College athletes spent decades fighting for the right to make money from their name, image and likeness (NIL). In 2021, they won. Now, a $2.8bn NCAA settlement is set to compensate hundreds of thousands of current and former athletes who missed out on those earnings. But not everyone thinks the deal is fair.

Eight female athletes filed an appeal this week, arguing the agreement violates Title IX, the US law banning sex-based discrimination in education. They say the way the money is divided, largely favoring football and men’s basketball players, shortchanges women by more than $1bn.

Their appeal has paused all back payments, potentially delaying them for more than a year. However, the NCAA’s new plan to allow schools to pay current players directly starting 1 July will still go ahead.

So what does this all mean for athletes as well as the future of college sports? Here’s what’s going on …

The Kentucky athletic department has started a Champions Blue LLC. to help them transition into the new era of college athletics. Revenue-sharing will arrive on July 1 and all participating universities must participate in “NIL Go” which will serve as a clearinghouse for any third-party deals. Schools will be paying out of pocket but they will be also involved in making sure athletics are being paid within the rules of a new system.

Who will they report to? We now know the answer.

Major League Baseball (MLB) executive Bryan Seeley has been named as the CEO of the College Sports Commission (CSC). The MLB vice president of legal and operations will now be tasked with making sure that college athletes and schools are following the rules that have been established in the House v. NCAA settlement.

“I am honored to serve as the first CEO of the College Sports Commission at this pivotal moment in the history of collegiate athletics,” Seeley said in a statement last week. “I look forward to implementing a system that prioritizes fairness, integrity, and opportunity, while preserving the values that make college sports unique. I am energized by the work ahead and excited to begin building out our team.”

“Bryan brings unwavering integrity and a wealth of relevant experience to his new role leading the College Sports Commission and working to ensure a smooth implementation of this new system,” power conference commissioners said in a joint statement. “We’re grateful to have an individual with his credentials and expertise at the helm, and we look forward to his leadership as we transition into this new era of college sports.”

Bryan Seeley will be asked to help form the CSC’s investigative and enforcement teams. This commission will play an integral role in enforcing the settlement’s terms and working hand-in-hand with “NIL Go” and Deloitte. His main job will be to enforce revenue-sharing and roster limits rules and regulations. The NCAA is officially ceding power to the CSC to enforce rules upon those participating in revenue-share. Seeley and the CSC are essentially the governing body of power conference athletics now.

You will be hearing his name a lot moving forward.

The CSC’s new leader is expected to make a seven-figure salary and will quickly become one of the most important individuals in college athletics. A former attorney, Seeley brings investigative experience and will be someone that power conference leaders rely on heavily to help run the new system that they have created.

Lawsuits are still expected — the NCAA is still looking for Congressional assistance on Capitol Hill — but Bryan Seeley will become an important face for the new era of college athletics. Expect to see the new hire do multiple interviews as the CSC becomes the new policing agency for the revenue-sharing era. Whenever a school gets in trouble, they will have to deal with Seeley for any violations regarding salary cap management.

The new day is here.

Nick Mingione is putting in work with the transfer portal once again.

Kentucky baseball landed a pair of portal commits on Friday, bringing the number of transfer additions this offseason up to seven. Indiana junior infielder Tyler Cerny was the first to join the Bat Cats, with Grand Canyon sophomore pitcher Connor Mattison announcing his decision to follow suit less than an hour later. Both rank among the top 40 players (Cerney at No. 37, Mattison at No. 11) to enter the portal this offseason, according to 64Analytics.

With the Hoosiers in 2025, Cerny hit for a .281 average with 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 32 RBI. After amassing 173 games played at IU, he’ll have one year of eligibility remaining with Kentucky. Meanwhile, Mattison posted a 5.40 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 33.1 innings pitched with the Lopes this past season. The righty, who tossed a no-hitter as a freshman in 2024, will have two years of eligibility left upon his arrival in Lexington.

After making the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season in 2025 — the first such streak in program history — Mingione is again doing a terrific job in the portal. Kentucky is losing 12 players to exhausted eligibility and has lost 13 more as outgoing transfers. But the ‘Cats have already brought in seven new faces via the portal (six of them right-handed pitchers), including Friday’s new additions. More are expected to come soon.

Below is Kentucky’s current incoming portal class for 2026. Note that Echeman, Bennett, and Cerny are all eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft.

Mingione is also bringing in a 13-man high school class and returns a key group of core pieces from last season’s roster, headlined by Tyler Bell, a Freshman All-American from the 2025 campaign. The likes of RF Ryan Schwartz, RHP Nate Harris, and LHP Ben Cleaver will also come back to Lexington for next season. Several more Wildcats, such as 2B Luke Lawrence and OF Carson Hansen, are eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft but can return for another college season.

Derek Terry of Bat Cats Central reports that another portal commitment is expected to come on Saturday. Let Mingione cook.