🏅Spring football games are in danger

Teaming up with

Hey there,

We’ve got a stacked edition for you today.

First, as much as we all love spring football games, the risk of losing players to the portal may be too great – that’s why some schools are mulling whether to get rid of the games altogether. Next, we finally have details on how the House Settlement’s rev-share cap is going to be policed. Lastly, one legendary basketball coach is worried about whether women’s sports might get left behind in the new era of college sports. It’s all coming up now, let’s get into it!

But before we do… it’s tax season, and with NIL, taxes definitely matter — that’s why we’ve partnered with Anthem. Check out their NIL Tax Webinar ad in today’s edition, especially if you’re a student-athlete or the parent of a current or future NIL-earner. The event is taking place on March 4th — mark your calendars!

We partnered with Anthem last year and it was a huge success for our readers. We believe in their mission, so don’t miss out this time around!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Are Spring Football Games Gone?

Soon, spring football games could be a thing of the past This offseason tons of programs are deciding whether to keep the games, which functionally serve as talent showcases in the height of the transfer portal. In other words, they’re scared their players might get poached.

“The word 'tampering' no longer exists,” said Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, “It's just absolute free, open, common market. So I don't necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don't want these guys all being able to watch our guys and say ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player. Let's go get him.’”

When CBS Sports polled eighteen FBS coaches about their intentions to hose a spring game, only ten said they’d do it. However, multiple responders expressed a hesitancy to do so if the game were televised. (More)

An NIL Enforcement Entity is Coming

If passed, the House Settlement proposal will need policing… and because of the overwhelming lack of trust in the NCAA, the conferences themselves have decided to take that task into their own hands. This entity will focus on policing and punishing programs that try to circumvent the Rev-Share cap. 

One way they’ll try to curb cap-dodging is with an NIL clearinghouse – an idea that’s been floated for some time. The clearinghouse will reportedly be run by Deloitte, which will review deals that exceed $600 to determine whether they’re receiving fair market value.

Another development: This entity will indeed have a CEO. It’s not quite a commissioner, but it’s close. As of right now, we don’t know who it will be… although we’ve got some guesses. (More)

UConn Coach is Worried about Women’s Sports

UConn’s legendary women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is worried about the House Settlement – specifically, as the DoE rescinds its Title IX guidance, how the deal will impact women’s sports.

"And if there's no federal guidelines to do it, then each university is going to do it as they see fit,” he said, “Does that mean that women's sports are going to suffer? Probably… Yeah, probably will, because there won't be enough money to go around for everybody.”

He reassured fans that “That won’t be the case here in Connecticut,” though. It’s true – the women’s basketball team is more or less insulated at UConn… but most other schools, it’s a different story. Parity could go out the window in WBB quickly after the settlement passes. (More)

Teaming up with

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Ace Bailey

School: Rutgers University

Sport: Basketball

Position: Small Forward

Class: Freshman

Accolades:

• Consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class

• Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year

• First-team all-state by the GHSA Boys Basketball Committee

• McDonald's All-American for the 2024 class

• Participated in prestigious events such as Team USA U17, the Nike Hoop Summit, and the Jordan Brand Classic

Career Highlights:

• Leads all NCAA freshmen in Points Per Game (19.9 ppg) as of January 21, 2025

• Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (January 6, 2025) and Freshman of the Week (January 20, 2025)

• Career-high 39 points against Indiana on January 2, 2025, matching Rutgers freshman scoring record

• Double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds against Nebraska on January 16, 2025

NIL: Bailey's NIL earnings of $1.6 million have him ranked 6th in the country via On3.

Bailey is considered one of the most versatile players in college basketball, with the ability to play all five positions on the court. He is projected to be a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with some projections as high as the 2nd overall pick.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ North Carolina’s new tennis commit touts a nearly $700K NIL valuation

♦️ Here are the ten most valuable female athletes in college sports

♦️ Flag Football could become the next big college sport for women

♦️ Rutgers ran the largest athletics deficit in the entire Big Ten last year

♦️ Here’s why direct student-athlete payments could cause an immigration crisis for Universities

♦️ K-State athletics generated almost $500 million in economic impact

♦️ Look at what the NCAA just sent to schools to help them decide whether they should opt in or out of the House settlement

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Will the NCAA ever get legal protection from antitrust lawsuits?

• Yes, they’re cozy with the current admin - 47%

• No, what they’re doing won’t stop being illegal anytime soon - 53%