Kentucky appears poised to be a model for what elite programs can become: well-funded, player-focused, and unapologetically competitive.

“Our job is to go be the best at everything,” Pope said. “So we’re not shying away from that. Like, it’s important to us.”

As college hoops continues to adapt to a business-first model, Pope’s comments are more than a punchline — they’re a warning shot. Kentucky isn’t just playing the game; it’s rewriting the rules.

Related: Kentucky recruit makes unique decision with bold NIL power move

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Boogie Fland showed up to the NBA Combine and said, ‘Nah, I’m good.” While attending the pre-Draft event in Chicago, the former Arkansas guard officially withdrew from the NBA Draft.

The news is a bit unusual. One would think it’s safe to presume that he would at least finish going through the NBA Combine before announcing the decision. After all, you’re already there. Why go through all that trouble, just to quit halfway through?

It’s even more unusual because of the source. People forget that Mike Miller, the former Florida Gator who spent 17 years in the NBA and had a cup of coffee on Penny Hardaway’s Memphis coaching staff, is now an agent. Miller represents Fland and must have heard enough feedback from NBA scouts to realize the writing was on the wall: Fland would be better off making another year of NIL money than testing his salt in the NBA.

There’s another interesting wrinkle in this situation. The one-time Kentucky commit was the best player on the floor when healthy for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was the straw that stirred their drink, averaging 13.5 points and 5.1 assists per game. He’s returning to college, but it probably won’t be at Arkansas.

The Razorbacks have already invested heavily in their backcourt. DJ Wagner is returning for another season, and they ponied up for a pair of five-star freshmen, Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas. Simply put, there’s no more room at the inn.

Fland will most likely not be back at Arkansas, but he may be in the SEC. Rumors swirled a few weeks ago that he could make up to $7 million by returning to college and playing for Florida. College basketball insiders refuted that report and called it an inflated number, but there seems to be some smoke between Fland and the Gators.

This decision is another indictment of the current state of NIL’s role in basketball. In previous years, there was no chance in France that Fland would return for another year of college basketball. Now that there are large, guaranteed contracts in place for college athletes, it’s not worth the risk to jump into the NBA too soon. That reality should be good news for Kentucky fans who are awaiting decisions from Otega Oweh and Jaland Lowe.

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