Connect with us

NIL

Texas Tech Softball Might’ve Done Shady Things For 2026 Season. Stop Complaining

After finishing the season with a loss to Texas in the women’s college world series, the Texas Tech softball team has decided to go all-in on building a roster for another run next season for a title. But, it’s how they’re doing it that is causing folks within the softball community to lose their minds.  […]

Published

on


After finishing the season with a loss to Texas in the women’s college world series, the Texas Tech softball team has decided to go all-in on building a roster for another run next season for a title. But, it’s how they’re doing it that is causing folks within the softball community to lose their minds. 

When news broke just hours before the Red Raiders were set to play for a national championship that star pitcher NiJareee Canady had signed a $1.2 million deal to return for another season in Lubbock, there wasn’t much backlash from sports fans. 

But, it did not take long for coaches and fans across the country to start railing at Texas Tech for their business practices when it came to putting together a roster for next season. 

Why were folks upset with the Texas Tech softball program? Well, it had to do with how they were actually piecing together a lineup that should surely be contending for a national championship in 2026. 

Texas Tech Was Tampering? Signing Players On Current Rosters? Welcome To College Sports

Is there any other accusation that is thrown around in college athletics without penalties more than ‘tampering’? For the Red Raiders, they are certainly taking hits on the national level after a well-written piece from ‘Softball on SI’ regarding how third-parties were helping piece together this roster filled with high-dollar deals that are creating quite the commotion around college campuses. 

Who is helping fund this roster filled with superstars from opposing teams? That would be ‘The Matador Club’, which is the NIL collective that supports Texas Tech athletics. The problem is that third-parties are not prohibited from reaching out to athletes at other schools, gauging their interest in potentially transferring. 

While there are plenty of people who want to rail against schools for ‘tampering’, there is rarely a case where schools are actually being named, while coaches want to dance around the actual school that is doing the ‘tampering’. But, the allegations are pretty damning, with reports of Texas Tech using a travel-ball organization to also make contact with players that were still on opposing rosters. 

But here’s where this whole situation has gotten pretty messy. According to the report, Texas Tech was actually signing players to deals while they were still playing for other teams. Yep, that will cause some problems within the softball community, especially if they are getting these deals front-loaded, which means the transfers were going to get a majority of their money before the House settlement was approved. 

Then, Tennessee’s Taylor Pannell entered the transfer portal on a Thursday morning, and was committed to play for the Red Raiders by Thursday night. This seemed to upset head coach Karen Weekly, who took to social media, mentioning that money wasn’t the problem, but the tampering had to stop. 

Sure, I’ll agree with her on one aspect of this post. Signing an NIL deal with another team, while still competing for a national championship with your current team, is a little shady. 

For that reason alone, coaches across the sport have a reason to be upset. 

But save me with the negotiating part of this whole ordeal. Right now, schools across the country are having to make tough decisions on which sports will receive funding through the House settlement, and a good number of programs are not going to be splitting the pie with the softball program. 

Some Aren’t Using House Money On Softball, Red Raiders Found A Workaround 

So, for Texas Tech’s collective to decide on spending a large amount of money on softball, through third-party deals, that means a number of boosters have made the decision that they are going to dominate this one particular sport. Don’t get things confused, the Red Raiders spent a large chunk of money on building a football team through the transfer portal this past offseason. 

But what you are seeing play out with the softball program is one team trying to plant a flag in the ground, spending a lot of money to make sure they are competing for titles on a yearly basis in at least one sport that will not get a large piece of the revenue-sharing that is coming on July 1st. 

Guess what? I have no problem with the Red Raiders doing this, and neither should you. Obviously, you can be upset with how they’ve gone about putting a roster together, with what seems like a well-orchestrated tampering effort to make sure they got each player they wanted.

And while that might be the case, let’s make sure to bring that same energy when a player enters the portal with a ‘do not contact’ tag. 

Texas Tech Uses NIL Collective To Put Together ‘Super-Team’ For 2026

But, do you blame head coach Gerry Glasco for using the funds provided by the third-party collective to hopefully win a championship? 

Are you saying the same thing about Ohio State spending over $30 million last season on their quest to win a national championship? Will you go after some of these basketball teams that are spending upwards of $20 million to make a Final Four next season? 

No, because this is what we now expect in college athletics. 

The reason why folks are so up in arms about Texas Tech is that they are spending money on softball. While other programs across the country try to find change under the couches of their athletic facility, the Red Raiders are spending millions, thanks to a number of boosters and the school, deciding softball would be a priority. 

And please, don’t act as if your favorite school is not tampering with players on opposing rosters. If you do believe that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Kentucky that I would love to sell you. 

We are in a new era of college athletics, and schools are making decisions on which sports they will inject with cash so that they can compete yearly for titles. 

Once again, welcome to the new era of collegiate sports. 





Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NIL

Syracuse Basketball may have figured out NIL

Share Tweet Share Share Email It’s no secret that Syracuse Athletics hasn’t run the tightest ship when it comes to NIL. Everything from losing players to broken donor relationships has come raining down on the Orange. But today, maybe, just maybe, Syracuse did something the right way. Tuesday evening, the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team held […]

Published

on


It’s no secret that Syracuse Athletics hasn’t run the tightest ship when it comes to NIL. Everything from losing players to broken donor relationships has come raining down on the Orange. But today, maybe, just maybe, Syracuse did something the right way.

Tuesday evening, the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team held its summer slam event, with a three-point and dunk contest helping showcase new members of the program. The event, run by prominent ‘Cuse booster Vinny Lobdell, sold out 300 tickets, according to syracuse.com.

Fans were able to meet the players, watch the star-studded event (which included former NBA players Spud Webb and Dee Brown as dunk judges), and help raise money for NIL and local charities.

While the Fizz was unfortunately not at the event, social media coverage of the event showed a great atmosphere (and some great dunks).

Is this event going to raise millions of dollars? No. But it is an idea of what NIL can (and maybe should) be at Syracuse. Fans get to interact with players while also supporting the program.

I mean who doesn’t want to see Nate Kingz chucking up threes and William Kyle jamming down dunks in a barnhouse without there being the pressure of an opponent? This writer certainly would love to see it.

It’s all about being creative. Of course there will always be rich alumni who are funneling in lots of moneys to the athletic program and new NIL events keep popping up. But what can move SU’s NIL collectives from good to great is getting more and more fans involved.

Making events like these even less exclusive and more often helps fan get connected with the team, in turn raising more money. And that is only going to help Syracuse retain and gain talent.

But tonight was a great first step. Good job Syracuse.











Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Big 12 football coaches address continued concerns with player payment, third-party NIL deals

Eight Big 12 head coaches during yesterday’s football media days said that the “Wild West” of player payment in college sports “remains wild,” according to Ross Dellenger of YAHOO SPORTS. Some coaches believe that schools are “making big enough contract offers to recruits that they cannot possibly remain under college football’s new compensation cap.” Others […]

Published

on


Eight Big 12 head coaches during yesterday’s football media days said that the “Wild West” of player payment in college sports “remains wild,” according to Ross Dellenger of YAHOO SPORTS. Some coaches believe that schools are “making big enough contract offers to recruits that they cannot possibly remain under college football’s new compensation cap.” Others are “guaranteeing third-party NIL deals as part of the total compensation package to athletes — something against new revenue-share rules.” Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said, “I don’t understand what rules everybody is playing by. The whole point of this was for us all to be playing by the same rules, but we are not.” Sources said that the new entities charged with enforcing these policies, the College Sports Commission and its Deloitte-run NIL clearinghouse, are “bogged down in legalities tethered to the settlement.” Dozens and “potentially hundreds” of submitted third-party NIL deals “remain under review.” Sources said that of the more than 1,200 deals submitted to the clearinghouse, “about one-third have been approved.” About 80 have been denied and “are likely” to be resubmitted, which can happen once. Lawyer Jeffrey Kessler said that “no deals have advanced past the second denial stage and into the appeals phase.” Big 12 coaches said that they are “witnessing schools finding new ways, in the revenue-share era, to circumvent the cap and skirt the rules” (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/8).



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Fanatics announces ‘significant’ NIL deal with BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa

BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA Fanatics and Fanatics collectibles are set to partner with incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa in one of Fanatics “most significant NIL deals ever,” the company announced on Wednesday. The deal is set to be in effect immediately and will follow Dybantsa after his college career is over. It includes […]

Published

on


BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA

Fanatics and Fanatics collectibles are set to partner with incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa in one of Fanatics “most significant NIL deals ever,” the company announced on Wednesday.

The deal is set to be in effect immediately and will follow Dybantsa after his college career is over. It includes autographed trading cards, game-used jerseys, inscriptions and will also see the star freshmen be included in Fanatic marketing campaigns.

Dybantsa, who signed with BYU on an NIL deal worth close to $7 million, will also be featured in upcoming new product lines, including “Bowman U NOW,” which will celebrate special moments in college sports.

Dybantsa is set to be one of the biggest names and brands in all of college basketball next season as he prepares for the 2026 NBA Draft.

He was just named MVP of the U19 FIBA World Cup in Switzerland, where he helped the USA win gold.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram

And Like ZAGS on Facebook

Follow Alejandro Lopez on Twitter





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Top NBA prospect AJ Dybantsa signs exclusive deal with Fanatics, explains BYU choice

Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles announced Wednesday they’ve signed incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa to a multi-year exclusive deal, dubbing the pact one of the company’s “most significant NIL deals ever.”  Dybantsa, 18, is a top candidate to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The partnership starts immediately, according to Fanatics, focusing […]

Published

on


Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles announced Wednesday they’ve signed incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa to a multi-year exclusive deal, dubbing the pact one of the company’s “most significant NIL deals ever.” 

Dybantsa, 18, is a top candidate to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The partnership starts immediately, according to Fanatics, focusing on trading cards and memorabilia and will extend beyond Dybantsa’s collegiate career. 

“Me and my family really just take time with these deals we get,” Dybantsa told The Athletic when asked why he signed with Fanatics. “We don’t just go for any brand. It’s kind of more than just the brand itself. It’s kind of who’s running it, who’s behind it. We’re big family people, so how the brand is like a family connection, and we think we met those standards with Omar (Wilkes, head of athlete partnerships for Fanatics Collectibles) and Michael (Rubin, Fanatics CEO).”

Fanatics signing top NBA draft prospects to exclusive deals is a continuing trend for the company, following agreements with Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg. On the women’s side, Fanatics also signed USC’s JuJu Watkins to an exclusive deal earlier this year. Dybantsa is fresh off an MVP performance in helping Team USA win the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland on Sunday by beating Germany in the finals.

For trading cards, the deal will include autographs, game-used jerseys, inscriptions and being involved in brand marketing campaigns. According to Fanatics Collectibles, Dybantsa will be in a number of upcoming products, among them Bowman U Now and other Bowman offerings.  

Topps, owned by Fanatics, is set to take over the NBA licensing for trading cards in October, taking it away from Panini. This means collectors can acquire NBA autographed cards with team logos and names attached for Flagg and eventually Dybantsa. That wasn’t the case for Wembanyama, whose autographed rookie cards appeared on unlicensed Topps products.

Below is a selection of questions and answers from the 6-foot-9 forward’s interview with The Athletic about collecting, NIL, BYU, and potentially being the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft:

How big are you into card collecting at all? 

I was when I was younger. I used to collect cards, but ever since then I haven’t really haven’t done too much. I liked NBA, NFL, MLB (cards), but I haven’t been doing too much about that. … I probably had a crazy Charizard or something like that. 


Do you see yourself maybe collecting yourself or do you think, nah, maybe not? 

Yeah. I might collect myself.
I can pull for myself. It might be cool. 

Would you go chasing after cards? 
Maybe go try to buy it yourself? 


I don’t know if I’ll buy my own card, but if he was willing to give it to me for free, I’ll take it. 

Who are some of the players that you’ve modeled your game after that you admire and inspire?

My favorite player since growing up has been Kevin Durant. I tried to model my game after various guys, though, like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Tracy McGrady, now Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). Just those types of big wings, big guards. 

In terms of a basketball program and a brand, what drew you to attend BYU? 

With the staff they had, (BYU head coach) Kevin Young has coached my favorite player. He’s also coached Chris Paul, Joel Embiid,
 Devin Booker. Those types of guys. My ultimate goal is to go to the NBA, so why not try to get that knowledge earlier, before I get there and try to be the most prepared for when I get there.

How much have you been in touch with people along the way for guidance? 

When I come across them, you know, I ask questions. Our life, we practice a little bit (for the NBA), but nothing has even come close to even starting there so
I’m just excited to play college basketball. I’m not too worried about the whole process. But I’ve talked to guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Paolo (Banchero). They shared their experiences going through the draft process.

How do you juggle being a player and then having NIL commitments?

It’s good that players can make money off of their brand. They should have (before recently). I know a lot of players wish that they were younger so they can have the opportunity. I think it should have been applied a while ago, but I think it’s a great add on for athletes, not just basketball, generating however much money from fans, from games and ticket sales and everything. They should get a piece, so this is exciting that you can make money off of your name. 

What are some of the things on the court you could work on? What are some of the things that you really feel like suit you for the college game and for the next level? 


I’ve got a lot of stuff to work on. Just improving my shot, making quicker reads. Obviously, these guys are stronger, older and smarter. So just doing everything quicker and more precisely because this is not high school. 
They’re not going to just let me do whatever I want. …

I’m just getting in shape. 
Obviously we’re above sea level by 5,000-plus feet. So it’s getting in shape being able to withstand playing a full 40-minute college game. Getting used to the 3-point line being farther. Doing everything at a faster pace on a college level.

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

(Top photo: Soobum Im/Getty Images)



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

House Rules: What the NCAA Settlement Means for Lacrosse as We Know It

WHAT IT MEANS The House settlement was approved by U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken on June 6, and it brings significant changes to college athletics by addressing three antitrust lawsuits brought against the NCAA. Under House, the NCAA and major conferences will send $2.78 billion in backpay over the next 10 years to former college athletes […]

Published

on


WHAT IT MEANS

The House settlement was approved by U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken on June 6, and it brings significant changes to college athletics by addressing three antitrust lawsuits brought against the NCAA.

Under House, the NCAA and major conferences will send $2.78 billion in backpay over the next 10 years to former college athletes who competed between June 2016 and September 2024, but were denied NIL earnings. Think players like Sam Apuzzo, Matt Rambo, Izzy Scane and Pat Spencer.

Schools now can begin directly compensating their student-athletes through revenue sharing, with that compensation pool capped at around $20.5 million in 2025-2026. The pool is set to increase 4 percent annually for the next 10 years. It’s designed to help schools pay student-athletes for revenue they help generate and dissuade the pay-for-play NIL deals through collectives that had become commonplace since 2021.

NIL deals aren’t going away, but there’s a new process designed to legitimize them. Student-athletes must create an account and report every deal valued at more than $600 to the new online platform, NIL Go, set up by accounting firm Deloitte.

Each deal’s “fair market value” will be vetted and any deal not cleared can be modified or canceled, or a student-athlete can request neutral arbitration. Keeping an uncleared deal could affect eligibility.

A new entity, the College Sports Commission, is charged with monitoring and enforcing compliance in revenue sharing, NIL deals and roster limits.

LIMITED ROSTERS, UNLIMITED SCHOLARSHIPS

Roster limits are a key piece of the settlement. Previously, sports had unlimited rosters but limited scholarships. The settlement sets roster limits for each sport with the ability to offer a scholarship to every student-athlete on a team. Women’s lacrosse will be 38; men’s lacrosse 48.

One of the final provisions that held up the settlement gives schools the ability to retain rostered players or incoming 2025-2026 freshmen that would put them over the roster limit over the next four years. Players who would have been cut under the new roster limits had to be identified “in good faith” as Designated Student-Athletes (DSA) by July 6.

The DSA distinction is a one-time opportunity for each school but remains with student-athletes throughout their career, whether they remain at the school or transfer. Transfer DSAs do not count against their new school’s roster limit.

WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT

Schools must decide annually to opt in or out of the settlement to trigger the options.

“There’s just so much concern financially with making sure that the athletic departments are healthy and can compete,” Northwestern women’s lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said.

Part of the backdrop behind that decision is that all Division I member schools are already losing funds as part of the $2.78 billion backpay to former student-athletes. The NCAA will bear some of the financial burden, but schools will also see a reduction from payouts like March Madness and conference deals.

“As an athletic department, you’ve got your portion of the backpay settlement for 10 years, so you’re losing money that you would normally bring in from the conference,” Saint Joseph’s men’s lacrosse coach Taylor Wray said.

The Ivy League and Patriot League have opted out as conferences. They’ve never had scholarships but do offer generous financial aid packages.

“From an Ivy League standpoint, we feel very comfortable because we haven’t changed and we’ve continued to operate in the same landscape that we always have,” said Dartmouth men’s lacrosse coach Sean Kirwan, adding, “With everything changing, it’s kind of nice to be a group that doesn’t have to change.”

By not opting in, their teams won’t have roster limits and their schools won’t be paying student-athletes. Army and Navy (Patriot League) have always been tuition-free because of their military commitments.

“The Patriot League has had discrepancies. Fully funded, not fully funded and the military academies — we’ve always had that,” Holy Cross women’s lacrosse coach Amanda Belichick said. “That’s one of the things that’s unique about our conference. Maybe what you start to see in other conferences is a little bit more of that.”

We know Clemson is all in. Boston College, Denver, Florida, North Carolina, Penn State and South Florida were schools mentioned by multiple coaches as aggressively increasing their support for women’s lacrosse in the wake of the new rules.

“Carolina is going to be very, very competitive in this new market,” Levy said. “I’m not worried about us, but I worry about the sport. It doesn’t help us if 50 percent of the ACC schools don’t match that commitment.”

“One of the reasons I am at Penn State is that they’re all in and they’re going to fully support the women’s lacrosse program,” said Kayla Treanor, who recently left Syracuse to become the head coach in Happy Valley.

Schools that opt into the settlement can pay their student-athletes out of the $20.5 million pool cap, but they don’t have to. It’s up to them how they share the revenue between their sports.

“It’s great that we can pay the players and that they can make an income on top of their scholarship,” Treanor said. “When NIL first came out for women’s lacrosse, it was really to help them pay for their scholarship because we only had 12. Now that number is increasing for a lot of schools. Now this money can go into the players’ pockets.”



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Sooner News Daily | Wednesday (July 9, 2025) – The Football Brainiacs

College Football Ready to talk ball 🎤 🏈 𝐒𝐄𝐂 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬📅 July 16📍 Atlanta pic.twitter.com/P6Bvrao2YH — Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) July 8, 2025 🏈 I ranked the Top 25 college football rivalry nicknames. History doesn’t matter. Trophies don’t count. Just cool names. Epic eponyms. 17. Red River Shootout12. Egg Bowl4. Holy War Full list: https://t.co/1uE1Af3tIv — […]

Published

on


College Football

College Basketball

OU Sports & News





Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending