NIL

Union Jack Classic: Arizona State Sun Devils bring college football to Wembley in 2026 – here’s why it’s a big deal | NFL News

Published

1 month ago

November 28, 2025

Tens of thousands of fans in the stands. Players and coaches signing contracts worth millions. Games nationally televised and weekends dedicated to coverage… College football is a big deal.

Before Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and then Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was playing in front of 110,000 fans – for the University of Michigan.

Before Patrick Mahomes won three championships in his first four years as an NFL starter, he was a Texas Tech ‘Red Raider’, starring in front of 55,000 fans and throwing for over 400 yards per game in his college career.

On top of the massive viewership, right now nine college coaches earn over $10 million annually, and 2021’s NIL (name, image and likeness) ruling has meant that some players are earning close to $5 million a year – as 18-to-23-year-olds!

In 2026, college football is coming to Wembley in the form of the ‘Union Jack Classic’ as the Arizona State Sun Devils face off against the Kansas Jayhawks. In September, Sky Sports visited Arizona to see what the college football experience is all about…

After a roughly 10-hour journey from London, we arrived to a 35-degree evening heat (considered quite chilly for the time of year) before heading to a hotel in the ‘college town’ of Tempe. There, the three men behind the Union Jack Classic – Brian Dubiski, Thomas Hensey, and Rob Yowell – beamed about the year ahead and a project that has been years in the making.

Why Arizona State? Because the Sun Devils represent all the things Dubiski, Hensey and Yowell want to showcase across the border next year. ASU is a massive university, with one of the highest enrolment rates in the country (over 160,000 students in 2025). They lead the nation in ‘innovation,’ according to the US News rankings. The football team, founded in 1897, has great tradition. Their fans are incredibly passionate. If any college team can make waves internationally, it is ASU.

The next morning, we toured the outstanding Mountain America Stadium, a 54,000-seater nestled between mountains. On gamedays, 12,000 of those seats are allocated to students in a section known as ‘The Inferno’. The requirements? “Wear gold! Cheer loud! Bring the heat!”

If 54,000 feels like a big crowd, it is – it would rank as the seventh-biggest in the Premier League – but on the scale of college football, it falls in the 50s. Eight colleges have stadiums with over 100,000 capacity, and seeing them full and lively on gamedays provides some idea of the scale of support.

On our tour of the facilities, you could see how much has been invested. There are over 100 players on the roster, but they have everything they need to thrive. A huge cafeteria with multiple stations that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for all student athletes. State-of-the-art gym equipment. A games room set up with pool, table tennis, a golf simulator, PlayStations and Xboxes. A huge meeting room (more of a meeting hall) for the whole team along with multiple smaller ones for each position group and their coach.

Then there is the Sun Devils Hall of Fame, a showcase of why those facilities are so important. Some names with their images and achievements in that room? NFL legend Terrell Suggs, the NBA’s James Harden, golfers Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson, and swimmer Leon Marchand, who scooped up four golds at last year’s Olympics.

Sport is a massive part of ASU’s tradition, and they compete in 26 of them at varsity level, with great success. Their teams have won 165 national championships across those sports, and Marchand’s Olympic medals are just some of the 60 won by former Sun Devils. As one of our tour guides told us: “When you buy a ticket for an NFL game, you support a business. When you buy a ticket for college sports, you fund a scholarship.” Since former students tend to be those who come back and support the team, the cycle of success continues.

The final part of the tour included a discussion with ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham, the 35-year-old local who was born in Phoenix, studied at Arizona State, coached high school football within the state, then eventually became head man in 2023 after assistant coach stints at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State and Oregon.

Not only does DIllingham want the Sun Devils to rise to become one of college football’s top teams, but he wants to “create memories” with his players on the international trip. Almost all of his students have never travelled abroad, and he expects the Union Jack Classic to both tempt new recruits to commit to the school, and convince existing players to stay rather than leave for the NFL or transfer to another college. The pull of an international trip is that strong.

The day was rounded off with a Q&A with a group of journalism students and a visit to a local bar, quite fittingly called ‘Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers’. In another example of just how big Sun Devils football is in that town, the menu offered up ‘Sam Leavitt’s QB 10 Wrap’ and ‘Jordyn Tyson’s Touchdown Sandwich’, a nod to two of ASU’s biggest stars.

I would love to tell you about the tailgate experience on gameday. However, after the glorious weather of the previous day, we were met with the worst storm in Arizona in years. Every aspect of the tailgate was cancelled and there were questions about if – and when – the game, which pitted ASU against 24th-ranked Texas Christian University, would go ahead.

We were, however, promised that the famous ‘Sun Devil Walk’ (where the team along with the mascot Sparky, the Spirit Squad and the team’s marching band, walk to the game together) will take place ahead of next year’s game at Wembley.

Thankfully, with little time to spare, the skies cleared, the gates opened and fans flocked in for a Friday night ‘blackout’ game against their Big-12 rivals. Rather than wearing the usual gold, ‘The Inferno’ was rocking with students all in black as AC/DC’s Thunderstruck appropriately accompanied the team’s arrival on the field, and the game did not disappoint.

Despite being down 17-0 midway through the second quarter – while some fans were still battling through the weather delays to arrive – Dillingham’s team fought back to win 27-24 in an electric atmosphere. Leavitt and Tyson shone, and the Sun Devils crowd made a huge difference.

Tyson, who managed eight catches, 126 yards and two outstanding touchdowns, is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a star in the professional game. He is set to be one of the next athletic stars to graduate from ASU. Leavitt, meanwhile, has yet to make the decision. Will he be in London next year? Either way, the team is packed with talent and Dillingham hopes they will only be better by then boosted by new recruits.

ASU moved up to 21st in the official college football rankings after that win and, six games later, are currently ranked 20th and still in contention for the Big-12 title.

When they head to Wembley in 2026, they will bring tradition, success, and perhaps one of the top teams in college football.

Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium on September 19, 2026. Click here to buy tickets and here to view hospitality packages.

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NIL

Demond Williams Jr.’s case will test viability of signed contracts

Published

39 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

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.”

ESPN’s Max Olson contributed to this report.

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NIL

Transfer portal tracker: Demond Williams at odds with Washington over portal move

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

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.

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NIL

Sign of times: Demond Williams Jr. bolts Washington despite NIL deal

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

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.”

He’s not there yet.

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NIL

Robert Griffin III reveals why NIL, transfer portal are making college football better

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

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.

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.”

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

Related: Gio Lopez leaves North Carolina, Bill Belichick for Wake Forest

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College Football TV Ratings: Top 10 most-watched non-CFP bowl games of 2025-26 season

Published

4 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Through the first part of Bowl Season, ESPN announced its non-College Football Playoff TV ratings surged. That trend continued through the rest of the bowl games.

Across the 33 non-CFP bowl games that aired on ESPN networks, viewership increased by 13% year-over-year, the network announced. The Citrus Bowl between Michigan and Texas led the charge, just surpassing the Pop-Tarts Bowl for the top spot.

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All told, 11 bowl games hit at least a five-year high this season, ESPN said. Here are the most-watched non-College Football Playoff bowl games for 2025, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel data.

Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas

Date/Time: Dec. 31, 3 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 9.1 million

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian predicted the Citrus Bowl would draw strong TV ratings, and it did just that to lead non-College Football Playoff bowl game viewership. An average of 9.1 million viewers tuned in as Arch Manning and the Longhorns defeated Bryce Underwood and Michigan.

Pop-Tarts Bowl: BYU vs. Georgia Tech

Pop-Tarts Bowl 2025 — © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Date/Time: Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 8.7 million

One of the most popular bowl games delivered for ESPN as 8.7 million viewers watched the Pop-Tarts Bowl. BYU held on for a wild victory over Georgia Tech Dec. 27, meaning the Cougars had the chance to partake in one of the sport’s newest traditions: eating the edible mascot.

Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson

Date/Time: Dec. 27, Noon ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 7.6 million

The Pinstripe Bowl between Penn State and Clemson drew its best viewership on record as 7.6 million people tuned in for the Nittany Lions’ victory over the Tigers. It marked the final game for Terry Smith as Penn State interim head coach, though he is staying on staff under new head coach Matt Campbell.

Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri

Date/Time: Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 5.996 million

The Gator Bowl hit 6.0 million viewers on average Dec. 27 – its best figure since 2009. Virginia took down Missouri in that game to secure a 10-win season for the Cavaliers as part of an impressive year under Tony Elliott.

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois

Illinois HC Bret Bielema after the Music City Bowl — © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Date/Time: Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 5.4 million

At 5.4 million viewers, the Music City Bowl drew its best viewership since 2021 as Illinois took on Tennessee. The Fighting Illini secured another nine-win season under Bret Bielema as they took down the Volunteers, 30-28, on a last-second field goal from David Olano.

Alamo Bowl: USC vs. TCU

Date/Time: Dec. 30, 9 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 4.9 million

In the Alamo Bowl, TCU mounted a comeback late in regulation and eventually forced overtime against USC. The Trojans scored first in the extra period with a field goal, but the Horned Frogs got the victory as Jeremy Payne broke free for a wild game-winning touchdown on 3rd and long.

ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt

Date/Time: Dec. 31, Noon ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 4.6 million

Points were hard to come by in the first half of the ReliaQuest Bowl, but Iowa and Vanderbilt traded blows in the final two quarters. The two teams combined for 44 second-half points, but the Hawkeyes were the ones who came out victorious, 34-27, in front of 4.6 million people on ESPN.

Rate Bowl: New Mexico vs. Minnesota

Minnesota HC PJ Fleck after the Rate Bowl — © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Date/Time: Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 4.4 million

At 4.4 million viewers, the Rate Bowl drew its highest numbers since 2011 as Minnesota picked up yet another bowl game victory under P.J. Fleck, taking down New Mexico. It marked the Golden Gophers’ seventh straight bowl win as they finished the year with an 8-5 overall record.

L.A. Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington

Date/Time: Dec. 13, 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 3.8 million

The L.A. Bowl went out on a high note with a new record-high of 3.8 million viewers tuning in for Washington’s win against Boise State. It marks the final installment of the game, as On3’s Brett McMurphy previously reported, and it drew its highest viewership ever.

Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Cincinnati

Date/Time: Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 3.4 million

One of the final non-College Football Playoff bowl games also rounds out the 10 most-watched matchups. Navy completed an 11-win season with a resounding win over Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl, which averaged 3.4 million viewers on Jan. 2.

First Responder Bowl: FIU vs. UTSA (Dec. 26, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 3.1 million
Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah (Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 3.0 million
Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston (Dec. 27, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 2.9 million
Hawaii Bowl: Cal vs. Hawaii (Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 2.7 million
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State (Jan. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 2.6 million
Military Bowl: Pitt vs. East Carolina (Dec. 27, Noon ET, ESPN) – 2.5 million
GameAbove Sports Bowl: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 26, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 2.4 million
Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. SMU (Jan. 2, 8 p.m. ET, FOX) – 2.34 million
Celebration Bowl: SC State vs. Prairie View A&M (Dec. 13, Noon ET, ABC) – 2.32 million
Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. Duke (Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET, CBS) – 2.2 million

Although the non-College Football Playoff bowl games are in the books, the CFP semifinals and national championship are still on the horizon. ESPN has also seen viewership increase throughout this year’s bracket and is hoping to continue that trend the rest of the way.

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Inside Ole Miss’ landmark NIL victories after Lane Kiffin’s exit

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Moments after Ole Miss’ thrilling Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, the first person Walker Jones found on the field was newly minted Rebels hero Lucas Carneiro.

Carneiro had just hit the game-winning 47-yard field goal to send Ole Miss to a national semifinal and one win away from the national championship game.

When Carneiro saw Jones, the executive director of the Grove Collective, a big smile broke across his face amidst the exuberant on-field celebration.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Carneiro said with a grin.

“You better,” Jones replied.

“I’ve never been so happy to get that call the next day,” Jones told CBS Sports this week.

Keeping a star kicker has been just one piece of the puzzle for Ole Miss, but in many ways, it has been representative of what the last couple of weeks for the Rebels. It’s been a wild run of success, concern over possible tampering and poaching off the field and a concerted effort to do everything possible to keep the momentum.

It’s hard to find a program that has handled the uniquely challenging circumstances better than Ole Miss.

Consider what Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, athletic director Keith Carter and others have had to deal with in recent weeks. All the drama around whether the coaches following Lane Kiffin to LSU would be allowed to finish the playoff run. A narrative that it was just a matter of time before Ole Miss’ top players fled Oxford to join Kiffin at LSU. All of this while preparing for a Thursday semifinal against Miami and navigating an especially wild and active transfer portal.

And yet, Ole Miss has re-signed quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (pending waiver), running back Kewan Lacy, Carneiro and other key contributors.

“None of these guys left,” Matt Bowers, a prominent Ole Miss booster who owns 14 car dealerships, told CBS Sports. “We don’t have to guess what that means. You can say whatever you want if you’re LSU. You can say, ‘Well, they overspent.’ OK, tell yourself that. The truth may be harder to accept.”

That’s a credit to a talented, sleep-deprived group. Everyone from Golding and his staff to Jones and his team at the Grove Collective — along with newly added president of football Austin Thomas, assistant general manager Kelvin Bolden and senior associate athletic director for cap management Matt McLaughlin — has helped keep the train on the tracks.

“We’re in a really good place,” Carter told CBS Sports. “The brand is really strong. Clearly, we’re proving that we can win at a high level and make deep runs in the playoffs. So why would these guys want to leave? I think that’s what we have to continue to build here in Oxford.”

Invest in Golding

Carter’s big bet on Golding to replace Kiffin has already paid major dividends. In many ways, it was both a bold and practical decision to elevate the likable defensive coordinator and entrust a first-time head coach with navigating an unprecedented situation.

What Carter and others around the program understood was that Golding had forged real connections with players, boosters and other key figures. He had long been a top recruiter for a reason. If Ole Miss wanted to keep its roster intact for a playoff run, Golding may have been the only choice.

The way Golding handled the aftermath of Kiffin’s exit has been about as close to ideal as anyone could have hoped. And while this story is not about Lane Kiffin, there is no question he has had an impact, intentional or not, on what is happening in Oxford.

Doubling down

The manner in which Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU, and the hurt feelings it stirred among fans, has energized the base. There is a sense of resolve to prove the program can sustain its success in a post-Kiffin world, that the self-appointed “Portal King” was not the lone driver of Ole Miss’ success in the NIL and transfer portal era.

As Jones joked, “It’s amazing what a common enemy will do.”

“I think they knew this was a rallying point,” Jones said. “Our people kind of love us against the world, little Ole Miss can’t compete, little Ole Miss was built just by happenstance. They wanted, along with us, to show everybody this is built to last and we’re bigger than any one man or any one variable.

“We’ve got a lot of resources in place, commitment in place from our administration to our coaches to our collective, and that has aligned our fanbase. They know what to do.”

The money has come pouring in. Carter said Ole Miss athletics has already set a record for annual giving just six months into the fiscal year. After Ole Miss’ home playoff win over Tulane, 30-40 people joined the Vaught Society, which comes with a $25,000 commitment.

“It’s been a perfect storm in a really good way,” Carter said. “Our fans are more galvanized at this moment than maybe they’ve ever been.”

Said Bowers, a key financial contributor: “These people have money, and they’re motivated. In the name, image and likeness era, we’re one of the most successful programs in the country. That’s a fact.”

Everything Ole Miss is doing at this moment works toward sustainability. Beyond retaining top talent, Golding and his staff have been aggressively adding it. The Rebels currently have the nation’s No. 6 transfer class, headlined by Florida defensive lineman Micai Boireau, LSU offensive lineman Carius Curne and Auburn defensive back Jay Crawford. If Chambliss’ waiver isn’t approved, it’s a good bet Ole Miss will add an impact transfer quarterback, too.

With the new additions, there’s a world in which Ole Miss could be even better next season. After all, this was supposed to be the rebuilding year after losing top talent such as Jaxson Dart and Walter Nolen off last year’s team. If Chambliss is eligible for another year — and that is a big if right now — there may not be a better one-two offensive punch in the country than he and Lacy.

At minimum, Ole Miss fans will get to watch the two stars suit up for at least one more game on Thursday in Arizona. A win would add another chapter in what’s already been a remarkable and historic season for the Rebels. One more win and Ole Miss is playing for a national championship without the man who started the season as its head coach. Two more wins and Golding and this special group of Rebels will go down as legends.

Through all the outside noise and wild circumstances, Ole Miss football has never been in a better place. And everyone associated with the program is putting in the hard work to keep it going.

“They’ve got a taste of this,” Carter said, “and they want to hold onto it.”

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