🏅Football Coaches in D.C.

Hey there,

The NCAA isn’t the only organization that’s lobbying Congress to change laws around college football. In today’s edition, we’re telling you why coaches themselves are trying to get a foot in the door in D.C. Then, we’ve got the skinny on why Arthur Bryant, one of the most important Title IX lawyers in the country, thinks the House Settlement isn’t right. Lastly, a very… odd… NIL recruiting war is going down for a five-star power forward. We’ve got all of that, and more, coming up right now. Let’s get into it!

What can we do to make this newsletter even better? Let us know at [email protected].

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Football Coaches Want Congress to Hear Them

Last week, the American Football Coaches Association tapped federal lobbyists to advocate for them in Washington D.C. The group is trying to remedy some of the recent problems they feel have sprung up in college sports recently – from NIL changes to reigning in the transfer portal.

One of the group’s primary objectives is addressing the lack of regulation NIL agent representation. “You have some young people that are now listening,” said AFCA executive director Craig Bohl, “When their back’s up against the wall, they don’t understand what their value is at.” 

“If you look at the NFL, many of their challenges have been solved with collective bargaining,” Bohl added. The group is reportedly “vetting” the idea of collective bargaining, but don’t currently hold any firm stance on the issue. (More)

Arthur Bryant Sounds Title IX Alarm on House Settlement

Arthur Bryant – one of the most famous Title IX lawyers in the entire country – just wrote a guest column for Sportico. His claim? The House Settlement isn’t just an antitrust violation – it’s a Title IX problem too. 

“The proposed allocation is incredibly one-sided: 90% of the money will go to men’s football and basketball players, 5% will go to women’s basketball players, and 5% will go to men and women on other teams,” Bryant said, “Title IX prohibits sex discrimination and requires equality, regardless of sport or revenues… it has to be equal.” 

Bryant isn’t the first to sound the Title IX alarm on the House Settlement, but considering his standing, it’s a really important opinion to read. You can see his entire argument at the following link. (More)

This Recruit is Starting an NIL Bidding War

Class of 2025 power forward Nate Ament is one of the most highly sought recruits in the country right now. In the past, that would have meant schools pursued him… but in the NIL era, it’s fans that are ponying up.

His recruitment has really been one of a kind: by partnering with Fanstake, he’s essentially creating a bidding war between college basketball fanbases. To be clear, he’s not saying that those fanbases will determine his commitment decision, but he is saying the NIL money will influence the decision. Interesting.

Right now, Louisville’s fans are in the lead, contributing about $31K as I write this. However, he’s reportedly leaning towards Duke right now, which has only coughed up a collective $5K in his NIL sweepstakes (More)

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jeremiah Smith

School: Ohio State University

Position: Wide Receiver

Sport: Football

Class: Freshman (2024 Recruit)

Accolades:

• Five-star recruit (2024 class)

• No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class

• No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 class

• No. 1 player from Florida in the 2024 class

NIL: Smith's incredible performance, including a crucial catch in the national championship game, has skyrocketed his NIL valuation. Reports suggest he's being offered up to $4.5 million to enter the transfer portal. His current valuation sits around $4 million, making him the fifth-highest-valued athlete in college sports.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Caitlin Clark’s Iowa basketball career drove $3.26 million in ticket sales at the school, new report says

♦️ Texas Athletics just logged the highest operating expenses in college sports history – and still turned a profit

♦️ Behind the scenes of the Group of 5’s NIL recruiting struggles

♦️ Here’s what happened at the AthleteCon Queens convention in Charlotte

♦️ Colorado is mulling whether to exempt NIL contracts from open records law

♦️ A class-action NIL lawsuit brought forward by former Michigan football players is ramping up

♦️ UCLA’s basketball collective is giving fans affordable tickets for supporting the team’s NIL fund 

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

In your opinion, where does Notre Dame rank in terms of NIL resources?

• Top 20 - 29%

• Top 10 - 27%

• Top 5 - 24%

• #1 in the Country - 20%