Sam Leavitt chose to stay at Arizona State despite rumors of other college football teams offering more NIL money to lure the Sun Devil quarterback into the transfer portal. ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt said he opted to stay at ASU because of the culture and the trust he has with coach Kenny Dillingham. Sam Leavitt and Kenny Dillingham are on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26. Plus, Willie Bloomquist and the ASU baseball team snuck into the NCAA Tournament. Join Anthony Totri, Erik Ruby and Shane Dieffenbach as the guys discuss it all and more on the PHNX Sun Devils show!

check out the phnx sun devils show where the guys discuss sam leavitt’s return to asu!

0:00 – Intro
2:00 – Sam Leavitt is Mr. Sun Devil
6:45 – This is what activating the valley is
13:15 – Why Sam Leavitt stayed at ASU
20:40 – Jordyn Tyson on Leavitt
25:00 – ASU on CFB 26 Cover
45:30 – ASU Baseball in the NCAA Tournament

After reports surfaced earlier this month, Penn State men’s basketball has welcomed the first general manager in its program’s history.

Scott Pera, a Hershey, Pennsylvania, native and 1989 Penn State Harrisburg graduate, has officially assumed the position, according to a release Tuesday. The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman first reported the news.

Pera has worked with Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades before, serving as an assistant on Rhoades’ staff at Rice from 2014-2017. Pera then took over as the Owls’ head coach and recorded a 96-127 record through seven seasons.

In the release, Penn State offered some clarity on Pera’s role. He’ll work on long-term roster and recruiting strategies, NIL, fundraising and scheduling for the program.

“I am thrilled to be the new GM of Penn State Basketball,” Pera said in a statement. “To have this opportunity at my alma mater with one of my best friends is such a unique and awesome opportunity. I am looking forward to helping Coach Rhoades continue to grow this program as we navigate the constantly changing landscape of college basketball. I hope to assist him and the staff in a variety of ways to help them take Penn State back to the NCAA Tournament.”

The offseason wins for Michigan coach Dusty May carried over into the week of the deadline to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft. Former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg — the No. 1 ranked player in CBS Sports’ transfer rankings — announced he was bypassing the draft and instead returning to school for the 2025-26 college basketball season.

Lendeborg, a projected first-round pick in two recent mock drafts by CBS Sports, will headline one of the premier transfer portal classes in college basketball, which ranks second behind St. John’s in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. 

With Lendeborg official in the fold, it raises exceptions for a team that reached the Sweet 16 and won the Big Ten Tournament title in Year 1 of May’s tenure. Lendeborg received a NIL package believed to be in the neighborhood of $3 million to return to school, sources indicated to CBS Sports. 

That price tag may be hefty, but the return on investment of luring Lendeborg out of the draft waters could be well worth the investment for a team ready to take the next step into national title contention. Michigan opened at 25-1 (12th-best odds) on FanDuel during the first week of April to win the 2026 national title. Just under two months later, the Wolverines have the fifth-best odds (17-1) with Florida, Louisville, Kansas and St. John’s to cut down the nets next spring.

When May accepted the job at Michigan last offseason, he was walking into a situation where a once proud program had fallen on tough times. The Wolverines went 8-24 in Juwan Howard’s final season, their worst mark since the early 1980s. No team in NCAA history (since the Sweet 16 was introduced in 1975) had ever lost as many games in one season and reached the second weekend of the tournament the following year.

It’s no secret that the key to Michigan’s success last year was its towering frontcourt of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin — two transfers who had career years during their lone season with the Wolverines. Michigan was the only team in the country last season that had two 7-footers in its starting lineup regularly.

That unique lineup didn’t click right away, but when things came together around the time of Big Ten play, Goldin and Wolf were an unstoppable force. Wolf led the Big Ten with 15 double-doubles, while Goldin finished with eight. The player who finished as the Division l leader in double-doubles was Lendeborg, who recorded 26 double-doubles in 37 games. He averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, which ranked fourth in Division l basketball.

Projected first-round pick Yaxel Lendeborg to withdraw from 2025 NBA Draft, will transfer to Michigan

Shanna McCarriston

May is thinking big — literally and metaphorically — with his transfer portal haul. Michigan added Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr., who averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in a reserve role. The Wolverines also added one of the tallest players in the sport in UCLA big man Aday Mara, who is an imposing presence at 7-foot-3.

Could May be thinking big again with this lineup? It’s possible. Lendeborg is a lock to start at one of the forward positions, while Johnson or Mara could slide into the starting lineup next to him. Mara only averaged 13.0 minutes per game at UCLA, but his impact went beyond the box score. The former highly touted prospect from the 2023 recruiting cycle recorded 1.6 blocks and shot 59% from the floor.

Why Lendeborg withdrawing makes sense for both parties

There is no such thing as a guarantee in the NBA Draft. It doesn’t mean promises still don’t happen from NBA teams and decision-makers. Players who are ringe first-round picks often rely on promises to determine whether to run it back in college or stay in the NBA Draft. The volatility of how the first round of the NBA Draft plays out sometimes results in those promises being broken.

Had Lendeborg stayed in the draft, he would’ve likely been a fringe first-round pick or an early second-round selection. Younger players — such as one-and-done stars — declare for the NBA Draft with the idea of being one step closer to a second contract, which often results in a major payday down the line.

With NIL being such a key factor in draft decisions over the last five years, players — who aren’t guaranteed lottery picks or mid-first-round selections — often find themselves with opportunities to make more money at the college level. One recent example is Texas Tech star JT Toppin, who didn’t even go through the draft process. If Toppin declared for the NBA Draft, he would’ve likely been in the same boat as Lendeborg as a potential first-round pick. 

Toppin will earn approximately $4 million in NIL money this season with the Red Raiders.

For more context on why players run it back, here is a chart of how much each rookie between picks No. 20 and 30 will make during Year 1 of their rookie scale contract. All data is via Spotrac.

Lendeborg can improve his draft stock by having another standout season at Michigan. He will be the face of one of the top Big Ten contenders who can make another leap toward national title contention. Lendeborg will be 23 during the 2026 NBA Draft, but a one-year difference won’t matter much if he can produce at the Big Ten level.

It may be a risk not taking the “guaranteed” NBA money by opting out of the 2025 NBA Draft. Lendeborg is betting on himself to improve his stock in the early-to-mid first-round range by coming back to school. By all accounts, in a year from now, it could become a win-win for all parties if his stock improves and Michigan takes another jump.

In the short term, Lendeborg’s addition gives Michigan a true identity and direction heading into next season. Michigan was patient while Lendeborg went through the pre-draft process — even when his stock was increasing as a potential first-round pick. The patience paid off, and the Wolverines might have a future All-American to show for it.

If you want all of the latest Michigan news and scoop, there’s no better place than TheMichiganInsider. It’s the most trusted source for intel on the Wolverines and has the largest and most dedicated community of Michigan fans. The staff led by long-time insider, Sam Webb, will tell you what’s happening before it happens. Sign up for a VIP membership now and uncover all of the insider info, analysis and more.

Miami shelled out a lot of money to bring in transfer quarterback Carson Beck this offseason. Beck comes to Miami after five seasons at Georgia, including the past two as the starter, and has an NIL valuation of $4.3 million according to On3.

But one anonymous ACC coach told Athlon Sports that they have questions on whether all that investment will pay off. Beck is expected to step in as starter after Cam Ward is gone to the NFL and the Hurricanes are banking on him to lead them to a College Football Playoff berth.

“Is [Carson] Beck worth all that money?” the coach wondered. “No one really knows right now, but that’s the question you have to ask.”

Beck ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal this offseason according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He helped the Bulldogs reach the SEC title game last season before suffering an injury in that game and missing their College Football Playoff quarterfinal, which they lost.

Beck put up solid numbers in his two seasons as a starter in Athens, throwing for 7,426 yards, 52 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 27 games. He certainly has the experience to lead a team on a deep Playoff run, but has never started in a CFP game in his career.

Regardless, Miami is willing to take a shot on Carson Beck much like it did with Ward, who transferred in from Washington State last offseason. That worked out well as he helped the Hurricanes reach the ACC Championship and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

But even then, Miami lost to Clemson in the conference championship and failed to make the College Football Playoff. Another anonymous coach who spoke with Athlon Sports noted a pattern for Miami in paying up for the top transfer players the past couple of seasons rather than focusing on team chemistry.

“I think there’s a bigger question here on how and why they spend what they do on the guys they pick,” the coach said. “It’s sort of like a Dodgers or Yankees mindset, spending on top-end recruits and portal guys, and not really a team-focused culture. You’re still in Florida, you still have to prioritize the high schools, and they’ve done that in NIL.”

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see whether Miami’s gamble with NIL money pays off this time around. In addition to Beck, the Hurricanes also signed former LSU receiver CJ Daniels, the No. 41 overall player in the portal.