NIL

Vols’ Zakai Zeigler sues for fifth year of eligibility, citing NIL pay

Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler (5) during Senior Day presentations after a men’s college basketball game between Tennessee and South Carolina at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Saturday, March 8, 2025. Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility, claiming he could lose up to $4 million in NIL money if […]

Published

3 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility, claiming he could lose up to $4 million in NIL money if he isn’t allowed to play in 2025-26.

Zeigler’s lawsuit requests a preliminary injunction allowing him to play a fifth season and arguing he will suffer irreparable harm without immediate relief, with schools currently finalizing rosters and settling NIL deals.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Zeigler’s lawsuit challenges the NCAA’s redshirt rule in which players are allowed to play a fifth year if they sit out a year of competition.

Zeigler played four consecutive seasons for the Volunteers from 2021-22 through 2024-25. He argues that he should get be allowed a fifth year of eligibility and its earning potential instead of being punished for not taking a redshirt year, per the News Sentinel.

“All NCAA athletes should be eligible to compete and earn NIL compensation during each year of the five-year window — not just those selected to redshirt,” the court filings state.

Zeigler filed his suit in the Eastern District of Tennessee. In it, he claims he could make between $2 million and $4 million in name, image and likeness money in 2025-26 after making $500,000 in 2024-25.

The lawsuit calls a fifth year “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes.”

Zeigler set the Tennessee career records for assists (747) and steals (251). The three-time All-SEC pick and two-time league defensive player of the year averaged 11.3 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 138 career games (83 starts).

He graduated this month from Tenneseee and plans to pursue a graduate degree.

–Field Level Media

Link

NIL

Jay Jacobs on Auburn facilities, NIL pressure and what still sets the Tigers apart

Former Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs joined The Auburn Undercover Podcast for his biweekly show for a deep dive into how Auburn built some of the SEC’s best facilities—and why staying competitive now requires more than just bricks and mortar. Jacobs, who led Auburn Athletics from 2005 to 2018, said the evolution of facilities is a story […]

Published

7 minutes ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Jacobs, who led Auburn Athletics from 2005 to 2018, said the evolution of facilities is a story of constant adaptation. “Auburn was the first school in the SEC to have a football building,” he said. “We built that athletic complex in 1989, and at the time nobody else had one. That set the tone for how we’d separate ourselves.”

But in today’s NIL-driven world, Jacobs believes facilities still play a crucial role. “There may be a mindset at some schools that you don’t need to build anymore, just pay NIL and figure it out. But if everyone’s paying NIL, you still need something to separate yourself. That’s where facilities matter.”

Jacobs said recent improvements—from Plainsman Park to Neville Arena—are about more than recruiting athletes. “We’ve all turned our attention to fans. If the fans aren’t there, it’s an empty, hollow place. That atmosphere has to be there for everyone.”

Still, progress isn’t easy. Jacobs recalled pushing for a north end zone project that didn’t gain traction during his tenure. “Obviously I didn’t do a good enough job painting the vision. But thank goodness they’re moving forward with it now.”

When asked about the pressures of NIL, Jacobs didn’t mince words. “I’ve never had a student-athlete demand more money. It’s always been a parent, guardian, or handler. I’ve seen cases where the student-athlete didn’t even know someone was negotiating on their behalf.”

Despite the financial changes in college sports, Jacobs says the Auburn spirit still shines through. “These kids still act like kids. They’re having fun, they’re dancing in the dugout, hanging off the bench. They’re not thinking, ‘How can I get $25,000 more?’ They just love to play.”

Looking ahead, Jacobs acknowledged the challenge of funding athletics once schools begin paying athletes directly as part of the expected House v. NCAA settlement. “Every school is going to have to come up with $20.5 million more, and then it goes up from there. That’s real.”

Yet Jacobs remains optimistic about Auburn’s donor base and approach. “We may not have one mega-donor, but we have a lot of people who care. That’s the Auburn way. Everyone pitches in.”

He closed with a recommendation: a book that’s helped him stay grounded. “It’s called Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio. Whether you’re a Christian or not, it helps you catch those negative thoughts and think clearly.”

Listen to this episode elsewhere using these links.

APPLE PODCASTS

SPOTIFY

YOUTUBE MUSIC/PODCASTS

Link

NIL

The House v. NCAA settlement explained

For the first 115 years of the NCAA’s existence, college athletes weren’t allowed to earn money from their athletic abilities. The first opportunity arose in the State of California when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a statute into law on September 30, 2019, allowing colleges to refrain from denying student-athletes the opportunity to profit from their […]

Published

17 minutes ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that the NCAA changed rules to allow students to profit from their name, image, and likeness — otherwise known as NIL — after the Supreme Court ruled against the governing body.

A combination of school policies and state laws dictates what deals athletes can make. The NCAA has allowed universities to establish guidelines for their athletes in states that do not have laws outlining the parameters for designing NIL deals. Athletes only earned NIL benefits through outside parties, not through universities.

That changed last week on June 6 when Federal Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House v. NCAA settlement, which resolves multiple federal antitrust lawsuits, pays out thousands of former college athletes $2.8 billion in backpay from lost NIL compensation, and establishes a framework for athletic departments to directly pay college athletes for the first time.

Effective July 1, 2025, the agreement establishes a 10-year revenue-sharing model, which will allow schools to distribute up to $20.5 million in name, image, and likeness (NIL) to athletes during the 2025-26 season. This amount is expected to increase over time, potentially reaching up to $32.9 million per school by the 2034–35 academic year.

The men’s basketball roster size increases from 13 to 15 scholarships to be awarded. An equivalency system also allows coaches to award scholarships to more athletes by offering partial awards instead of full ones. For example, rather than 10 players each getting a full basketball scholarship, a team might divide 10 scholarship equivalents among 15 athletes.

Scholarships, which cover tuition, room and board, and other educational expenses, are not included in this cap. Schools can still offer full or partial scholarships to athletes without counting them toward the NIL compensation limit. In fact, the settlement allows schools to allocate up to $2.5 million of their NIL compensation pool toward increasing scholarships and providing additional support to athletes.

NIL payments can still be paid by outside supportive organizations, but if the payment is over $600, it must be justified by submission to a digital clearinghouse managed by Deloitte known as NIL Go in order to establish that third-party deals reflect what the clearinghouse deems is “fair” market value.

St. John’s and the rest of the Big East conference enter this new era of college athletics in an advantageous position over power conferences that prioritize competing in football programs. Most power conference schools are expected to pay out 75% of their revenue-sharing cap to football, with men’s basketball receiving 15%, women’s basketball receiving 5%, and the remaining sports receiving the final 5%.

This will not be a problem for the ten Big East member schools, which either have no football program or an FCS football program that is less costly than their FBS counterparts. Even UConn, which is the only Big East member with an FBS football program, shouldn’t feel pressure to divert much of its cap from its premier basketball programs in order to support football since they aren’t in a power conference and compete independently.

Link

NIL

SEC, ESPN announce more kickoff times, broadcast windows for 2025 college football season

The SEC and ESPN have released several more kickoff times and TV network assignments for the 2025 football season. Several games were held back with “window” designations for kickoff and to-be-determined television assignments — Early, Afternoon, Night or Flex. “Early” means 11 a.m.-noon Central start, “Afternoon” means 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. start, “Night” means 5 p.m.-7 […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The SEC and ESPN have released several more kickoff times and TV network assignments for the 2025 football season.

Several games were held back with “window” designations for kickoff and to-be-determined television assignments — Early, Afternoon, Night or Flex. “Early” means 11 a.m.-noon Central start, “Afternoon” means 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. start, “Night” means 5 p.m.-7 p.m. start and “Flex” can be either Afternoon or Night.

Full kickoff times and television assignments will be announced on a week-to-week basis once the season begins.

Here’s the updated list (all times Central):

Thursday, Aug. 28

Central Arkansas at Missouri, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Friday, Aug. 29

Auburn at Baylor, 7 p.m., Fox

Saturday, Aug. 30

Syracuse vs. Tennessee (Atlanta), 11 a.m., ABC

Texas at Ohio State, 11 a.m., Fox

Mississippi State at Southern Miss, 11 a.m., ESPN

Toledo at Kentucky, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Alabama at Florida State, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Marshall at Georgia, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Alabama A&M at Arkansas, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Illinois State at Oklahoma, 5 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Texas-San Antonio at Texas A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN

Long Island at Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

LSU at Clemson, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Georgia State at Ole Miss, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

Sunday, Aug. 31

Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina (Atlanta), 2 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 6

San Jose State at Texas, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Utah State at Texas A&M, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Ole Miss at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Kansas at Missouri, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2

East Tennessee State at Tennessee, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Austin Peay at Georgia, 2:30 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

South Florida at Florida, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Arkansas State at Arkansas (Little Rock), 4 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

South Carolina State at South Carolina, 6 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Michigan at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Arizona State at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech, 6:30 p.m., ACC Network

Ball State at Auburn, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Louisiana Tech at LSU, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

Saturday, Sept. 13

Wisconsin at Alabama, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Oklahoma at Temple, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

South Alabama at Auburn, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Georgia at Tennessee, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Louisiana at Missouri, 3 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

UTEP at Texas, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Alcorn State at Mississippi State, 5 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Florida at LSU, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Texas A&M at Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m., NBC

Eastern Michigan at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

Arkansas at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. or 6:45 p.m., ESPN or SEC Network

Vanderbilt at South Carolina, 6 p.m. or 6:45 p.m., ESPN or SEC Network

Saturday, Sept. 20

UAB at Tennessee, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Northern Illinois at Mississippi State, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Georgia State at Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU

Southeastern Louisiana at LSU, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

Arkansas at Memphis, TBA

Florida at Miami, TBA

Tulane at Ole Miss, Flex

South Carolina at Missouri, Flex

Auburn at Oklahoma, Flex

OPEN: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M

Saturday, Sept. 27

Notre Dame at Arkansas, 11 a.m., ABC

Utah State at Vanderbilt, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Alabama at Georgia, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Sam Houston at Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Auburn at Texas A&M, Afternoon

Massachusetts at Missouri, Night

LSU at Ole Miss, Flex

Tennessee at Mississippi State, Flex

Kentucky at South Carolina, Flex

OPEN: Florida, Oklahoma

Saturday, Oct. 4

Kentucky at Georgia, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Kent State at Oklahoma, 3 p.m., SEC Network

Mississippi State at Texas A&M, Night

Vanderbilt at Alabama, Flex

Texas at Florida, Flex

OPEN: Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee

Saturday, Oct. 11

Alabama at Missouri, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Washington State at Ole Miss, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Oklahoma vs. Texas (Dallas), 2:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN

Georgia at Auburn, Night

South Carolina at LSU, Flex

Arkansas at Tennessee, Flex

Florida at Texas A&M, Flex

OPEN: Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

Saturday, Oct. 18

Oklahoma at South Carolina, Early

LSU at Vanderbilt, Early

Mississippi State at Florida, Afternoon

Texas at Kentucky, Night

Tennessee at Alabama, Flex

Texas A&M at Arkansas, Flex

Missouri at Auburn, Flex

Ole Miss at Georgia, Flex

Saturday, Oct. 25

Auburn at Arkansas, Early

Ole Miss at Oklahoma, Early

Tennessee at Kentucky, Night

Texas A&M at LSU, Flex

Texas at Mississippi State, Flex

Alabama at South Carolina, Flex

Missouri at Vanderbilt, Flex

OPEN: Florida, Georgia

Saturday, Nov. 1

Vanderbilt at Texas, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville), 2:30 p.m., ABC

Mississippi State at Arkansas, Afternoon

Kentucky at Auburn, Flex

South Carolina at Ole Miss, Flex

Oklahoma at Tennessee, Flex

OPEN: Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Texas A&M

Saturday, Nov. 8

Georgia at Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

The Citadel at Ole Miss, noon, ESPN+/SECN+

Auburn at Vanderbilt, Afternoon

LSU at Alabama, Night

Florida at Kentucky, Flex

Texas A&M at Missouri, Flex

OPEN: Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas

Saturday, Nov. 15

Tennessee Tech at Kentucky, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

New Mexico State at Tennessee, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Arkansas at LSU, Early

South Carolina at Texas A&M, Early

Mississippi State at Missouri, Night

Oklahoma at Alabama, Flex

Texas at Georgia, Flex

Florida at Ole Miss, Flex

OPEN: Auburn, Vanderbilt

Saturday, Nov. 22

Missouri at Oklahoma, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Samford at Texas A&M, 11 a.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Charlotte at Georgia, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Eastern Illinois at Alabama, 1 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Mercer at Auburn, 1 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+

Coastal Carolina at South Carolina, Afternoon

Kentucky at Vanderbilt, Afternoon

Western Kentucky at LSU, Night

Tennessee at Florida, Flex

Arkansas at Texas, Flex

OPEN: Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Friday, Nov. 28

Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Texas A&M at Texas, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Saturday, Nov. 29

Clemson at South Carolina, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN

Georgia at Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Vanderbilt at Tennessee, Afternoon

Missouri at Arkansas, Night

Alabama at Auburn, Flex

Florida State at Florida, Flex

LSU at Oklahoma, Flex

Saturday, Dec. 6

SEC championship game (Atlanta), 3 p.m., ABC

Link

NIL

Anonymous ACC Coach Reveals College Football Program That Is ‘Lagging’ in NIL

NC State entered last season as a popular dark horse pick in the ACC, but failed to meet the lofty expectations. After a 9-4 season in 2023, the Wolfpack lost three of their final four games last season, including a loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl. NC State finished 6-7 overall, finishing tied […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NC State head coach Dave Doeren — North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Link

NIL

Texas Tech softball scores three more big additions from transfer portal

Hear Florida softball’s Mia Williams and Reagan Walsh speak after series opening loss to Oklahoma Williams hit a game-tying two run home run, and Walsh collected three hits in the 6-5 extra inning series opening loss to Oklahoma. The Texas Tech softball team nearly won a national championship with a lot of pitching, running and […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Texas Tech softball team nearly won a national championship with a lot of pitching, running and defense and a smidgen of slugging.

All of the sudden, slugging could be one of the Red Raiders’ strong suits next season. And more proven pitching is on the way to complement ace NiJaree Canady.

On Saturday, June 7, Ohio State catcher Jasmyn Burns committed to Tech. On Tuesday, June 11, the Red Raiders picked up commitments from Florida second baseman Mia Williams, UCLA two-way player and two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry and Southern Illinois shortstop Jackie Lis.

Williams and Lis followed Burns in announcing their pledges to Tech on social media, and Softball America and D1Softball reported Terry’s commitment.

Burns hit 25 home runs this season, second in the Big Ten and tied for fifth in NCAA Division I. Williams hit 19 home runs, fifth in the Southeastern Conference and among the top 40 nationally. She batted .335 with 44 RBIs and was second among Gators regulars with a .714 on-base percentage and an on-base-plus-slugging of 1.144.

Lis hit a Southern Illinois career record 44 home runs over three seasons, earning first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition all three years. She batted .356 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs as a freshman, hit .344 with 16 homers and 36 RBIs as a sophomore and batted .358 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs as a junior this season.

She’s a granddaughter of the late Joe Lis, a Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder from 1970-77. Joe Lis Jr., her father, reached Triple-A with Toronto and Atlanta.

On the National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-America teams, Burns was one of 18 players on the first team and Williams was one of 18 players on the second team. Williams pronounces her first name “MEE-uh”. The Windermere (Fla.) Prep graduate was a sophomore this season.

She’s a daughter of former NBA point guard Jason Williams, who played 12 seasons and started on the Miami Heat team that beat the Dallas Mavericks for the 2006 NBA title. According to the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, Jason Williams “was a regular fixture at games, sitting behind home plate.”

Florida finished 48-17 with losses in its first two games at the Women’s College World Series.

Terry can help the Red Raiders both ways, especially in the circle. In her second season at UCLA, Terry was 20-5 with a 2.64 earned-run average over 33 appearances, including 22 starts. The sophomore lefthander from Phoenix Greenway struck out 172 in 148⅓ innings, also on a WCWS team that finished 55-13. She batted .257 with two home runs, 24 RBIs and was 9 for 9 in stolen bases.

She was the Pac-12 freshman of the year and first-team all-conference in 2024, going 21-3 with a 2.38 ERA.

Texas Tech finished 54-14, made its first trip to the WCWS and lost the deciding game in the best-of-three championship series to Texas. Before the series, Patrick Mahomes gifted the team with Texas Tech letter jackets featuring his Gladiator logo from Adidas. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Texas Tech alum and prominent fan of his alma mater also made it to Oklahoma City for the championship series Game 2.

The Red Raiders rode Canady, who went 34-7 with a 1.11 ERA. The junior righthander won the Honda Sport Award for softball as the most outstanding college player of the year.

Mihyia Davis, with 27 stolen bases, was one of five Red Raiders to reach double digits in that category. Canady was the only Tech player to reach double digits in home runs. She’s likely to have plenty of company in that department next season.

Link

NIL

SDSU launches athlete retention fund

The House settlement, a landmark agreement that allows universities to directly pay athletes, was approved by a California judge Friday night. Within hours, at 9:58 p.m., San Diego State had announced the launch of the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund that athletic director John David Wicker said “is a vital step in ensuring we continue […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The House settlement, a landmark agreement that allows universities to directly pay athletes, was approved by a California judge Friday night.

Within hours, at 9:58 p.m., San Diego State had announced the launch of the Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention Fund that athletic director John David Wicker said “is a vital step in ensuring we continue to compete for championships while also aligning SDSU Athletics with the future of college sports.”

It was met with a mix of frustration and confusion from many athletic boosters.

Frustration, because of “donor fatigue” or as one fan put it bluntly on a chat board: “How many things do I have to contribute to?”

Confusion, because the SARRF sounds an awful lot like the MESA Foundation, the NIL collective that amassed close to $3 million this season for, well, student-athlete recruitment and retention of the men’s basketball team.

At some universities, outside collectives are already being folded into the athletic department, now that the House settlement shatters the last illusion of amateurism and permits up to $20.5 million per school per year in revenue sharing with players starting July 1. At SDSU, for the time being at least, the MESA Foundation and football’s Aztec Link will remain in place, and donations to them will accumulate Aztec Club “points” that determine ticketing priority.

“It’s a recognition by the university,” MESA founder Jeff Smith said, “that our dollars can do the exact same thing as their dollars through the athlete retention fund that doesn’t really have the ability to be up and running and be impactful just yet.

“If people make the mistake of believing that now that the school has the ability to participate in athlete compensation because of the House settlement, they no longer have to support through MESA, then all the work that’s been done with the program for the last three years will be for naught and all the concerns we’ve had about losing players in the offseason will become reality.”

The athletic department’s response about which to support is: All of the above.

SDSU needed to create an in-house donation mechanism to compensate athletes because most sports don’t have outside NIL collectives, and even football’s Aztec Link started later than MESA and has struggled to generate the kind of war chest needed to be competitive in the brave, new world of college athletics.

A FAQ section accompanying the announcement of SARRF offered this answer to whether MESA and Aztec Link will now go away:

“Not at all. Both collectives will continue their important work and complement the efforts of the new fund. Together, they ensure SDSU has a robust and multifaceted support system for student-athletes.”

The SARRF allows donations to be designated for specific teams (but not specific athletes), so in theory the money from the SARRF and MESA ends up in the same place. There are subtle differences between them, though.

SARRF is administered by the Campanile Foundation, the university’s nonprofit fundraising organization. That typically means a percentage of any donations is siphoned off for overhead costs.

MESA, which also offers tax-deductible contributions, is an outside entity with only one full-time employee – president Caroline Ripley – and a few student interns. Smith and his wife, who in three years tirelessly grew MESA from nothing to raising enough money to help retain the bulk of last season’s roster in an era of unlimited player movement, serve as volunteers.

That allows MESA, Smith says, to distribute about 93% of donations to players. (SARRF’s FAQs do not indicate what percentage of the fund will be diverted to the Campanile Foundation or other administrative costs.)

Another difference: MESA’s meet-and-greet events with men’s basketball players aren’t subject to Title IX equity because it’s an outside organization that, unlike the university, does not receive federal funding.

MESA pays players in monthly installments in exchange for their participation in about a half-dozen community service events per year as well as social media posts. Because SDSU is opting in to the House settlement, any NIL compensation beyond school-distributed revenue sharing comes under the scrutiny of a new NIL clearinghouse that will prohibit individual deals above “market value.”

There’s a simple workaround, however. Because SDSU will not come close to distributing the allotted $20.5 million in revenue sharing (think more like $1 million or $2 million), MESA can simply transfer what it collects to the school, which forwards it to the athletes.

For the 2025-26 season, SDSU is not expected to provide revenue sharing with basketball players. All of their money will still come from MESA. And since the players’ current NIL deals were signed before the House settlement was finalized, they aren’t subject to the clearinghouse’s scrutiny.

So why not put everything under one roof?

“At some point in the future, will there be a scenario where funds go to San Diego State’s athlete retention fund, or will they go to MESA and then to the athlete retention fund specific to basketball?” Smith said. “Those are definitely possibilities. But for right now, what we’ve built is working and what we’ve built can’t change.

“Once it’s very, very clear that’s the environment we’re playing in – and we are in regular conversations with the university – we’ll be more than prepared to do it. Because there’s so much unknown, for the time being MESA can’t change and the fan support of Aztecs basketball can’t change. We need to continue as we are.”

One fear is losing a unique class of MESA donor that identifies more with the program and its players – “the city’s NBA team,” coach Brian Dutcher likes to say – than the university. Despite pleas from the athletic department to include football in the MESA Foundation, Smith resisted.

“There are people who are not just supporters of the university and blindly write a check and hope the money goes to a good cause,” Smith said. “They’re individual sports fans and supporters. That’s something that definitely came out through our efforts. We are always very focused on being singular with basketball. We didn’t want to confuse the audience and have multiple sports.

“If those fans who were less inclined to contribute to San Diego State now believe that San Diego State is involved and they potentially reverse course, it’s a terrible thing for the program.”

The other piece of messaging is to dispel more general misconceptions about the House settlement, which means schools merely have the option of paying their athletes up to $20.5 million per year. It also means, at the overwhelming majority of universities, they have to first find that funding.

“The biggest concern I have,” Smith said, “is that the audience doesn’t understand that this new, in-house version of being able to compensate athletes does not mean there is any new money. It’s quite the opposite. Opting into the House agreement takes a budget that is already challenged and makes it even more financially challenging.”

Originally Published: June 11, 2025 at 3:09 PM PDT