Tag: NIL

Barstool Big Cat unveils NIL plan for Badgers long-term future at quarterback

Barstool Big Cat unveils NIL plan for Badgers long-term future at quarterback

One of Wisconsin’s most famous alumni is looking to help the Badgers win on the football field.

That is Dan Katz, a media personality most known for the highly successful ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast with Barstool Sports. Katz is one of Wisconsin’s most vocal fans in the sports media world. He also seems to have a vision for some future NIL funds that can help the team.

Katz was recently listening to Dave Portnoy (Michigan graduate and super fan) explain his plan to, in essence, buy the Wolverines a top-end quarterback with NIL money. Portnoy said he’d pledge $3 million annually to help Michigan afford a top-end talent at the position. In today’s age of recruiting, that is something he technically is able to do.

Katz said he would do the same for the Badgers, though maybe not to the same dollar figure. He elaborated in a video posted on X:

Wisconsin has been an active player in the transfer quarterback market over the last few seasons. It signed veteran transfers Tanner Mordecai and Tyler Van Dyke in 2023 and 2024, respectively. That initiative will likely continue into the future, especially with the program lacking top-end high school recruits at the position.

Branding is important in today’s age of college football. Katz’s initiative can do nothing but help the Badgers, regardless of what the team looks like in three, four, or five years. This is a story we’ll return to as future high school recruiting and transfer cycles continue.

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Micah Shrewsberry talks Notre Dame recruiting strategy with CBS Sports

Great job, Coach.

Notre Dame men’s basketball just had a recruiting week most programs only can dream of. Four commits since the beginning of last week, including new all-time highest-rated recruit [autotag]Jalen Haralson[/autotag], have propelled the Irish to the top of 247Sports’ recruiting rankings for the 2025 class.

Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports took notice of this and decided to reach out to [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] for some insights as part of a feature story about the Irish. Faced with a rebuild upon arriving to the program, Shrewsberry opted to hone in on high school recruiting as opposed to other programs that increasingly looked towards the transfer portal.

Shrewsberry focused on high school recruits almost out of necessity with the transfer portal about to lose the players who were granted an extra year of eligibility by COVID-19. But even taking that out of the equation, he now has the luxury of RALLY, Notre Dame’s new NIL collective, to keep players around.

When asked how this year’s Irish were able to keep almost all of their top scorers from a season ago, Shrewsberry said this:

“I think our guys believed in what we were doing, but they also believed in their teammates and the guys who were going to be their teammates. They could see the positives throughout last season and what we could look like going forward.”

The future in South Bend looks very bright, and it all has to do with the culture Shrewsberry is building. You can’t put a price on that.

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Former Wisconsin CB at center of controversy surrounding UNLV QB Matthew Sluka’s transfer decision

Former Wisconsin CB at center of controversy surrounding UNLV QB Matt Sluka

A former Wisconsin Badgers cornerback is at the center of the story currently dominating the college football landscape and the entire sporting world.

That story: UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced Wednesday morning that he would be sitting out the remainder of the 2024 season after disagreements over his NIL compensation.

His decision is noteworthy because UNLV is off to a 3-0 start and is currently ranked No. 23 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll. The team was one of the favorites to become the Group of Five representative in the expanded College Football Playoff, at least as things stood before his decision. Sluka was 21 of 48 passing through three weeks for 318 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, 8.19 adjusted yards per attempt and 15.1 yards per completion. He also added 39 carries for 253 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

That is all shared to capture the gravity of his announcement. It is the most significant example of a successful player on a highly successful team exercising a redshirt due to unfulfilled NIL promises — as is how it is being portrayed.

That is where former Badgers cornerback Marcus Cromartie enters the equation. Cromartie, an agent with Equity Sports, is Sluka’s NIL representation. He spoke with ESPN’s Pete Thamel to share the following perspective on the situation:

In other words, according to Cromartie, Sluka agreed to transfer to UNLV under an agreement that has not been fulfilled, now multiple games into the 2024 season.

A representative with UNLV’s collective has since denied the $100,000 figure.

There is sure to be a lot more added to this story as the days, weeks and months pass. The situation is a significant shakeup to the nature of the collective-to-coach-to-player relationships in the current age of the sport.

But our focus is the Wisconsin connection to this story. Cromartie was a Wisconsin Badger for four years from 2009-2012, the last two as a starter. He finished his Wisconsin career with 39 games played, 113 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, three pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Cromartie then went on to have long, and winding, NFL career after going undrafted during the 2013 NFL draft. That included stops with the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Montreal Alouettes (CFL).

He began work with Equity Sports in 2020, according to LinkedIn. He most recently received his MBA from Indiana University — Kelley School of Business in May, 2024.

This story is not only ongoing in that Sluka will now look to transfer elsewhere for a final season of eligibility in 2024, and in that UNLV needs a new quarterback. It may get the ball rolling toward a new organized structure for NIL, or at least an advancement past the current model.

More clarity surrounding the situation is sure to follow as more context is added to the story.

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Matthew Sluka redshirting at UNLV over lack of NIL payment

UNLV has not honored an NIL payment to starting quarterback Matthew Sluka, who now plans to redshirt after the team’s 3-0 start.

UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka took to social media on Tuesday evening to announce he is redshirting the rest of the 2024 season.

“I have decided to utilize my redshirt year and will not be playing in any additional games this season,” Sluka wrote in his post. “I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled. Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future.”

Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, who represents Sluka, told ESPN Sluka was promised a minimum of $100,000 by a UNLV assistant coach to transfer, and that none of that money was paid. Cromartie says no effort was made by UNLV’s collective to formalize a contract once Sluka arrived on campus, and that all he has received to date is a $3,000 relocation stipend.

Sluka’s decision was the talk of the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday, with both Brian Kelly of LSU and Kirby Smart at Georgia advocating for revenue sharing to help alleviate issues like this one.

“The NIL, because it becomes a third-party piece, you lose control,” Kelly said. “And that’s why the revenue sharing piece is so important and getting that legislation passed now puts that back through the universities. And now those contracts can be written a lot differently. When you’re dealing with a third party and collectives and NILs, the universities are at arms length.”

“Unless there’s a set contract where Person A has to stay a certain amount of time or they’re going to have to pay back this contract, we’re never going to get to where we want to get to,” Smart added. “There’s probably going to be more and more of this going on, especially as the year goes on, November, December. Athletic departments are going to struggle to be able to make their commitments come to fruition and I think we’re going to see some really tough times in college football when all this is said and done.”

For UNLV, losing Sluka when the program is not only competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but in the midst of a tug-of-war between the Pac-12 and the Mountain West, is a disaster timing wise.

The Rebels will call on backup Hajj-Malik Williams to step into the starting role. Williams has yet to attempt a pass this year, but the five year vet from Campbell has rushed 10 times for 88 yards and has a history as a dual-threat quarterback.

Former USC star Reggie Bush sues NCAA over NIL ‘injustice’

Reggie Bush is suing because he feels entitled to compensation for the use of his image and likeness.

Former USC Trojan star — and Notre Dame antagonist — Reggie Bush is suing the NCAA, the PAC-12, and USC over name, image and likeness money.

The former running back — he of the “Bush Push” fame — claims that USC, the PAC-12, and the NCAA have been earning money off of his likeness without acknowledging or compensating him.

“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush,” Evan Selik, one of Bush’s attorneys, told ESPN. “It’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes. Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions.”

This follows the forfeiture of Bush’s Heisman trophy and a USC national title due to impermissible benefits. Bush has since had his trophy returned. He also has sued the NCAA for defamation after a spokesperson for the org said Bush was taking part in “pay-for-play arrangements”.

Reggie Bush has sued the NCAA. Again.
Oct. 15, 2005; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Reggie Bush avoids the tackle of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Mike Richardson on his way to a touchdown in the fourth quarter of USC’s 34-31 win over Notre Dame Saturday Oct. 15 at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Matt Cashore

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Zion and Zachariah Branch sign exclusive Jordan Brand NIL deal

The Branch brothers are making history at USC off the field.

The Jordan Brand has signed USC football brothers Zion and Zachariah Branch to NIL contracts ahead of the 2024 season. This makes them the first college football players to ever sign with the Jordan brand in history.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the partnership news on Monday.

Zachariah, a wide receiver, and Zion, a safety, are both entering their sophomore seasons with the Trojans.

Zachariah Branch is a sophomore wide receiver and return specialist. He had 390 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns last season, becoming USC’s first-ever true freshman First Team All-American as a returner.

Zion Branch is a redshirt sophomore safety. He recorded 22 tackles, including for a loss and one forced fumble, in nine games in 2023.

The Branch brothers join Jordan Brand’s football roster that includes Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Represented by Excel Sports Management, the Branch brothers have previously partnered with brands such as C4 Energy, Gillette and Honey Stinger.

No. 23-ranked USC kicks off the 2024 season on Sunday versus No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on ABC.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_Irr4IRAJm/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fe402b62-e7f9-46f8-9424-988e3ced14b3

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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard releases new commercial with New Era

This is an awesome NIL deal for Leonard

Notre Dame football quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] is one of the most wanted players for Name, Image, and Likeness endorsement deals.

It was already announced that he has a deal with Rhoback, and on Wednesday he released an advertisement with [autotag]New Era[/autotag]. They are mainly known as hat company, but they do offer different apparel as well.

In the ad, Leonard goes into what someone told him that “you don’t come to Notre Dame to find out what you want to be, you come to Notre Dame to find out who you want to become.”

His family being excited about the fact the he can live out his grandfather James E. Curran’s legacy, who played for the Irish in the 1940’s.

It’s a great company to be associated with and we congratulate Leonard on his latest NIL deal.

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Pair of Sooners make ESPN’s list of top newcomers

The Sooners will be relying upon their portal class to help them win in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners were very active in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] this offseason. In both the winter and spring windows, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] made key additions to the team at multiple different position groups.

Two OU players were highlighted by ESPN in their list of the Top 100 newcomers in college football (ESPN+). Staff writers Max Olson and Eli Lederman compiled the 100 best players in the sport who changed teams via the transfer portal or are incoming true freshmen.

Two Sooners made the list. The first was wide receiver and Purdue transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], the star of the spring. He committed to Venables and wide receivers coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] in the winter portal window and will start at slot receiver in Norman. Here’s what Olson and Lederman had to say about Burks, the No. 14 player on their list.

Burks landed in the portal after a breakout sophomore season at Purdue that saw him record 47 catches for 629 yards and seven scores. He arrives at Oklahoma as another new face in the Sooners’ offense as [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] steps in under center and first-year offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] takes charge. Burks is the complete wide receiver the Sooners were missing last fall after [autotag]Marvin Mims Jr.[/autotag] jumped to the NFL, and he should be a popular downfield choice for Arnold. – ESPN

The second player on the list was defensive tackle and TCU transfer [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag]. He committed during the spring portal window, representing a major [autotag]NIL[/autotag] win for Venables and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag]. He’ll see plenty of time at nose tackle, along with [autotag]DJ Terry[/autotag], and will be counted upon to help the defensive line get to the next level.

A 27-game starter and a 2022 national runner-up at TCU, Williams’ transfer to Oklahoma filled a critical hole up the middle for the Sooners this offseason. Brent Venables’ defense enters the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] down five upperclassmen defensive tackles from last fall, and in the 6-foot-1, 319 pound Williams, Oklahoma gained needed size and experience at the position. He’ll start at nose tackle next to true freshman DT [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], a three-star signee who has earned high praise from Venables and his staff. Former Tennessee transfer Da’Jon Terry will feature heavily in the rotation, as could five-star freshman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. – ESPN

As Venables continues to rebuild the roster through both the portal and high school recruiting, he’ll be counting on players like Burks and Williams this season to help the Sooners try to contend in their new conference.

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Dillon Gabriel gifts Ducks with custom headphones after the conclusion of fall camp

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel gifted the entire Oregon Ducks team with custom Beats By Dre headphones

The Oregon Ducks have wrapped up fall camp, and the 2024 college football season is a week away. That means the time for talking and speculation about the coming season is nearly over, and the action will soon be underway.

To celebrate the start of the season, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel gifted the entire Ducks team with a pair of custom headphones. The headphones are Beats By Dre with a green and yellow Oregon Ducks colorway.

Gabriel recently closed a name, image and likeness licensing deal with Beats By Dre as part of a new class of Beats athletes called “Beats Elite.” Each member of the 2024 Beats Elite class received headphones with colors and designs corresponding to their respective schools. Other 2024 Beats Elite members are Caleb Downs, DJ Uiagalelei and Shedeur Sanders.

Heading into 2024, Gabriel is one of the most talented quarterbacks and players in the country, which gives him a high NIL value. This season is Gabriel’s last before enters the NFL draft. If the Ducks can meet or exceed expectations, Gabriel could cash in on some serious NIL money.

In recruiting, Lincoln Riley says USC isn’t bringing a knife to a gunfight

Lincoln Riley thinks USC has made a lot of progress in its recruiting operation.

USC recruiting has not been what one would call “bad,” but it’s hasn’t been at the level of Ohio State or Oregon or other programs which have assembled better rosters for 2024. USC’s conservative approach to NCAA compliance with NIL has put it at a major disadvantage to programs that have pushed the interpretation of recruiting rules and regulations in regards to high school prospects when compared to Oregon, Ohio State — or extreme cases like Tennessee.

Riley recently discussed USC’s new tack in recruiting high school prospects.

“Our NIL and how it’s evolved, certainly we’re able to be more aggressive with high school guys than we’ve ever been with it. A lot of that’s because our NIL has gotten a whole lot better and House of Victory and all those have done a phenomenal job.”

Recently J.K. McKay and Jeff McKay, formerly of another USC collective (The Conquest Collective), joined forces with House of Victory to work on consolidating the NIL strategy.  A new vison and direction within the USC collective space, along with changes to the conservative Trojan interpretation and adherence to NCAA guidelines will open things up to make recruiting against Ohio State and Oregon.

“You know you don’t want to be going to a gunfight with a knife,” Riley said. “In the beginning we were going to a gunfight with a toy sword, so definitely we’ve made a lot of progress. Those folks have done a great job. I think our strategy — I know I’ve talked about this — on how many high school guys we’re targeting has changed drastically. We have really shifted as I’ve told you — not completely away from the portal.  I don’t think we’ll ever be completely away from it, but you can just look at the numbers, right? We’re headed to becoming the developmental program that we want to be long-term for the next 10 or 15 years.”

“There’s been more high school recruiting. There’s going to continue to be more; the high school recruiting takes longer. It’s not as fast and furious as portal recruiting, and so a lot of times you’ve got to have relationships that are developed for multiple years. Having some of the consistency we’ve had on on certain parts of our staff for a long time now makes a difference on that as well. It’s become a bigger part of what we’re doing each and every year here. That’s going to continue to happen, and obviously as long as our NIL continues to climb, then you know we’ll continue to be as aggressive there as we need to be.”

USC is currently climbing up the team recruiting rankings. The hope is that with the progress expected on the defensive side of the ball, the impressive list of blue chip players, especially on defense, will continue to grow. USC is currently No. 5 in the 247Sports 2026 recruiting rankings.

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