Tag: UIL

Social Media reacts to 5-Star Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey’s record setting night

Texas A&M standout commit Terry Bussey was unstoppable on his record setting night int he 2A State title game.

The Texas Football playoffs are in full swing and current 2024 5-star Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey has written his name in the record books during the first half of the 2A-I state title.

Social media lit up as Bussey led Timpson to a dominant 49-7 over Tolar. He not only broke one UIL state record but two while playing Quarterback. The first came a few minutes into the second quarter when Bussey hit Dacorian Johnson on a quick slant route that he took for a 97-yard touchdown.

Ok, I get it Johnson did most of the heavy lifting on that particular record, but someone had to get Johnson the ball and a record is a record. However, there is a reason Bussey is considered one of the best players in the nation and he gave a taste of that late in the second quarter.

Backed up against their own endzone, Bussey’s number was called on a QB keeper and he sprinted the length of the field for an eye-popping 93-yard touchdown run. Both record-setting highlights can be viewed below.

 

The Timpson standout ended the night with 311 yards on 12-15 passing and 155 yards on 10 carries for a total of 6 touchdowns. To cap it off, he was named the 2A-I state title game offensive MVP.

Congratulations to Bussey and the following posts just show how impressive everyone was with his championship performance.

Proposed changes to state NIL law could give Texas schools a recruiting advantage

A proposed amendment in Texas NIL law could give Lone Star schools an advantage.

The NCAA issued its first infraction related to name, image, and likeness and improper inducement and improper facilitation. This infraction centered around University of Miami booster John Ruiz, the head women’s basketball coach, and NIL superstars Hanna and Haley Cavinder, among others.

As per the negotiated resolution, “women’s basketball head coach violated NCAA rules when she facilitated impermissible contact between two prospects and a booster, according to an agreement released by the Division I Committee on Infractions. In facilitating the contact, the head coach also violated rules on publicity before signing and, because of her direct involvement, she violated head coach responsibility rules.”

While many speculated whether the NCAA should have been focusing on this area of their regulations, others surmised this might be a hint of things to come. While the negotiated settlement did not hand down a punishment to the athletes or the booster, many believed the move to punish the women’s basketball program made the NCAA look bad.

The NCAA looks to be cracking down on schools that are toeing the line between permissible and impermissible activities, but it is unclear who or where the NCAA might target next.

When a state doesn’t have a NIL law, they follow the NCAA interim policy which in some cases is broader than state laws. This has led to some states amending or totally repealing, as is the case in Alabama, their NIL laws. Will changing the laws in your state make you more valuable to prospective college athletes? Only time will tell, but it seems that creating more athlete-friendly laws would be more appealing to athletes.

In Texas, high school athletes are not allowed to monetize their NIL which puts the state at a disadvantage and has caused some high school athletes to graduate early and leave the state so they can pursue deals earlier, see Quinn Ewers. However, recently House Bill 1802 was introduced which would amend the Education Code and allow those athletes competing in University Interscholastic League (UIL) the ability to monetize their NIL if they meet certain requirements. Although, the requirements rule out a large majority of high school athletes.

The UIL โ€œexists to provide educational extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests.โ€ It is strange that this sort of change to ostensibly allow high school athletes to monetize their NIL is a change to the Education Code and not a change to the Texas NIL laws. This act โ€œtakes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.โ€

In addition to this proposed change that could affect high school athletes, another House Bill was introduced into the Texas legislature to amend the NIL laws relating to college athletes. House Bill 2804 would make many notable changes in the law including allowing an โ€œemployee of the institution, may identify or otherwise assist with opportunities for a currently-enrolled student-athlete to earn compensation from a third party for the use of the student athlete โ€™s name, image, or likenessโ€, with some specific restrictions. Previously, employees of institutions could not assist with NIL deals for college athletes. If this bill receives the requisite votes then it will go into effect July 1, 2023, however, if it does not, then it will go into effect September 1, 2023.

We will see states begin to amend their laws related to NIL monetization and some even repeal those laws, but with everything in the space changing so fast, what is the best move? New Jersey, for instance, has NIL legislation known as the New Jersey Fair Play Act, but it does not go into effect until 2025. High school athletes in New Jersey can also monetize their NIL as of January 2022.

This sort of approach seems to be the most logical so a state can assess the landscape without limiting the athletes’ and schools’ ability to navigate the new ecosystem freely.

What We Learned: Late TD, 2-point conversion lift Rockwall past No. 7 Allen in Texas playoffs

In a game that had all the twists and turns of the nearby Texas Giant rollercoaster, Rockwall ousted perennial state and national power Allen by perpetually scoring and, finally, coming up with a defensive stop in the closing seconds of a 60-59 win.

The Texas state football playoffs are a gauntlet, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Undefeated teams facing off, nationally ranked powers against longtime, heated rivals. It all kicks off, then escalates.

And then once in awhile a game like Friday’s Titanic tussle between USA TODAY Super 25 No. 7 Allen (Texas) and Rockwall (Texas) emerges, defying all reason and defense to transform into a fascinating offensive track meet. Here’s what we learned from Friday’s narrow, 60-59 victory for the upstart Yellow Jackets

1) Rockwall had nothing to lose, so it didn’t

Allen entered as a perennial Texas state title favorite and a top-10 team in the Super 25. Rockwall … not so much. Sure, the Yellow Jackets were in the midst of a remarkable, 10-2 season (the losses came against Texas powers Longview and Highland Park), but they weren’t exactly on a national top-five trajectory. What did that mean? The Yellow Jackets entered with nothing to lose, so they started in attack mode and never left it. That includes going for two after scoring an assumed game-tying touchdown in the final two minutes … and then using a wide receiver option pass on that play, despite a low snap that almost tomahawked it from the outset. Rockwall coach Rodney Webb, talk about going for gusto.

The entire series was near work of art stuff, with multiple third-and-long situations converted and that 2-point conversion. No matter how far Rockwall eventually goes in the tournament, Yellow Jacket fans won’t forget that final drive anytime soon.

2) Jaxon Smith-Njiba is the absolute truth

If there were a high school Biletnikoff award, we could call off the chase right now and award it to Smith-Njiba. The four-star Ohio State commit scored four touchdown receptions …ย in the first quarter alone! A one-man wrecking crew, Smith-Njiba eventually finished with six scores, including a rushing touchdown that served as his night cap to give Rockwall a 52-38 lead. At the time it seemed that might be enough to salt away the victory, but like so many other things in this insane matchup, that proved an illusion.

Still, to say that Smith-Njiba, a known commodity committed to one of the nation’s top programs, was a revelation is an understatement. Need proof? Watch the highlight reel catches below, which take the concept of “Mossing” to a new level:

3) After expending so much energy to catch up, Allen finally ran out of juice on final drive

It’s understandable, given their early three-possession deficit and a pace that could make a Pop Warner flag football coach blush, but the Eagles offense finally ran out of juice on its final drive. Needing at least a field goal to win with 1:23 left, quarterback Raylen Sharpe authored an impressive drive, complete with multiple scrambles that appeared to save the day. Then, with the ball inside the Rockwall 40, the Eagles got hit with a false start penalty, a minor gain, a rare Sharpe short-armed pass and, finally, a desperate scramble that was stuffed along the sideline by a huge tackle from a Rockwall linebacker. It was a tough ending for a team that started out of the national rankings and earned a spot all the way in the top-10.