NIL
Stugotz blames Dan Le Batard, David Samson for Meadowlark change
One of the many recent changes around The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Meadowlark Media is the gradual decrease in the presence of the titular Jon “Stugotz” Weiner on the show. While Le Batard has thrown cold water on the panic around Stugotz’s scale-back, Friday marked the final episode of Stugotz’s football podcast God […]


One of the many recent changes around The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Meadowlark Media is the gradual decrease in the presence of the titular Jon “Stugotz” Weiner on the show.
While Le Batard has thrown cold water on the panic around Stugotz’s scale-back, Friday marked the final episode of Stugotz’s football podcast God Bless Football in the Meadowlark Media lineup. And on its way out the door, Stugotz blamed Le Batard and the newly extended David Samson for Meadowlark axing GBF.
Adding to the confusion around Stugotz and the show’s future, the longtime Miami radio star and founder of WAXY did not rule out the show’s return to DraftKings Network separate from the Meadowlark umbrella.
“There is a chance this show remains on the DraftKings Network. This has nothing to do with DraftKings,” Stugotz said. “We love them, they’ve been great partners. If you’re upset about this, get mad at the ‘Lark. In particular, Le Batard and David Samson.”
This week, Le Batard announced Meadowlark is extending its licensing and ad sales deal with DraftKings. It is reportedly a multiyear deal built around a smaller network of shows that does not include GBF — or the breakout hit Pablo Torre Finds Out.
Stugotz will seemingly continue to appear two or three times a week, as he has for a year or two. Stugotz missed several weeks after the Super Bowl earlier this year.
In a new episode of his talk show Stupodity on his new YouTube channel, Stugotz could be seen in a new studio decorated for his New York Jets fandom. The video quality appeared professional, signaling a leveling-up for Le Batard’s longtime sidekick.
Meanwhile, Samson announced a new contract with Meadowlark and the expansion of his live sports business show Nothing Personal to two hours daily. Le Batard has openly teased on air that Samson wants a management role at the company.
He could replace former CEO and cofounder John Skipper, who departed suddenly earlier this year.
If Stugotz’s comments in Friday’s episode of GBF are accurate, Samson may already be making decisions at Meadowlark. Signing off of the episode with thank-yous for the talent and leadership at Meadowlark and DraftKings that helped launch GBF, Stugotz had a parting shot for the former Miami Marlins president.
“Let’s thank everyone except for David Samson, how’s that sound?” Stugotz cracked.
NIL
Illini’s 2025 over/under; Deeper cut difference makers; Will House make intended impact?
Now that we are getting close to the start of the football season, would you be over or under at an 8.5 win total for the regular season. 8.5 is a far better number than the real 7.5 number on the Illini, in my opinion. While Illinois has a chance to go under 7.5 if […]

Now that we are getting close to the start of the football season, would you be over or under at an 8.5 win total for the regular season.
8.5 is a far better number than the real 7.5 number on the Illini, in my opinion. While Illinois has a chance to go under 7.5 if things don’t go well, I’d say over 7.5 is far more likely given the roster and schedule — assuming health, of course.
I have to think a lot harder about 8.5, and to be honest, that’s around where my projection will be. Winning nine or 10 games with 10 Power Four opponents on the schedule, including nine Big Ten teams, is very difficult. Illinois definitely is capable, but it’s also capable of going under 8.5 wins as well.
NIL
Revenue Share Breakdown Could Create Advantage For Mid-Major
iStockphoto / © Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Audio By Carbonatix Division-I colleges and universities were allowed to share revenue with their student-athletes for the first time on Tuesday, which actually creates a competitive advantage for mid-major basketball programs. Smaller schools with FCS football programs are able to distribute more money […]



Audio By Carbonatix
Division-I colleges and universities were allowed to share revenue with their student-athletes for the first time on Tuesday, which actually creates a competitive advantage for mid-major basketball programs. Smaller schools with FCS football programs are able to distribute more money elsewhere.
It will be interesting to see whether this new era of collegiate athletics allows for more parity on the hardwood.
The last four years of Name, Image and Likeness were largely unregulated. There were no rules. Schools, through their NIL collectives, were able to spend whatever amount of money they wanted on any player in any sport without any guidelines on how to operate. Inducements were common. Tampering was rampant.
Although some of that behavior will surely continue under the table, this new revenue sharing model is supposed to provide some semblance of structure when it comes to finances across college sports. Universities must operate under a set cap for direct compensation. Outside NIL deals must undergo approval from an outside entity. The entire pay scale will be limited. (We’ll see!)
Generally speaking, SEC programs will have a maximum annual budget of approximately $21 million. Approximately $14 million will go to football, $4 million to men’s basketball, $1 million to women’s basketball and $2 million to the other sports combined. Those numbers will obviously vary.
This is where smaller schools might find some common ground if they do not compete in college football on the FBS level. They can pump more money toward college basketball.
Smaller schools could choose to split its revenue share money as follows:
- TOTAL — $4.8 million
- Men’s basketball: $2.66 million
- Football: $1.31 million
- Women’s basketball: $485,000
- Other sports: $350,000
The $2.66 million for men’s basketball is not too far off from $4 million at SEC schools. That $2.66 million number is more or less on par with high-major programs.
However, those numbers are not the same at every school. Some mid-majors have larger goals for compensation. Others have less.
Athletic departments could spend a similar amount of money on basketball as the “bigger” schools that focus on football to be just as competitive in terms of compensation as, say, Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. How long will those “bigger” schools allow for this somewhat level playing field? When will they starts pumping more money in the direction of men’s basketball?
NIL
Highly
As Summer officially kicks off, one USC Trojans football player continues to stay hydrated with NIL deals ahead of his first season in Los Angeles. A month after partnering with C4 Energy, top JUCO transfer Waymond Jordan has added another beverage brand to his growing portfolio. The former No. 1 ranked junior college running back […]


As Summer officially kicks off, one USC Trojans football player continues to stay hydrated with NIL deals ahead of his first season in Los Angeles.
A month after partnering with C4 Energy, top JUCO transfer Waymond Jordan has added another beverage brand to his growing portfolio. The former No. 1 ranked junior college running back – who enrolled at USC this Spring after dominating the ground game for Kansas’ Hutchinson Community College – has now signed a deal with Niagara Water.
First reported by On3’s Pete Nakos, Jordan joins the Southern California-based water brand that counts USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane and former Trojan cornerback Jaylin Smith – now a rookie with the Houston Texans – as brand ambassadors.
As a sophomore at Hutchinson CC last season, Jordan earned NJCAA DI Football Offensive Player of the Year honors while leading the Blue Dragons to the NJCAA DI Football Championship. He rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 134.5 yards per game.
Originally committed to UCF, Jordan continued the recent transfer portal and recruiting class momentum for Lincoln Riley when he flipped to the Trojans early this year.
Waymond’s really compact, really kind of moves effortlessly and obviously a ton of production at Hutch,” Riley said during Spring Practice.
Jordan brings much needed help to the USC backfield after losing All-Big Ten second team member Woody Marks – and his 1,133 yards and 9 touchdowns – to the NFL and second-leading rusher Quinten Joyner to Texas Tech via the transfer portal.
USC will kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30 when they host Missouri State.
NIL
The teams have the longest active bowl game droughts in college football
Success is not measured the same way for every team in college football. While every program may claim that winning the national championship is the goal every season, that is realistically not the case. For some programs, just six wins and securing a bowl game appearance is a major accomplishment. A bowl game bid is […]

Success is not measured the same way for every team in college football. While every program may claim that winning the national championship is the goal every season, that is realistically not the case.
For some programs, just six wins and securing a bowl game appearance is a major accomplishment. A bowl game bid is something that can be extremely beneficial, especially for lower-tier programs, in terms of money and recruiting. While six wins may not seem like a lot, and is not even a “winning season”, it is still an impressive accomplishment in college football.
Last season, several teams snapped long bowl droughts, including Nebraska (7 years), Colorado State (6 years), and Vanderbilt (5 years), while a select few will be aiming to do the same this year. Here are the current longest bowl game droughts in college football prior to the 2025 season.
It has been a hard fall from grace that started with an ugly end of the David Shaw era at Stanford. The Cardinal have the longest active bowl drought of any Power Four program with their last appearance coming in the 2018 Sun Bowl. That actually ended a 10-year streak of bowl appearances with five of those being New Year’s Six bowl games. While this year may not look bright after the mid-March firing of their head coach, there is hope for the future of this program with Andrew Luck now at the helm as Stanford’s GM, and I expect this streak to be broken in the near future.
Akron is a program that is just lost and has been stuck as the bottom feeder of the MAC in recent years. Their last bowl appearance came in 2017 at the Boca Raton Bowl where they lost to FAU by 47 points. Since that game, the Zips have a record of 15-63 with a third of those wins being against FCS programs. We know this streak will not be broken this year, as Akron has already been deemed ineligible for a bowl game due to a low Academic Progress Rate, the first time a team has achieved this feat since 2014.
The Lobos last four bowl game appearances have been in the New Mexico Bowl with their last one coming in 2016 under head coach Bob Davie. They are now led by Jason Eck who has had great success at the FCS level as a head coach at Idaho and offensive coordinator at South Dakota State. Last season looked like the year they could break the streak, with Bronco Mendenhall (now at Utah State) as head coach and Devon Dampier (now at Utah) at quarterback, but fell just short with a 5-7 record.
UL-Monroe’s last and only bowl game appearance since joining the FBS in 1994 came in 2012, when the Warhawks played in the Independence Bowl. Despite reaching six wins in both 2013 and 2018, ULM did not receive bowl invitations in those years due to there being more eligible teams than bowl game spots. Since 2012, the Warhawks have accumulated a 46-97 record. Last season, they looked poised to break the six-win barrier and end this drought after winning five of their first six games, but ended up dropping six straight to end the season and finishing at 5-7.
It is no secret that UMass has been the worst program in the FBS since joining in 2012. In their 13 seasons at the FBS level, they have yet to make a bowl game and have had eight seasons with two wins or less. In 2025, the Minutemen will be led by new head coach Joe Harasymiak as they rejoin the MAC; a move they hope will help make history and end this drought.
More College Football News:
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How Nevada’s Isaiah World became projected first-round draft pick after transfer to Oregon
Players transfer for a number of reasons. The top one these days is money. And while many might think those transfers are for instant-impact cash, there’s also an element of future revenue involved. A good example is Isaiah World, the former Nevada offensive tackle who will spend his final college season at Oregon. In ESPN’s […]

Players transfer for a number of reasons. The top one these days is money.
And while many might think those transfers are for instant-impact cash, there’s also an element of future revenue involved.
A good example is Isaiah World, the former Nevada offensive tackle who will spend his final college season at Oregon. In ESPN’s first 2026 NFL mock draft, published this week, World was projected at 23rd overall to the San Francisco 49ers.
ESPN’s Matt Miller writes: “Many thought the 49ers would draft the eventual successor to All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, who turns 37 in July. But San Francisco passed on tackles in the 2025 draft, so that need still exists. World transferred to Oregon after dominating at Nevada, and the 6-foot-8, 310-pounder has all-world potential with his elite reach, elite agility and experience. The 49ers need to get younger at core positions, and left tackle should be atop their wish list.”
I’ll almost certainly guarantee you World would not be a projected first-round draft pick had he stayed at Nevada for his senior season, and that’s no knock on the Wolf Pack. But World was never even an all-conference player during his three years as a starter for Nevada in the Mountain West (he’s started 35 straight games). If he lives up to expectations at Oregon, World will cash a ton of NFL money as a first-round draft pick.
Yes, World got a big NIL check from the Ducks. On3 projected his NIL value at $1 million and ranked him as the fifth-best transfer to change teams this offseason. But beyond that initial money, which is life-changing if managed well, the amount of future money World could make with a strong senior season is gigantic. That season coming at a school like Oregon rather than Nevada could be the difference between potentially being a first-round pick or a day two or three selection.
Just look at this year’s draft. Yes, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty went sixth overall, showing a MW star can still be drafted high under unique circumstances. But 56 of the top-58 draft picks this year came from power-conference schools, including three from Oregon, who had a trio selected in the top 46 and 10 picks overall (fourth among all schools). The only non-Power 4 players in the top 58 were Jeanty and North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel, who went 18th overall.
Simply transferring from Nevada to Oregon seemed to boost World’s draft grade after he picked the Ducks over Ohio State, the reigning national champions who had an NFL-high 14 players selected in April.
During his initial Oregon press conference during spring camp, World said his transfer was about his future.
“My goal is to eventually be one of the greats in the NFL, so this is the spot for me,” said World, adding, “The track record here has been unbelievable. Coach (Dan) Lanning had a good program and system for me. I think it’s the right place for me to grow. It’s on the West Coast, and I’m from San Diego. It wasn’t too far from home. I felt like it was the right place for me. I have a couple of teammates from my high school here. It’s a good spot for me to be.”
World also acknowledged the level of competition he’s seen in practice has been a jump from what he experienced in the MW, which also has a potential first-round offensive tackle draft pick in Kage Casey, a junior in 2025 who opted against transferring (we’ll see where both land in the draft if Casey in an early enrollee). World played against good defensive linemen in the MW, but the Big Ten provides a stiffer challenge. That conference had 11 first-round draft picks this year, including five defensive lineman.
“It’s definitely been a change in competition from the level from playing in the Mountain West,” World said of spring practices. “It’s been a higher pace here. They rush faster and bend around the edge. It’s been really good to get against that. I can learn and be ready for any other school because this is one of the best places for rushers in terms of depth.”
World was one of a handful of now former Nevada players with pro potential to hit the portal this offseason, others including QB Brendon Lewis (Memphis), CB Michael Coats Jr. (West Virginia), CB Chad Brown (Purdue) and LB Drue Watts (Memphis). You’re seeing a greater collection of proven Division I talent — in football and others sports — concentrated in the top conferences. That’s a result of NIL and immediate eligibility post-transfer.
In the last three NFL drafts, only four players in picked in the top 50 have come from non-power conference schools (two are from North Dakota State, so kudos to the Bison). In the three drafts prior (2020-22), non-power conference schools had 13 top-50 NFL draft selections.
So, you can’t blame World for transferring up in conference. He’s got a cool backstory, too. From San Diego’s Lincoln High, World originally committed to Arizona State before the Sun Devils dropped him after he was unable to play his senior season of high school due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite having a full recruiting class, Nevada added World as a blueshirt in February 2021.
World played just one full year of high school football and did so more on the defensive line than offensive line with his preference being defense. World grew up without cable television and had as much a basketball background as one in football. If not for COVID-19, he probably would have began his college career at a power conference in the old Pac-12. Instead, he nearly slipped through the cracks.
“I’m grateful for it to be honest,” World told me in 2021 about being offered by Nevada. “I know it could have gone a different way, and I could have ended up with nothing. I’m just appreciative of the opportunity.”
And after Nevada helped develop him and put him on the map, you can’t blame World for not only taking the money this year but also raising his stock for a potential NFL future by joining Oregon.
Sports columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.
NIL
At Wimbledon, Luxury Brands Get Tennis FOMO
But female players are being left behind. Welcome back to SportsVerse, my twice-weekly newsletter that tells stories you can’t find anywhere else about the intersection of sports, fashion, business, and culture. Powered by OffBall. Lorenzo Musetti didn’t last long at Wimbledon this year. In fact, his tournament started and ended in the first round. People […]

But female players are being left behind.
Welcome back to SportsVerse, my twice-weekly newsletter that tells stories you can’t find anywhere else about the intersection of sports, fashion, business, and culture. Powered by OffBall.

Lorenzo Musetti didn’t last long at Wimbledon this year. In fact, his tournament started and ended in the first round. People had high hopes for the up-and-coming Italian, given that he reached the semi-finals at last year’s tournament and at the French Open in June.
Luckily, this is SportsVerse, and we don’t care about all that. What we care about is that world no.7 Musetti, in his fleeting visit to south-west London, delivered what will be one of the most discussed off-court moments of this year’s tournament.
When Musetti walked on court for his first-round match earlier this week, he did so wearing a Bottega jacket. It was confirmation of his new role as an ambassador of the Italian luxury house, which was first indicated when the brand’s creative director, Louise Trotter, was spotted in his player’s box during the French Open last month.

The walk-on moment (tennis’ equivalent to the NBA/WNBA tunnel walk) is increasingly being used as a stage to showcase these moments and announce new partnerships, as a new wave of luxury brands encroaches on the sport. It was this same moment at Wimbledon last year that Gucci used to announce its deal with Italian star Jannik Sinner, when he walked on court carrying a bag designed by the brand, which under normal circumstances would have violated the tournament’s stringent dress code.
Luxury brands are flooding into tennis — that goes without saying.
The same thing is happening to tennis that happened in Formula 1 and football (soccer) in recent years. All of these sports have long retained ties to high-end luxury watch and apparel brands due to the upper-class/exclusive nature of their fanbases and stakeholders. The difference is, these sports are all now reaching major audiences who appreciate the aesthetics and culture of the sports as much as they do what happens on the court, track or field. Brands now sense the opportunity to divert those new eyeballs to their shiny products. Tennis’ time is next up.
Wimbledon, a Fashion Mecca
It makes sense why brands are increasingly using Wimbledon as a launchpad for such announcements. In a strict environment which favours uniformity and compliance above all — a rarity in the modern sports world dominated by ads and commercial activations — any deviation from this will stand out tenfold.
Just as Sinner’s Gucci walk-on moment was the talk of the town at last year’s tournament, Musetti’s Bottega entrance (and swift exit) will dominate the conversation from here on out.

Sadly for Bottega, the brand will miss out on the opportunity to celebrate its new partnership while still fresh, as Musetti will play no further part in the tournament. But as a brand, those are the risks you must balance with the potential rewards when you decide to work with professional athletes — the narrative is simply out of your control.
I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately from other writers looking to find out more about the uniqueness of Wimbledon and why it makes for such an alluring spectacle for brands to engage with. I’ve told them all the same thing: tennis has always been exciting, tennis has always been a fertile ground for luxury brand partnerships — but now the industry’s biggest companies are diving in, everyone else is getting FOMO.
After Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were snapped up last year by Louis Vuitton and Gucci, respectively, marketing departments at other luxury brands were scrambling to work out how they could get in on the act too. It seems the strategy they all settled on was simple: pick a handsome player from their home country.
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Burberry announced British no.1 Jack Draper as its latest ambassador ahead of Wimbledon.
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Bottega Veneta picked fellow Italian Musetti (Sinner, no doubt a preferable choice) was already taken by Gucci).
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Canali, another Italian luxury label, broke ranks on Monday by signing an ambassador from another country, selecting the incredibly handsome Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
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APC launched an on-court and off-court tennis collection with Asics earlier this summer, which has been worn by Asics athletes such as Alex de Minaur and Mr. Musetti himself.

“How do these brands actually use these ambassadors?” I hear you ask. It’s a good question. Most of the time their job is to get paid a nice fee to sit there and look pretty, wearing the brands’ clothing to red carpet events, for pre-game walk-ons and in ad campaigns.

Some brands use it as a way to flex their proximity and access to sports’ greatest stars — a smart marketing tool. Gucci, for example, hosted a VIP dinner in London with Sinner ahead of Wimbledon last week. Burberry hosted influencers and models for the evening session on Tuesday.
A Missed Opportunity
Notably, this influx of partnerships between brands and players has almost exclusively been aimed at the men’s tour.
For female tennis pros, the luxury brand deals are few and far between. Naomi Osaka was a Louis Vuitton ambassador back in 2021 and it’s unclear whether that relationship still exists (unlikely). Dior signed Chinese tennis star Qinwen Zheng as a global ambassador in January 2025. And that is pretty much the extent of it.
Of course, Miu Miu is working with Coco Gauff and doing a great job of it, too, though that relationship is via New Balance (i.e. on a smaller scale to a full-blown ambassador deal between player and brand).

It seems a major missed opportunity on the part of fashion brands to overlook the women’s tour. Tennis is one of the few global sports where in flagship tournaments (Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open, US Open), men and women are paid equally. Female tennis stars would make for ideal luxury brand ambassadors, helping brands speak to their (majority female) audiences in fresh ways. I expect we will see more and more relationships between female tennis players and brands in the coming years, but progress has been slow.
I’m excited to see what storylines come from the rest of the action at Wimbledon over the next week and a half.
That’s all for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride. And to all my American readers, happy holidays!
See you next time,
DYM