Tag: NIL

After NCAA settlement agreement, these big changes are coming to college golf

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women.

It won’t happen immediately, but there are major changes coming to college golf soon.

The NCAA, the Power Five conferences and lawyers for the plaintiffs in three antitrust cases concerning the compensation of college athletes on Friday filed documents asking a federal judge in California to provide preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that would include a nearly $2.8 billion damages pool for current and former athletes and dramatically alter other fundamental aspects of how the association’s top level of competition is governed.

Division I schools would be able to start paying athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time.

And while athletes would continue to have the ability to make NIL deals with entities other than their schools, the settlement would allow the NCAA to institute rules designed to give the association greater enforcement oversight of those arrangements. The NCAA also would be allowed to have rules requiring athletes to make progress toward a degree in order to receive the payments proposed under the settlement.

Especially for college golf, another significant change would be roster caps. Scholarship limitations also would go away in all sports, though each sport would now be subject to roster caps. For college men’s and women’s golf, the cap will be nine players, which means schools can fund up to nine full scholarships but cannot have more than nine athletes in any given season.

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women. Looking at specifically the Power 4 Conferences (SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC), Oregon State men’s coach Jon Reehoorn posted on social media those roster caps would result in a reduction of about 65 spots for next year with the current numbers.

Include the rest of Division I, that number rises exponentially.

Another issue is the possible cuts coming down the road. While it may not happen initially, there are likely to be numerous sports at schools across the country to be on the chopping block because of the changes, including college golf programs.

While nothing is likely to happen in the 2024-25 season, Friday’s ruling is likely the tip of the iceberg as it comes to changes down the road in college golf.

Discussing Carol Folt’s leadership of USC football requires nuance

Carol Folt has done a lot to support USC football, but the program isn’t yet where it needs to be. This is a difficult debate.

On our recent USC call-in show at The Voice of College Football, we had a debate with a caller at the 28-minute mark of the video, posted below. Our discussion revolved around USC President Carol Folt and her leadership of USC football. We discussed the various details and dimensions surrounding how much she is prioritizing the program and, in the caller’s opinion, is not being as supportive or effective as she should be for USC football.

One notion which figured centrally and prominently in this discussion was Folt’s belief that USC needs to win the right way. The caller felt that was a coded way of saying USC won’t try to be extra-aggressive in the arenas where Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Oregon regularly succeed. The contrary point to that claim is that Carol Folt hired Mike Bohn and Brandon Sosna, who brought aboard Lincoln Riley. Folt helped broker the Big Ten move which will give USC a lot of new and needed revenue. She oversaw the ground breaking on a state of the art football-only facilities.  Now with the hiring of Athletic Director Jenifer Cohen and the hiring of a new and improved defensive coaching staff USC has positioned itself to make a run at the top of the Big Ten Conference.

Have Folt and USC made the changes to allow USC to compete at the highest levels of college football? That is to be determined. Has President Folt committed to helping USC reach the expected standard? Certainly to a point. Callers and critics might say it simply hasn’t been enough. Where we can all agree: Let’s give Folt some credit even while we note where USC is still falling short. Folt cares. Now we need to see if she and Cohen can improve on what they have established. There is certainly room for improvement, even while needed fixes have already been made and paid for.

Here’s our segment:

https://www.youtube.com/live/WIczn-l-zmw?si=jXiGrwo5Qb78sgq-&t=1681

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Zion Williamson could reportedly receive more than $1 million in NIL back damages

As the NCAA settles with athletes unable to profit off of NIL, On3’s Pete Nakos reports that Zion Williamson could receive more than $1 million.

Former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson would have made millions in name, image, and likeness compensation if it existed back when he played in Durham. Now, based on one court case, he still might.

According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos on Friday, the NCAA reached a 10-year settlement to pay more than $2.5 billion in back damages to athletes unable to profit off of NIL.

According to the report, athletes are broken into categories based on their sport with the most compensation given to football players and men’s basketball players. The money comes from different categories as well, meant to reflect profits from broadcasting deals, potential video game compensation, and other lost opportunities. That final category will prove the most lucrative for Williamson.

“Just 3,000 athletes fall into the lost opportunities category in football and men’s basketball,” Nakos wrote. “But for some of the top talent that missed out on NIL, they could command $800,000.”

The report named Williamson, former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, and former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield as prime examples of such top talent.

Nakos reported that the first payment will be due in May 2025.

Current high school NIL rules in each of the 50 states (plus D.C.)

A current rundown that shows which states have adopted rules in favor of high school athletes benefiting from name, image and likeness.

When the NCAA adopted language that allowed college athletes to earn money—or benefit, as it was termed—from their name, image and likeness (NIL), it created a new chapter in amateur athletics, one that was as groundbreaking as it was, at times, confusing.

Since then, we’ve seen NIL deals take form at the NCAA level, with athletes singing endorsements never thought possible. But the unknowns remain, and really, have only grown as NIL questions and curiosities have been met by state rules and regulations that have been anything but uniform.

What are the current regulations regarding name, image and likeness in your state?

As expected, the variances make understanding or adhering to NIL guidelines much more complex, where your state might not even allow such deals, but the school you’re about to attend does. Or, in some cases, the answer is …. unclear.

Based on the latest data, here is the current rundown of NIL guidelines for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.

(Updated: July 25, 2024)

Lincoln Riley publicly defends USC NIL operation at Big Ten media days

Lincoln Riley won’t trash the USC NIL program publicly, despite the less-than-great results.

USC football fans are not happy with the Trojans’ larger NIL setup. USC has lost some five-star commitments because players who expected a certain level of investment from the program became less convinced that the Trojans would be able to provide what they wanted and hoped for. We can speculate on exactly what that is or was, but it’s hard to think that the NIL operation didn’t have something to do with the decisions of players to decommit just three months after making a commitment to Lincoln Riley and USC. You might think Lincoln Riley is upset with the NIL reality at USC. Inwardly, perhaps he might be. We don’t know what he really thinks. Publicly, however, Riley is still professing satisfaction with the status of USC’s NIL program. Steve Wiltfong of On3 Sports got more from Riley at Big Ten media days:

“But yeah, the roster just continues to get better and better. It does. NIL continues to get better and better. Our staff continues to get better and better. New facilities coming. Like, it can’t ever get here soon enough, but the momentum is undeniable; the progress is undeniable from what we took over two years ago. We’re just going to keep stacking these classes on top.”

Riley then said more about NIL at USC:

“We took over something two years ago where there was no NIL,” Riley said. “People have got to understand that our starting point was zero, was nothing. To have to rebuild that, to have to get that started has been a big undertaking. But I would venture to guess that we’ve had just as much growth in NIL over the past 12 months or more than maybe any. program in college football. Like any part of our program — is anything exactly where we want it to be right now today? No.

“But the things are in place and they’re taking hold and they’re growing, and we’re gaining on it. And we’re not going to slow down.”

Regardless of what Riley says publicly, however, what matters is that USC deliver results. The Trojans probably need to have a strong 2024 season on the field if they want to change some recruits’ minds for the 2025 cycle in December.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Billy Napier, pair of codefendants request Rashada lawsuit dismissed

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier claims innocence in the Jaden Rashada lawsuit.

Florida football coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and a pair of codefendants filed motions on Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in Pensacola to dismiss quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s lawsuit involving a failed name, image and likeness deal worth nearly $14 million.

It is alleged that Napier along with Florida booster/automotive technology businessman Hugh Hathcock and former director of player engagement Marcus Castro-Walker made “false and fraudulent promises” to coerce Rashada to sign with the Gators during the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Napier’s attorney, Henry Coxe III of the Bedell Firm in Jacksonville, Florida, argued in a 29-page response that facts are “sorely lacking from the complaint.”

“Nothing alleged in the complaint supports the notion that Napier participated in any wrongdoing,” Coxe opens. “Nowhere does the complaint adequately allege, for example, that Napier knew about whatever occurred between Rashada, his ‘NIL agents’ and the Gator Collective, LLC.”

The litigation stems from an offer made by UF to lure Rashada away from the Miami Hurricanes with a $13.85 million NIL deal after UM promised him $9.5 million to sign with them — which would be a violation of NCAA bylaws if true.

“In fact, the complaint makes clear that Napier could not have defrauded Rashada, since the sole statement attributed to Napier is alleged to have been made after Rashada had already abandoned the Miami NIL deal.”

Hathcock and Castro-Walker had their own respective attorneys file on their behalf as well.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Julian Lewis signs another major NIL deal with elite brand

Julian Lewis adds another NIL deal to his portfolio.

Julian Lewis has his hands on some major NIL deals, enough to make a number of experienced college football players sit up and take notice. The USC football commit continues to add to his NIL portfolio with yet another new arrangement.

Ranked 19th overall on On3’s NIL Top 100 chart with a $2.1 million NIL valuation, Julian Lewis has announced yet another partnership with Under Armour.

JuJu Lewis announced his partnership with Under Armour for its “Back to School” campaign. Besides Jaxxon and Under Armour, Lewis’s NIL profile is also marked by deals with AloYoga and a six-figure contract with Leaf Trading Charts.

Julian Lewis’ stats last year via MaxPreps: 3,094 passing yards, 66.4% completion rate, 48 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a 140.1 QB rating in 2023 for Carrolton High School in Georgia.

This profile is only expected to grow once he completely steps into the world of college football with USC. The Trojans are giving Lewis new receivers, having landed multiple 2025 pass-catchers in their growing recruiting class. Don’t think Lewis isn’t noticing that.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart envious of Oregon’s NIL money

Georgia’s Kirby Smart wishes he had the NIL money that head coach Dan Lanning and Oregon have

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is a little bit jealous of the name, image and likeness money that is pouring into the Oregon Ducks right now.

“Wish I could get some of that NIL money he’s (Nike co-founder Phil Knight) sharing with (Oregon Ducks head coach) Dan Lanning,” said Smart at the 2024 SEC media days event.

Oregon is long associated with the Nike brand. Phil Knight attended the University of Oregon and has been a major donor to the Ducks’ athletic department for a long time.

NIL is perhaps a reason why five-star cornerback DJ Pickett, who many expect to commit to Oregon, dropped Georgia from his list of top schools. However, Kirby Smart knows Georgia can only control so much when it comes to NIL and thinks players deserve NIL.

“I think it’s a mistake to assume that all players lead with that (NIL), or that’s the primary objective,” said Smart. “I think that would be an insult to high school football players and really insult to all people being recruited.”

“I don’t experience, I don’t get to the finish line of official visits where that’s the primary objective. If it is, we’re probably not getting to that point,” continued Smart. “We’re probably not going to be in the conversation.”

Georgia is not considered as much of an NIL powerhouse as other top programs. The Bulldogs currently have the third-ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. Oregon’s class of 2025 is ranked No. 4 in the country.

“Is that (NIL) one of the key decision makers? Yes. Should it be? Yes,” added Smart. “I’m happy that these kids get an opportunity to improve their situation or make money and give back to their families or in some cases their communities.”

“If it’s better for that young man because of a financial difference between us and another school, I respect that decision and opinion they have to make,” said Smart.

At the end of the day, Kirby Smart is primarily concerned about the players in his locker room.

“I have to worry about the players we do get, okay? I worry about the ones that we do sign, that they’re the right kind of kids and they’re coming for the right reason. That includes money; but it’s not just money.”

NIL has transformed the landscape of college football. One positive example is that donating to Georgia’s NIL collective gives UGA fans an opportunity to get more access to the Georgia program this August via an open practice.

Alabama QB Ty Simpson signs multi-year NIL deal with Harbin Automotive

Alabama QB Ty Simpson has landed a lucrative NIL deal!

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson has signed a multi-year name, image, likeness (NIL) deal with Harbin Automotive, On3’s Pete Nakos reports. Simpson’s first truck will be a 2024 Chevy Silverado. He will receive a new truck every few months in exchange for promoting Harbin.

Simpson has an estimated NIL value of $666,000. He ranks at No. 60 among the NIL 100. In the past, Simpson had NIL deals with Amazon Prime and EA Sports.

The Tennessee native is expected to be Alabama’s backup quarterback for the 2024-2025 season. This multi-year NIL deal could be a positive sign when it comes to Simpson potentially returning to Tuscaloosa following his redshirt sophomore season. He has three years of college eligibility remaining.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama football program.

Notre Dame’s Rylie Mills throws out first pitch before baseball game

He probably won’t switch sports because of this, but it’s an interesting thought.

Earlier this summer, Notre Dame defensive end [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] was one of three university athletes to sign NIL deals with the Chicago White Sox. As part of the deal, Mills and the others were allowed to throw out the first pitch before a game. Mills’ time came Sunday before the White Sox faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last game before the MLB All-Star break:

Mills grew up in nearby Lake Bluff, Illinois, so it makes sense that he would sign a NIL deal with a local professional team. However, his presence at Guaranteed Rate Field was not enough for the White Sox on this day as they suffered a 9-4 loss, their record 71st defeat before the All-Star break.

While Mills surely is getting some decent money from the White Sox, it’s unfortunate that he signed this deal at a time when the team is historically bad. Alas, you must go where the money leads you in this NIL era.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89