College Sports

The Settlement That Will Change College Sports, Explained

Published

1 month ago

June 12, 2025

The Settlement That Will Change College Sports, Explained

The two A’s in NCAA have never stood for amateur (they are for Athletic and Association), but through the first 115 of its 119 years, the collegiate athletic governing body worshipped at the altar of amateurism. Then came the Supreme Court’s 2021 unanimous decision in NCAA v. Alston, in which the court ruled the NCAA’s restrictions on educational benefits violated antitrust laws. That quickly opened the door to the NCAA dropping its long-standing rules against collegiate athletes accepting marketing dollars.

But if one could say the Alston decision partially opened the long-sealed amateur door, a settlement last week of a landmark class-action antitrust suit brought by current and former collegiate athletes blew the blocked entryway to smithereens. If you think college sports have become no more than a crass commercial business, you haven’t seen anything yet. On deck: team payrolls, a Dickensian existential struggle for survival among low-revenue collegiate sports, a new regulatory body, and almost assuredly lawsuits over what constitutes fair marketing compensation.

The settlement in House v. NCAA will allow colleges and universities to directly pay student athletes starting July 1. For the big revenue-generating sports—and these are almost exclusively football and men’s basketball—the teams will all but be professional. Athletes get a paycheck and sign endorsement and licensing deals, no different than the pros.

The settlement, approved by federal Judge Claudia Wilkens, will pay $2.8 billion in damages to former players who were denied the right to market themselves—receiving compensation for what is known in the business as name, image, and likeness (NIL)—since the start year of the class-action period, 2016. Two court decisions laid the groundwork: O’Bannon v. NCAA, in which a federal appeals court found colleges couldn’t use the images of former players without compensation, and Alston. It was only after the Alston decision that the NCAA hastily removed its NIL roadblocks, leaving the collegiate landscape littered with different state and university rules and regulations for NIL.

It’s an overused phrase, but “wild, wild West” came to describe the new marketplace for athletes, allowing them to sign deals both with entities ranging from local restaurants to Gatorade and with independent groups formed by boosters, known as NIL collectives. NIL money is dangled in front of recruits, and sometimes yanked away after they sign. One recruit has sued University of Florida head coach Billy Napier and others, alleging fraud over a $13 million NIL deal the collegiate quarterback says he was promised and never received. A quarterback at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas quit mid-season last year over the alleged failure of coaches to deliver on NIL pledges.

Roughly $4 billion has been paid out to collegiate athletes since Alston, whose four-year anniversary is next week. University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning earns more than $6 million a year, according to On3.com. When star University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders shockingly fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April, the plummet meant his NFL salary will be less than his college-level income, a situation that led to talk he would be better off financially staying in school (he can still earn endorsement money as a pro, of course).

The House settlement aims to regulate NIL by requiring most deals to go through a clearinghouse to ascertain whether the deals are true marketing contracts, or what are still considered illicit pay-for-play payments. The NCAA’s concern is that many NIL deals, either conducted through university-affiliated collectives or directly with athletic boosters’ companies, are not true endorsements but thinly disguised pay-for-play checks.

“Now, up to $20.5 million will be redirected to players in all sports. What does Alabama, with its 21 varsity teams, do?”

Let’s back up. Since Alston, the NCAA has marinated in a bevy of lawsuits and other legal actions that have sought to force the governing body to share revenue with athletes, to allow unionization, and to remove any remaining NIL restrictions, as well as lawsuits over player transfer rights and health and safety. So the NCAA has been busy lobbying Congress, desperately seeking to undo the Alston decision by getting an antitrust exemption and a bar on athletes becoming employees. With a divided Congress on almost every issue, getting an antitrust exemption through even one house is a seemingly impossible task. So the NCAA had little choice but to settle the main antitrust lawsuit.

The House case, named after its lead plaintiff, former Arizona State swimmer Grant House, actually predated Alston. It was filed in 2020 and spearheaded by famed sports labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler. (Kessler, a veteran of labor wars with the NFL and NBA, argued the Alston case at the Supreme Court.) House argued that NCAA rules that prevented athletes from sharing in NCAA revenues violated antitrust law and compensation for athletes who had been denied NIL money.

The settlement allows colleges and universities a $20.5 million annual pool with which to pay players. This is money the educational institution must generate, whether that’s through more commercial revenues, donors, cost-cutting, or even student fees. The pot rises roughly 4 percent annually over the decade-long term of the settlement. Three-quarters of the player pay is directed to football and men’s basketball, with the remainder sprinkled among women’s sports and other sports that bring in little revenue, from tennis to swimming.

The reason for this percent divide is obvious: Football and men’s basketball bring in most of the revenue. But that likely will mean that low-revenue sports will get a pittance of the new payroll pool, and some teams could be eliminated entirely. Because of Title IX, any cuts to a women’s team must also be meted out to a men’s team, whether that’s a budget cut or elimination of a sports program.

This will create some very uncomfortable decisions for athletic departments. Take the University of Alabama, which lost $27.9 million in the 2024 fiscal year on sports despite bringing in $243 million in revenue. The university attributed the loss to one-time coaching and staff costs, but notably, the football program had a $27 million surplus. Schools have long diverted the profits from football and basketball to other sports, none of which make money (not even Iowa women’s basketball when Caitlin Clark was the team’s headliner).

Now, up to $20.5 million will be redirected to players in all sports. What does Alabama, with its 21 varsity teams, do? Unless the money is raised by donors or student fees skyrocket, some of these teams at schools like Alabama will surely get the ax.

That’s why four national collegiate coaching associations—the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)—issued a joint statement following the announcement of the settlement.

“We are concerned that the new financial obligations placed on schools will force administrators to divert attention and resources away from non-football and non-basketball sports—the very programs in which the majority of NCAA student-athletes participate,” the statement said. “This is no hypothetical. Budget cuts and program eliminations have already occurred in anticipation of today’s decision, and more are likely to follow.”

As women’s sports boom, there’s a risk the new structures will nevertheless chip away at women’s teams. Title IX requires colleges and universities to afford women the same opportunity as men, so any excision of a women’s team likely will require an accompanying removal of a men’s team. More revenue is beginning to flow into women’s sports, in particular women’s basketball, in a new ESPN contract. But the money still pales next to what the men bring in. Women’s basketball is set to earn $65 million a year through the NCAA; men’s hoops: $1.1 billion.

The settlement also imposes roster limits, most specifically on football programs at 105 per squad. That may seem like a lot, but top teams typically carry dozens more players, and the reduction likely will end opportunities for walk-ons, athletes who were not recruited but try out for and make the team (think the movie Rudy). The flip side is that scholarship limits are relaxed. Separately from the $20.5 million pool, schools can increase scholarships in sports where the former caps were lower than the new roster limits. Some schools, including Clemson and Texas A&M, intend to fund scholarships for every collegiate athlete.

A key battle zone looming is the NIL clearinghouse that will be launched as a condition of the settlement. Managed by the consulting firm Deloitte and called NIL Go, it must review all third-party NIL agreements worth more than $600. Under the new standards, an endorsement must demonstrate “legitimate commercial intent” and be priced at what the new College Sports Commission, created by the settlement, describes as a “reasonable range of compensation based on multiple factors.” The commission is the entity tasked with policing NIL transactions.

Experts are predicting a continuation of legal mayhem when NIL Go officially launches June 11, because any denial of an NIL deal is sure to be met with furious legal pushback.

“Would rather NIL GO just goes away, but I may need to hire more lawyers … based on the amount of expected challenges that will result from its opaque operation,” tweeted Darren Heitner, a sports attorney who has advised on a host of high-profile NIL deals for collegiate athletes.

Jason Setchen, an athlete lawyer, tweeted, “Just waiting for some pencil pusher accountant working for ‘NIL GO’ to try to invalidate a well negotiated contract where both sides had lawyers and agents that thoroughly negotiated the deal.”

While wheels are spinning fast to implement the settlement changes in advance of this year’s fall sports seasons, one high-profile transformation appears off the table, for now: the unionization of college athletes. In anticipation of changes that would be imposed by the House settlement, the National College Players Association earlier this year withdrew its National Labor Relations Board charge against the NCAA, seeking a declaration that college athletes are employees.

Combined with the Trump administration’s assuredly negative stance toward collegiate sports unionization, this is one radical step on hold for the moment. Given the surreal pace of change in college sports, maybe everyone can agree that’s a good thing.

College Sports

Michigan gymnastics coach Bev Plocki announces retirement

Legendary Michigan gymnastics coach Bev Plocki announced her retirement on Wednesday, July 16. She has been the head of the team since 1990. Over her 36 seasons with the program, Plocki transformed the Wolverines from a team which struggled to put together winning seasons into one of only eight teams to ever win the NCAA […]

Published

17 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Legendary Michigan gymnastics coach Bev Plocki announced her retirement on Wednesday, July 16. She has been the head of the team since 1990.

Over her 36 seasons with the program, Plocki transformed the Wolverines from a team which struggled to put together winning seasons into one of only eight teams to ever win the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship, which they accomplished in 2021.

“”It’s hard to put into words what this moment means to me,” Plocki said in a statement. “At 23 years old, I was just a young woman with a passion for gymnastics and a dream, when three incredible leaders — Bo Schembechler, Jack Weidenbach and Phyllis Ocker — took a chance on me. They believed in me before I had proven anything, and because of their faith, I’ve had the privilege of spending my entire career here at the University of Michigan.”

A native of Butler, Pennsylvania, Plocki began with the Wolverines in 1990, elevated from an assistant job she held at West Virginia to the head coach position with a Big Ten team. The team went 2-19 the year before Plocki was hired. In her first year with the team, they went 7-15 and were a 20-win team by her third year.

In her tenure as the Michigan head coach, Plocki led the Wolverines to 26 Big Ten championships – the most by any coach in any sport in the conference. Seven of them came consecutively between 1999 and 2005. Michigan has also seen eight Big Ten regular-season titles, 26 NCAA championship appearances and 10 NCAA Super Sixes.

Part of Plocki’s work as the Wolverines’ head coach was in recruiting and improving the caliber of gymnast the program attracted. Beth Wymer became the program’s first NCAA All-American in 1992, and the program has since added 52 more. Gymnasts have also received 191 All-Big Ten honors. Plocki has coached 14 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and 13 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Plocki has been recognized for her coaching prowess numerous times over the years. She’s garnered 11 Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, 13 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year awards and is a two-time National Coach of the Year, earned in 1994 and 2021.

Michigan has not announced who will succeed Plocki as head coach.

Contact Matthew Auchincloss at mauchincloss@freepress.com.

Link

College Sports

Wayne State University announces addition of women's varsity soccer team

Story Links Wayne State release Courtesy of Wayne State Athletic Communications DETROIT — Wayne State University announced today that it will add women’s soccer as a varsity sport beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. This is the first varsity sport added by the university in more than a decade. “We’re excited to build on the […]

Published

50 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Wayne State University announces addition of women's varsity soccer team

Courtesy of Wayne State Athletic Communications

DETROIT — Wayne State University announced today that it will add women’s soccer as a varsity sport beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. This is the first varsity sport added by the university in more than a decade.

“We’re excited to build on the enthusiasm and momentum at Wayne State with the addition of a women’s varsity soccer team,” said WSU President Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy. “Athletics plays a key role in enabling college access and success, providing opportunities for students to develop career enhancing skills that fuel our regional workforce, and creating a vibrant campus for our community. We all look forward to cheering the program on to triumphs both in the classroom and on the field.”

The new team will create additional pathways for student-athletes to attend Wayne State, develop marketable skills and represent the Warriors on the field. The team will compete within the NCAA Division II as part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Home matches will be played on the lit turf field adjacent to Tom Adams Field, with improvements planned to enhance the overall training and game-day experience for athletes and fans.

“Wayne State Athletics is proud to introduce women’s varsity soccer — a transformative addition that reflects our deep commitment to opportunity under Title IX and our mission to provide high-level avenues for student-athletes to thrive academically, athletically and personally,” said Erika Wallace, WSU Director of Athletics. “Wayne State Athletics offers the unique academic opportunity to learn, live and compete in Detroit — a city that passionately loves its sports. At a time when many institutions are reevaluating their athletic offerings, we are excited to expand and enhance the student and community experience with a new varsity sport.”

With the addition of women’s soccer, Wayne State will sponsor 11 women’s teams and eight men’s teams, extending the university’s dedication to Title IX and providing opportunities for all student-athletes. The announcement comes as soccer continues to gain popularity among athletes and audiences of all ages and backgrounds, with youth participation including more than 90,000 players ages 4 to 19 in Michigan alone according to the Michigan State Youth Soccer Association. Wayne State University recently announced a unique partnership with Detroit City Football Club (DCFC) and has fielded club soccer teams for 17 years.

‘Student athletes are highly engaged on campus and in the community. Their experiences on the field help them cultivate both academic success and career-ready skills, including leadership, mentorship, persistence, and collaboration,” said Lauie M. Lauzon Clabo, WSU provost and executive president for academic affairs. “As an institution of opportunity, Wayne State is proud to offer new pathways to access higher education that prepare students with these lifelong skills.”

Warrior student-athletes are frequently recognized for academic excellence and nationally ranked for their community service, and benefit from robust student support services and partnerships with leaders in Detroit sports, including The Detroit Pistons, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, DCFC and more. This spring, the university announced a new partnership with Opendorse to provide Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) resources for student-athletes.

The university seeks to hire a head coach by the end of summer, with preparations underway for competition in the fall of 2026. Qualified candidates interested in applying for the position can learn more and apply HERE.

========================================================================

• Of the current 300-plus members of NCAA Division II, including provisional and candidacy schools, 259 offer women’s soccer, including nine of the current GLIAC members (only Lake Superior State will not sponsor women’s soccer once WSU’s program commences).

• The GLIAC has traditionally played a 14-game conference schedule preceded by two weekends of non-league competition.

• Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams advance to the GLIAC tournament which runs Tuesday through Sunday in mid-November.

• The GLIAC has had three different tournament champions in the last four years (Ferris State in 2021, Grand Valley State in 2022, and Northern Michigan in 2023 and 2024).

• The NCAA started sponsoring a women’s soccer championship in 1988 with GVSU having the most national titles (7).

• Twenty-two (22) current Division 2 schools in the Midwest Region have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Currently the top seven squads (three automatic bids and four at-large) advance to the NCAA Tournament each year from the Midwest Region which consists of 35 schools (nine from the GLIAC, 11 from the G-MAC and 15 from the GLVC).

• Women’s soccer is the first sport added by WSU since women’s golf began during the 2014-15 academic year.

College Sports

St. John Fisher Baseball Standout Mario Cubello Named 2024-25 Empire 8 Man of the Year

Baseball | 7/16/2025 9:59:30 AM Story Links Mario Cubello, a four-year member of the St. John. Fisher University baseball team was named the 2024-25 Empire 8 Conference’s Man of the Year. This award honors a senior male student-athlete who has distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics […]

Published

60 minutes ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Baseball | 7/16/2025 9:59:30 AM

Mario Cubello, a four-year member of the St. John. Fisher University baseball team was named the 2024-25 Empire 8 Conference’s Man of the Year. This award honors a senior male student-athlete who has distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Cubello recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.99 as a biology major with a minor in chemistry. He was named St. John Fisher’s 2025 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and won the institution’s prestigious 2024-25 Michael Cerame “Coach C” Excellence in Leadership and Dedication Award. In addition, he won the 2024 Empire 8 Baseball Torchbearer Award for academic excellence.

Cubello, who shuffled primarily between second base and right field in 2025, enjoyed a tremendous senior season, earning All-Empire 8 first team accolades and D3baseball.com All-Region second team accolades. Cubello led the Cardinals in home runs (8), walks (41), slugging percentage (.627), on-base percentage (.566) and stolen bases (22 in 23 attempts) during the 2025 season. He finished second on the team in batting average (.382) and fourth in RBI (30). Overall, Cubello led the Empire 8 in both walks and on-base percentage and was second with a tremendous 1.193 OPS and tied for second in stolen bases.

“I am both humbled and honored to be recognized as the Empire 8 Man of the Year,” said Cubello. “I want to express my great appreciation to the Empire 8 Conference, not only for this incredible honor, but for the exceptional platform they provide all of the student-athletes within the conference to compete. It has been a privilege to compete here and an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.

To St. John Fisher, I am endlessly grateful for the extraordinary student-athlete experience they have provided us. For four years Fisher has provided me everything needed and more to excel both in the classroom and on the field. I am forever proud to wear the Cardinals uniform. I also want to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to Coach Brandon Potter, Dave Roth, and Bobby Papalouizos for their instrumental role in my journey. Their dedication to my growth and development not only as a player, but as a person, has been vital to my success at Fisher and will continue to guide me in my future endeavors.”

Academically, Cubello was an eight-time Empire 8 President’s List selection, eight-time St. John Fisher Dean’s List recipient and earned High Honors accolades. In addition, he was a two-year President of Fisher’s Upsilon Rho Chapter of Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society and was a 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Baseball Team selection.

“Mario’s effort, dedication, determination, and commitment to the classroom and field are always impressive,” said St. John Fisher Head Baseball Coach Brandon Potter. “He’s made a forever impression on teammates, coaches, and the baseball program. As great as Mario is in the classroom and on the diamond, he’s a greater teammate and person.”

Cubello was President of St. John Fisher’s Pre-Health Club, where he organized meet and greets/information sessions with nearby New York and Pennsylvania medical schools. He also was a student health ambassador, devoted to promoting wellness and educating the Fisher campus community on a wide range of health topics. Cubello was also a member of the American Cancer Society on campus, while fundraising and spreading awareness about cancer to the campus community.

He served as an emergency room volunteer at both Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and Albany Memorial Hospital. Cubello was also a Schenectady Ole Timers Baseball Club Skills Camp Volunteer and three-year volunteer at the Albany Dutchmen Youth Baseball Camps.

“Mario leads by example,” said Jen Granger, St. John Fisher University Director of Athletics. “His work ethic, character, teamwork and intelligence are what you hope for in a student athlete as they lead to success on and off the field.”

In four seasons at St. John Fisher, Cubello, a native of Bethlehem, NY, hit .340 with 58 runs scored, nine home runs and 40 RBI. He stole 22 bases and recorded a career 1.071 OPS. St. John Fisher won 120 games in his four seasons, won three Empire 8 Championships, and made three NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Tournament appearances.

“Mario is a tremendous representative of St. John Fisher University and the Empire 8 on and off the field,” said Empire 8 Senior Associate Commissioner Joe Venniro. “Mario showed that not only did his hard work and perseverance throughout four years paid off on the field, while his work in the classroom and leadership roles within the St. John Fisher community were spectacular. He is very deserving winner of the E8’s Man of the Year award.”

Cubello will now be forwarded to the national DIII Commissioner’s Association Senior Male Athlete of the Year award. He led a strong contingent of nine outstanding nominees considered by the Empire 8 Man of the Year Committee. Brian Scoville, Utica University All-American hockey player was the 2024 E8 Man of the Year. Cubello’s former teammate Noah Campanelli, was named the 2023 Empire 8 Man of the Year and DIII Commissioner’s Association Senior Male Athlete of the Year.

2024-25 Empire 8 Man of the Year Finalists

Mario Cubello, Baseball, St. John Fisher University

Luke Insley, Basketball, Nazareth University

Joe Johnson, Lacrosse, Russell Sage College

Sebastian Knowles, Swimming and Diving, Hartwick College

Evan Kurtz, Track and Field, Houghton University

William LaMastus, Swimming and Diving, Alfred University

Anthony Lapine, Baseball, SUNY Brockport

Joe Vogt, Soccer, SUNY Geneseo

Matt Wood, Ice Hockey, Utica University

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE

The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.

EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA

YouTube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Link

College Sports

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: Former Hobart captains sign pro contracts | Sports

Two former captains of Hobart hockey recently signed professional contracts to play in Europe. Defenseman Cooper Swift signed with the Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz in the French Division I Hockey League just days before Artem Buzoverya signed with the Coventry Blaze of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the top hockey league in Great Britain. As captain, […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

As captain, Swift played in 29 games this past season, guiding the Statesmen to a third straight NCAA Division III national championship. An All-NEHC second-team selection, he had 17 points on 17 assists. Swift earned a spot on the NEHC All-Tournament team and played a key role in Hobart’s defense that was first in the nation in scoring defense (1.01) and a penalty killing unit that was eighth in the nation (.871). Swift led the Statesmen with 21 blocked shots. He recorded a season-high three blocked shots in the season opener.

“I can’t say enough about Swifty,” head coach Mark Taylor said. “He’s been a great player for us since his arrival. Just a quality person, awesome teammate and an outstanding leader, evident in being an assistant captain and captain of two championship teams. He’s also a highly decorated and achieved student along with athletic successes that set a great example for others to follow.

“I’m so happy for him with this well-deserved opportunity to continue his athletic career and having personally been to Morzine, in the French Alps region, what a beautiful part of the world to be living in. Good things happen to good people that earn it, and he certainly has.”

In total, Swift played in 102 career games for Hobart, compiling 56 points on four goals and 52 assists. Defensively, he blocked 92 shots. An assistant captain during his junior year, Swift helped lead a Statesmen defense that set the program season mark for GAA (0.93), the second best mark in NCAA Division III. Swift and the Statesmen also broke the NCAA Division III record for penalty-killing percentage (.968), allowing just three goals in 95 shorthanded situations. Swift helped guide Hobart to a 106-11-4 overall record, four NCAA tournament appearances, four NEHC regular season titles and three NEHC Tournament titles.

Swift excelled in the classroom, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in economics. He is a three-time Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators, earning first- team recognition twice. Swift is a three-time AHCA All-American Scholar and a three-time NEHC All-Academic pick. In 2023, he won the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing on championship weekend.

Buzoverya played 90 games for the Statesmen. After missing his first year season, which was canceled due to COVID, he led the Statesmen to a 77-10-3 record, including back-to-back national championships in 2023 and ‘24. Buzoverya compiled 70 points on 20 goals and 50 assists. He made three appearances in the NCAA tournament, winning the national championship as an assistant captain in ‘23 and a captain in ‘24. A center, Buzoverya won 1,009 faceoffs during his career.

Buzoverya saved his best for his senior season, recording a career-high 31 points on eight goals and 23 assists while playing on Hobart’s top line. He was named a second- team All-American and was the runner-up for the Sid Watson Award. He was named the New England Hockey Conference’s Player of the Year and was the Most Valuable Player of the NEHC Tournament. In Hobart’s epic four-overtime game against Curry in the NCAA quarterfinals, he won 40 of his 49 faceoffs.

“I’m not surprised to see Artem sign in the top English league,” Taylor said. “He was having a great year until his injury, and it was obvious the Coventry coach recognized that and didn’t hesitate. Artem has elevated every season wherever he has been, and I really believe he has much more game ahead of him. He was a huge part of our program and our successes in so many ways, it’s nice to see it rewarded but it is also great that this will put him in easier proximity to see his family.”

A native of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Buzoverya excelled in the classroom as well. The 2023-24 Liberty League Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society. He was a four-time AHCA All-American Scholar, a three time NEHC All-Academic team selection and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team twice.

Buzoverya spent the 2024-25 season, his final year of collegiate eligibility, at Bentley. He played in 32 games for the Falcons, recording 15 points on six goals and nine assists. He led Bentley with a 57.4 faceoff winning percentage. The Falcons went 23-15-2, winning the Atlantic Hockey Championship. Bentley competed in the NCAA tournament taking on Boston College in the opening round of the Manchester Regional.

“I couldn’t be happier for Arty to sign a pro contract in England,” Bentley Assistant Coach and former Hobart assistant Tom Fiorentino said. “His determination, work ethic and sportsmanship are truly unmatched. At every step of the way, Arty has been able to elevate his game for the next level and I have no doubt that he’ll do the same in Coventry. I’m really proud of all that he’s had to overcome in hockey and in life and look forward to watching him take this step into professional hockey.”

Fiorentino coached Buzoverya for two seasons at Hobart before moving to Bentley prior to the 2023-24 season. The duo was reunited last season in Waltham, Massachusetts, for the 2024-25 season.

Link

College Sports

Greg Sankey reacts to report of President Donald Trump NIL executive order

Greg Sankey reacted to the latest report surrounding President Donald Trump reportedly set to sign an executive order to establish national standards for NIL in college athletics. The SEC commissioner admitted he didn’t have any additional inside information. What Sankey did offer Wednesday morning is that President Trump’s support is real and congressional activities in […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Greg Sankey reacted to the latest report surrounding President Donald Trump reportedly set to sign an executive order to establish national standards for NIL in college athletics. The SEC commissioner admitted he didn’t have any additional inside information. What Sankey did offer Wednesday morning is that President Trump’s support is real and congressional activities in general are still a priority for college athletics figureheads.

“I don’t think that’s a terribly articulate tweet,” Sankey said on SEC This Morning, referencing the originally tweeted report by CBS News. “The NCAA doesn’t have a name, image, and likeness plan specifically. I mean, in college athletics, we have something, so the attribution is an error. The President clearly has an interest in sports, big picture, has an interest in college sports. has been at our games. The notion of an executive order has been mentioned before. There were some reports of a commission or an executive order back to like, April, I think, is when that started to bubble. So we’ll wait and see.”

Sankey previously played golf with the President to discuss these issues. While it seems like there’s some progress behind the scenes, there’s nothing set in ston.

“It’s not a secret, I had a chance to visit with the President, along with Pete Bevacqua, the athletics director at Notre Dame,” Sankey said. “We met and played golf at Bedminster, and his interest is real. My takeaway, he wants to be supportive of college athletics, make sure that it’s sustainable, the Olympic program and the Olympic development.

Greg Sankey reacts to latest report of President Donald Trump, NIL

“Work that’s done on college campuses was on his mind. The support of women’s athletics was on his mind, but having some kind of real boundaries, and we’ve been in active conversations. And I talked to members of Congress yesterday as they look at a bill in the House of Representatives, went through a subcommittee markup, this is all the gobbledygook. I think those congressional activities are still a real priority for us.”

According to the CBS News report referenced by Sankey, Jennifer Jacobs and Ed O’Keefe reported “(President) Trump is engaging on an issue that has quickly reshaped and, in many ways, roiled college athletics after a House subcommittee on Tuesday advanced a bill along party lines that would establish national standards for sponsorships. The legislation, called the “SCORE Act,” would supersede a patchwork of state laws regulating Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL.”

Sankey made a point that there have been reports before, but nothing seems official to this point. But one thing’s for sure, the President will be, or attempt to be, involved in some sort of fashion.

“There have been reports about a commission, executive order before. You actually have to see if something happens, and then if something happens, what is included,” Sankey said. “I don’t have any inside information about what generated those reports late last evening.”

Link

College Sports

Why Haleigh Bryant joined the LSU gymnastics coaching staff | LSU

About two years ago, LSU gymnastics great Haleigh Bryant told Jay Clark she was interested in coaching. The idea intrigued Clark. The timing just had to be right. Then the stars aligned, giving Bryant an obvious launchpad for the coaching career she’s wanted to pursue ever since she was a college freshman. Ashleigh Gnat, another […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

About two years ago, LSU gymnastics great Haleigh Bryant told Jay Clark she was interested in coaching. The idea intrigued Clark. The timing just had to be right.

Then the stars aligned, giving Bryant an obvious launchpad for the coaching career she’s wanted to pursue ever since she was a college freshman. Ashleigh Gnat, another Tiger great who worked on Clark’s staff for five seasons, decided to step away from her assistant coaching gig near the end of the 2025 season — around the same time Bryant had to start charting the path she’d take after she hit the end of her legendary competitive career.

“This sport has been my whole entire life,” Bryant told The Advocate in a phone interview. “I want to give back.”

Bryant said she wants to run her own program one day. For now though, in her role as LSU’s newest assistant coach, she’ll help fellow assistant Courtney McCool Griffeth instruct the Tigers’ balance-beam and floor-exercise lineups. The Tigers are planning to put her in charge of one rotation — be it beam, floor or even vault, her signature event — once she’s farther along in her coaching career.

“It’s a win-win,” Clark said. “Recruits already respect her tremendously. She’s our Heisman winner, our Jayden Daniels or our Joe Burrow. The kids don’t remember (Gnat) as an athlete. When I tell them Haleigh is going to be their coach, their faces light up. When she walks into a room, she’s the biggest name in collegiate gymnastics with Jordan Bowers and Jordan Chiles. She’s the gold standard.”

It’s fitting that Bryant is taking over for Gnat.

Gnat, Bryant said, was the LSU gymnast who helped show her around campus on the visit she took with the program as an eighth grader. A young Bryant — even then a recruiting priority for longtime coach DD Breaux — committed not long after her first trip to Baton Rouge and stuck to that pledge all the way through high school, setting the stage for her all-time great career.

Bryant, a native of Cornelius, North Carolina, can claim a pair of individual NCAA titles (all-around and vault), five individual Southeastern Conference titles and the highest all-around score in LSU history (39.925). She also posted 18 perfect 10s across her five-year career — more than any other Tiger and all but eight gymnasts who have ever competed at the NCAA level — and completed both the season and career gym slams (at least one perfect 10 in every event).

No LSU gymnast has more career all-around wins (33) than Bryant, and only two have more career event wins (105).

Those accomplishments put her in the company of program greats such as Gnat, who returned to LSU as a coach at the same time Bryant arrived as a freshman. They each then played key roles on the 2024 team that won the Tigers’ first national championship.

“She just fits from a character perspective and a philosophy perspective,” Gnat said. “Being in the gym with her every day, the way she goes about her business, her preparation, I know will carry over to her coaching.”

Bryant says she plans to use her coaching inexperience to her advantage. She can relate to the LSU gymnasts on both a personal and athletic level, she said, because she was “in their shoes” so recently.

Clark and his staff want to bring Bryant along slowly. Because some fortuitous timing allowed her — like she’s executing one of her famous vaults — to springboard down the path she chose in hopes of giving back to the sport that gave her a decorated competitive career.

“I just didn’t think it would happen this soon,” Bryant said.

Link