Adrian Wojnarowski Retiring From ESPN for D1 Basketball, Georgia Prohibiting NCAA From Enforcing NIL Rules + ICYMI | Newsletter #272
Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.
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Recapping Major News This Week:
Adrian Wojnarowski announces retirement from ESPN to become the GM of St. Bonaventure’s basketball program
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced Wednesday that he is retiring from ESPN and the news industry to become the General Manager of St. Bonaventure’s Men’s Basketball Program - his alma mater.
In his role with the Bonnies, Wojnarowski will involve himself in transfer portal management, recruiting, family and alumni player relationships, professional player programs and program fundraising. In addition, Wojnarowski will be heavily involved in the programs name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives, and serve as a liaison with the school’s collectives.
In response to the move, St. Bonaventure’s head basketball coach, Mark Schmidt stated that “Woj is as connected as anyone in the basketball world and his decades-long network of relationships can only help our program remain among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 going forward.”
After seven years at ESPN, Wojnarowski is walking away from a lucrative contract he signed with the company in 2022.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, signed an executive order prohibiting NCAA from enforcing NIL rules in Georgia.
The executive order signed Tuesday prohibits the NCAA from taking “adverse action” against Georgia institutions for compensating an athlete for NIL.
The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until either (a) a federal law that regulates the rights of athletes is enacted or (b) the House v. NCAA settlement (which has not been approved) goes into effect. Georgia’s executive order is similar to bills that were passed in Missouri and Texas over recent years that prevent the NCAA from launching investigations into NIL activities.
Until the House settlement is approved (which may not happen at all), institutions are operating under a patchwork of state laws. Georgia’s executive order states that “student-athletes in the state of Georgia should compete on a level playing field and not forgo compensation available to student-athletes in other states while the [House] settlement is pending.” In an age where NIL money is crucial to recruit and retain talent, Georgia’s executive order should give Georgia and Georgia Tech football a competitive advantage in the NIL space.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Quick Hitter News:
ACC exploring ways to keep Florida St. and Clemson in the Conference - LINK
College Football 25 game announces historic 6.5 million players - LINK
Tennessee adding a 10 percent 'talent fee' on ticket prices to raise money for their players - LINK
The AAC is reportedly looking to add Air Force to their conference - LINK
Two University of Montana athletes are entering into a NIL partnership with a political activist group to endorse Sen. Jon Tester’s reelection campaign - LINK
The NCAA and plaintiffs’ attorneys are not planning to make any drastic changes to the House v. NCAA settlement - LINK
ICYMI
House v. NCAA Case Faces Pushback From Judge Wilken
When attorneys from both sides conferenced with Judge Wilken about the House settlement, Judge Wilken asked both sides to return to the drawing board and report back in three weeks with answers to her questions.
Wilken pushed back on the language centered around third-party NIL restrictions in the settlement. She expressed concern that the agreement would take away from the “large sums” of dollars currently going to athletes.
Judge Wilken is giving the attorneys three weeks to come up with something better and more consistent and left them with a warning that taking things away from people doesn't work well.
The NCAA is now left to decide between examining their stance on NIL collectives and boosters to rewrite the settlement or head to trial and face upwards of $20 billion in back damages.
The NCAA and plaintiffs’ attorneys are planning to clarify language in the House v. NCAA settlement around boosters and NIL collectives, but not make any drastic changes.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
What To Watch For: Pac 12 Realignment
The Pac 12’s rebuild is on. Last week the Conference acquired four Mountain West schools - Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State - with the plan to begin play in the new league in the fall of 2026. And the Pac 12 needs at least two more additions to reach the NCAA’s minimum threshold to qualify as an FBS conference… and they must do it fast. The Pac 12 was given a two-year grace period to potentially reestablish itself, and if they do not reach eight confirmed members for 2026 soon, they could be gone forever. So, who will the Pac 12 look to add?
In their statement announcing the new additions, the Pac 12 provided criteria for additional new members with brand power, on-field success, and television markets being the most important. Therefore, this will be an important criteria for the final two spots in the conference.
Another important consideration is exit fees and penalty fees for potential new members. Given the potential fees right now, it is unlikely that the Pac 12 will be able to poach a team from the ACC or Big 12, and no SEC or Big Ten team would consider moving from their lucrative revenue deals, so the PAC 12 will likely look at other Group 5 conferences for new recruits.
Some conferences that the Pac 12 could look into are the AAC (Tulane and Memphis have already been in talks with the PAC 12), west coast basketball schools (such as Gonzaga and St. Mary’s), and other Mountain West schools (such as UNLV and Nevada). Although it is not certain who the Pac 12 will evidently get, it is certain that they will add at least two more schools for the 2026 academic year, and those teams will likely come from one or more of the three areas mentioned above.
To learn more CLICK HERE
Thanks for Reading!
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