Juju Watkins Signs Historic Fanatics Deal, Former JUCO Students to Get Extra Year of Eligibility in 2025-26, + ICYMI | Newsletter #313
Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!
Recapping Major News This Week:
USC Star Signs Major NIL Deal With Fanatics
Juju Watkins signed a historic multi-year NIL deal with Fanatics Collectibles, where she will become the first female athlete to receive a Bowman University Chrome trading card from Topps, as well as other memorabilia.
After a standout freshman year, Juju Watkins is leading the Trojans with 24.6 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals heading into her second March Madness tournament. She also sits tied for the team lead with 1.9 blocks per game and is averaging 6.9 rebounds.
Juju has amassed significant NIL deals over the past two years, and she now has a $739,000 On3 NIL Valuation.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
NCAA Releases Guidance Around Former JUCO Player’s Eligibility
In December, the NCAA released a waiver allowing athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school to remain eligible to compete in the 2025-26 academic year if they used their final season of competition during 2024-25.
Additionally, the guidance provided clarity on whether Division II and Division III athletes could move up to Division I by taking advantage of the waiver. According to the guidance, a student who previously attended a non-NCAA institution that is currently attending a Division II or Division III school during 2024-25, they can be eligible to compete at a Division I program in 2025-26 if they were previously at a non-NCAA school.
The waiver came in the wake of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia preliminary injunction against the NCAA, where the judge ruled in favor of Vanderbilt’s star quarterback - allowing him to return to school for another season
CLICK HERE to learn more.
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Quick Hitter News:
Panini launches UConn basketball trading card set - LINK
Will Wade to become NC States’s next head basketball coach - LINK
EA Sports to pay players $1500 in NIL for College Football 2026 - LINK
Kevin Willard to sign massive extension with Maryland Basketball - LINK
Former Patriots Scout joins Oklahoma staff as Assistant GM - LINK
ICYMI
AAC sets 'minimum standard' revenue share at $10 million
On Friday, the American Athletic Conference agreed to a move to become the first conference to establish a minimum standard of benefits that schools are required to share with athletes.
As part of their “Minimum Investment Program,” schools must share with at least $10 million in cumulative additional benefits over a three-year period with their athletes starting in 2025. As part of the program, schools can include (1) up to $2.5 million in new scholarships, (2) direct revenue they share with athletes, and (3) up to $2.5 million in Alston payments, as additional benefits.
While the conference will not police how each school distributes the minimum requirement, schools that fail to meet the $10 million requirement at the conclusion of the 2027-28 academic year could be subject to a “review” of their membership status within the conference. Two members - Army and Navy - are excluded from this “review” as they are prohibited from opting into the House settlement.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
What To Watch For: College Athlete Commercials During March Madness
With the men’s round of 64 starting today, there will be plenty of college basketball-related commercials being shown throughout the next few weeks. This year, expect plenty of commercials to feature college athletes. Because of the many NIL deals, that many star players have, I would expect to see a lot of commercials featuring this year’s biggest stars such as Cooper Flagg, Juju Watkins, and Paige Bueckers.
Thanks for Reading!
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!