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North Carolina continues to stay in the recruiting spotlight—and that’s great news for Tar Heel fans.

According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, international prospect Sayon Keita is making a whirlwind tour of six blue blood programs in six days. One of those stops includes Chapel Hill. The 7-foot standout will visit UNC on Aug. 1, his second-to-last stop before wrapping up his tour at UConn on Aug. 2. Keita already visited Kansas and Indiana on July 28–29, with trips to Kentucky on July 30 and Duke on July 31 also on the schedule.

This is on point as there is an influx of international basketball players into U.S. college programs has grown in recent years, fueled in large part by the rise of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities since the NCAA lifted restrictions in 2021.

Historically, many elite international prospects opted to remain in their home countries, where they could earn immediate salaries by turning professional. But the chance to secure NIL deals while playing college basketball in the United States has reshaped that dynamic. For many, it’s no longer just about getting paid — it’s about acclimating to American culture, raising their NBA stock and competing against top-level talent on a prominent stage.

North Carolina recently dipped their fingers in the Europan waters and managed to get Luka Bogavac.

Expect Keita’s name to surface frequently in the coming months. The Mali native may reclassify to the 2026 class, though even if he does, he’s expected to remain the top international prospect.

Keita is an elite defender with a rare combination of size, length and athleticism that allows him to impact both ends of the floor. He’s highly effective in pick-and-roll situations, often finishing plays with alley-oops set up by well-timed screens. His highlight tape features plenty of explosive finishes and rim protection.

He impressed scouts at both the NBPA Top 100 Camp and NBA Academy Games, averaging 13.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and four blocks per game.

Keita made his professional debut in March 2025 while playing for FC Barcelona B, earning his first minutes with the senior team in an ACB League victory over CB Breogán at Palau Blaugrana. Injuries to Barcelona’s first-team roster opened the door for multiple EuroLeague call-ups during the 2024–25 season.

While Keita’s potential is undeniable, his game remains raw. At just 17 years old, he’s still learning how to fully utilize his 7-foot, 215-pound frame. He’s shown flashes of scoring ability with his back to the basket—most notably a developing right hook—and has intriguing upside as a vertical spacer and shot blocker.

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SPORTS COLUMN

Name, image and likeness, or NIL, has taken the college sports world by storm.

Now, nearly every commitment by a high school prospect or transfer portal player is immediately followed by speculation about how much money was offered — or what other schools were willing to pay.

But the problem with NIL has never been the money itself. College athletes deserve to be compensated. The issue lies in the NCAA’s lack of regulation.

Without clear guidelines, standard contracts or uniform expectations — like those in professional leagues — NIL has become a free-for-all. Athletes can renegotiate deals or switch programs every offseason with few restrictions.

This lack of structure has made life far more difficult for college coaches. Each year, they must re-recruit their own roster, decide how to allocate NIL funds and still try to land top high school and transfer portal talent. It’s a juggling act that leaves little room for roster continuity or long-term planning.

Implementing contracts that span a player’s remaining eligibility would help bring stability to the system.

Yes, some argue that student-athletes should have the same freedom to transfer as any other college student — but regular students aren’t being paid to represent a university on the field.

That said, graduate transfers should remain an exception.

If a student-athlete earns their degree, they should be free to transfer without restriction. Graduation reflects a full academic and athletic commitment — and those individuals deserve the freedom to pursue new opportunities, whether athletic, academic or financial.

Set contracts would also lead to more transparency. If NIL deals are formally negotiated and binding, it would protect both schools and athletes.

There have already been multiple cases where players were promised a certain amount of NIL money, only to discover later that the funds never materialized. With enforceable agreements, these situations would be far less common.

Contracts would also help promote team loyalty. As a lifelong LSU fan, I’ve seen the revolving- door effect firsthand. In the NIL era, players come and go at a staggering rate. Growing up, I watched legends like Patrick Peterson, Eric Reid, Leonard Fournette and Derek Stingley Jr. suit up for the Tigers year after year. That kind of continuity helped build deeper fan connections. You knew who the stars were, and you watched them grow over multiple seasons.

That’s no longer the norm. This past offseason alone, LSU brought in 20 players from the transfer portal and lost 26.

Even the top performers are willing to jump ship. Defending national champion Ohio State, for example, added star safety Caleb Downs from Alabama, standout running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss and several others from top programs.

There are still positives in the new system, and that’s worth acknowledging — especially for athletes from smaller schools or under-the-radar programs.

Former Elgin High School standout Braylon Owens, for instance, transferred from Texas State to UT-San Antonio, where he played a pivotal role in the Roadrunners’ upset of Texas in the NCAA regionals.

That performance helped propel him into the 2025 MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Keaton Grady, another former Elgin product, also benefited from the transfer portal. After starting his collegiate career at Incarnate Word, Grady transferred to Dallas Baptist University.

He emerged as a key defensive player and was named to the Baton Rouge All-Regional Team after a stellar performance at second base.

These are great examples of how NIL and the portal can open doors when used for the right reasons. But stories like theirs are becoming exceptions — not the rule. The bigger concern lies with powerhouse programs using unregulated NIL funds to poach athletes from other bigname schools.

Without meaningful regulation, college athletics has become a revolving door. Athletes chase bigger paychecks or better exposure — which is understandable in some cases.

But often, the grass isn’t greener on the other side. If players signed multi-year contracts out of high school, perhaps they’d take more time choosing the right fit rather than chasing the highest bidder, only to transfer again the following year.

NIL isn’t going away — nor should it. But if the NCAA wants to protect the integrity of college sports and ensure a better experience for athletes, coaches and fans, it’s time for structure, regulation and accountability.

Carter Bordwell is the sports editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at carter. bordwell@granitemediapartners. com.

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SPORTS COLUMN

Name, image and likeness, or NIL, has taken the college sports world by storm.

Now, nearly every commitment by a high school prospect or transfer portal player is immediately followed by speculation about how much money was offered — or what other schools were willing to pay.

But the problem with NIL has never been the money itself. College athletes deserve to be compensated. The issue lies in the NCAA’s lack of regulation.

Without clear guidelines, standard contracts or uniform expectations — like those in professional leagues — NIL has become a free-for-all. Athletes can renegotiate deals or switch programs every offseason with few restrictions.

This lack of structure has made life far more difficult for college coaches. Each year, they must re-recruit their own roster, decide how to allocate NIL funds and still try to land top high school and transfer portal talent. It’s a juggling act that leaves little room for roster continuity or long-term planning.

Implementing contracts that span a player’s remaining eligibility would help bring stability to the system.

Yes, some argue that student-athletes should have the same freedom to transfer as any other college student — but regular students aren’t being paid to represent a university on the field.

That said, graduate transfers should remain an exception.

If a student-athlete earns their degree, they should be free to transfer without restriction. Graduation reflects a full academic and athletic commitment — and those individuals deserve the freedom to pursue new opportunities, whether athletic, academic or financial.

Set contracts would also lead to more transparency. If NIL deals are formally negotiated and binding, it would protect both schools and athletes.

There have already been multiple cases where players were promised a certain amount of NIL money, only to discover later that the funds never materialized. With enforceable agreements, these situations would be far less common.

Contracts would also help promote team loyalty. As a lifelong LSU fan, I’ve seen the revolving- door effect firsthand. In the NIL era, players come and go at a staggering rate. Growing up, I watched legends like Patrick Peterson, Eric Reid, Leonard Fournette and Derek Stingley Jr. suit up for the Tigers year after year. That kind of continuity helped build deeper fan connections. You knew who the stars were, and you watched them grow over multiple seasons.

That’s no longer the norm. This past offseason alone, LSU brought in 20 players from the transfer portal and lost 26.

Even the top performers are willing to jump ship. Defending national champion Ohio State, for example, added star safety Caleb Downs from Alabama, standout running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss and several others from top programs.

There are still positives in the new system, and that’s worth acknowledging — especially for athletes from smaller schools or under-the-radar programs.

Former Elgin High School standout Braylon Owens, for instance, transferred from Texas State to UT-San Antonio, where he played a pivotal role in the Roadrunners’ upset of Texas in the NCAA regionals.

That performance helped propel him into the 2025 MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Keaton Grady, another former Elgin product, also benefited from the transfer portal. After starting his collegiate career at Incarnate Word, Grady transferred to Dallas Baptist University.

He emerged as a key defensive player and was named to the Baton Rouge All-Regional Team after a stellar performance at second base.

These are great examples of how NIL and the portal can open doors when used for the right reasons. But stories like theirs are becoming exceptions — not the rule. The bigger concern lies with powerhouse programs using unregulated NIL funds to poach athletes from other bigname schools.

Without meaningful regulation, college athletics has become a revolving door. Athletes chase bigger paychecks or better exposure — which is understandable in some cases.

But often, the grass isn’t greener on the other side. If players signed multi-year contracts out of high school, perhaps they’d take more time choosing the right fit rather than chasing the highest bidder, only to transfer again the following year.

NIL isn’t going away — nor should it. But if the NCAA wants to protect the integrity of college sports and ensure a better experience for athletes, coaches and fans, it’s time for structure, regulation and accountability.

Carter Bordwell is the sports editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at carter. bordwell@granitemediapartners. com.

Following a tumultuous offseason that saw returning starting QB Nico Iamaleava transfer to UCLA after a dispute over NIL compensation, Tennessee has officially moved on at quarterback. That involved adding former Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar — by way of UCLA — out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in what effectively amounted to college football’s first QB trade.

Upon landing in Knoxville back in June, the veteran Aguilar joined a talented albeit wholly inexperienced Volunteers quarterback room that included redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, a third-stringer last season, and four-star true freshman George MacIntyre, both of whom participated in Spring practice.

Given his prior experience at Appalachian State, which included two record-breaking seasons in Boone, N.C., Aguilar is the overwhelming favorite to lead the Volunteers out of the tunnel this upcoming season. But since Wednesday’s start to preseason camp will be his first official practice in Knoxville, Tennessee coaches aren’t yet ready to name a starting quarterback.

Of course, that doesn’t mean third-year Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle doesn’t know what he’s looking for from whomever Tennessee ultimately names QB1 ahead of the Aug. 30 season opener vs. Syracuse at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“First and foremost, you’ve got to play this game in this offense with an aggressive nature. I think a lot of times, the mistake quarterbacks make in a competition is they try not to lose it. They try just not to make a mistake. We want out guy to walk the line between being extremely aggressive but not reckless at all,” Halzle said Tuesday ahead of Tennessee’s first official preseason practice Wednesday. “Reckless is just throwing a ball up for grabs. Aggressive is driving a ball into a tight window. So, we want our guy to be aggressive, we want him to be smart, and we want him to operate this offense.”

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Aguilar is known as an athletic playmaker having rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns the past two seasons at Appalachian State, along with throwing for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns on 60-percent passing with the Mountaineers. Aguilar played his first two collegiate seasons in the junior college ranks at Diablo Valley.

Meanwhile, Merklinger is considered more of a traditional passer after appearing in just two games as a freshman in 2024, completing 6-of-9 passes for 48 yards to go along with seven carries for 22 yards in early-season mop-up duty last season.

“It’s not just about who throws the ball the furthest or the hardest. It’s about who can operate this offense that when we take the field, he gives us a chance to win,” Halzle continued. “Whether that’s them carrying the football, them getting to their check downs and then making big plays down the field. However it presents to that individual’s skill set, it’s them doing that at an extremely high level to where we say that’s the guy that gives us the best chance to be up plus-1 at the end of a ballgame.”

Earlier Tuesday, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel expressed hope one of the three Vols QBs will establish himself as “the guy” in Knoxville early in Fall camp to allow the team an opportunity to develop some consistency ahead of the season-opener. Whether that’s Aguilar or another UT quarterback remains to be seen, but all early indications are it’s the veteran transfer’s job to lose.

“It’s a grind. You meet a lot of new guys and a lot of new coaches with different coaching styles,” Sesar said. “Everybody wants the best for you, but you have to worry about yourself.”

The 6-foot-4 righty is no stranger to that grind. He made an immediate impact at Bucks County Community College, posting a 2.25 ERA over 12 appearances—nine of them starts—and recording an eye-popping 89 strikeouts in just 48 innings. He had momentum, and plenty of it.

But that momentum came to a halt in the spring of 2023, when Sesar began experiencing elbow discomfort.

“I rehabbed that year to get ready to play with the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Draft League. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out; the arm was still bothering me,” Sesar recalled. “I went and got it looked at that summer and ended up needing surgery.”

Fortunately, the procedure—ulnar nerve transposition surgery—came with a relatively short six-month recovery. Once cleared, Sesar got to work. By August of 2023, he committed to Division I Manhattan College. In limited action with the Jaspers, he impressed: seven appearances, 11 innings, and a 1.64 ERA.

Following the season, he entered the portal again—this time landing at Holy Family University in Philadelphia. With the Tigers in 2025, Sesar led the staff with 50 strikeouts over 39.2 innings. He recorded six or more strikeouts in six of his eight starts, including a seven-inning complete game against Chestnut Hill in which he fanned 10.

“Wherever you go now these days it’s competitive,” Sesar said. “Whether it’s D1, D2, or D3, you’re going to have guys that can hit the ball. They are going to put up competitive at-bats. It’s all about you as a competitor. You have to go out there and compete regardless at what level you’re at.”

To become more competitive himself, Sesar added a new pitch to his arsenal. Originally working with a three-pitch mix, he took on the challenge of learning one of the game’s most difficult pitches—the splitter—thanks to Andrew Lihotz, Director of Philly Select Baseball.

“Drew helped me out a lot with the pitch,” Sesar said. “It was rough at first—a lot of throwing it during catch play and sitting with a softball in between my fingers to stretch them out. Just those little things helped out.”

The splitter has since become a key part of his five-pitch mix, which also includes a fastball that touches 95 mph, a changeup, and a curveball. The results have followed—both for Sesar and for Rake, his team in the Philly Select Baseball League.

“He’s been phenomenal. Every time he’s on the mound he gives us a chance to win,” said Rake’s head coach, Stuart Drossner.

Drossner knows what it takes to get noticed. His son Jake was drafted out of Council Rock North by the Cubs in the 23rd round of the 2012 draft, then again in the 10th round by the Brewers after a standout career at Maryland.

“Jorden just needs an opportunity. He has a really good arm. He probably could get back to Division I and be a bullpen arm right now. He’s good,” Drossner said.

Both Sesar and Drossner understand that talent finds a way—whether you’re in national showcases or throwing on local fields in rural counties. For Sesar, the goal is simple: extend the journey just a little longer.

“You’re playing baseball at the end of the day,” Sesar said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re at—you’ll get seen.”