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2025 College Football Thread: Notre Dame signed a guy (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Capella
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Ramblin Wreck
Footballguy
Black dot
NutterButter
Footballguy
3rd
The Longtime Lurker
Footballguy
Go Blue!! 
kupcho1
Footballguy
It's gonna be tough to top the old thread title (FTR: 2024 College Football Thread: Ohio State advances to play unbeaten hypothetical SEC team), but I have faith in you.
Beef Ravioli Part 2
Footballguy
In
General Malaise
Footballguy
Off to a great start with the thread title!
BroncoFreak_2K3
sucker for Orange
In
kupcho1
Footballguy
I didn't realize they'd added an NIT for college football.
bigbottom
Footballguy
For what it’s worth I made a prediction last year that Oregon would go undefeated on the regular season!
I think Fanduel has USC predicted at 7.5 wins. Since I don’t bet at online sports books, I will take the over on that line for any bets that folks here want to make up to an aggregate cap of $500.
I would be very surprised if USC made the playoffs this year. Vegas seems to agree with me on this. I think 8-4 is what I would guess so above the 7.5 over/under
General Malaise
Footballguy
I'd go over that total as well. 7.5 seems way too low.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Of course Vegas agrees with you. It’s not worth making a pre-season prediction unless it’s a long shot. Nobody is going to respect a call that tOSU makes the playoffs this season.
bigbottom
Footballguy
In case you didn’t see it @Schmeabs and @General Malaise, Lyons canceled his USC visit. I think it may have been mutual as USC had apparently asked him to move his scheduled June visit to the fall. They already have Jonas Williams for 2026 and I think they are focused on Peyton Houston for 2027 (when Lyons would be arriving at school following his LDS mission).
It appears to be between Oregon and BYU for Lyons. I think this kid is gonna be really special.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Recapping offers, happenings at Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion camp
Notre Dame was busy during its Irish Invasion camp on Friday, as offers were sent out along with Marcus Freeman and Jeremiyah Love in attendance.
A good amount of offers going out during Irish Invasion camp
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Here’s a short but good summary of the House antitrust settlement approved yesterday. https://www.sportico.com/law/analysis/2025/ncaa-house-settlement-approved-1234849259/
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Top 25 college athletes with highest NIL valuations | Fox Sports
With Cooper Flagg, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter off to the pros, here are the 25 athletes with the highest NIL valuations for 2025-26.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
NCAA football news: Gamers can help their team earn NIL money on College Football 26
The new EA Sports College Football game can help schools receive NIL money based on how often their teams are used by gamers.
Looks like I will only play ND from now on LOL
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
Not a lawyer. Is that saying the schools are capped at $20M in payments for NIL to their athletes or the conferences or is it saying any of that at all? Only thing I walked away with from the article is there is still a ton more legal fighting ahead. Sorry if dumb question. I don't follow that stuff very closely.
bigbottom
Footballguy
I haven’t read the opinion. But the linked article states the following:
Participating colleges will directly pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million pegged as the initial annual cap. Those payments will be in addition to both athletic scholarships, which cover tuition, housing, health resources and other benefits, and NIL deals athletes sign with third parties.
To be clear, colleges are not obligated to participate in revenue-sharing, and those that participate are not obligated to pay the full $20.5 million
So with respect to your questions, I take that to mean the cap is per college, and it is not inclusive of NIL packages or scholarships.
As for NIL deals, they will now have to go through an independent fair market value review to ensure they aren’t blatant pay for play deals.
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
Ok. So they are saying the MOST a school can pay the totality of their student athletes is $20M but they don't have to participate and if they participate, they don't have to go the full $20M and that $20M doesn't have anything to do with NIL or scholarship. Trying to understand the benefit/point of this.
WDIK2
Footballguy
I believe it is the first time the schools can legally pay the athletes directly. I would guess most of the P4 schools will pay the full $20.5 million. Not sure if the information will be made public, but it would be interesting to know how schools distribute these funds. This has been coming for a while, so most schools should already have a plan in place.
Football and men's basketball are usually the only sports that make money, but I can see some legal battles coming up if they receive the majority of the $20.5 pie. I didn't read the article. Was Title IX addressed?
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
Wouldn't title IX drive that?
Ramblin Wreck
Footballguy
I'm not sure Title IX is covered in pay for play. Title IX is about offering sports and allocating scholarships for women. I don't think a court is going to dictate that a women's volleyball player is making the same amount of money as a football player but I'm sure the lawsuits are coming.
I am also sure the schools that cheated the most in the 90's and 2000's are going to be the ones cheating the most again. They will pay their $20.5M and find a way to illegally pay another $10M if that's what it takes.
I think the one thing that might get questioned in court but I'm certainly no lawyer is putting a cap on what athletes can make without collective bargaining. I am sure these lawsuits are coming from players too and it's not stopping until there is a union and collective bargaining agreement. College sports need contracts badly and to end this portal nonsense but allow the players to make money.
I am also sure any P4 school that pays anything to be competitive in football might get smoked in basketball moving forward. The Big East schools don't play big boy football and will allocate most of that $20M to basketball. Sure, Duke and Kentucky and Kansas will make a significant investment into basketball but Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, and others will pay so much for football that how can they compete in basketball too? Because of this, I don't see any way this ruling lasts long and holds up. The SEC and B1G, in particular, will likely fight this.
I am also sure the schools that cheated the most in the 90's and 2000's are going to be the ones cheating the most again. They will pay their $20.5M and find a way to illegally pay another $10M if that's what it takes.
I think the one thing that might get questioned in court but I'm certainly no lawyer is putting a cap on what athletes can make without collective bargaining. I am sure these lawsuits are coming from players too and it's not stopping until there is a union and collective bargaining agreement. College sports need contracts badly and to end this portal nonsense but allow the players to make money.
I am also sure any P4 school that pays anything to be competitive in football might get smoked in basketball moving forward. The Big East schools don't play big boy football and will allocate most of that $20M to basketball. Sure, Duke and Kentucky and Kansas will make a significant investment into basketball but Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, and others will pay so much for football that how can they compete in basketball too? Because of this, I don't see any way this ruling lasts long and holds up. The SEC and B1G, in particular, will likely fight this.
massraider
Footballguy
Regarding the bolded, I am going to guess this will be a toothless body that rubber stamps every deal. How are they going to prove one endorsement deal is a pay for play when every NIL deal is essentially a pay for play?
The NIL collective for Texas will stop paying Arch Manning if he transfers to Texas tech. That seems like what the NCAA would consider pay for play.
And also, why does any athlete need to submit their endorsement contract to some ''independent fair market value review'? There is no CBA They agreed to, and if a collection of independent businesses (schools/NCAA) conspire to restrict an American's earnings, they are in violation of our anti-trust laws----as I understand them.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Yes, I definitely expect an anti-trust challenge.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
The approval of this settlement will almost certainly be appealed, as it was approved over multiple objections from class members. Even if it survives an appeal, you're surely correct that the new paradigm is on thin ice legally. They've already hired a commissioner (Brian Seely from MLB) as called for under the settlement. The commissioner has oversight for the school payments and private NIL deals - to review them for a "valid business purpose" among other things. It seems like one big gaslight to me. Pay to Play has been a massive part of this, and the NCAA remains stubbornly steadfast despite the obvious unsupportable fraud in its position. But I think this could add some protections and structure to these contracts, which have been like the wild west the past couple years. I've previously read about Universities drafting NIL contracts that would pull money if the player were injured and couldn't play. Even the most blatant rubber stamping exercise can't overlook something that obviously offensive. The valuation analysis might be interesting. Obviously having Arch Manning or Cooper Flagg endorse your car dealership has substantial value. The difficultly might come when an unknown tackle transferring from an FCS school gets an $800k NIL deal before he's stepped foot on campus. That's got to be hard to defend.
As for Title IX, there is still some gray area there. The settlement is silent on that, but the Office for Civil Rights has stated they believe any revenue sharing payments are subject to the law and such revenue must be disbursed equally based on gender. Sources quoted in the Athletic suggested a top football program budget will likely have to be in the range of $40m-$50m to be a competitive team that expects to make the playoff. If the school can pay its football team roughly $10m (meaning nothing for men's basketball, baseball, hockey, etc.), they'll need another $30m-$40m in private booster funding. I believe that's quite a bit more than the biggest schools were raising last season.
One other interesting angle is this oversight commission depends on the rule that athletes self-report any value received over $600, including all of their private NIL deals. How likely is that to work? An anonymous quote from an article I read this morning - "“If you tell a booster or business owner they can’t give a star player $2 million, there will be lawsuits,” said the personnel director. “There’s no enforcing this. Fair market value? F— Deloitte. This is going to get even crazier. ... “There are a lot of rich people that can’t buy a professional sports franchise, but they can give a ton of money to their alma mater,” said a power conference administrator. “And if you’re telling millionaires and billionaires what they can and can’t do with their money, you’re probably going to lose that battle.”
The issues faced by smaller schools is also very interesting. The Ivies have maintained they will not opt into this settlement and will maintain their commitment to sports amateurism. Of course, they can offer extremely valuable benefits other smaller schools can't. Maybe they'll separate completely? I can see a B-league of true amateur athletes emerging that might appeal to old-school sports fans.
From the Iowa St. AD - “Iowa State does not have that (additional) $20 million, but if we don’t pay it for this coming year, we have big problems, right? So we’re going to pay it,” said Pollard. “Would you pay a bigger fee (as a student) … to go to school here so that a member of our men’s basketball team could get paid $1.5 million in addition to their scholarship, their room and board, and all the services they get for being a student on campus? That’s the fundamental question we’re going to have to ask ourselves. Because if we don’t do that, then what we’re saying is that we’re not going to have the athletics program that we’re having.”
Meanwhile, some of the traditionally middle of the pack schools like BYU who have access to booster goldmines suddenly find themselves moving up in the hierarchy.
There will surely be a ton of unintended or unexpected consequences from this. I still maintain we are heading toward a future where sports and schools are completely divorced and separated from each other, but as before I don't see that happening in my lifetime despite how inevitable it seems.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Yea, didn’t BYU just land the top basketball player in the nation? What are the chances that happens 10 years ago?
Instinctive
Footballguy
JIIIMMMMMMMEEERRRRRRRRRRR
The answer is "if the best player was Mormon, like 70%+. If not, nearly zero."
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Yes - AJ Dybantsa (black kid from Boston, not Mormon) had offers from essentially the entire top 20 schools in the country. His deal is supposedly $8.5m. They also landed a 5 star transfer from Baylor in a deal reportedly worth $3.5m.
Interesting read https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...sketball-aj-dybantsa-kevin-young-boosters-nil
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Shouldn’t be a surprise I suppose.
Two power conference schools have private equity funding relationships in place
Two power conference schools have private equity funding relationships in place
Corporation
Angry Bovine
First page dot 
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Five-star safety Joey O'Brien commits to Notre Dame football, joining Maryland prep CB Khary Adams
Notre Dame cornerback commitment Khary Adams was joined Friday evening by 5-star safety Joey O’Brien of suburban Philadelphia.
www.usatoday.com
Chadstroma
Footballguy
The Longtime Lurker
Footballguy
Michigan QB commit links up with Bryce Underwood and 5-star WR on recruiting visit
It was another big recruiting weekend for the Wolverines, with a number of the nation's top prospects descending upon Ann Arbor for their official visits. Altho
Reel him in Bryce.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Notre Dame Lands A Commitment From Tight End Preston Fryzel
The commits keep rolling in... who is next?
www.si.com
The commits keep rolling in... who is next?
With Preston Fryzel on Board, Notre Dame Eyes More 2026 Commitments
Notre Dame scratched a tight end off its recruiting to-do list for 2026 on Monday, and a fair amount more of possible commitments appear possible in coming days
bigbottom
Footballguy
Hmmm. He just committed to BYU. Oregon likely to now focus on Bryson Beaver. Interesting name for an Oregon recruit.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Notre Dame Lands A Commitment From Tight End Preston Fryzel
The commits keep rolling in... who is next?
With Preston Fryzel on Board, Notre Dame Eyes More 2026 Commitments
Notre Dame scratched a tight end off its recruiting to-do list for 2026 on Monday, and a fair amount more of possible commitments appear possible in coming days
ND poised to overtake USC on blue-chip recruits.
Worth noting that USC’s 2026 class lost one of their five-stars because he reclassified to 2025 and will now be with the team this upcoming season.
Yeah old news. BYU came in with offer nobody could beat. QB not a big concern for Oregon.
psychobillies
Footballguy
Early commitments have always been anything but an actual commitment, but in today's NIL environment, they mean almost nothing. Kids are just holding spots until the next offer comes along right before NSD. Underwood was as solid as it gets to LSU until Michigan doubled his offer. They smartly waited until the last minute to flip him.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Old news? He just announced his commitment today. And the fongbomb prediction only landed last night. All the Oregon podcast guys were optimistic on getting him until the last 24 hours. You think it was the money alone that swayed him and not also his faith? Have they reported what the amounts of the competing offers were?
As for Lyons, he wouldn’t be on campus until 2027, which means he wouldn’t even be in line to play until 2028 at the earliest. They may not have a need for the next three years, but this recruit was to lay the foundation for the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oregon ends up with him down the road through the transfer portal. He is uber-talented and seems like a real match with your program.
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bigbottom
Footballguy
Other than maybe a guy or two, I would expect (hope) that USC’s class hangs on particularly given how much they have bonded with one another and with most of the class being local Cali kids. Of course, if Riley craps the bed again this season, the whole thing for sure crumbles. He needs 9 wins to hold this class together imo.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Wacthed it live... the kid is Mormon.... he had a 95% chance of going to BYU with the field have the 5%
bigbottom
Footballguy
In the last 24 hours yes. For about two weeks prior to that it was a toss up between Oregon and BYU. And then for the month or so prior to that Oregon was the clear favorite after USC asked him to delay his official visit until Fall.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Not to pile on Oregon, but this article does explain how the recruiting landscape has changed, and how the timetables have moved up.
autzenzoo.com
The big lie Duck fans are telling themselves about Oregon football recruiting
The recruiting calendar has fundamentally changed.
I follow Oregon recruiting very well and nobody was expecting Lyons to commit to Oregon over BYU the past 2 weeks. BYU came out with a huge offer and his faith definately gave them an advantage.
Oregon has had a transfer QB the past 2 years as a Heisman finalist. QB will not be an issue for a few years with Moore and then they can always grab a portal guy if needed. That said, I would have liked them to get Curtis or Lyons.
bigbottom
Footballguy
If there was a prop bet on Lyons ending up at Oregon at some point, I’d probably take it.
