The impact of NIL reached its peak this offseason, with more than 2,000 players hitting the transfer portal and several NBA prospects opting to return to school. As a result, college basketball is loaded with talent for the 2025-26 campaign, including a sophomore class that is filled with possible breakout stars.
We highlight 10 candidates to make significant leaps in their second seasons.
After testing the NBA Draft waters, Tahaad Pettiford is set to thrive with an increased role at Auburn
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A lightning-quick guard with elite shotmaking ability, Pettiford thrived in the sixth man role last season. Bruce Pearl gave him the ultimate green light and Pettiford took full advantage, averaging 11.6 points in just 22.9 minutes per game. He earned SEC All-Freshman honors and helped the Tigers win the conference regular-season title and advance to the Final Four.
Pettiford tested the NBA Draft waters but ultimately decided to return to Auburn and try to improve his stock for 2026. As the program’s top returnee, he’ll transition from sixth man to centerpiece. With as much talent as any guard in the country and ample opportunity to shine, Pettiford has All-American potential.
Quaintance is still rehabbing from a torn ACL, but when he returns, the 18-year-old will be a focal point of Kentucky’s stacked roster. An athletic, two-way forward who was the youngest player in college basketball last season, Quaintance averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 24 games for Arizona State before suffering his injury in February.
The former five-star recruit is expected to be back on the court before the start of the year. When healthy, he has as high a ceiling as any big man in the country. He will have a better supporting cast at Kentucky, which should lead to more easy opportunities. All signs point toward Quaintance putting up All-American numbers for Mark Pope next season.
The former McDonald’s All-American and two-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year came off the bench for a majority of the 2024-25 season, logging just 16.3 minutes per game behind seniors Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr. But Bidunga still led the Jayhawks in total blocks, and he averaged 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 rejections in six starts. He showed flashes of brilliance, including a 19-point, 7-rebound performance against Houston and a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) with 5 blocks against UCF.
This season, Bidunga will step into the starting lineup and should thrive alongside highly touted freshman Darryn Peterson, a 6-foot-6 guard who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That one-two punch has the ability to turn things around in Lawrence following a discouraging 21-13 season that ended with a loss to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Known for his long-range shooting, Isaiah Evans could be a more well-rounded scorer in year 2
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A knockdown shooter with unwavering confidence, Evans provided a huge spark off the bench for last year’s Blue Devils. The 2023-24 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year averaged 6.8 points in just 13.7 minutes and connected on 41.6 percent of his attempts from behind the arc. Evans hit at least four threes in nine games and buried 6-of-8 in a win over Auburn in December.
With top scorers Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor leaving for the NBA, Evans will slide into a starting role and carry a much heavier offensive burden. Fortunately, a few more stellar freshmen are on the way, including a dominant interior force in Cameron Boozer, who should create plenty of open looks for Evans. His three-point efficiency might dip slightly with higher volume, but Evans is poised to put a lot of points on the board next season.
Rick Pitino is trusting Ian Jackson to take over as the Red Storm’s starting point guard. The former five-star prospect is a proven scorer — he averaged 11.9 points on 45.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.5 percent from three for North Carolina last season — and certainly has the potential to evolve into an elite floor general as well.
He’ll be running the show for a loaded St. John’s team that should open the season ranked in the top 10. At UNC, he had eight 20-plus point performances and was voted to the ACC’s All-Freshman Team. Jackson’s numbers should rise across the board given his new role. And if all goes well, he could be the leader of a national championship contender.
After a solid freshman year at BYU, Catchings transferred to Georgia this offseason. The 19-year-old is known for his versatility, athleticism and perimeter shooting. He averaged 7.2 points and sank 35 percent of his threes for the Cougars.
Catchings should have an expanded role with the Bulldogs, especially since coach Mike White plans to utilize more four-out lineups. White knows that the four-star recruit has barely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. “He’s got to continue to round out his game offensively to compliment his ability to shoot the three,” White told Hoops HQ. “And then defensively, his ceiling is very high too, with his length, speed, quickness and switch-ability.”
Derrion Reid left Alabama for Oklahoma, looking to increase his scoring output as a sophomore
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Reid, who was the fourth-highest rated recruit in Alabama men’s basketball history, dealt with a recurring hamstring injury last season. Plus, he had to battle for playing time with an abundance of talented wings and forwards. In 24 games, he averaged 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Expect the former McDonald’s All-American — known for his versatility on both ends — to blossom next year at Oklahoma, where he should have a bigger, more consistent role. It certainly helps that Reid is already familiar with the level of competition in the SEC.
Thiam had a very productive freshman campaign at UCF, starting all 34 games and averaging 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks (seventh in the nation, first in the Big 12). His 88 total rejections were the second most in a single season in program history.
With his size, athleticism and mobility, the former five-star prospect is already a defensive stud and continues to expand his offensive skill set. After signing a solid transfer class, Cincinnati is aiming to end a six-year NCAA Tournament drought. Thiam’s development will be a crucial factor in whether or not that happens.
After a rough year at Miami, Jalil Bethea hopes Alabama’s offense unlocks his scoring potential
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Expectations were sky high for Bethea coming out of Archbishop Wood High School, where he was a McDonald’s All-American and the 2023-24 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year. But the Hurricanes had a disastrous 2024-25 season, going 7-24 and finishing last in the ACC after coach Jim Larranaga’s resignation in December. Bethea averaged 7.1 points on just 36.8 percent shooting.
Alabama is an ideal fit for the former five-star recruit. With his athleticism and impressive scoring ability, Bethea has the tools to thrive in Nate Oats’ system. The Tide are returning guards Labaron Philon, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Aden Holloway, but Bethea should still play a significant role with Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood gone.
USC had to rebuild most of his roster this offseason. Cofie was one of the major additions to the frontcourt. As a freshman at Virginia, the 2023-24 Washington Gatorade Player of the Year started 16 of 32 games, averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
The signings of Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara grabbed the headlines, but Cofie could be the X-factor for the Trojans. The 19-year-old has great mobility for his size and can operate both inside and out. He’ll slot into the starting lineup and should fill the stat sheet for coach Eric Musselman.
Indiana defeated Alabama 38–3 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, delivering a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.
Indiana’s offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and an explosive rushing attack headlined by senior running backs Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, controlled the game throughout, while Alabama managed just a lone field goal.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson started and played into the second quarter, completing 12-of-16 passes for 67 yards before sustaining a cracked rib on a hit late in the half.
Simpson attempted to return after halftime but ultimately gave way to backup Austin Mack, who finished 11-of-16 for 103 yards.
Making matters worse for the Tide at quarterback, multiple outlets reported Wednesday that Simpson informed Alabama of his intention to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, opting to turn pro rather than return to Tuscaloosa or explore the transfer portal.
On3’s Pete Nakos also reported that Simpson, along with his family and representatives, evaluated potential NIL opportunities before ultimately deciding to declare.
Across the 2025 season, Simpson totaled 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while adding 92 rushing yards, two rushing scores, and a 145.2 passer rating.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) runs against Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (6) | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In his first year as Alabama’s full-time starting quarterback, Simpson guided the Crimson Tide to an 11–4 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
He earned second-team All-SEC honors and capped an Alabama tenure in which Simpson developed from a highly touted five-star recruit with limited early starting experience into a pro-level prospect, pairing mobility with improved pocket play that attracted NFL interest.
Many NFL draft analysts now project Simpson as a top-20 pick and likely first-round selection, generally seen as the No. 3 quarterback in this class behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
On3’s NIL valuations placed Simpson at around $2.1 million, ranking him among the higher-valued college players in 2025.
Media reporting also linked Simpson to significant transfer-market interest, with sources naming Miami, Oregon, and Tennessee as potential suitors had he entered the portal.
That interest fueled speculation that Simpson faced a choice between entering the NFL Draft or transferring to pursue a lucrative NIL package.
By contrast, transfer portal quarterback Brendan Sorsby landed a reported NIL package worth roughly $5 million after transferring to Texas Tech.
With Simpson already ranking among the highest-paid college athletes and projected to command even larger offers, alongside Sorsby’s massive NIL deal, this moment underscores the new, multi-path economics of college quarterback careers in the post-NIL era.
Still, while premium portal NIL packages can significantly influence recruitment and roster construction, Simpson’s decision highlights that top quarterbacks continue to prioritize the NFL when their draft stock is strong.
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Thriving in the NIL era, Ole Miss turns into an unlikely college football powerhouse
Well, big games are usually built on two things decision making and nerve. In the Sugar Bowl, the Ole Miss Rebels proved stronger in both. The Rebels didn’t need perfection. They needed poise. And in *** game defined by moments, the Rebels making more of the right ones by taking down *** Georgia team built on pressure and precision. Kind of challenged them at halftime and said, you know, look, we, we were up 9 on these guys going in the 4th quarter last time. I said, let’s play 30 minutes of football and I’ll physical them and execute, and, and they responded like they have all year. Uh, it’s *** super tough group. They got *** lot of grit, and they love playing football, and, and then, you know, they’re not tired of it. So just really, really proud of the group and the effort that took place tonight. Well, with Georgia behind them, the Ole Miss Rebels will now move on to face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl up in Arizona, and the Rebels aren’t just advancing, they’re officially announcing themselves as true, legitimate national contenders. Reporting in the Caesars Superdome, Marissa Stubbs, 16, WAPT News.
Thriving in the NIL era, Ole Miss turns into an unlikely college football powerhouse
Updated: 3:32 PM CST Jan 7, 2026
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Mississippi’s football program is thriving in the NCAA’s pay-for-play era. The sixth-seeded Rebels will face No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for a spot in the national championship game. It’s the biggest game for Ole Miss in at least 50 years. It’s also the culmination of a massive fundraising effort athletics director Keith Carter and other behind-the-scenes people that’s helped the Rebels gain an upper hand in the NIL era. Carter said he’s confident Ole Miss can maintain its status in the game’s elite, even as bigger schools start to organize their fundraising efforts to match the Rebels.
OXFORD, Miss. —
Mississippi’s football program is thriving in the NCAA’s pay-for-play era.
The sixth-seeded Rebels will face No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for a spot in the national championship game.
It’s the biggest game for Ole Miss in at least 50 years. It’s also the culmination of a massive fundraising effort athletics director Keith Carter and other behind-the-scenes people that’s helped the Rebels gain an upper hand in the NIL era.
Carter said he’s confident Ole Miss can maintain its status in the game’s elite, even as bigger schools start to organize their fundraising efforts to match the Rebels.
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr.’s announcement Tuesday night that he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal sent shockwaves through college sports.
Four days earlier, he’d signed a contract to return to Washington, which was set to pay him in the mid-$4 million range and put him near the top the market for college football. Washington continues to pursue legal action, per sources, to enforce the contract.
Williams’ declaration online that he is leaving quickly became a touchstone for a sport and system where there’s already significant skepticism over the viability of signed contracts.
What happens next with Williams will speak volumes about the future of college football and the enforceability of contracts, providing a bellwether for this new era of college sports.
“This is a very bright line,” a high-ranking college official said. “Are we going to respect each other’s contracts? This is a very simple thing. If we can’t protect this, nothing else matters.”
If Williams follows through on his desire to leave Washington — LSU is the presumptive favorite for his services, but others are expected to be involved as well — his case will be a litmus test for the rules of a new era. And it will likely end up in court.
The situation can be boiled down to a simple point that has been a running issue and an embarrassment for college sports: Can contracts be enforced?
“This situation is a product of 2026 football,” a prominent athletic director told ESPN. “Where the story ends, this is one of the big moments in college football — or really, college sports — and what we do next.”
When initially contacted, Demond Williams Sr. — the quarterback’s father — declined to comment.
If Williams attempts to leave for LSU or another school, it is likely to become a bigger saga than former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s jump from Tennessee to UCLA last year.
It’s also a potentially much higher-profile version of the legal fallout — still unresolved — from the departure last fall of Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas to Miami.
Wisconsin sued Miami claiming the school committed tortious interference by knowingly compelling a player to break the terms of his deal with the Badgers.
Williams is a household name in the Big Ten and among college sports fans, as he threw for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He also ran for 611 yards and six touchdowns. Williams was originally committed to coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in 2023 before flipping to Jedd Fisch and Arizona. He followed Fisch to Washington when Fisch took the head coaching job there in 2024.
“This wouldn’t happen in professional sports,” another high-ranking college official said. “Things like this seem to show that people think that they can do anything.”
The college sports world is watching intently. One general manager at a top program told ESPN on Wednesday: “It’s extremely embarrassing the system allows this. There’s no stability at all. How are people sitting around watching everything crumble? What are the leaders doing? What are the commissioners doing? How do we not get everyone in a room and not leave until there’s a solution.”
One veteran head coach added with a chuckle on the lack of oversight: “I don’t even know who we turn complaints in to.”
Washington sources say the university is prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams’ contract. The Big Ten has also been engaged on the issue, and the league has been vocal in the past about how crucial it is that “agreed-to obligations be respected, honored and enforced.” Williams used a traditional agency to complete his deal. Sources said there had been outreach for more than two weeks from people outside the agency to schools. The agency that did his deal was blindsided by Williams’ portal entry.
Per sources, one person who has contacted schools about Williams is Cordell Landers, who generally refers to himself as an adviser and loomed as one of the central figures in Iamaleava’s departure from Tennessee. Landers denied to ESPN that he is involved with Williams.
ESPN obtained some details of Williams’ Washington contract Wednesday. There are two items that loom large. The deal includes a buyout to leave that is at the “sole discretion” of Washington. The contract also states that “the institution is not obligated to enter the Student-Athlete into the transfer portal or otherwise assist or facilitate the Student-Athlete’s transfer to another college or university.”
Lucas’ move to Miami shows that the portal is not a necessity for players to move, but it is another complicating factor.
Williams’ case speaks to a larger issue in which contracts around the sport — binding schools to leagues, coaches to schools and players to programs — are largely being ignored.
The situation illuminates the system’s flaws, including not having any single entity in charge of the inter-workings of contracts in a multibillion-dollar business. The Williams contract issue doesn’t fall under the purview of the new College Sports Commission, which handles third-party name, image and likeness deals to meet legal settlement rules, revenue sharing from schools in relation to the cap and roster limits.
The NCAA deals with tampering, which could be at play. Tampering, however, has become so mainstream in college athletics that it’s nearly impossible to enforce. Modern legalities also complicate oversight, as a federal judge’s ruling in Tennessee in February 2024 made the NCAA’s role in enforcing tampering more challenging.
The cries for new rules are even more complicated. The lawsuit that led to that legal ruling was filed Jan. 31, one day after Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman revealed in a letter to the NCAA that the school’s athletic department was being investigated.
While there are calls for reform, there is inherent resistance whenever rules land on a school’s doorstep.
Suddenly, Williams’ situation has emerged as a flashpoint for a faulty system.
“This is a very important moment in our space,” one high-ranking official said, “about how we’re going to behave.”
Former Michigan quarterback Davis Warren is headed to the ACC next season.
Warren committed to join Stanford on Wednesday after entering the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Warren is expected to have two years of eligibility left, thanks in part to a medical redshirt he’s expected to receive.
Warren spent three seasons with the Wolverines, and was a backup to J.J. McCarthy during their national championship season in 2023. He started for the majority of the 2024 campaign, and threw for 1,199 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Warren, however, tore his right ACL during the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2024. That kept him out for the entirety of last season.
The decision by Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to enter the transfer portal shocked and angered the Huskies because only days earlier the sophomore breakout star had signed a lucrative name, image and likeness deal to remain in Seattle.
Legal action by Washington would be no surprise two weeks after similar events prompted an exchange of lawsuits involving Damon Wilson II, an edge rusher who transferred from Georgia to Missouri in January 2025, days after signing an NIL contract.
With recruiting strategy reduced to shoveling stacks of NIL dollars at players who jump through the transfer portal seemingly at will, it’s no wonder loyalty and etiquette have given way to opportunity and greed.
And it should surprise no one that the implementation of rules might be done by judges, not NCAA officials or conference commissioners.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Washington is “prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams’ signed contract,” and the quarterback’s situation has also “drawn the attention of the Big Ten.” Already, Washington has declined to enter Williams’ name into the portal, citing language in the NIL contract that states the school is not obligated to do so.
It appears Washington wants to play hardball, much the way Georgia is attempting to do with Wilson, whose countersuit against the Bulldogs claims he was one of several players pressured into signing his NIL contract on Dec. 21, 2024. Georgia is seeking $390,000 in damages, pointing to a liquidated damage fee clause in the NIL contract that may or may not hold up in court.
Washington officials suspect that another school contacted Williams after he had signed his Huskies deal, and submitted evidence of tampering to the Big Ten. Tony Petitti, the conference commissioner, happened to be in Seattle on Tuesday for a Celebration of Life service for Washington goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who died on Nov. 6 from an rare form of kidney cancer.
Many Huskies football players and coaches also were in attendance when Williams posted his official announcement about entering the transfer portal on Instagram.
“To post his decision to enter the portal during the service was, at best, the result of horrible advice from his PR team, and at worst, a stunning lack of self-awareness,” wrote Matt Calkins in the Seattle Times.
Williams’ NIL deal with Washington for 2026 was estimated at $4 million, a reasonable number for a quarterback who was among the top 15 nationally in passing efficiency, passing yards and yards per attempt. He attempted to enter the portal with a “do not contact” tag, an indication he has a destination in mind.
A chronology of top quarterback movement in recent days provides circumstantial evidence that Louisiana State and Williams have mutual interest. LSU, of course, has a new coach in Lane Kiffin, and a need at quarterback. Turns out Williams and Kiffin aren’t strangers.
Kiffin’s first target was Brendan Sorsby, who had left Cincinnati, but he committed to Texas Tech. Sam Leavitt of Arizona State is considered the best quarterback left in the portal, and he visited Baton Rouge this week before heading to Tennessee for another visit.
However, Kiffin easily could shift his attention to Williams, a dual-threat signal-caller who while in high school committed to Ole Miss when Kiffin was coach. He eventually signed with Arizona, and when coach Jedd Fisch took the job at Washington, Williams followed him.
Williams blossomed as a sophomore in 2025, passing for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions while adding 611 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
In his lengthy Instagram post, Williams thanked everyone associated with Washington before revealing the news: “I have to do what is best for me and my future. After much thought and prayer, I will be entering the transfer portal.”
Robert Griffin III reveals why NIL, transfer portal are making college football better appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When the NCAA entered this new era, where NIL deals routinely enter into seven figures and seemingly a quarter of the players switch teams in the transfer portal each year, it effectively changed the sport forever.
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To many, who loved the legacy, tradition, and homegrown feel of college sports, this has been a major adjustment, but to some, especially those who played the sport themselves, it’s been worth it, as it allows players to make some money for their hard work, where that in the past, that would be afforded only to the universities.
Case and point, Baylor legend-turned-pundit Robert Griffin III, who used some time on Outta Pocket Podcast to celebrate this new era for all of the opportunities it gives players.
“A lot of people say that the transfer portal and NIL have destroyed college football. I actually think it’s made college football better. Because now there’s more parody. It’s harder to be a team that is constantly repeating or constantly playing in the national championship game, playing in the college football semifinals. Ohio State, $35 million roster. Couldn’t get to the semifinal this year,” Griffin III declared.
“So what’s the solution? Well you still have to spend money. So that’s been a lot of money. But now you’ve got to be a better recruiter. Now you got to be a better coach. Because if you’re bringing in 10,12,15, 20, 30 guys through the transfer portal, how do you win? You win because they buy into your culture. And if they don’t buy into your culture and there’s a little bit of slippage or you don’t pay the right guy at wide receiver, or quarterback, man you’ll be down the creek without a paddle now.”
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Is Griffin on the money? Does forcing programs to continue investing in their players, outbidding rivals in the transfer portal, and hitting the recruiting trail hard actually make for a better product? Considering Ohio State spent that much NIL money on their roster only to get bumped in the first round of the playoffs, it’s clear they will have to pony up for an even better roster next year, which will benefit the players even more.
Related: Big Ten ADs send ‘unanimous’ support to Washington football amid Demond Williams drama
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