This week marked the 2025 MLB draft. Three USC baseball players heard their names called in this year’s event: Ethan Hedges by the Colorado Rockies, Caden Hunter by the Baltimore Orioles, and Bryce Martin-Grudzialanek by the New York Yankees.

Obviously, it is great for these players that they got drafted. Each year, I cannot think about how flawed the current MLB Draft system is, and how bad it is for college baseball by discouraging players from staying in school longer.

Let’s start with a brief refresher on the current MLB draft rules:

Eligibility

Unlike in the NFL and NBA, there is no “declaring” for the MLB draft. High school seniors are automatically eligible for the draft, as are junior college players. At the four-year college level, players are eligible if they have either played at least three years of college baseball and/or are at least 21 years old.

Deciding to sign

After the draft, players have until July 28 to decide whether or not to sign with the team that drafted them. For high school players, the decision is generally between signing and turning professional right away or going to college. For college and JUCO players with eligibility remaining, they must choose between staying in school for another year (either at their current program or transferring) or signing and relinquishing their remaining NCAA eligibility.

Slot bonuses and bonus pools

After signing, players almost always start their careers in the minor leagues, where their actual salary is very little (which is another problem in itself). Hence, the majority of the money that they make until they reach the majors comes from the signing bonus that they sign after being drafted.

However, unlike in the NFL, signing bonuses are not a set amount. Each draft has a “slot value,” which essentially amounts to a suggested amount. A team’s total signing bonus pool to allocate to all of their draft picks is equal to the sum of the slot values of all of their draft picks.

College seniors have very little leverage

As previously mentioned, after being drafted, players must choose between signing with the team that chose them or going to/staying in school. Some players and their agents will use the threat of not signing in order to demand the team that drafted them sign them for above their slot bonus.

However, college seniors have very little leverage, as they do not have any eligibility left. Hence, they are often forced to sign for significantly less than slot bonus in order to give the team more money to sign its other draft picks.

The ninth and tenth round issue

The bonus pool rules only apply to players selected in the first ten rounds of the draft. For players selected in rounds 11-20, teams can sign them for up to $150,000 without it counting against their bonus pool.

As a result, many teams will select college seniors in the ninth and tenth rounds of the draft, the last in which the bonus pool rules apply. They do this because they know that they will be able to sign these players for less than their slot value, giving them more money to sign their other draft picks.

College seniors get jobbed

The result of all of this? College seniors get punished. Their reward for staying in school longer to continue their education and develop more at the college level is being forced to sign for pennies on the dollar.

For instance, in the ninth round, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Connor O’Neal, a senior catcher from Southern Louisiana. Although the slot value for the pick was $196,000, O’Neal signed for just $2,500, giving the team an extra $193,500 to spend on its other draft picks.

Bad for college baseball

Because the draft system is so heavily stacked against college seniors, players are heavily incentivized to sign earlier—either after high school, junior college, or their junior year of college. As a result, almost none of the best players make it to their senior year of college—and the few that do tend to suffer a major financial penalty for doing so.

Not only is this system bad for these players, but it is also terrible for the sport of college baseball. Because of the rules, fans rarely get to watch their favorite players play for four years, as they are heavily incentivized to depart prior to then.

One of the best things about NIL in college football is that it has caused players who might have otherwise turned professional early to stay in school longer—which is great for the sport. In baseball, however, that is not what is happening.

Hurts the players in the long run

As mentioned earlier, each team has 20 draft picks every year. With only 26 spots on each major league roster, the numbers there obviously do not add up. The result is that less than 20 percent of players who get drafted wind up making it to the major leagues. (Although this percentage will likely wind up going up, given that MLB has reduced the size of the draft in recent years.)

For that huge group of players who did not make it to the big leagues, the signing bonus is not going to last forever. A college degree would be invaluable for them to have in the long run. However, because of the system in place, the majority of these players either never attended college to begin with or left prior to graduating.

Potential solutions

So what can be done to fix this issue?

Fortunately, at least some help should be arriving in the form of increased scholarships. Through this past season, the NCAA scholarship limit for baseball was just 11.7, despite some rosters having up to 40 players. Under the new House settlement, however, baseball programs will now have 34 scholarships. This will likely keep some more players in school, as many will no longer have to deal with the financial burden of paying college tuition.

In addition, though, perhaps MLB should consider adopting a draft format more like the NFL’s—with hard signing bonuses rather than slot pools and suggested amounts. Doing this would not only prevent college seniors from getting screwed over, put it would potentially cause more players to stay in school as well, as they would know that with a strong senior year, they could still get a big signing bonus, and potentially even increase their draft stock.

Ultimately, the majority of players selected in the MLB draft are still likely going to be high schoolers and college juniors. With a few changes to their system, however, the league could help out college baseball and make things right for those who chose to stay in school.

On the heels of NIL turning four on July 1, one young athlete has made industry history with her first brand partnership. 14-year-old soccer phenom Loradana Paletta has signed a deal with Italian sports brand LOTTO to become their first-ever NIL athlete in the United States.

The Syosset, N.Y.-native and star of both the U.S. Soccer Under-16 Girls National Team and the NYCFC Youth U14 Academy Boys Team, Paletta joins LOTTO’s roster of more than 500 professional athletes around the world.

“I’m so proud to be LOTTO’s first NIL athlete and I’m really excited to start this journey with them,” Paletta shared with NIL Daily on SI. “It’s been amazing so far, even though I’ve known them for three of four weeks now. Meeting the team, I’ve been really comfortable with them. They’re really nice and as soon as I saw them, I just knew this was the right fit for me.”

Paletta now stands alongside NWSL star Sofia Huerta of Seattle Reign FC, MLS stars Kellyn Acosta of the Chicago Fire and Tim Parker of New York Red Bulls, plus legendary U.S. Soccer player and broadcaster Stu Holden as brand partners representing LOTTO’s iconic logo.

MORE: Beauty brand levels up women’s basketball support with Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers

Two years younger than most of her fellow U.S. Soccer Under-16 Girls National Team members, the star midfielder Paletta is already a poised pitch women when it comes to her footwear choices.

“Their boots are amazing,” Paletta added. “My particular favorite ones are the Solista in pink and blue. I also like wearing the straight black ones. They really suit my style. They really feel like calm on my feet and very light.”

“LOTTO has a great fifty-plus year heritage in soccer and adding Loradana as our first NIL partner in the U.S. is the latest example of our dedication to the future of the sport and our continued growth in market as the country’s soccer participation and interest is skyrocketing,” said Jameel Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer, Fashion & Athletic Verticals, at WHP Global, which owns the LOTTO brand.

Paletta has traveled with globe in 2025 with recent U.S. Under-16 Girls’ National Team competitions and training camps in the Netherlands and Spain.

“At only 14 years-old, Loradana Paletta is everything LOTTO stands for,” Spencer continued. “Fearless, authentic, and driven by passion. She’s a dynamic leader on the pitch and rewriting the story for young female athletes in this country, and we’re proud to be a part of that. Her energy and attitude mirror our DNA, and she’s already leading the next generation by example.”

– Enjoy more NIL Daily on SI –

NIL powerhouses Azzi Fudd, Livvy Dunne join star-studded sparkling water investment

Kai Trump joins Livvy Dunne, Travis Kelce with new NIL deal

Nation’s No. 1 college basketball recruit signs NIL deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand

14-year-old world record holder signs NIL partnership with Nike

This is an opinion column.

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Hugh Freeze was feeling bullish about Auburn football at SEC Media Days, but it appears like he has a major problem festering with this team.

The players keep getting arrested for allegedly committing serious crimes.

The latest Auburn football player to run afoul of the law is Malcolm Simmons, the once promising wide receiver from Alexander City. I say “once” because Simmons is presumably no longer on Auburn’s football team after being charged with domestic violence on Wednesday.

Fall camp is close, but it can’t get here fast enough for the Tigers. Freeze predicted that Auburn would contend for a playoff spot this week, but he’s going to need some players to make that happen.

Is Freeze building winners or criminals down on the Plains?

A couple weeks ago, a now-former Auburn football player from Birmingham was arrested for allegedly planning to deal drugs. D’Angelo Barber, who is 19 years old, was stopped by Dadeville police traveling between his hometown and Auburn. In his car were two and a half pounds of marijuana and the things modern-day drug dealers need to turn NIL cash into a budding criminal empire on college campuses: scales, vapes, a gun and a bunch of cash.

Two and half pounds is a lot of dope. Was the plan to sell weed to football players or just students?

Barber’s arrest reminds me of former Alabama football star Sherman Williams, who went to prison for 15 years for crimes related to selling drugs. The difference between Williams and Barber is that Williams was a pro football player when he was busted and Barber was just beginning his career in college.

The problem with this NIL-era of college football is that a lot of these players are becoming wealthy based on potential rather than accomplishments. When people don’t actually do anything to gain their wealth, then there’s a greater tendency to take it all for granted. Just look at bone-headed Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn’s star basketball player who was arrested for driving under the influence last week.

Pettiford has everything going for him after helping Auburn reach the Final Four. He decided to return to Auburn instead of going pro. I’m beginning to question that decision. Maybe he needs to get away from the college scene to fully mature.

At baseline, fans are wary of this era of NIL-infused college football and basketball. How long are supporters of teams going to tolerate paying players who turn around and use that money to bail themselves out of jail?

And the new revenue-sharing model for collegiate athletics is about to give players even more green. With so much cash around, character among players is going to matter more than ever before.

Georgia has had its problems and so has Alabama. Auburn’s string of arrests aren’t unique. But Georgia football and Alabama basketball are established programs. They’ve been able to correct the problems internally and continue winning. Character issues among players can ruin Freeze’s plan of resurrecting Auburn football before the season even begins.

I really wanted this Auburn football team to break its cycle of under-achieving mediocrity and give fans something to love, but I’m beginning to have some doubts. It was only 24 hours ago that I wrote a column backing Freeze and these Tigers. They can be the surprise team of the SEC, but you have to suddenly question all that jive that Freeze was saying at Media Days about a winning culture in this locker room.

“Heading into our third year — with respect obviously to our great league — our roster is just better,” Freeze said. “We’re bigger, we’re faster, we’re stronger. Our culture is strong.”

Really, Hugh?

Earlier this week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey raised serious questions about the erosion of values in this new era of pay-for-play. Freeze played the holier-than-though routine a couple weeks ago when he accused SEC rivals of cheating, but he might want to focus on his players being arrested for allegedly dealing drugs and choking women.

What is it that I wrote on Tuesday at Media Days? Something about there being no saints in the SEC?

Georgia’s Kirby Smart talked about building character this week and so did LSU’s Brian Kelly. Isn’t it hard to take these guys seriously?

Pretty words mean nothing when players are getting picked up by the cops.

Freeze has a well-documented history of questionable decisions, of course. In the end, for good or ill, every team is a reflection of its coach’s character.

And I really wanted Simmons to be a great player, too. He was fun to watch last season. He was so fast and quick that even his mistakes on the field offered proof of his potential. There were times when he looked like a future All-SEC receiver.

I hope it works out for him, but it can’t be at Auburn. Alleged strangulation and suffocation of a girlfriend? These are charges that can’t be ignored or made to go away. No coach can be associated with domestic violence under any circumstance. Even former coach Urban Meyer, during those notorious years at Florida, had a zero-tolerance policy for girlfriend abusers.

Hopefully the character issues related to Barber and Simmons are isolated to those players and Auburn can be better without them around. We’ll see. Too many times, though, arrests and poor offseason decisions are the beginning signs of a larger problem.

The guys in charge have cut corners building a roster and the foundation of a team crumbles from within.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

President Donald Trump is pushing to establish name, image and likeness standards across college athletics and plans to sign an executive order to ensure changes are made. College sports leaders, including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, are some of the leading voices behind NIL change, but didn’t expect the announcement this week.

Campbell has spoken at length with Trump this summer about ways to stabilize the rapidly changing landscape of college sports. Campbell told USA Today he “hadn’t heard anything” about Trump’s order, but was not caught off guard by the news.

And while the White House has halted plans for a college sports commission for now, Trump is moving forward after members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) aiming to “protect the name, image, and likeness rights of student-athletes to promote fair compensation with respect to intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.” 

The bill would superse the current patchwork of state laws that provide guidance on player compensation and create federal standards for NIL.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said this week there’s still much to sort out concerning Trump’s plan.

“It’s not a secret, I had a chance to visit with the President, along with Pete Bevacqua, the athletics director at Notre Dame,” Sankey told ESPN Wednesday. “We met and played golf at Bedminster, and his interest is real. My takeaway: he wants to be supportive of college athletics, make sure that it’s sustainable, the Olympic program and the Olympic development.

“Work that’s done on college campuses was on his mind. The support of women’s athletics was on his mind, but having some kind of real boundaries, and we’ve been in active conversations. And I talked to members of Congress yesterday as they look at a bill in the House of Representatives, went through a subcommittee markup, this is all the gobbledygook. I think those congressional activities are still a real priority for us.”

Sankey said he didn’t have “inside reports” of what led to news of Trump’s plan for an executive order relating to NIL standards.

College football coaches and leaders have voiced strong opinions on NIL and revenue sharing regulation. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade of the Committee on Energy and Commerce earlier this year while former Alabama coach Nick Saban has called for change on several occasions.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Head men’s soccer coach Bob Thompson announced the Eagles’ 2025 schedule on Thursday. The 15-game slate features six opponents that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament and includes 10 home matches to be played on the Newton campus.
 
Boston College opens the season with back-to-back home contests. The Eagles take on Binghamton in the season-opener on Thursday, Aug. 21 before facing Siena the following Monday.
 
The first road match of the season sees the Eagles travel to Providence on Aug. 29 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
 
BC returns to its home pitch on Sept. 2 against local foe Northeastern. ACC competition gets underway as Boston College hosts California on Sept. 7 in the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
 
The first road conference test is slated for Sept. 14 against Virginia Tech. The Eagles are back home for the next two contests, taking on NC State (Sept. 19) and Boston University (Sept. 23).
 
Boston College hits the road for two-straight games, first with a trip out west to Stanford to close out September on the 28th, followed by a trip to Syracuse on Oct. 3 to take on the Orange.
 
Duke comes to town for an ACC tilt on Oct. 10 before the Eagles host Division II side American International on Oct. 14. The Eagles travel to SMU for its final road game of the regular season in a rematch of the 2024 ACC opening round game.
 
BC hosts Notre Dame on Oct. 24 for its final ACC game before wrapping up the regular season the following Friday (Oct. 31) at home against Saint Joseph’s.
 
The ACC tournament begins Wednesday, Nov. 5. The first round and quarterfinals (Nov. 9) will be played on campus sites followed by the semifinals (Nov. 13) and final (Nov. 16) to be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Dexcom Unveils Season 4 Roster for Game-Changing NIL Program at Signing Day Camp Hosted by Mark Andrews

• Dexcom’s first-of-its-kind NIL program welcomes 13 new athletes and eight returning team members, including San Diego State University basketball standout Miles Byrd and Alabama A&M University’s Shelomi Sanders

• The trailblazing program empowers college athletes with Type 1 diabetes to break barriers in sports and inspire their communities, as showcased at the Dexcom U Signing Day Camp, a new addition to the program, earlier this month

DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM), the global leader in glucose biosensing, announced today the launch of the fourth season of Dexcom U, the company’s one-of-a-kind NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) program exclusively for college athletes with diabetes.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250717183186/en/

The 2025 Dexcom U roster consists of 21 athletes, with 13 new and eight returning team members, who all use Dexcom CGM to monitor their glucose levels and manage their diabetes.

This year’s Dexcom U roster welcomes 13 new athletes from colleges and universities across the country — including the University of Oregon, San Diego State University, and Northwestern University — representing 12 sports such as football, basketball, lacrosse, track & field, soccer, and more, alongside eight returning team members. The new athletes were selected following a dynamic, first-of-its-kind nationwide open call that drew over two hundred submissions, as Dexcom searched for the next great college athletes with diabetes to join the program.

To officially welcome and celebrate the newly selected Dexcom U athletes, Dexcom hosted its Signing Day Camp earlier this month in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was hosted by Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens tight end and Dexcom Warrior, who relies on Dexcom G7 to manage his Type 1 diabetes and perform at the highest level. Mark was joined by Mike Golic Sr., NFL legend and sports broadcaster, who uses Stelo, Dexcom’s over the counter glucose biosensor, to manage his Type 2 diabetes. The powerful, high-energy day brought together athletes with diabetes across all levels, including pro, college and youth sports, to redefine what’s possible with diabetes. Both new and returning Dexcom U team members connected with Baltimore youth athletes and celebrated the resilience and determination that unite them.

“It was incredibly inspiring to witness athletes of all ages come together at the Dexcom U Signing Day Camp to show what is possible while living with diabetes,” said Mark Andrews, Dexcom Warrior and Baltimore Ravens tight end. “I know how impactful it would have been to have a support system like this in the early stages of my career, so for me, getting to be the role model I never had is really special.”

Dexcom U was created to elevate college athletes with diabetes who are breaking boundaries in sports and achieving their goals, despite their diagnosis. Since its inception in 2022, the program has directly impacted more than 40 college athletes across 38 schools and 19 sports. Each Dexcom U athlete relies on Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology like Dexcom G7 to manage their diabetes with real-time data delivered directly to their smartphone or smartwatch,* empowering them to take control of their health and discover what they’re made of.

“This season, we set out to grow Dexcom U in ways that bring even more athletes into our Warrior community. From launching a new nationwide Open Call to hosting our first Dexcom U Signing Day Camp, we’re creating impactful opportunities for athletes with diabetes to shine,” said Leverne Marsh, executive vice president of marketing at Dexcom. “It’s all part of our mission to show how Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitoring technology supports performance, confidence, and connection.”

The 2025 Dexcom U roster consists of 21 athletes, with 13 new and eight returning team members, who all use Dexcom CGM to monitor their glucose levels and manage their diabetes:

New athletes:

• Ali Ramadan, Soccer, Creighton University

• Anya Tribune, Soccer, Gardner-Webb University

• Ari Long, Basketball, University of Oregon

• Breanna Corral-Vargas, Acrobatics & Tumbling, Hawaii Pacific University

• Clarke Byram, Track & Field, Pole Vault, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• Jackson Montgomery, Baseball, Coppin State University

• Kya Epps, Track & Field, University of Cincinnati

• Michael Trepeta, Lacrosse, Johns Hopkins University

• Miles Byrd, Basketball, San Diego State University

• Nadia Nemeth, Field Hockey, Northwestern University

• Niamh Pfaff, Lacrosse, Yale University

• Nikola Parichkov, Tennis, Wake Forest University

• Patrick Heneghan, Football, Denison University

Returning athletes:

• Ben Mirisch, Water Polo, University of Southern California

• Caleb Fauria, Football, University of Delaware

• Isaac Traudt, Basketball, Creighton University

• Jessica Walter, Softball, University of Connecticut

• Madison Moraja, Track & Field, North Carolina State University

• Nicholas Hahne, Cheerleading, University of Notre Dame

• Raegan Lantz, Volleyball, Miami (OH) University

• Shelomi Sanders, Basketball, Alabama A&M University

Dexcom U athletes will receive access to Dexcom CGM, exclusive events and opportunities, and a supportive network of collegiate and professional athletes — including mentors like Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris and Dexcom U alum and Vegas Thrill setter Carly Graham — who support one another both on and off the field.

To learn more about Dexcom U, visit www.Dexcom.com/DexcomU2025.

About Dexcom

Dexcom empowers people to take control of health through innovative biosensing technology. Founded in 1999, Dexcom has pioneered and set the standard in glucose biosensing for more than 25 years. Its technology has transformed how people manage diabetes and track their glucose, helping them feel more in control and live more confidently.

Dexcom. Discover what you’re made of. For more information, visit www.dexcom.com.

*Smart device sold separately. For a list of compatible devices, visit www.Dexcom.com/compatibility.

Media Contact

Aly Brandt

mediarelations@dexcom.com

Investor Contact

Sean Christensen

sean.christensen@dexcom.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250717183186/en/