NIL
Why college baseball could benefit from House settlement windfall
The smoke rose, pyrotechnics flared and cowbells tolled. In a scene largely reserved for Saturdays in the fall, Mississippi State welcomed new head baseball coach Brian O’Connor in a way few programs can.
The rigs and grills that facilitate the smoky haze that hangs over the outfield at Dudy Noble Field during the spring were opened to owners for tailgating. Concession stands poured $5 domestics and offered $3 hot dogs and nachos.
Those who donated to MSU’s “State Excellence Fund” in levels that ranged from $100 to $5,000, too, were rewarded with everything from commemorative baseballs and cowbells to Bulldogs jerseys.
O’Connor glanced out at the crowd, a smile cresting on his face, and summed up the scene at one of the sport’s cathedrals succinctly.
“Wow,” he mustered. “The Mecca of college baseball [is] right here in Starkville.”
The optics of O’Connor’s ballyhooed arrival from Virginia to Mississippi State were unique, sure. Few, if any, places can mimic the pageantry and fervor for baseball on display at Dudy Noble Field — albeit a similar scene will play out in the tailgate-like atmosphere at the College World Series in Omaha this week.
And while baseball isn’t the moneymaker its gridiron or hardwood counterparts might be, the sport enters a new-look college sports ecosystem as a winner in the passage of the House settlement earlier this month.
“Baseball is really the biggest example of a sport that’s kind of double dipping in this post-settlement world, because you’re having to solve for [three things],” South Carolina Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati explained. “Where football [and basketball] is strictly the rev-share component of NIL, baseball is kind of all three — it’s traditional NIL, it’s rev share and it’s ‘How fast can you add scholarships?’ and ‘How many?’”
Donati’s point, that baseball might be better off in a post-House settlement world, is layered.
The sport was long hamstrung by the 11.7 scholarships it was limited to under previous NCAA rules. In the new environment, where scholarship limits are a thing of the past, that’s opening a door for those willing to back extra scholarships up to the new roster limit of 34 players (down from 40).
South Carolina, winner of back-to-back CWS titles in 2010 and 2011, is slated to fund scholarships at or near the 34-man limit. Cross-state rival Clemson, too, is expected to be in the same ballpark.
Florida State, which turned in a more than $300,000 surplus on baseball in FY 2024, per its latest NCAA financial filings, meanwhile, is expected to jump to around 25 scholarships.
Reigning national title winner Tennessee, too, is likely to boost its scholarship number greatly, though a final number is still being ironed out, AD Danny White said.
How good is the influx of scholarships for the sport? That’s up for debate.
“A simple answer is, you’d think there’d be less parity [with Power Four schools funding more scholarships],” said Craig Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association. “Then you look at this year’s NCAA Tournament, it’s probably as much parity as I’ve ever seen it.
”But with more scholarships means the better programs that have more money can offer more of the superstars. You look up and down — if it’s the SEC, the ACC, the Big 12 — they can gobble up more of those guys.”
Beyond scholarships, the financial commitment to baseball coaching contracts and facility improvements has continued to balloon in recent years.
Tennessee’s Tony Vitello became the highest-paid coach in America last year, receiving a new deal worth $3 million annually. O’Connor’s deal with Mississippi State puts him in the same stratosphere at $2.9 million per year.
Eleven of 15 SEC head coaches made north of $1 million in 2025, and every coach in the league made $700,000 or more, per The Tennessean. Four ACC coaches also made more than $1 million this year, including North Carolina’s Scott Forbes at $1.7 million.
On the facilities side, Tennessee is in the midst of a $105 million overhaul of its ballpark. That comes just six years after Mississippi State completed a $68 million renovation of Dudy Noble Field. Florida State, too, is in the process of considering revamps at Dick Howser Stadium. And Vanderbilt, which was the top national seed in this year’s CWS, is renovating and expanding Hawkins Field.
“Baseball is a revenue-generating sport for us,” Florida State AD Michael Alford said. “So how do we grow that revenue? What can we do to enhance that situation to continue to grow that revenue even more?
“We’re looking at facility renovations. We’re looking at premium seating. We’re looking at what we can do to put baseball at the forefront and to continue to grow that sport at Florida State.”

The NIL market for college baseball players, too, has continued to climb.
Learfield’s 2024 NIL Impact report indicated that baseball players received the fourth-most NIL deals of athletes it tracked, behind football and men’s and women’s basketball.
Opendorse’s 2024 NIL industry report also suggested the highest earners in college baseball were making in the neighborhood of $50,000 — again behind football and basketball, but nearly six times more than the next closest sport, softball.
“If NIL and rev share wasn’t a thing, yeah, [baseball coaches] would be like, ‘Holy cow, we’re going from 11.7 to 34,” said Ole Miss AD Keith Carter. “But now they’re like, ‘OK, that’s awesome, but essentially everybody is doing that because everybody’s going to, one way or another, have full-ride scholarships. Now, what’s the rev share look like? What’s the next step?”
How much revenue will be allocated to baseball programs will vary widely. Football is expected to command 75% or more of the $20.5 million cap schools are funding up to the maximum, while men’s basketball is likely to eat another 15% depending on the place.
That leaves a sliver of the cap to be directed toward baseball. But in a world where coaching contracts are skyrocketing and scholarship investments are booming, the sport is well on its way to a cash infusion.
NIL
Latest Georgia transfer rumors could lead to another Carson Beck level disaster
Georgia football suffered arguably the biggest loss in the Transfer Portal last offseason. Former UGA quarterback Carson Beck made the shocking decision this time last year to transfer to Miami, and that was something that no one saw coming.
Georgia ended up being fine without him as they went on to win the SEC, but losing Beck at the time was not fun.
Fast forward to this offseason and rumors are beginning to swirl of another departure that would be just as shocking and impactful as Beck.
Nate Frazier rumors are the last thing Georgia needs
One of Georgia’s best players this season was running back Nate Frazier. There were countless games where he put the team on his back and helped carry them to victory, and his success this past season has led to everyone at Georgia being excited for what’s to come next season.
Frazier however has not publicly announced that he will be back at Georgia next year and rumors are circulating that he could enter the Transfer Portal.
It’s impossible to state how big of a loss this would be for Georgia. Frazier finished the season just shy of 1,000 yards as he racked up 947 yards and six touchdowns on 173 carries. He also had dominant showings in a few games as well, most notably when he ran for 181 yards against Mississippi State. He was set to have an even bigger season next year as a junior, but that may not be occurring at Georgia anymore.
Frazier hasn’t entered the Transfer Portal yet, but it sounds like there is a chance he does. And if he does it Ohio State could be the team he lands with.
Kirby Smart and his staff have to do everything they can to keep Frazier in Athens. Georgia does have Chauncey Bowens who will return to their backfield for another season, but he can’t do it alone. He needs Frazier with him so Georgia can have one of the best running back duos in the country.
But there is a chance that doesn’t happen next season, and losing Frazier would feel a lot like losing Beck last year.
NIL
Ty Simpson Reportedly Getting NIL Contract Offers After NFL Draft Decision, New Rumors on Alabama QB
Ty Simpson has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but that hasn’t curbed college football programs from trying to get the Alabama quarterback on their roster.
According to AL.com’s Nick Kelly, Simpson has been offered “a deal that could total $6.5 million” from one program, while three SEC teams have offered “at least $4 million and more.”
Simpson was the No. 26 overall player and No. 4 quarterback in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s a bit of a rare breed in today’s college football landscape in the fact that he waited three years at Alabama before becoming the starter, rather than transferring somewhere else.
Simpson played behind Bryce Young in 2022 and Jalen Milroe in 2023 and 2024 before eventually landing the starting job in 2025. While he had a few shaky outings, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC this year, throwing for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions
His final game with the Crimson Tide came in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Indiana, where he threw for just 67 yards in a 38-3 blowout loss.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department considers Simpson to be the No. 30 overall player and the No. 3 quarterback in this year’s draft class. In the latest mock draft from B/R, Simpson is projected to land with the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 13 pick.
While Simpson is widely projected to be a first-round pick, the NFL combine should give him a good idea of where he might land in April. Assuming he’s a consensus first-round pick, it’s hard to imagine Simpson will return to the collegiate level.
If he isn’t so confident about going in the first round, perhaps he’ll take one of the lucrative NIL offers he’s reportedly received.
NIL
Tennessee football offered Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson $4 million
Jan. 11, 2026Updated Jan. 12, 2026, 1:12 a.m. ET
Quarterback Ty Simpson may be headed to the NFL, but it’s not because he didn’t have suitors in college football.
Simpson, who started for Alabama during the 2025 season, declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Jan. 7.
A source close to Simpson told The Tuscaloosa News on Jan. 11 that Miami offered him $6.5 million to play for the Hurricanes in 2026. That would have made him the highest-paid player in college football.
Tennessee and Ole Miss each offered Simpson $4 million, the newspaper reported through the same source.
Simpson is a Tennessee native from Martin, where he won a TSSAA state championship his senior season at Westview in West Tennessee.
Simpson’s base salary at Alabama was $400,000, the newspaper reported. That doubled to $800,000 with incentives.
Simpson has not entered the NCAA transfer portal and has not yet signed his NFL paperwork. However, he plans to play in the Senior Bowl later this month in Mobile, Alabama, according to the newspaper.
Simpson played all four seasons for the Crimson Tide, but did not start until 2025, when he threw for 3,567 yards and had 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He helped Alabama reach the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, where it lost to Indiana in the Rose Bowl.
NIL
Ty Simpson “not wavering” on decision to turn pro amid NIL bidding war
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson announced last week that he was leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. But that hasn’t stopped other college programs from offering him lucrative NIL deals.
What started out in the $4 million range has reached in excess of $6 million, a source with knowledge of the situation told Bama247.
But that same source said the offers were unsolicited and that Simpson “hasn’t wavered” in his decision to enter the NFL draft. The expectation is he will not change his mind before the Wednesday deadline for underclassmen to declare.
Al.com was first to report the unrelenting interest in Simpson as the draft deadline approaches.
Simpson went 11-4 in his lone season as the starter, leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff and a come-from-behind victory at Oklahoma in the first round. But his season ended on a sour note as he threw for only 67 yards and no touchdowns in a 38-3 loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl that saw him sidelined for much of the second half with a rib injury.
Simpson, who was named a team captain in the summer, finished the season with 3,567 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 93 yards and two scores.
Recent NFL mock drafts have had Simpson ranked among the top three quarterbacks — behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore — and a borderline first-round pick.
Alabama 2026 NFL draft decision tracker: Who will stay in school or enter draft?
With Simpson gone, Mack and Russell are the two most experienced quarterbacks on the roster. The two were listed as co-backups this season with Mack having a 62-to-36 edge in total offensive snap over Russell.
Both Mack and Russell resigned with Alabama last week.
NIL
The Ohio State football program is in Transfer Portal crisis thanks to Ross Bjork
When Ohio State made the decision to hire Ross Bjork as athletic director once Gene Smith stepped down, a large reason was that he was supposed to be an expert in the NIL space. Bjork touted his ability to galvanize donors and pay the athletes what they rightly deserved.
The end of his tenure at Texas A&M did see the football program spend a lot of money on recruits. It backfired spectacularly. Jimbo Fisher did not coach the team well, and Bjork had to fire him and pay him around $77 million to not coach the program.
Since coming to Columbus, Bjork has used the opposite approach. He has been borderline stingy at every corner when it comes to NIL for the Ohio State football program. Instead of helping the Buckeyes, he is actively sinking the ship just a year after winning a national title.
Ross Bjork is actively hurting the Ohio State football program
30 players have entered the Transfer Portal from this year’s version of the Ohio State Buckeyes. That is by far the most since the portal became a widely used thing. What’s even worse is that Bjork has refused to pay enough to bring enough players in to replace those guys leaving.
There have been several instances of the Buckeyes losing out on talented portal players because they did not use their NIL money correctly. Bjork seems to think that the College Sports Commission is actually going to be able to enforce any sort of cap when it comes to revenue sharing.
No other high-major program is operating under those assumptions. In fact, most of Ohio State’s competitors keep reloading in the portal. Indiana is arguably passing the Buckeyes when it comes to finding talented older players in the portal, and that’s why they are playing for a national title.
Bjork was a questionable hire when he was brought in. The shine has worn off from the 2024 national championship, and more people are realizing that the title was won in spite of him, not because of him. Ryan Day needs to start putting his foot down when it comes to the football program.
NIL
No. 1 portal WR Cam Coleman commits to Texas
After some marquee portal losses, the Texas Longhorns needed to add elite talent to the wide receiver room and did just that with the addition of Auburn Tigers transfer Cam Coleman over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M Aggies, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Coleman is one of the crown jewels of the portal class, the No. 4 player overall and the No. 1 wide receiver and five spots ahead of the next-best offensive player — former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton. The elite wideout made the most of his second recruiting cycle, but traveled to Austin first before trips to College Station, Lubbock, and Tuscaloosa. He’s ranked as a five-star portal prospect after arriving at Auburn two years ago as a five-star high school prospect, the second-ranked wide receiver behind Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.
In two years at Auburn, the 6’3, 200-pound wideout emerged as one of the nation’s most explosive targets despite the Tigers struggling to find consistency at quarterback. In two seasons, he accounted for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns catching passes from Peyton Thorne, Jackson Arnold, and Ashton Daniels. The hope for both Texas fans and Coleman is that putting him with a quarterback who specializes in the deep ball, like Arch Manning, will both open up the Texas offense and set him up for a one-year springboard on the Forty Acres.
This plan has worked wonders for Texas in previous years, with Matthew Golden and Adonai Mitchell putting up big numbers in Burnt Orange and hearing their names called early in the NFL Draft.
Texas was likely heading to the portal in the offseason regardless, but the departures of DeAndre Moore and Parker Livingstone made it a true necessity for the Longhorns. The Longhorns have bolstered the skill position talent on offense with the additions of Coleman and former Arizona State running back Raleek Brown.
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