Latest news with #MattEntz
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fresno State trying to build NIL reinforcements, after close calls in transfer portal
Before the spring transfer portal closed, Fresno State had a few players receiving lucrative offers to play their college football elsewhere. Those offers ran into the mid-six figures, according to multiple athletics department sources. Those offers, between $100,000 and $450,000, were coming from Power Four conference schools. Coach Matt Entz was able to keep the Bulldogs' top players, but he has been on the recruiting trail ever since meeting with key players in the Valley. Those players don't show up on national recruiting lists, but they are essential to the future successes of a program that will be built on player development. With the university cutting back on financial support to the athletics department due to budget cuts within the California State University, NIL (name Image and Likeness) and future revenue sharing payments to recruit and retain players will likely fall to external sources. Donors, in short. 'The two things that are critical for us moving forward are going to be player acquisition and then player retention,' Entz said. 'It's going to be very important for a place like Fresno State in the future, because nowadays there is always the possibility of earning more somewhere else. 'The retention piece is going to be big. Every time you get a kid who is starting to come into his own, to put himself out there and make plays, become a consistent starter, a consistent producer, you're going to have to, as a staff, worry about keeping them.' It's not all that new, but it is reality. Is the Valley ready for it? That is at least part of the reason Entz, basketball coach Vance Walberg, women's basketball coach Ryan McCarthy and women's volleyball coach Leisa Rosen took part in a Rally the Valley coaches caravan this week, making stops in Kingsburg and Visalia, Firebaugh and Hilmar. The game has changed considerably, with NIL and in the near future, revenue sharing, where schools can share up to 22% of athletics revenue with their student-athletes. Fresno State fans, who clamored in the past about playing in the Pac-12, are a key part of the revenue equation now that they are headed there. 'Our biggest thing right now is we have to show progress,' Entz said. 'We can't stay the same, because if we stay the same we're moving farther away from our peers.' Marcus McMaryion, the former Fresno State quarterback who runs the NIL collective Bulldog Bread, said they are able to be more aggressive in efforts to retain players, as their program develops. But Fresno State is also playing catch up, and revenue from donations to the athletics department has been relatively flat for years. Fresno State in 2024 reported $5.4 million in contributions, according to the financial disclosure report it filed with the NCAA. That includes money received from individuals, corporations, associations or other organizations designated for athletics operations. In 2019, that number was $7.9 million. In 2014, $4.9 million. 'You're either growing or you're getting worse,' McMaryion said. 'In the new reality of football, there's no such thing as staying the same. 'The last thing we want is to be that premier development program that coach Entz is talking about and be OK with just being a stepping stone, build these kids up and allow everyone to take them. It makes it tough. Obviously, we're doing everything we can to keep our guys, but it'd be exciting to get to a point where we have a surplus to where we could be more aggressive in the portal and keep our guys.' It is a model that has proven to work, even with the costs of recruiting and retaining players rising through NIL; just last season Boise State, a largely homegrown team led by running back Austin Jeanty, was the No 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, losing to Penn State in quarterfinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl. But Jeanty, who finished second in balloting for the Heisman Trophy, also had a package of NIL deals that surpassed $1 million, according to some reports. That would have accounted for a large chunk of the NIL funds Fresno State had last year, and several schools in the Mountain West or a rebuilding Pac-12 are believed to have NIL budgets between $5 million and $8 million. 'It's a never-ending cycle trying to figure out creative ways to get people involved, and then when you think about those creative ways, getting people to support it,' McMaryion said. 'But things are slowly trending in the right direction.' Bulldog Bread is turning Valley Children's Stadium into a nine-hole golf course on May 31, with proceeds from each round played going to support Fresno State student-athletes. There is a Bulldog Bread Collective vodka, made in partnership with Lake Bottom Brewery and Distillery; a Bulldog Bread Victory Vibes beer, brewed by Full Circle Brewing Co., the largest Black-owned craft brewery in the country. The collective has a number of corporate partners, and there are also a number of ways for fans to donate to the collective. 'I think we have some things in play that we can get some traction with, but it's really going to come down to how much we can get the fans to buy in,' McMaryion said. 'The expectation is to be a Top 25 program every year. It's almost challenging the fans: Are you a Top 25 fan? What does a Top 25 fan look like nowadays? A Top 25 fan is in the seats at kickoff, is screaming loud and is supporting the program. Maybe you don't have an extra $20 a month to give, but maybe you have five friends that give 10 bucks a month, and they found two or three people and they found two or three people. We have the best fans in the nation, but it's, 'How do we get them to support and have a sense of ownership in how well the team does and keep the best product on the field?''
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold signs with Cleveland Browns
Flowing the conclusion of the 2025 NFL draft, numerous USC players have signed with teams as undrafted free agents. Earlier this week, linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold became the latest Trojan to do so when he inked a deal with the Cleveland Browns. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold was always going to have a tough time getting drafted because of his lack of top-end speed. When evaluating NFL players as physical specimen, having at least one quality which pops off the film is important. Mascarenas-Arnold has a tremendous work ethic and was involved in a lot of plays for USC. He is a smart player who has a knack for being around the ball, and it is widely accepted that coach Matt Entz did a great job with the linebacker room last season before he took over the head coaching job at Fresno State and earned a promotion within the industry. Advertisement However, as well as Mascarenas-Arnold was coached last year at USC, and as hard as he works, the NFL is a vicious, cutthroat business. NFL draft prospects need to be the very best athletic performers with supreme physical profiles. Mascarenas-Arnold doesn't check enough of those boxes. His intangibles are through the roof, but intangibles can only do so much. Let's see if EMA can max out enough to get a special teams or backup linebacker job in the pros. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football's Easton Macarena's-Arnold inks UDFA deal with Browns
USA Today
21-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nevada announces football dates for 2025 games — with an asterisk
Nevada announces football dates for 2025 games — with an asterisk The Nevada football team and the Mountain West Conference have announced the game schedule with dates for the 2025 season. Still, those dates come with an asterisk. The conference's national television partners, CBS Sports and FOX Sports, will now initiate a selection procedure that will include shifting some games to non-Saturday dates. Nevada will open Mountain West play Oct. 4 in Fresno, and the Battle for the Fremont Cannon moves back to its traditional Thanksgiving weekend spot at Mackay Stadium in 2025. Final game dates, kick times and broadcast information will be announced at a future date. The second season of the Jeff Choate era features nonconference home games Sept. 7 against Sacramento State and Sept. 14 against Middle Tennessee ahead of the 2025 Mountain West campaign. The conference slate gets underway Oct. 4 in the San Joaquin Valley as the Wolf Pack travels to Fresno State. October action features home contests on Oct. 11 against San Diego State and Oct. 25 with Boise State at Mackay Stadium, with an additional road trip to New Mexico set for Oct. 18. After a bye over Nevada Day weekend, the Pack prepares for a November featuring road trips to Utah State (Nov. 8) and Wyoming (Nov. 22) with a home game Nov. 15 against San José State before the chance to bring the Fremont Cannon back to Northern Nevada as UNLV comes to Mackay Stadium on Nov. 29. Season ticket prices for 2025 begin at $99. Season ticket members can renew their tickets online or by calling 775-348-7225. More: Season Tickets Get season tickets online Nevada's 2025 football schedule Sat., Aug. 30 at Penn State Sat., Sept. 6 vs. Sacramento State Sat., Sept. 13 vs. Middle Tennessee State Sat., Sept. 20 at Western Kentucky Sat., Sept. 27 — bye week Sat., Oct. 4 at Fresno State Sat., Oct. 11 vs. San Diego State Sat., Oct. 18 at New Mexico Sat., Oct. 25 vs. Boise State Sat., Nov. 1 — bye week Sat., Nov. 8 at Utah State Sat., Nov. 15 vs. San José State Sat., Nov. 22 at Wyoming Sat., Nov. 29 vs. UNLV Mountain West in 2024: 5 teams in bowls, 2 in Top 25 During the 2024 season, the Mountain West had five teams play in bowl games, including Boise State earning the No. 3 seed into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff and participating in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Boise State and UNLV both finished the season in the national rankings, with the Broncos landing ninth in the final US LBM Coaches Poll and eighth in The Associated Press Top 25 and the Rebels finishing No. 24 and No. 23 in those polls, respectively. Boise State was No. 9 in the final CFP rankings and UNLV was No. 24. The 2025 season will see four MW programs with new head coaches: Fresno State (Matt Entz), New Mexico (Jason Eck), UNLV (Dan Mullen) and Utah State (Bronco Mendenhall). 2025 schedule will play out over 15 weeks, concluding with the Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 5. The contest will feature the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The team with the highest conference winning percentage will host the championship game.
