NIL

What to know about $2.8 billion ruling

A federal judge has approved terms of a sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will upend the way college sports have been run for more than a century. In short, schools can now directly pay players through licensing deals — a concept that goes against the foundation of amateurism that college sports was built upon. […]

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2 weeks ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Some questions and answers about this monumental change for college athletics.

Q: What is the House settlement and why does it matter?

A: Grant House is a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five biggest athletic conferences). His lawsuit and two others were combined and over several years the dispute wound up with the settlement that ends a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes.

Now, each school will be able to make payments to athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 athletes and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA.

Q: How much will the schools pay the athletes and where will the money come from?

A: In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22% of their revenue from things such as media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress “those are resources and revenues that don’t exist.”

Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through “talent fees,” concession price hikes and “athletic fees” added to tuition costs.

Q: What about scholarships? Wasn’t that like paying the athletes?

A: Scholarships and “cost of attendance” always have been part of the deal for many Division I athletes, and there is certainly value to that, especially if athletes earn their degree. The NCAA says its member schools hand out nearly $4 billion in athletic scholarships every year.

How college sports are preparing for ‘seismic change,’ including revenue sharing and new roster limits

But athletes have long argued that it was hardly enough to compensate them for the millions in revenue they helped produce for the schools, which went to a lot of places, including multimillion-dollar coaches salaries. They took those arguments to court and won.

Q: Haven’t players been getting paid for a while now?

A: Yes, since 2021. Facing losses in court and a growing number of state laws targeting its amateurism policies, the NCAA cleared the way for athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, including so-called donor-backed collectives that support various schools.

Under House, the school can pay that money directly to athletes and the collectives are still in the game.

Q: But will $20.5 million cover all the costs for the athletes?

A: Probably not. But under terms of the settlement, third parties are still allowed to cut deals with the players. Some call it a workaround, but most simply view this as the new reality in college sports as schools fight to land top talent and then keep them on campus.

In a big-money era, University of Illinois shrugs off rules on athletes’ NIL deals

Top quarterbacks are reportedly getting paid around $2 million a year, which would eat up about 10% of a typical school’s NIL budget for all its athletes.

Q: Are there any rules or is it a free-for-all?

A: The defendant conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12) are creating an enforcement arm that is essentially taking over for the NCAA, which used to police recruiting violations and the like. Among this new entity’s biggest functions is to analyze third-party deals worth $600 or more to make sure they are paying players an appropriate “market value” for the services being provided.

The College Sports Commission promises to be quicker and more efficient than the NCAA. Schools are being asked to sign a contract saying they will abide by the rules of this new structure, even if it means going against laws passed in their individual states.

Q: What about players who played before NIL was allowed?

A: A key component of the settlement is the $2.7 billion in back pay going to athletes who competed between 2016-24 and were either fully or partially shut out from those payments under previous NCAA rules. That money will come from the NCAA and its conferences (but really from the schools, who will receive lower-than-normal payouts from things such as March Madness).

Q: Who will get most of the money?

A: Because football and men’s basketball are the primary revenue drivers at most schools, and that money helps fund all the other sports, it stands to reason that the football and basketball players will get most of the money.

But that is one of the most difficult calculations for the schools to make. There could be Title IX equity concerns as well.

Q: What about all the swimmers, gymnasts and other Olympic sports athletes?

A: The settlement calls for roster limits that will reduce the number of players on all teams while making all of those players — not just a portion — eligible for full scholarships. This figures to have an outsize impact on Olympic-sport athletes, whose scholarships cost as much as that of a football player but whose sports don’t produce revenue.

There are concerns that the pipeline of college talent for Team USA will take a hit.

Q: So, once this is finished, all of college sports’ problems are solved, right?

A: The new enforcement arm seems ripe for litigation. There are also the issues of collective bargaining and whether athletes should flat-out be considered employees, a notion the NCAA and schools are generally not interested in, despite Tennessee athletic director Danny White’s suggestion that collective bargaining is a potential solution to a lot of headaches.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has been pushing Congress for a limited antitrust exemption that would protect college sports from another series of lawsuits, but so far nothing has emerged from Capitol Hill.

Originally Published: June 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM CDT

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Pat Kelsey sends fiery message that reveals Louisville basketball’s true mission

Louisville basketball is trending in the right direction for the 2025-26 season, as the Cardinals are emerging as one of the top teams in college basketball. The Cardinals took a massive step last season, shattering multiple program records and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in quite some time. The addition of Pat Kelsey as […]

Published

5 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The addition of Pat Kelsey as head coach was an immediate success, and he elevated this program on and off the floor. Louisville was able to land elite recruits out of high school and from the transfer portal.

Kelsey was recently on ACCPM back in May, and he discussed his 2025-26 roster, which fired up all Louisville fans. Kelsey is clearly excited for this upcoming season, and he made sure that the Cardinals fans know they are eyeing a Final Four run.

Related: Pat Kelsey just reignited fierce Louisville-Kentucky rivalry and it’s here to stay

Pat Kelsey sends fiery message that reveals Louisville basketball’s true mission

The Cardinals currently have the tenth-best odds in the nation to win the 2026 National Title. Louisville is eyeing a Final Four run next season, as Kelsey stated in the interview that the fans and the program are craving to cut down some nets.

The Cards’ roster was recently ranked the best overall roster by Sleeper Media, and Kelsey clearly agrees. The Cardinals’ head coach was asked about his roster and the success he had in recruiting, and he is fired up for next season.

“We are excited. We love our team,” Kelsey stated on his roster. “We have a great core group coming back from the group we had last year. What we added in the portal we are excited about.”

Louisville guards are among the best in the country, having brought in multiple 5-star recruits, multiple 4-star recruits, and key returners. The head coach delivered a fiery message to the Cardinals faithful, emphasizing why they should be 110 percent committed to the upcoming season and why Louisville is poised for a deep run in April.

“”If you look at those first three transfer portal guys that we signed, the first one was Adrian Wooley, who was one of the best freshmen in the entire country. 50/40/80 splits as a freshman. Just going to be a phenomenal player. Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely were like boom, boom, right after each other. Isaac is one of the best shooting guards in the entire country, and Ryan Conwell is First-Team All-Big East and an absolute weapon. Our frontcourt, we have signed Mikel Brown. The makeup of our frontcourt is as good as any in our country. You add a veteran like Kobe Rodgers, who we brought in from Charleston, who sat out last year. Aly Khalifa, who is one of the best passing bigs in the world, Kasean Pryor, coming off that knee injury, J’vonne Hadley, who is just a winners winner, the ultimate Pat Kelsey type guy, Khani Rooths, who we think has a huge upside.””

Pat Kelsey

This Cardinals roster is stacked, and someone Kelsey forgot to mention is 4-star commit Sananda Fru. The 6-foot-11 center has elite athleticism and has the potential to start next season.

The Cardinals head coach’s fiery message makes it clear that Louisville eyes a Final Four run. He stated in the interview the city is buzzing, and fans are screaming for a Final Four run, and he has a simple response to all Louisville basketball fans.

“Let’s go do it.” Kelsey stated.

Related: Bold Louisville basketball prediction teases golden future under Pat Kelsey

For all the latest on Louisville basketball’s offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.

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How elite recruits, schools are approaching new revenue-sharing/NIL era

A new era of college athletics is upon us and starting soon. After the NCAA’s House settlement, which was passed on June 6, schools can now legally pay players. Power Four schools — including Auburn — are expected to have a $20.5 million cap to begin with, splitting up the money how it sees fit […]

Published

22 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A new era of college athletics is upon us and starting soon.

After the NCAA’s House settlement, which was passed on June 6, schools can now legally pay players. Power Four schools — including Auburn — are expected to have a $20.5 million cap to begin with, splitting up the money how it sees fit between various sports. It changes the game and creates more 0f an NFL-like structure for football programs, with a salary cap and having to determine what’s fair-market value for players at different positions.

Five-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan is one of the most coveted players in the country in the 2026 class, now navigating a new era of college athletics as the rules change in real time and will go into effect on July 1. He took his summer official visits and has one more trip remaining to Alabama next weekend. During his visit to Auburn last weekend he was able to talk revenue sharing, but things are still far from finalized and being able to throw out official numbers.

“I mean, they really can’t tell me for real. Because the new cap, the (revenue) sharing. They can’t give me a specific number because they’re still figuring out stuff and they don’t know,” Morgan said. “December, they’re going to be able to tell me a lot because they’re going to know a lot. But it was just like right now they know a little something about how the money is going to be spent. But they can’t just say how much.

“Most of (the other schools) told me the same thing. Because I know my first visit was Colorado. And I think when I was up there, they had just approved the cap. So June 1st, I think, that’s when it was. And then the next week, that was only the second week. So, like, just right now everybody is kind of on hold because they don’t really know a lot yet. But that’s what they’ve been telling me.”

NIL is still involved and a factor for recruits and players — but it’s changing. It’s turned into the wild west in recent years, with mega deals for players out of high school and players in the transfer portal.

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Cowboy Baseball Hires Hawksworth As Pitching Coach

STILLWATER – Former Major Leage Baseball pitcher and college coaching veteran Blake Hawksworth has joined Oklahoma State’s staff as its pitching coach. Hawksworth comes to Stillwater after serving the last two seasons as pitching coach at Oregon, where he led a pair of record-setting pitching staffs for the Ducks. “I spoke with people all […]

Published

23 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

STILLWATER – Former Major Leage Baseball pitcher and college coaching veteran Blake Hawksworth has joined Oklahoma State’s staff as its pitching coach.

Hawksworth comes to Stillwater after serving the last two seasons as pitching coach at Oregon, where he led a pair of record-setting pitching staffs for the Ducks.

“I spoke with people all across the country about who the top pitching minds in the game were and what made them special,” said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. “We wanted someone who could really connect with our pitchers on a personal level while providing top-level instruction to them in the pursuits of performance excellence.

“Blake’s unique background as a player in Major League Baseball and now as a coach has introduced him to some of the brightest minds in the game, and his pitching knowledge gained as a performer and now that of a modern baseball instructor and coach is going to really bring a lot to the program.

“Our pitchers will enjoy his personality, his life experience, his mentorship and his passion for teaching and developing, and he’s a great fit with our staff as we create an awesome learning environment with all the modern tools at our disposal.”

A native of Canada who hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Hawksworth has spent over two decades playing and working in a variety of roles in professional and college baseball. Along with time spent as a big league pitcher and MLB agent, he has also been in charge of collegiate pitching staffs at Cal State Fullerton and Grand Canyon and served on staff at UC Irvine.

Hawksworth has coached 15 MLB Draft picks, 10 all-conference performers and three All-Americans in his four seasons as a collegiate pitching coach.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join the Oklahoma State baseball program,” Hawksworth said. “This is a storied program with a tradition of excellence, and I’m grateful to Coach Holliday and the entire staff for the opportunity. I look forward to developing our pitchers both on and off the field, competing at the highest level and helping bring championships to Stillwater. Go Pokes!”

In his two seasons at Oregon, Hawksworth helped lead the Ducks to an 82-36 record, two NCAA Regional berths and a Super Regional appearance, and he coached seven pitchers who collected all-conference honors.

The 2025 Ducks pitching staff posted a 4.10 ERA and 502 strikeouts in 504 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .219 batting average. They led the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings at 7.1, ranked fourth with seven shutouts and were ninth in WHIP at 1.25.

Leading the way was Grayson Grinsell, who earned All-America honors under Hawksworth’s tutelage, while Seth Mattox joined Grinsell as an All-Big 10 First Team pitcher and Jason Reitz was named to the All-Big 10 Third Team.

In two seasons under Hawksworth, Grinsell established himself as one of the top hurlers in program history; he tallied a 9-3 record, 3.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 2025 after posting a 7-2 record and 99 strikeouts as a sophomore. He ranks third all time in program history with 267 strikeouts, and he is in the top 10 in wins and winning percentage.

Hawksworth’s first season at Oregon saw him build a staff that included 12 newcomers into a group that combined to win the fifth most games in program history and set a school record with 550 strikeouts. That staff averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, the third most in Ducks’ history.

Prior to his tenure at Oregon, Hawksworth was the director of operations at UC Irvine in 2023, which came on the heels of a two-year stint at the high school level as the pitching coach at JSerra High School in California. During that prep run, he helped lead the Lions to back-to-back appearances in the postseason title game and the program’s first-ever CIF championship.

Hawksworth’s first stint as a college pitching coach came in 2017 at Cal State Fullerton. The Titans’ pitching staff recorded a 3.64 ERA and helped carry the team to the College World Series, and two of Hawksworth’s pupils, Connor Seabold and Brett Conine, earned All-America honors.

In his lone season as GCU’s pitching coach, which came during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Hawksworth guided the staff to a 3.44 ERA in 18 games, and four pitchers off that staff were selected in the MLB Draft.

Alongside his coaching resumé, Hawksworth spent time working for the Scott Boras Corporation (2014-17 & 2018-19) as a MLB certified player agent, where he recruited top MLB and amateur prospects. He signed 2020 overall No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson and captured over $20 million in revenue in his four years.

As a player, Hawksworth spent one season at Bellevue Community College, going 8-0 with a 0.18 ERA, before being drafted in the 28^th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by St. Louis.

A right-handed pitcher, Hawksworth rose through the organization’s ranks, earning billing as the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect in 2004, and made his MLB debut on June 6, 2009. In 30 appearances as a rookie, he went 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and appeared in the NLDS.

Hawksworth also spent the 2010 season with the Cardinals, pitching 90 1/3 innings in 40 appearances and winning four games before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his final pro season, Hawksworth pitched in 49 games for the Dodgers. After battling injuries, he retired in 2014.

Hawksworth and his wife, Amie, have four children – daughters Madison and Presley and sons Jaxon and Luke.

“We are thrilled to welcome Blake and his family to Stillwater; he and Amie and their family are going to be a great fit in our community and within our staff,” Holliday said. “It became clear to me during the process that we have a lot in common, and we look forward to the future of Cowboy Baseball with Blake on staff.”

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WVU athletics announces creation of Gold & Blue Enterprises

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announces the launch of Gold & Blue Enterprises, an initiative designed to revolutionize the student-athlete experience and enhance the Mountaineers’ competitive edge in the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics. Gold & Blue Enterprises will play a central role in advancing the mission of WVU Athletics […]

Published

35 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WVU athletics announces creation of Gold & Blue Enterprises

Gold & Blue Enterprises will play a central role in advancing the mission of WVU Athletics by focusing on strategic initiatives that drive success in competition and in the evolving Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape. By serving as a key partner in the development of a comprehensive, innovative and sustainable NIL and revenue-generating ecosystem, Gold & Blue Enterprises will support Mountaineer student-athletes and position WVU as a national leader in the future of collegiate athletics.

Gold & Blue Enterprises will operate with two primary priorities: to generate new and diversified revenue streams that fuel the continued success of WVU Athletics, and to harness the strength and visibility of the WVU brand to elevate the personal and professional opportunities available to Mountaineer student-athletes.

“The launch of Gold & Blue Enterprises is a major breakthrough for WVU Athletics and its student-athletes. We are taking a hands-on approach to maximize Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for our students and develop innovative partnerships to generate the revenues we need to thrive,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “I want to thank everyone involved with helping to create and launch this proactive business venture that will work to keep WVU relevant and winning on the national stage. In today’s competitive NIL industry, the launch of GBE is a victory for all Mountaineers.”

Key Features of Gold & Blue Enterprises:

Comprehensive NIL Support: Offering a full suite of services, including education, compliance guidance and personalized brand development to support student-athletes in maximizing their NIL opportunities.

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with leading marketing and advertising agencies to connect student-athletes with corporate partners, facilitating meaningful endorsement opportunities and brand alignments.

Innovative Business Structure: Operating with a private-sector approach, Gold & Blue Enterprises integrates sales, media, marketing and business operations to drive revenue and support the long-term sustainability of WVU Athletics.

Leadership and Governance: A dedicated leadership team will oversee Gold & Blue Enterprises, ensuring alignment with WVU’s mission and values while fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

Gold & Blue Enterprises draws inspiration from successful models at peer institutions, adapting best practices to meet the unique needs of WVU student-athletes and the broader Mountaineer community. This initiative underscores WVU’s proactive approach to the changing collegiate athletics landscape, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, strategic planning and student-athlete empowerment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live.

NIL

NC State football celebration raises $470,000 for NIL

NC State football’s yearly NIL fundraiser was held on Tuesday night, and headlined by Bradley Chubb. The third-annual event raised around $470,000 for the program. It’s always nice to see Bradley Chubb back in town, and he also hosted a camp for kids in Raleigh over the weekend. (I suppose I’ll forgive him for going […]

Published

40 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NC State football’s yearly NIL fundraiser was held on Tuesday night, and headlined by Bradley Chubb. The third-annual event raised around $470,000 for the program.

It’s always nice to see Bradley Chubb back in town, and he also hosted a camp for kids in Raleigh over the weekend.

(I suppose I’ll forgive him for going to a Florida Panthers game and rooting against the Hurricanes.)

Fundraising for the booster NIL collective will remain important in the revenue sharing era, as this outside money does not count against the $20.5 million cap that schools can now spend directly. The spending shall continue same as it ever was.

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Ohio State’s 2026 Big Ten Schedule is Finalized

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s 2026 Big Ten regular season softball schedule will include four home series beginning March 6-8 and encompass 24 total games over the course of nine weekends. The Buckeyes will open conference play in early March, as the Buckeyes welcome Iowa to Columbus for a three-game series March 6-8. It will […]

Published

44 minutes ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s 2026 Big Ten regular season softball schedule will include four home series beginning March 6-8 and encompass 24 total games over the course of nine weekends.

The Buckeyes will open conference play in early March, as the Buckeyes welcome Iowa to Columbus for a three-game series March 6-8. It will mark the earliest that Ohio State has ever hosted a Big Ten contest.

After Iowa, Ohio State heads to West Lafayette, Ind. for a series vs. Purdue March 13-15. The Buckeyes then have an off weekend March 20-22 before returning home for a three-game set against Michigan State March 27-29.

In April, the Buckeyes travel to Minnesota (April 3-5) and Michigan (April 10-21) in back-to-back weekends before hosting Penn State April 17-19. To close the regular season, the Buckeyes travel to Oregon (April 24-26) and host Washington (May 1-3).

The full 2026 schedule will be announced at a later date this fall.

Ticket prices last season ranged from $5-$9 before fees. Seating at Buckeye Field is general admission. A limited number of student tickets will be available for free at each game with a BuckID on a first come, first serve basis. Children under two years old and younger will be admitted free but must sit on an adult’s lap.

Follow Ohio State softball on X (@OhioStateSB), Facebook and Instagram for more information regarding on-sale dates, special promotions and ticket pricing for the 2026 season.

Ohio State 2026 Big Ten Softball Schedule

March 6-8, 2026: Iowa (Columbus, Ohio)

March 13-15, 2026: at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.)

March 27-29, 2026: Michigan State (Columbus, Ohio)

April 3-5, 2026: at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.)

April 10-12, 2026: at Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

April 17-19, 2026: Penn State (Columbus, Ohio)

April 24-26, 2026: at Oregon (Eugene, Ore.)

May 1-3, 2026: Washington (Columbus, Ohio)