UNDATED (AP) — The opening of the college football transfer portal has created a dash for cash. The delay in a judge approving the House v NCAA antitrust settlement has extended the window of there being no limits on the amount of money players can receive from their schools’ NIL collectives or from third-party endorsement deals. More than 400 players have entered the portal since it opened Wednesday. Athletes have until April 25 to enter, and they clearly have leverage until the settlement is approved. Sports attorney Mit Winter says schools have a free pass to pay athletes as much as they want.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel gave final approval to a rule designed to discourage football players from faking injuries to stop the game clock. If medical personnel go onto the field to evaluate a player with an apparent injury after the ball is spotted for the next play, that player’s team will be charged a timeout. If the team has no timeouts remaining, a 5-yard delay-of-game penalty will be assessed. Feigning injuries, sometimes at the coach’s instruction, had become a concern of the Football Rules Committee in recent years.
UNDATED (AP) — Lee Corso’s nearly four-decade run on ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to an end. Corso, the longtime ESPN broadcaster and former coach widely known for his endearing expressions and elaborate headgear picks, is set to retire after a career with the show that began in 1987, ESPN announced. His final broadcast will be Aug. 30 — Week 1 of the 2025 college football season — the network said, adding that additional programming to celebrate Corso is also planned.
UNDATED (AP) — Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara and Memphis star PJ Haggerty have entered the transfer portal, instantly making them two of the most productive players available before the college basketball portal closes next week. Baker-Mazara, who turned 25 in January, started 34 games and was the Tigers’ second-leading scorer last season, averaging a career-high 12.3 points during their run to the Final Four. Haggerty was the nation’s third-leading scorer last season, averaging 21.7 points along with 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals while helping Memphis reach the NCAA Tournament. He will be on his fourth team in four years.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former Princeton standout guard Xaivian Lee has committed to national champion Florida and should immediately help the Gators fill a huge hole in their uber-talented backcourt. Lee announced his intention to sign with Florida on Instagram. He posted pictures of himself in a Gators uniform superimposed over a swamp with an alligator head, a Canadian flag and the national championship trophy. At the bottom was one word: committed. Lee picked Florida over Kansas, St. John’s and others. The 6-foot-4 Toronto native was considered one of the top guards in the transfer portal after averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists a game this season for the Tigers.
UNDATED (AP) — Former California running back Jaydn Ott is transferring to Oklahoma. The Sooners announced that Ott has signed with the program as a graduate transfer. Ott was severely limited last season after injuring his ankle in the season opener and was held to 385 yards on 116 carries with four TD runs and an average of only 3.3 yards per carry. But Ott was one of the most dynamic runners in college football the previous two seasons and will be a key piece of Oklahoma’s offense following a down season in 2024.
