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The Weekender

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The Weekender

Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.

Connor Stalions Goes On Wild Rant Responding to Sonny Dykes

In the history of great written works lost to time, it seems a tragedy nearly on par with the Library of Alexandria’s burning that the thousand-plus page Connor Stalions manifesto may never see the light of day. However, early in the hours of Saturday morning, the college football world received a glimpse into just how unhinged Stalions can present himself in print.

On the morning prior, acclaimed Amazon shopping cart detective Brett McMurphy posted a story with new quotes from TCU head coach Sonny Dykes regarding his knowledge of Michigan’s sign stealing antics ahead of the 2022 College Football Playoff. The article relays that Dykes’ staff was “inundated with phone calls and texts” regarding the Wolverines’ operation to steal opponent signals. Dykes himself said that, “everybody does it to an extent, but we had some intel that it was kind of next level there.”

Dykes went on to say that because TCU anticipated Michigan would heavily lean on the intel they had for a competitive advantage, the Horned Frogs were able to exploit what “we knew they knew.” He believed the Wolverines ultimately became frustrated enough about the situation in the second half that “they quit worrying about it.”

Just shy of 1 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, with his pride wounded by Dykes, Stalions felt compelled enough to respond directly to the story from his X account despite his acknowledgement of the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into his conduct.

Not merely satisfied with his brief response, Stalions came unglued over the next seven minutes and fired off six paragraphs in which he proceeded to make a series of wild admissions and statements. Those included throwing Michigan players under the bus for their performance against TCU, that he’s never been “fooled” by anyone, and that he knew “almost every signal” against at least seven high profile opponents in games between 2021 and 2022.

Stalions also called it “funny” that anybody would attempt to correlate stealing signs to any wins and losses at Michigan. When asked by an Ohio State fan about committing NCAA violations, getting a game ball if he offered no value and his invasion of the Central Michigan sideline, Stalions claimed he can’t discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

This is the first time Stalions has commented publicly on the sign-stealing scandal since the NCAA’s hearing with Michigan last month in which president Charlie Baker indicated a ruling would release within the next 30 to 90 days afterwards. The behavior from the former Wolverine analyst certainly appears curious given not only Michigan’s attempt at a preemptive punishment for head coach Sherrone Moore, but also his previous efforts to protect the program’s image at all costs. The criticism of player performance in losses particularly seems irregular given how often Stalions has attempted to redirect blame for Michigan’s problems onto himself as opposed to athletes or other staff.

Michigan opens its season on August 30th against New Mexico, while Moore will not miss a game due to suspension before Week 3 so that he may coach against Oklahoma — his alma mater. Given the NCAA hearing took place last month across June 6th and 7th, a punishment could possibly arrive as late as two days prior to the road trip to Norman considering the window established by Baker. Stalions indicated he’s “glad the truth will finally emerge” when the investigation concludes.

Paul Finebaum Guarantees Texas Beats Ohio State in 2025 Opener

As the beginning of the 2025 college football schedule finally draws near, infamous SEC apologist Paul Finebaum has already achieved midseason form with respect to drawing the ire of Buckeye fans.

Friday morning, Finebaum outright stated that he “not probably — definitely” believes Texas will beat Ohio State in the season opener for both schools while declaring his love for Longhorns quarterback Archie Manning. His profession included the statement that, “I am as married to Arch Manning as an old geezer like me can be.”

Finebaum previously picked Ohio State to beat Texas in last season’s CFP semifinal round due to a belief that the Buckeyes did not, “have to play that well, they just have to play consistently.” However, this time around he believes that Manning having, “experience of being an understudy to [Quinn] Ewers and understanding [Steve Sarkinian]’s system is what’s going to get them over the top.”

Manning threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in three starts for the Longhorns last season, but also only faced one Power Five opponent in the form of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs finished 2024 with a 2-10 record and lost all eight of their SEC games. The opener in Columbus will also serve as Manning’s first start on the road in his college career.

SCORE Act Could Reshape NIL in College Sports

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the “Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Edorsements (SCORE) Act” that could significantly alter the chaotic name, image and likeness landscape for college athletes and programs.

Several components of the bill would place parameters around how universities manage both the structure and financial support of their athletic departments. One mandate would require schools to maintain at least 16 varsity sports teams for what many speculate serves as a protection on behalf of Olympic programs. Another provision that would primarily impact Big Ten and SEC institutions appears to be that schools making at least $50 million in media rights revenue will not be able to allocate student fees towards supporting athletic endeavors.

As for new legislative measures impacting athletes themselves, players will not have permission to sign deals that would conflict with university codes of conduct or existing agreements between schools and other companies. This would effectively nullify the deal Jeremiah Smith signed with Adidas earlier this month given Ohio State’s preexisting relationship with Nike.

The SCORE Act would also require one of the collegiate associations with oversight to publicly disclose previously anonymous details of these deals — such as finite figure amounts — and would also create a one-time transfer rule.

Although a vote on the bill has yet to receive an announcement, Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger relayed at its introduction that the SCORE Act, “is on track to progress further than any all-encompassing athlete compensation legislation.” Pete Nankos of On3 said last Wednesday that the first subcommittee markup for the bill could happen as early as July 15th, with a subsequent committee markup by the end of the month.

ICYMI

Brice Sensabaugh Sets New Summer League Scoring Record

Tuesday night, former Ohio State basketball player Brice Sensabaugh scored 37 points in a 112-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to set a new scoring record in the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League. Sensabaugh will look to carry that momentum into his third season with the Jazz after averaging just shy of 11 points per game across 71 appearances last regular season.

EA Sports CFB 26 Releases, Overall Ratings for Buckeyes Now Known

The second installment in the return of college football video games released this past week, as the standard edition of EA Sports College Football 26 became available to the public on Thursday. While Jeremiah Smith did not end up receiving his rumored 99 overall to start the game, he and Caleb Downs still find themselves as the two highest-rated players to begin the season and OSU boasts six total players with ratings in the 90s.

Reflecting on Illibuck Over a Century Later

When Ohio State travels to Memorial Stadium in October to play Illinois, it will mark a 100-year celebration of sorts for the second-oldest rivalry trophy in the Big Ten: Illibuck. Many already know that the tradition began with a live turtle, but few were aware of the facts around his demise in the care of the Fighting Illini or how the Buckeyes avenged his legacy in 1926 — until now.

What’s Next

  • 48 Days: Buckeye football season opener vs. Texas
  • 111 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
  • 139 Days: The Game
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Oregon State’s NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports is officially dead

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Oregon State athletics’ NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports has been terminated, the university confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday.

The controversial deal — the terms of which faced scrutiny from media and fans amid the resignation of Brent Blaylock, the former OSU deputy athletic director who negotiated it — was mutually agreed to be terminated effective Dec. 8.

“Blueprint will retain the $280,000 management fee that OSU paid for the 2025-2026 contract year, but OSU will not make any additional payments to the company,” a university spokesperson said in a written statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Within 30 days of termination, Blueprint will transfer to OSU all net proceeds stemming from NIL activity under the contract, including 100% of net revenues from memberships and/or subscriptions. Those proceeds will be placed in OSU Athletics’ revenue sharing account to benefit Beaver student-athletes.”

Effective with the termination, Dam Nation — acquired by Blueprint as part of the deal — will no longer serve as OSU’s NIL collective and won’t have any official affiliation with the school, OSU said. But all donations made to Dam Nation under Blueprint’s control are required to be surrendered back to OSU by Blueprint under the terms of the contract.

After news of the Blueprint deal being wound down, Dam Nation co-founder and former Oregon State athletics general manager Kyle Bjornstad re-filed the LLC’s annual report on Nov. 5 in order to prevent its administrative dissolution, he said. His plans going forward with the name are as of yet unclear.

“The LLC’s annual report, which all Oregon LLCs must file, was due in September,” Bjornstad told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Because the transfer of the ‘Dam Nation Collective’ name was not — and has not been — completed, I filed the annual report to prevent administrative dissolution of the LLC. While my LLC still has the ‘Dam Nation Collective’ name, it is not involved in providing NIL opportunities to Oregon State student-athletes.”

OSU athletics said fans can continue to support individual OSU athletes through the Woodshop Exchange, and Oregon State Athletics through gifts to Our Beaver Nation.

“Moving forward, we will continue to pursue revenue sharing and NIL efforts within the department and through the OSU Foundation and Beaver Sports Properties,” OSU’s statement reads. “More details – including a possible new option for fans interested in membership subscriptions – will be forthcoming in the next few months.”

Whatever OSU ends up deciding in terms of NIL-related memberships for everyday fans, NIL will make up a smaller piece of the pie when it comes to compensating student-athletes. OSU athletic director Scott Barnes said in an October Q&A with The Oregonian/OregonLive that revenue sharing — for which OSU can raise up to a $20.5 million cap as determined by the House settlement — is the far bigger pot to draw from.

The Beavers are unlikely to come close to the cap, however. Their revenue sharing budget is not publicly known. This is not unique to OSU, as most schools including the biggest spenders like Oregon do not disclose their revenue share and NIL budgets.

OSU is set to bring in former Alabama assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges to manage NIL deals and recruiting specifically for football. His exact title and responsibilities have not been made public, nor have OSU’s specific plans for allocating athlete payments toward other sports.



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Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss on waiver, transfer portal, NFL draft

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Dec. 15, 2025, 3:17 p.m. CT



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DJ Lagway Transfer Sparks Wild College Football Portal Season With NIL Market

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DJ Lagway’s bails on Florida looking for greener pastures in the transfer portal.

Here we go, the college football transfer portal is three weeks away from opening, and we already have one significant name deciding it’s time to move on, with Florida quarterback DJ Lagway announcing his intentions on Monday. 

The Gators prized recruit in Billy Napier’s first year is moving on, and I hope college football fans are ready for what is set to be a wild month of movement. Unfortunately for Florida and Lagway, it seemed as though both needed a fresh start. 

Florida’s New Coach Has A Chance To Turn DJ Lagway Into A Monster, Or Another Lesson On NIL Risks

While fans of the program were ecstatic when the 5-star committed to Florida, the expectations exceeded reality. Even though Lagway ended the 2024 season with a bang, the offseason shoulder surgery felt like a catalyst for things to come. Not once during the 2025 season did he look comfortable in the pocket, and neither did his throwing motion. 

But, the bigger question is what will happen over the next four weeks in terms of others deciding to look for a better opportunity? 

After Sherrone Moore Scandal, Michigan Board Orders Investigation Into Athletic Department

Payments Are Being Completed, New Destinations Await

One of the most interesting parts of this past summer came when schools were racing to the finish line before the House Settlement was complete. 

Needing to beat the ruling, programs were financially taking care of contracts with front-loaded deals that saw athletes cashing lump-sum checks to help offset the $20.3 million roster caps that schools were forced to stay under. 

Don’t forget that a lot of players are receiving final payments over the next few weeks from pervious contracts, though some even signed long-term deals that could have them owing the former school money. 

NIL Collectives Are Back In The Game Like They Never Left, As House Settlement Lawyers Reach Agreement

This meant the majority of payments to athletes were taken care of from the start. But, this also led to players potentially having to pay back some of that money if they were intending to leave. It could be anywhere between $30,000 to the high six-figures, but players are going to take what they eventually earn at their next school, and pay back their previous team. 

I don’t know if you’d want to call it a ‘buyout’, but more of a repayment plan. And, while some might think the market will settle down, the College Sports Commission not having enforcement in place right now could complicate matters. 

But, are boosters getting tired of spending money on lackluster results?

Return On Investment Fatigue Is Real For Boosters

Whether a school wants to admit it or not, there are plenty of high-dollar donors across the country that have grown tired of the lack of ROI. 

Let’s be clear, these boosters are not going to be happy if the school they donate to is not holding up a trophy at the end of each season. That’s a given. But, even while some colleges continue to say they are in great shape when it comes to roster retention and receiving that extra $10-15 million from outside sources. 

Heck, Monday morning, current Tulane, and Florida, coach Jon Summrall announced he was donating $100,000 to the Green Wave for its ‘Talent Fund’. Yes, that’s what some are calling this period of buying players. 

What Happens When College Athletes Don’t Disclose NIL Deals In House Settlement Era? Backdoor Deals Return

The reason why LSU was so hellbent on making it known that they would be providing Lane Kiffin with at least an extra $10-15 million in NIL money centers around the shiny new toy they hired to become the head coach. 

Being able to actually spend that type of money will rely on schools making sure they can make this all look legitimate. This is the part that is intriguing. How do you funnel the money? 

You can expect some pretty big names to test the waters that are also known as the ‘transfer portal’. Will every player that makes an announcement end up leaving for a different school? No, it’s also a bargaining tool, just like coaches using other openings to garner a new contract at their current school. 

But, this will certainly turn into a pretty wild month for programs across the sport of college football. And, DJ Lagway was the first big name to kick things off. 





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Florida coach Jon Sumrall donates $100,000 to Tulane’s NIL fund

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Florida’s newly hired head coach, Jon Sumrall, has made it clear he intends to leave the Tulane program in a better place than he found it. 

After two seasons with the Green Wave, Sumrall is headed to Gainesville, though not before helping lead the program through the remainder of the 2025 season, with Tulane set to take on No. 6-seeded Ole Miss Saturday in Oxford in the College Football Playoff’s first round. 

Along with continuing to coach his team, unlike former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, who’s now in Baton Rouge at LSU, Sumrall chose not to poach commits from Tulane ahead of Early Signing Day. 

“I Zoomed with my signees or my commits at Tulane, and I told them to sign at Tulane because I’m not trying to poach their class,” Sumrall said at his introductory press conference in Gainesville. “I want those guys to go play there.”

Now, Sumrall has taken another step in ensuring the Green Wave remain competitive after he’s no longer in New Orleans. 

Sumrall has donated $100,000 to the Green Wave Talent Fund in support of newly promoted head coach Will Hall. 

The six-figure gift to the Green Wave Talent Fund, Tulane’s associated NIL collective, will aid Tulane’s ability to recruit, retain, and develop collegiate athletes. 

“Tulane University and New Orleans are special to me and my family. Ginny and I are honored to support the Green Wave Talent Fund because we believe in the vision of Tulane Athletics and want to contribute to the continued success of its student-athletes. The future is incredibly bright, and we are excited for Will Hall and his family to be part of it,” Sumrall said. “Coach Hall possesses a keen understanding of Tulane University and its football program, along with a passion that greatly benefits the Green Wave. As a leader, he cares deeply about helping others reach their full potential and is dedicated to equipping them to achieve that goal in every way possible. He has our family’s full support, and we wish him nothing but success as he leads Tulane Football!”

It’s not the first time the Sumrall family has looked to invest in Tulane’s continued success; In 2024, they joined the Olive & Blue Society through a recurring philanthropic commitment to Tulane Athletics.

Sumrall’s high regard for the program is clear, and he’s taken another step to ensure the program won’t experience a significant decline now that he’s no longer leading the program. 

“We are grateful to Jon and Ginny for this incredible gift,” David Harris, the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair, said in a statement. “Their leadership and generosity will have a direct and lasting impact on our student-athletes as we continue to grow and elevate Tulane Athletics.”



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Brendan Sorsby, DJ Lagway could be Tennessee football quarterback picks

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Updated Dec. 15, 2025, 12:57 p.m. CT





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Jon Sumrall donating $100,000 to Tulane’s NIL fund

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Dec. 15, 2025, 12:33 p.m. ET



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