The Big Ten and SEC are still making waves as the House v. NCAA settlement hits more delays. On this episode of Follow The Money, Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, Jon Heidtke and host Andrew Monaco touch on those topics, the impact of NIL in softball and much more.

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It’s been reported that head coach Hubert Davis and the North Carolina basketball program spent a pretty astronomical amount of money to build next season’s roster. But even after all of it, the Tar Heels still don’t have a better roster than Duke.

According to a report from Inside Carolina, the Heels’ NIL payroll for next season is $14 million. Davis had said earlier this year, amidst a season that was not going UNC’s way at all, that changes had to be made to the way the Heels build their roster. He wasn’t shy to spend the big bucks in order to bring in as much talent as he could.

However, despite tens of millions of dollars being invested in the roster, UNC still sits at best as a fringe top-20 team heading into next season, according to most networks.

Davis and Jim Tanner, the newly appointed general manager of UNC basketball, are bringing in the No. 8 overall recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, headlined by five-star big man Caleb Wilson. On top of that, the Heels added some solid veterans through the transfer portal as well.

UNC reeled in the No. 73 transfer class per the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings. Its top commits via the portal include Henri Veesaar from Arizona (No. 25 overall transfer), Kyan Evans from Colorado State (No. 26 point guard in portal), and Jarin Stevenson from Alabama (No. 25 power forward in portal). It’s a solid group of guys that the Heels are bringing in, but it doesn’t look on paper like the team got that much better, especially when considering a $14 million investment.

On top of that, UNC lost seven of its top eight scorers from last season, most notably RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Ian Jackson, and Drake Powell. Even after all the money spent, Duke still seems to be in much better position than Carolina heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

It was reported that Duke would have at least $8 million in NIL to spend this offseason, and Jon Scheyer worked some magic with what he had.

The Blue Devils are bringing in the No. 1 overall recruiting class, headlined by five-star prospects Cameron Boozer, Dame Sarr, and Nik Khamenia. Scheyer was also able to bring back key contributors from last season, such as Isaian Evans, Maliq Brown, and Caleb Foster.

Duke also originally landed a commitment from star transfer shooting guard Cedric Coward, but he ultimately decided to remain in the 2025 NBA Draft and not return to college basketball.

At ESPN’s most recent top 25 rankings heading into next season, Duke is slotted at No. 12. North Carolina sits at No. 25, barely hanging onto a ranking at all.

Scheyer once again worked his recruiting magic this offseason, and as Davis is desperately looking to bring the Heels back to Final Four contention, he spent some serious NIL money in hopes of getting that done. But as it looks now, the Blue Devils still outplayed UNC this offseason.

Texas just passed a bill for NIL for ages 17 and up, but still hasn’t approved high school athletes to profit.

The Lone Star State is one of seven states that still has not approved NIL, but nearly 40 have already passed into law some sort of Name, Image and Likeness guidelines to all high school school athletes to profit.

Here’s where all 50 states (and one district) stand on allowing NIL at the high school level, divided into three categories whether it’s permitted, prohibited or under consideration, according to Eccker Sports’ website for tracking states.

Alaska

Arkansas

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

District of Columbia

Alabama

Hawaii

South Carolina

Texas

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Indiana

Michigan

Montana

Ohio

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Dame Sarr, the No. 17 overall ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class, committed to Duke earlier this year on May 22.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Italy had most recently been playing with FC Barcelona, where he averaged 5.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game this season.

Sarr hopped on “The Brotherhood Podcast” with assistant coach Emanuel Dildy last month and discussed his decision to head to college basketball and play at Duke.

“It was always a dream to play in a school like Duke,” Sarr said. “When I saw the guys from last year that went to the Draft and I saw that there was this chance for me. Talking with coach [John] Scheyer and coach [Emanuel Dildy], I had a very clear picture of what they saw in me and the team. I liked that picture and thought it was great. I was playing for Barcelona in the FIBA cup so I wanted to be in a big college. So I think this is the biggest stage and I want to play with and against the best players and win. I think it was a very easy decision. I’m very happy that I made the decision and that’s what I felt in my heart.”

The Oderzo, Italy native joins the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country. He is surrounded by a talented group, consisting of five-star forward Cameron Boozer, four-star forward Nikolas Khamenia, four-star guard Cayden Boozer and four-star forward Sebastian Wilkins.

“I saw that college basketball is a big opportunity,” Sarr said. “You can play in these big stages and be an important player and improve a lot. For me that was key. And I think that having played overseas and being able to have this experience is also going to help me a lot with college work and professional work. If I combine them it’s going to be great for my career and I’m so excited to start.”

Sarr is just one of a few elite international talents to commit to Duke in recent seasons, joining Khaman Maluach, Tyrese Proctor and RJ Barrett.

“The Brotherhood is a big family,” Sarr continued. “I think everybody wants to succeed in basketball and things other than basketball. I talk to people who have had only good words about this program and I felt really good about it.”

Duke is the No. 3 ranked team in On3’s Way-too-early Top 25 college basketball rankings 7.0.

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head baseball coach Brian O’Connor has added another key piece to his inaugural coaching staff in Starkville, announcing the hiring of longtime Virginia assistant Matt Kirby as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs.
 
Kirby spent the past 14 seasons at Virginia, including 12 years as a volunteer assistant before being promoted to full-time assistant and recruiting coordinator in 2023. Known for his work with position players – particularly catchers and outfielders – Kirby played a key role in developing talent for one of the most consistent programs in college baseball. He also served as the Cavaliers’ first base coach. 
 
“Matt has been a steady and trusted presence throughout my time as a head coach,” O’Connor said. “He’s an elite teacher, recruiter, communicator and innovative thinker who has helped build championship teams. He will pour everything he has into Mississippi State, and I’m glad that he is joining our efforts in Starkville.”
 
In his first season as a full-time assistant, Kirby helped Virginia reach its seventh College World Series appearance since 2009 and guided the Cavaliers through a late-season surge that saw them win 20 of their final 27 games. Over his 14 years in Charlottesville, UVA reached the NCAA Tournament nine times, captured five regional championships, and won the 2015 national title.
 
Virginia was named the program of the decade (2010–19) by D1Baseball.com, with O’Connor earning Coach of the Decade honors. Kirby helped UVA rack up 467 wins during his tenure in Charlottesville, the eighth most of any college baseball program in that span.
 

A former catcher at William & Mary, Kirby has been instrumental in developing some of the top backstops in college baseball. Under his guidance, four catchers earned All-ACC recognition, including first-round MLB Draft picks Matt Thaiss (16th overall, 2016) and Kyle Teel (14th overall, 2023). Overall, UVA produced 30 All-ACC position players and nine All-Americans during his time on staff.
 

Prior to Virginia, Kirby held coaching roles at Georgetown, Villanova, Brown, William & Mary and VMI. He served as a recruiting coordinator at both Georgetown and Villanova, where his 2008 signing class was ranked among the nation’s top 100 by Collegiate Baseball.
 

Kirby is a 2003 graduate of William & Mary, where he was a four-year letterman and two-time team captain. He led the Tribe to a CAA Tournament title in 2001 and was a Second-Team All-CAA selection in 2002 while catching for future major leaguers Chris Ray and Bill Bray.
 
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join Coach O’Connor’s staff at Mississippi State,” Kirby said. “The minute you step onto Dudy Noble Field, you immediately feel the rich tradition and can sense the passion and unrelenting excitement of the fanbase. I’m excited to help build something special in StarkVegas.”
 
Kirby and his wife, Mallory, have one daughter, Renate.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateBB’ on X, Facebook and Instagram.