Latest news with #pre-NIL
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Texas Tech Football Preview 2025: The Red Raiders Might Be the Big 12's Best Team
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFNTexas Tech Offense BreakdownTexas Tech Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to SeasonFor all the old "get off my lawn" types who need to take a nap after shaking their fists and wagging their fingers at how college football is finished because of how NIL is taking over …Texas Tech is showing EXACTLY how it's supposed to work. (Sorry, Texas Tech fans who read my stuff. I know I've hammered on this next point for, like, 20 years in a row, but now it really does matter, and in a good way.)Texas Tech has won next to nothing since before almost everyone reading this was last outright conference championship was in 1955, and even then, it was in a four-game Border Conference season. Outside of a few bowl games, the late Mike Leach never won anything. Neither did Kliff Kingsbury. Spike Dykes won half of a Southwest Conference title going 4-3 in 1994, and that's pretty much this is where the NIL side of things comes in. The Ohio States, Alabamas, and Michigans can afford anyone and anything, but lost in all of the unfettered free agency and professionalization of the sport is that this new era allows other programs, who aren't used to knowing a whole lot of success, to get very good, very fast. Cranking it up with a ton of good transfers doesn't guarantee anything but a little bit of improvement, as the all-frosting-no-cake Colorado Buffalo program has shown. However, if you're someone like Texas Tech, and being a factor in conference title chases is just a rumor, the portal might be enough to help get you over the McGuire put together three strong seasons since taking over in 2022, going 23-16 with two bowl wins and a third appearance. But the defense, especially last year, was powerfully what did Texas Tech do? It thunder-dunked the transfer portal, putting together what might be one of the best defensive lines in the Big 12. Offense hasn't been an issue, but it replaced a superstar college back like Tahj Brooks with Quinten Joyner out of O line was okay, but KABOOM … the Red Raiders got two outstanding tackles in Howard Sampson (North Carolina) and Will Jados (Miami University), who could start for anyone in America, to go along with the versatile Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State) with NFL potential at guard or as a swing tackle. The Red Raiders instantly upgraded the overall talent level and depth to go with a base that would've been good enough to finish 7-6ish back in the pre-NIL era. And now?If the new guys on defense can take that side of the ball from being the second-worst in the nation to merely meh, this could be the best team in the Big 12. Going to the College Football Playoff isn't just a realistic goal - if Arizona State, SMU, and Indiana could do it … - it's on the is the year Texas Tech is good enough to win Tech Offense Breakdown Texas Tech Defense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA Draft: Underclassmen are returning to college in record numbers
Eleven days after squandering a late nine-point lead in an agonizing Elite Eight loss to Florida, Texas Tech received a much-needed morale boost. JT Toppin, a second-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 player of the year, announced earlier this month that he intends to return to the Red Raiders for his junior season. Projected as a potential second-round pick by NBA scouts and draft analysts, Toppin is exactly the sort of prospect who might have turned pro in the pre-NIL era but now can benefit financially from remaining in college. The 6-foot-9 forward is expected to make about $4 million in NIL earnings at Texas Tech next season, according to Matt Norlander, a sum that exceeds the 2025-26 rookie salary scale for all but the NBA's top 15 draft picks. The skyrocketing NIL market for proven talent across college basketball has made decisions like Toppin's more and more common this draft cycle. Underclassmen who are fringe NBA prospects are returning to college in record numbers rather than chasing NBA two-way contracts or paydays overseas. Only 106 players entered the 2025 NBA Draft as early entry candidates, the league announced on Tuesday morning. That's the lowest number of early entrants since 2015, down from a peak of 353 in 2021. Braden Smith, a first-team All-American and the nation's best point guard, revealed earlier this month that he's 'running it back one last time' at Purdue, potentially cementing himself as the preseason Wooden Award favorite. Thomas Haugh, one of the pillars of Florida's national title run, recently said that he's returning to the reigning champs despite wowing NBA scouts during a breakout NCAA tournament. Alex Karaban, the last remaining stalwart from UConn's back-to-back title teams, announced on Tuesday that he's coming back for his senior season in hopes of solidifying himself as a 2026 NBA Draft pick while chasing a third championship. Isaiah Evans is returning to Duke. Flory Bidunga is doing the same at Kansas. So is Trey Kaufman-Renn at Purdue, Richie Saunders at BYU and Jackson Shelstad at Oregon. You'll also see Big East player of the year RJ Luis, Mountain West player of the year Donovan Dent and Missouri Valley player of the year Bennett Stirtz, albeit all playing for different college teams than they did this past season. The glut of returning talent to college basketball reflects the money that deep-pocketed, top-tier programs are spending to try to build the best possible rosters. The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported earlier this month that as many as 15 teams will have $10 million rosters next season. Those in the NIL space who have spoken to Yahoo Sports say that it will take up to $6-8 million just to be competitive in a power conference. That's a big leap from even a year ago when only the most coveted transfers and prized freshmen could expect to earn seven figures. It's an even more enormous jump from a few years ago when college basketball's biggest brands helped arrange six- or low-seven-figure NIL deals to tempt back-to-the-basket centers Armando Bacot, Hunter Dickinson, Drew Timme and Oscar Tshiebwe back to college. 'There's not that big of a market in the NBA for a certain type of big man,' Bacot told Yahoo Sports in 2022, 'so being able to come back to college and make money is a really good option.' Is this salary structure sustainable? Will fringe pro prospects continue to earn more as college stars than they can yoyo-ing between the G League and the end of an NBA bench? We'll see. But for now, this current setup is a coup for players who are finally able to earn market value and for the sport of college basketball as a whole. Talented underclassmen are returning to college basketball at the highest rate in a decade plus. That can only drive interest in the sport.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA Draft: Underclassmen are returning to college in record numbers
Eleven days after squandering a late nine-point lead in an agonizing Elite Eight loss to Florida, Texas Tech received a much-needed morale boost. JT Toppin, a second-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 player of the year, announced earlier this month that he intends to return to the Red Raiders for his junior season. Projected as a potential second-round pick by NBA scouts and draft analysts, Toppin is exactly the sort of prospect who might have turned pro in the pre-NIL era but now can benefit financially from remaining in college. The 6-foot-9 forward is expected to make about $4 million in NIL earnings at Texas Tech next season, according to Matt Norlander, a sum that exceeds the 2025-26 rookie salary scale for all but the NBA's top 15 draft picks. The skyrocketing NIL market for proven talent across college basketball has made decisions like Toppin's more and more common this draft cycle. Underclassmen who are fringe NBA prospects are returning to college in record numbers rather than chasing NBA two-way contracts or paydays overseas. Only 106 players entered the 2025 NBA Draft as early entry candidates, the league announced on Tuesday morning. That's the lowest number of early entrants since 2015, down from a peak of 353 in 2021. Braden Smith, a first-team All-American and the nation's best point guard, revealed earlier this month that he's 'running it back one last time' at Purdue, potentially cementing himself as the preseason Wooden Award favorite. Thomas Haugh, one of the pillars of Florida's national title run, recently said that he's returning to the reigning champs despite wowing NBA scouts during a breakout NCAA tournament. Alex Karaban, the last remaining stalwart from UConn's back-to-back title teams, announced on Tuesday that he's coming back for his senior season in hopes of solidifying himself as a 2026 NBA Draft pick while chasing a third championship. Isaiah Evans is returning to Duke. Flory Bidunga is doing the same at Kansas. So is Trey Kaufman-Renn at Purdue, Richie Saunders at BYU and Jackson Shelstad at Oregon. You'll also see Big East player of the year RJ Luis, Mountain West player of the year Donovan Dent and Missouri Valley player of the year Bennett Stirtz, albeit all playing for different college teams than they did this past season. The glut of returning talent to college basketball reflects the money that deep-pocketed, top-tier programs are spending to try to build the best possible rosters. The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported earlier this month that as many as 15 teams will have $10 million rosters next season. Those in the NIL space who have spoken to Yahoo Sports say that it will take up to $6-8 million just to be competitive in a power conference. That's a big leap from even a year ago when only the most coveted transfers and prized freshmen could expect to earn seven figures. It's an even more enormous jump from a few years ago when college basketball's biggest brands helped arrange six- or low-seven-figure NIL deals to tempt back-to-the-basket centers Armando Bacot, Hunter Dickinson, Drew Timme and Oscar Tshiebwe back to college. 'There's not that big of a market in the NBA for a certain type of big man,' Bacot told Yahoo Sports in 2022, 'so being able to come back to college and make money is a really good option.' Is this salary structure sustainable? Will fringe pro prospects continue to earn more as college stars than they can yoyo-ing between the G League and the end of an NBA bench? We'll see. But for now, this current setup is a coup for players who are finally able to earn market value and for the sport of college basketball as a whole. Talented underclassmen are returning to college basketball at the highest rate in a decade plus. That can only drive interest in the sport.
NBC Sports
09-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC Sports
News of presidential college sports commission sparked "scrambling and confusion" on Capitol Hill
If you were surprised by Wednesday's news that President Trump is forming a college sports commission, you weren't alone. Amanda Christovich of reports that the report of the planning commission 'was met with surprise' on Capitol Hill. Per the report, a lobbyist said that the development sparked 'scrambling and confusion' on both sides of the aisle. It speaks to a lack of coordination between the White House and Congress. Given the low likelihood that any executive order could supersede existing federal law (especially the antitrust statutes), collaboration will be critical to the implementation of any effort to alter the current college sports system. Which leads back to the fundamental question of why the federal government is wasting time and resources on devising rules that, given the report that Nick Saban will co-chair the commission, will remove rights that college players have secured through the court system. Less money and reduced freedom of movement will be inevitable. For the players, not the coaches like Saban — who have enjoyed those freedoms for years. It's obvious that's where this is heading. While there could be perfunctory representation of player interests on the commission, expect it to be stacked in a way that will lead to the outcome that Saban has desired from the moment he realized that, in the Wild West of the NIL, those who can recruit the best players in a climate of equal, and restricted, resources for the players will no longer be the quickest draw. While the current system cries out for change in order to prevent college football from becoming even more lopsided than it was in the pre-NIL days, it's for the colleges to come up with a solution. Not the federal government.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Draft: Underclassmen are returning to college in record numbers
Eleven days after squandering a late nine-point lead in an agonizing Elite Eight loss to Florida, Texas Tech received a much-needed morale boost. JT Toppin, a second-team All-American and the reigning Big 12 player of the year, announced earlier this month that he intends to return to the Red Raiders for his junior season. Advertisement Projected as a potential second-round pick by NBA scouts and draft analysts, Toppin is exactly the sort of prospect who might have turned pro in the pre-NIL era but now can benefit financially from remaining in college. The 6-foot-9 forward is expected to make about $4 million in NIL earnings at Texas Tech next season, according to Matt Norlander , a sum that exceeds the 2025-26 rookie salary scale for all but the NBA's top 15 draft picks. The skyrocketing NIL market for proven talent across college basketball has made decisions like Toppin's more and more common this draft cycle. Underclassmen who are fringe NBA prospects are returning to college in record numbers rather than chasing NBA two-way contracts or paydays overseas. Only 106 players entered the 2025 NBA Draft as early entry-candidates , the league announced on Tuesday morning. That's the lowest number of early entrants since 2015, down from a peak of 353 in 2021. Advertisement Braden Smith, a first-team All-American and the nation's best point guard, revealed earlier this month that he's 'running it back one last time' at Purdue, potentially cementing himself as the preseason Wooden Award favorite. Thomas Haugh, one of the pillars of Florida's national title run, recently said that he's returning to the reigning champs despite wowing NBA scouts during a breakout NCAA tournament. Alex Karaban, the last remaining stalwart from UConn's back-to-back title teams, announced on Tuesday that he's coming back for his senior season in hopes of solidifying himself as a 2026 NBA draft pick while chasing a third championship. Isaiah Evans is returning to Duke. Flory Bidunga is doing the same at Kansas. So is Trey Kaufman-Renn at Purdue, Richie Saunders at BYU and Jackson Shelstad at Oregon. You'll also see Big East player of the year RJ Luis, Mountain West player of the year Donovan Dent and Missouri Valley player of the year Bennett Stirtz, albeit all playing for different college teams than they did this past season. Both Trey Kaufman-Renn #4 and Braden Smith #3 are returning to Purdue next season rather than try their luck in the NBA Draft. (Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) (Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) The glut of returning talent to college basketball reflects the money that deep-pocketed, top-tier programs are spending to try to build the best possible rosters. The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported earlier this month that as many as 15 teams will have $10 million rosters next season. Those in the NIL space who have spoken to Yahoo Sports say that it will take up to $6-8 million just to be competitive in a power conference. Advertisement That's a big leap from even a year ago when only the most coveted transfers and prized freshmen could expect to earn seven figures. It's an even more enormous jump from a few years ago when college basketball's biggest brands helped arrange six- or low-seven-figure NIL deals to tempt back-to-the-basket centers Armando Bacot, Hunter Dickinson, Drew Timme and Oscar Tshiebwe back to college. 'There's not that big of a market in the NBA for a certain type of big man,' Bacot told Yahoo Sports in 2022 , 'so being able to come back to college and make money is a really good option.' Is this salary structure sustainable? Will fringe pro prospects continue to earn more as college stars than they can yoyoing between the G-League and the end of an NBA bench? We'll see. But for now, this current setup is a coup for players who are finally able to earn market value and for the sport of college basketball as a whole. Talented underclassmen are returning to college basketball at the highest rate in a decade plus. That can only drive interest in the sport.
