NIL

Top 10 college basketball team winners after 2025 transfer portal deadline

The clock struck midnight on April 22, meaning the transfer portal window is all but officially closed. While commitments are far from over and many rosters across NCAA basketball are still plucking away to fill their holes and needs, it’s not a matter of if or when a player enters the portal, it’s simply a matter of where they will land. A deep breath from […]

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2 weeks ago

April 25, 2025

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The clock struck midnight on April 22, meaning the transfer portal window is all but officially closed. While commitments are far from over and many rosters across NCAA basketball are still plucking away to fill their holes and needs, it’s not a matter of if or when a player enters the portal, it’s simply a matter of where they will land. A deep breath from head coaches from all over the country, right?

With the transfer portal deadline closed, let’s take a look at 10 schools that won the 30-day portal sprint.

HM: Creighton BlueJays

The Iowa factory — Owen Freeman and Josh Dix — will keep the Blue Jays competitive in 2025-26. Point guard Nik Graves (17.3 PPG at Charlotte) will assume lead guard duties. Add in former four-star SG Austin Swartz (Miami) rounds out a quality transfer portal class for Greg McDermott & Co.

HM: Oklahoma Sooners

While losing Duke Miles to inter-conference rival Texas A&M certainly hurt, Porter Moser has quietly assembled a quality transfer portal trio with Xzayvier Brown (St. Joe’s), Nijel Pack (Miami), and Tae Davis (Notre Dame) en route to Norman. There’s some serious scoring pop here to build off last year’s NCAA Tournament apperance.

HM: UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

Josh Pastner is back in college basketball as is making an immediate impact in Las Vegas. The upside for the 2025-26 Runnin’ Rebels is evident: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (Illinois), Emmanuel Stephen (Arizona), Naas Cunningham (Alabama), Al Green (Louisiana Tech) and Ladji Dembele (Iowa) enter the fold.

10. LSU Tigers

After a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, Matt McMahon and the LSU Tigers are quietly among the biggest winners in the 2025 transfer portal. Last season, LSU was among the lowest NIL spenders in the SEC. A report in February indicated that will no longer be the case — and this year’s transfer portal class proves that.

Bottom line: this group is a whole lot of stat-stuffers. Dedan Thomas (UNLV) averaged 15.6 PPG and nearly five APG last season. Northeastern’s Rashad King averaged 18.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.3 APG. Omaha’s Marquel Sutton — the 2024-25 Summit League POY — averaged 18.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG on a team that won 22 games and went to the NCAA Tournament. And that’s not all: Max Mackinnon shot 41% from three at Portland Michael Nwoko (Mississippi State) brings a big body to the floor after starting in 32 of 34 games for the Bulldogs last season.

Don’t expect another 3-15 finish in the SEC this season for the LSU Tigers.

9. Texas Tech Red Raiders

While Texas Tech’s transfer portal class at the deadline may not scream top-10-worthy, retaining one of the best players in the country, JT Toppin, warrants inclusion on this list.

Toppin, the double-double machine, was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He decided to forgo the Draft entirely, signing a $4 million NIL deal to return to the Red Raiders. Retaining an All-American means one thing for Grant McCasland: That’s one less hole that needed to be filled this offseason.

But the Red Raiders weren’t so quiet in the transfer portal, either. LeJuan Watts (Washington State), ultra-efficient three-point shooter Tyeree Bryan (Santa Clara) and UNC Greensboro’s Donovan Atwell headline this year’s transfer portal class heading to Lubbock, helping raise Texas Tech’s ceiling to a consensus way-too-early preseason top-five team in the country.

8. Auburn Tigers

While Auburn will unquestionably boast a new look next season coming off the heels of their second-ever Final Four appearance, there’s plenty to like with this year’s transfer portal class, making the Tigers among the biggest winners after the transfer portal deadline.

Bruce Pearl will welcome Kevin Overton (7.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG at Texas Tech), ultra-physical KeShawn Murphy (11.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG at Mississippi State), high-flying scorer Keyshawn Hall (18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG at UCF) and NCAA Division II star Elyjah Freeman (Lincoln Memorial), who averaged 18.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 2.3 APG. According to Auburn athletics, Freeman shot 45.6% from three and 58.7% from the field, ranking 25th nationally.

While losing the infectious energy piece Chad Baker-Mazara takes a hit on the Tigers’ overall rank, pairing these transfer portal additions alongside the electrifying Tahaad Pettiford immediately injects Auburn into a sure-fire preseason top 25team next season.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes

I went in-depth with Iowa’s transfer portal class last week, detailing every single newcomer as well as touching on Ben McCollum’s unique ball-screen, pick-and-roll heavy offense (Hint: that offense should bode well with this year’s transfer portal class.) You can view the full article here.

It’s a complete overhaul in Iowa City, literally and stylistically. But the Hawkeyes have put together a strong transfer portal class at the deadline, bringing over three-point sharpshooter Brendan Hausen (Kansas State), the highly-coveted Alvaro Folgueiras (Robert Morris) and mid-major sensation Bennett Stirtz (Drake), alongside a plethora of other Drake players.

While Iowa (basically) lost its entire team from last year, it’s not like many of the transfer portal additions have not played together before, which is crucial in year one from Ben McCollum. Fun fact: McCollum has been a head coach for 16 years. He has yet to lose 100 games. The Hawkeyes are not only big-time winners in the transfer portal but also in the coaching carousel, too.

6. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are quietly among the biggest winners after the transfer portal deadline.

As Trilly Donovan infamously quotes: sometimes the best gets are the ones you already got. That’s been the case for first-year HC Sean Miller, who retained Chendall Weaver, Tramon Mark, Nic Codie and Jordan Pope off of last year’sLonghorn squad — all of whom will be instrumental in Sean Miller’s year one transition in Austin.

While the returnees speak for themselves, Sean Miller has put together a high-quality transfer portal class. Lassina Traore looks to get healthy after averaging a double-double at Long Beach State in 2023-24. Seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis averaged 10.2 PPG and 5.4 RPG as a freshman at Florida Atlantic last season (The next Vlad Goldin?!). Cam Heide (Purdue) joins the mix in Austin. Dailyn Swain took a impressive sophomore-year jump at Xavier last season. Adding another sophomore-year breakout player Simeon Wilcher (St. John’s) is just the icing on the cake.

5. Kentucky Wildcats

Armed with among the highest NIL budgets in NCAA Basketball, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats wasted zero time to put together an immensely talented transfer portal class.

Last year, Kentucky’s defense wasn’t its calling card. While it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t cream-of-the-crop, either (mainly due to injuries throughout the season). The Wildcats revamped their frontcourt with defensive versatility, adding Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama) and Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State). While it’s unknown (yet) if Quaintance will be available by November after suffering an ACL injury, the defensive upside is evident — and is precisely what Kentucky needs in year two of the Mark Pope era.

In addition, the Wildcats added Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), pick-and-roll and ball-screen finesser Jaland Lowe (Pitt) and Kam Williams (Tulane) to the roster, making Kentucky’s perimeter among the more polarizing units in NCAA basketball next season.

4. Indiana Hoosiers:

The Indiana Hoosiers are winners after the transfer portal deadline not because of losing the entirety of its roster, but howtheir transfer portal pieces fit positionally.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better portal class that simply “fits” positionally via @IndianaMBB.

– Conwerway: lead PG
– Wilkerson: sharpshooter SG.
– Miles: adds length, rebounding prowess at SG/SF.
– DeVries: lengthy range
– Bailey: Efficient, rim-running stretch big.

— Cole Amundson (@playformarch) April 18, 2025

First-year HC Darian DeVries has been nothing short of active in the transfer portal, landing a plethora of highly-coveted, high-scoring pieces. Lamar Wilkerson was a 20 PPG player at Sam Houston. Reed Bailey was among the top players in the A10 last season, averaging 18.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 3.8 APG at Davidson last year. Do-it-all guard Tayton Conerway was a defensive menace, averaging nearly three steals per game last season in addition to 14.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 4.8 APG.

And this isn’t even including Tucker DeVries, who showed can be a superb scorer at the high-major level in just eight games last season at West Virginia before an injury in addition to lengthy guard Jasai Miles, who averaged 15.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG last season at North Florida. Rounding out the transfer portal class is Jason Drake (Drexel) as well as facilitating first guard Conor Enright (DePaul).

3. Louisville Cardinals

Pat Kelsey went to work early in the transfer portal cycle, landing a trio of pieces that will make an immediate impact at Louisville next season, making the Cardinals among the biggest winners after the transfer portal deadline.

Entering the fold is Xavier’s Ryan Conwell, who averaged 16.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.5 APG last season. Adrian Wooley,as just a freshman last season, put up staggering numbers at Kennesaw State: 18.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 APG. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 42% from three. Add in three-point sharpshooter Isaac McKneely (Virginia), who also shot 42% from three and suddenly, the Cardinals are looking like a preseason top-five team in the country with the return of J’Vonne Hadley and the addition of five-star PG Mikel Brown Jr.

2. Michigan Wolverines

Dusty May must have a knack for assembling terrorizing frontcourts because that’s exactly what will transpire next season in Ann Arbor.

After losing its frontcourt duo Danny Wolf (NBA Draft) and Vlad Goldin off a team that won a Big Ten Tournament Championship and reached the Sweet 16 last season, Dusty May wasted no time in assembling its next frontcourt duo.

The Wolverines will welcome 7-foot-3 big Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson (Illinois) Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) — among the top players from the transfer portal — to round out its frontcourt. Recently, Jeff Goodman reported that Lendeborg is leaning toward staying in the draft. It’s unknown whether he will dot the blue, yellow and white just yet.

Even without Lendeborg, the Wolverines’ frontcourt remains just as polarizing. As just a freshman last year, Morez Johnson showed his physicality around the rim, positioning him for a monster sophomore year jump. Aday Mara, marred by inconsistent playing time, showed flashes of brilliance at UCLA, including a 22-point outing over Wisconsin in January.

The Wolverines will also welcome Elliot Cadeau in the backcourt, who averaged 9.4 PPG and 6.2 APG for North Carolina last season. If Cadeau can hone in on his consistency from behind the arc and Lendeborg opts to forgo the NBA Draft, perhaps the Wolverines should be even higher on this list (which is No. 1, of course). But time will tell.

1. St. John’s Red Storm

The St. John’s Red Storm crown the top spot as the biggest transfer portal winners after the deadline, welcoming in the top-ranked transfer portal class in the country according to 24/7 Sports. Incoming to Queens include Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati), Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Oziyah Seller (Stanford), Joson Sanon (Arizona State) and Bryce Hopkins (Providence).

With Zuby Ejiofor anchored in the frontcourt, there are many ways for Pitino to put the pieces of the transfer portal puzzle together. Former five-star recruit Dillon Mitchell is among the more athletic, fluid forwards/bigs in college basketball. IanJackson showed at times he can light up the scoreboard. Will he move over to PG? He likely will. Oziyah Sellers is a true combo guard after taking a big-time junior-year jump at Stanford. Joson Sanon is a name to watch in the 2026 NBA Draft. Bryce Hopkins, despite being riddled with injuries at Providence, looks to get healthy and be a veteran leader on the team. He averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 3.0 APG in just three games last season.

Losing RJ Luis, Vincent Iwuchukwu and Simeon Wilcher understandably put a dent into St. John’s dazzling offseason but the pieces Rick Pitino has assembled is too hard to ignore. The Red Storm are the biggest winner in the transfer portal so far and look the part to be a preseason top-five team in the country next season.

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Deion Sanders has words for players abusing NIL system

Deion Sanders is concerned about the future of college football. The present state seems like the Wild West with the market growing rapidly. It’s not only college players cashing in on name, image and likeness, the elite high school talents are finding ways to rack up deals. Sanders was a guest speaker for an event […]

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13 minutes ago

May 11, 2025

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Sanders was a guest speaker for an event in Las Vegas and talked about why he rushed to sign his extension with Colorado. He also dropped a comment about NIL and how the players are treating the system.

“I tried to hurry up and sign the deal,” Sanders said via Well Off Media. “First off, I wanted to get my coaches straight and NIL stuff straight because that stuff is crazy right now. Now it’s pay-per-view with these kids. Because I didn’t want it to affect my other kids. You know, like those pros thinking I want their jobs and would treat my kids unfairly. So I didn’t want that to happen. That’s kind of why I signed expeditiously.”

This isn’t the first time Sanders has commented about how NIL has gotten out of hand. In an interview with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell, He voiced support for a college football salary cap which mirrors the NFL’s structure.

“There should be some kind of cap. Our game should emulate the NFL game in every aspect,” Sanders said. “Rules. Regulations. Whatever the NFL rules, the college rules should be the same. There should be a cap, and every team gets this, and you should be able to spend that.”

For Sanders, it’s a fight about five years old in this NIL era. While players scrap for millions, there is a pay-for-play system with very little regulations in place.

Related: NBA Legend had words for Shedeur Sanders after first workout

“The competitive advantage is the school that has hundreds of millions of dollars, and not us,” Sanders told Bell. “You look at who’s always in the playoffs, you can look at their budget and look at this budget. That’s the advantage—not who has the autonomy to do a spring game.”

Related: Dan Lanning sends blunt message to Oregon recruits regarding NIL

Beginning in a few months, schools will be allowed to share up to $20.5 million each year with their athletes directly. This isn’t a 100% cap for players, given the fact they could go out and get NIL deals on the open market. However, there will be more oversight from the school who can reject deals viewed as predatory. Nothing like how the NFL is set up with player endorsements.

Related: Jaguars announce Travis Hunter news during minicamp

A different game begs for different rules of engagement. For now, there will be a need for regulations.

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College Football Coaches Challenge Leverage of Players in Spring Transfer Portal

While it’s become the norm for star college football players to seek higher NIL paydays in the transfer portal, most of that movement is expected to come in the December window. This offseason, however, the chaos of the spring portal window exposed some cracks in the sport as name, image, and likeness continue to dominate […]

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30 minutes ago

May 11, 2025

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While it’s become the norm for star college football players to seek higher NIL paydays in the transfer portal, most of that movement is expected to come in the December window.

This offseason, however, the chaos of the spring portal window exposed some cracks in the sport as name, image, and likeness continue to dominate the scene.

The defining storyline came from the Tennessee Volunteers when former quarterback Nico Iamaleava sought a pay raise on his $2.4 million NIL deal. During the negotiations, the team eventually dismissed Iamaleava, who then joined the UCLA Bruins.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel found his potential next starter in transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, but he missed a critical portion of the offseason in spring practice, one that was designed around a quarterback no longer on the roster.

Pete Nakos with On3Sports (subscription required) spoke with a Power Four GM who believes none of the drama that resulted in divorce with Iamaleava would’ve transpired if not for the spring portal window — one that lasts a mere 10 days.

“Never happens,” the general manager said. “It absolutely never happens if the spring portal doesn’t exist. It never happens. Nico doesn’t even have the leverage to make it happen.”

It wasn’t just the Iamaleava situation in a vacuum, though Heupel was championed by many for not conceding to the NIL demands. It set off a ripple effect where multiple ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten quarterbacks re-entered negotiations to secure higher paydays at their schools.

The threat of departure in April can be catastrophic for teams looking to the College Football Playoff, and the continued uncertainty is something many are seeking to eliminate from the sport.

It’s unclear how coaches plan to seek that path forward; much, if not all, of the attention of universities is centered around the House settlement and impending revenue-sharing for players. None of those discussions or the settlement language contains anything on the transfer portal.

Some coaches believe that six weeks is ultimately not enough time for players to decide they fit or don’t fit somewhere, and those who decide to move aren’t committed to the program at all. Wouldn’t they prefer to cut those losses rather than keep around guys who don’t fit their culture?

There’s no perfect solution to what stands at present, and those in favor may appreciate an additional offseason to evaluate the pieces that came in the December window as well as their returners, with the opportunity to address those holes in spring.

That’s easier said than done when continuously thinking about their rosters being poached, and that comfort level may override any desire to add in a second window.

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Courtney Earns Spot on AAC All-Tournament Team

Story Links BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic softball’s Autumn Courtney’s success during the 2025 campaign, in which she was named the unanimous American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, has continued in the postseason with a spot on the AAC All-Tournament team. In the AAC Semifinals, Courtney tossed a complete game […]

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May 11, 2025

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic softball’s Autumn Courtney’s success during the 2025 campaign, in which she was named the unanimous American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, has continued in the postseason with a spot on the AAC All-Tournament team.

In the AAC Semifinals, Courtney tossed a complete game and allowed just one hit and no earned runs while striking out seven.

While the top-seeded Owls (44-10) came up short in a 1-0 defeat to North Texas due to an unearned run, the junior pitcher’s record stands at 23-3 on a 1.80 ERA, the 23rd lowest nationally, and 163 strikeouts, ranked 32nd in Division I. She also leads the conference in opponent batting average, limiting offenses to a .156 average at the plate.

Florida Atlantic will learn its fate in the NCAA Regionals during Sunday’s selection show at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

For the Owls’ complete schedule, click HERE. To follow the team socially, visit @fausoftball, or for the most up-to-date information, go to www.fausports.com.

The Owls’ 2025 postseason is powered by Demand the Limits Injury Attorneys.

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Tony’s takes: My three-step plan to save college football

Tony’s takes: My three-step plan to save college football Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban introduces President Donald Trump. Trump delivered a special commencement address to University of Alabama graduates at Coleman Coliseum. Graduation occurs over the weekend. Photo | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News If Nick Saban is truly college football’s knight in shining armor, […]

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May 11, 2025

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Tony’s takes: My three-step plan to save college football

If Nick Saban is truly college football’s knight in shining armor, this will be his biggest feat of heroics yet. Earlier this week, Saban and Texas Tech board of regents chairman Cody Campbell were chosen to co-chair President Donald Trump’s commission on college athletics.

The new commission is expected to examine the landscape of college sports and work toward fixing issues including booster-funded payments, transfer rules, conference alignment and Title IX. On paper, Saban — college football’s best-ever head coach — and Campbell — a former Texas Tech football player turned multi-billionaire businessman — appear to be promising choices for leadership.

I can’t say I’m confident the duo can save the sanctity of college football, but I can tell you the steps I would take if I were in their shoes. With that said, here is my three-step process to saving the sport.

Create a single transfer window

This is the most popular suggestion when it comes to fixing college football. Simply put, the spring transfer window is a mess. Most of the high-impact transfers are handled in the winter window, and having a 10-day transfer period following spring camp only leads to chaos and roster uncertainty.

A singular transfer window is a must, but with every solution comes a compromise. Currently, players have a 20-day transfer window in the winter followed by a 10-day period in the spring. My compromise is creating a single three-month window that begins on Jan. 1 and extends until March 31.

That’s an 89-day period compared to the combined 30 days players currently get. My timeline comes with a catch, but we’ll get to that later.

This is a win-win for both parties. Prospective transfers would have an extended amount of time to settle on a new destination, while teams would be able to finalize their rosters in time for spring camp.

Who knows, maybe this could revive Alabama’s A-Day game… provided we all pay a small contribution to Yea Alabama, of course.

Impose a roster-transaction window

Remember how I said my extended window comes with a catch? Well, here it is. While my model would give players an extended period to find a new home, it would impose a deadline for them to sign with a new school.

Players would have until March 31 to register with a new school for the coming season. Any unregistered player after that date would be eligible to sign and receive money from a school but would not be able to play until the beginning of the following window.

In addition, players who register with a team would not be eligible to re-register with another team in the same season. For example, if a player decided to transfer from his team in October, he could join a playoff team in January. Theoretically, an unregistered player could wait until January to join a playoff team. However, that scenario would be highly unlikely.

I’m even fine with early enrollees becoming immediately eligible for playoff teams provided those incoming freshmen elect to use their redshirt season in order to play in those games. Consider it an added recruiting benefit for contending teams.

Allow binding NIL contracts

While the above transfer alterations should help, things would be a lot easier if teams would be allowed to sign players to binding deals. That could soon become possible due to a multibillion-dollar antitrust case that would allow schools to pay athletes a portion of their media revenues, capped at $20.5 million per season, starting on July 1.

There’s still concern over how such a ruling would create a divide between the haves and have-nots of the sport. Wealthier teams would still have a distinct advantage, as they would be able to pool their NIL funds along with expected media revenue. However, at the very least, we might see an end to the continuous jumping of ship among players vying for more lucrative offers on a yearly basis.

As is the case with coaches, such contracts could come with buy-out clauses. That could create some interesting transfer situations. Say Alabama wanted to poach a star freshman from Auburn who had signed a three-year deal with the Tigers. Assuming that player had a buy-out clause, Alabama would pay Auburn that said fee, which the Tigers would be able to use on another transfer to fill the hole in their roster.

This isn’t a perfect fix, but it’s more realistic than creating any type of salary cap. Outside of the $20.5 million per season allowed in revenue sharing, the ambiguity of NIL makes it impossible to regulate how much money teams can promise players. There will always be a disparity between college football’s biggest programs. However, the introduction of contracts will at least bring some structure to what has become a chaotic landscape.

Drink of the week — Old Fashioned

I brainstormed my college football fixes over a few Old Fashioneds with a friend on Saturday night, so it’s only fitting that the cocktail should be our drink of the week.

No one makes a better Old Fashioned in Tuscaloosa than our friends at Session Cocktails. Here’s how they stir up the classic drink.

Combine two ounces of Old Forester bourbon (head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s favorite), .25 ounces of Demerara Syrup and three dashes of Angostura Bitters. Pour the ingredients into a glass, add ice and stir. Express an orange peel over the drink and rub it around the rim before placing it in the glass. Express a lemon peel over the drink before placing it in the glass as well.

Cheers!

(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)

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Deion Sanders is succeeding in rebuilding Colorado after Shedeur's departure

Deion Sanders must start the 2025-2026 NCAA season from scratch. The departure of his stars, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, plus a mass exodus of players through the transfer portal will force Coach Prime to bring his A-game to surround his new protégé, Julian Lewis, with a contending team. Criticism from former cornerback Cormani McClain-who […]

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May 11, 2025

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Deion Sanders is succeeding in rebuilding Colorado after Shedeur's departure

Deion Sanders must start the 2025-2026 NCAA season from scratch. The departure of his stars, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, plus a mass exodus of players through the transfer portal will force Coach Prime to bring his A-game to surround his new protégé, Julian Lewis, with a contending team.

Criticism from former cornerback Cormani McClain-who said Colorado played for “clicks” and therefore preferred to transfer to a “real” program-really hurted Sanders and Colorado’s reputation. The 2024-2025 offseason saw 26 players enter the transfer portal, leaving Coach Prime with a monumental task ahead.

However, true to form, Sanders turned the odds around and began rebuilding his team by snatching Lewis from USC to Boulder. One step at the time, he is surrounding the young quarterback with a team that can make a deep playoff run.

Coach Prime hits the recruiting trail

Sanders has been widely criticized for relying more on the transfer portal than the recruiting trail to build his team. Using the portal, the Buffs head coach added defensive back Noah King, safety John Slaughter, offensive tackle Larry Johnson, and running back DeKalon Taylor in less than 24 hours.

Nevertheless, Sanders has proven he can recruit and has already interviewed with the second-best receiver in the country, Cederian Morgan. Also pursued by Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Florida, Morgan was greatly impressed by Sanders. “I’m excited to meet Coach Prime and the staff,” the young receiver stated.

The former NFL icon also has his eye on Vance Spafford, another five-star recruit who has already committed to Georgia. Sanders hopes to pull another Lewis and convince Spafford to join Colorado.

Sanders is keeping an eye on the defense too, and has interviews scheduled with four-star cornerback Dorian Barney aiming to beat out Georgia Tech, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn State, and Texas A&M to recruit the defensive star.

JuJu is making himself at home in Colorado

While Coach Prime continues to seek fresh blood for the Buffaloes, his top recruit of the 2025 class, Julian Lewis, is working to strengthen his ties with the other recruits. JuJu hosted his fellow rookies at his home last weekend, demonstrating his leadership skills.

The competition between Lewis and newcomer Kaidon Salter for Colorado’s starting job will be fierce; however, this initiative by Lewis surely earned him points with Coach Prime, who expects his quarterbacks to be more than just leaders on the field.

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Luke Fickell addresses potential roster limits, impact on players

Last week, the attorneys representing the NCAA and power conferences agreed to a revised plan to phase in roster limits as part of a revised House v. NCAA settlement before Judge Claudia Wilken in the U.S. Northern Districk Court of California. The proposal, which would effectively grandfather all current student-athletes and any that were preemptively […]

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2 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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Last week, the attorneys representing the NCAA and power conferences agreed to a revised plan to phase in roster limits as part of a revised House v. NCAA settlement before Judge Claudia Wilken in the U.S. Northern Districk Court of California. The proposal, which would effectively grandfather all current student-athletes and any that were preemptively cut before the settlement was finalized, would appear to satisfy Wilken’s request last month.

And while Wilken is currently considering the revised proposal, if approved, the House v. NCAA settlement would pave the way for revenue-sharing between NCAA schools and student-athletes, with some programs able to share between $20-22 million annually, or 22-percent of the average Power Five school’s annual revenue, along with approximately $2.75 billion in back damages to former college athletes over a 10-year span. It would also mean strict roster limits in football (105), men’s and women’s basketball (15), baseball (34), softball (25), men’s and women’s soccer (28) and volleyball (18).

But, at least for any coaches concerned about having to cut players three months before the start of the 2025-26 academic school year, the amended settlement would seem to be a welcomed relief. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, for one, explained the complicated balancing act football coaches have faced in recent months amid the ongoing uncertainty about the true impact of the settlement.

“I think the hardest thing about that is (that there are) some of the guys within your program that even in the winter we had some conversations with to say, ‘Hey, I don’t know what this thing is going to go to. If it goes to 105, we’re going to have to make some tough decisions.’ So there are some guys I think that could be looming in their head,” Fickell said last month during Spring practice. “If they do make this decision and it does come down and it is across the board, meaning everybody is going to have to conform to it, and there’s going to be obviously somebody paying attention and making sure everybody is on the same page. Then we’ll address that.

“(But) no, we can’t go about doing the things and building the things expecting to have to cut down, but I know that could be difficult on some guys that are curious what’s going to happen, and what their opportunities are going to be.”

Fickell admitted many of those conversations have already taken place at Wisconsin, though no definitive decisions will be made until the settlement has been approved and guidance is provided to programs.

“We have. And just trying to be forthright, … we care about all these kids, especially the guys that have been here for a while. If and when they do go to that, there’s going to have to be some tough decisions made. And it’s not going to be easy,” Fickell continued. “We don’t know the parameters to it all, we don’t know what that entails. Can guys be in waiting, can they still be apart of some things? We have no idea. So for us to jump too far ahead other than just being really honest and open with guys, and making sure they know what we feel and where we are with things, but not making any decisions.”

The devil is in the details, and until Wilken officially approves all parts of the revised House v. NCAA settlement, college football coaches like Fickell remain in wait-and-see mode.

— On3’s Pete Nakos and Nick Schultz contributed to this report.

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