Latest news with #Women'sCollegeWorldSeries
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
After successful Big Ten debut, UCLA has designs on something even bigger
It's a chaotic time in college sports, the rules seeming to change daily and some athletes making nearly as much money as their coaches. At UCLA, the revenue-sharing era officially starts Friday. Athletes will undoubtedly keep refreshing their PayPal accounts to check for that first payment from the pot of $20.5 million that will be distributed in the first year. Meanwhile, Bruins athletic director Martin Jarmond will be keeping tabs on another bottom line — following up a successful Big Ten debut with something far bigger. Having tallied 10 conference championships between the Big Ten and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — more than any other Big Ten school — UCLA could be poised for a breakthrough in its two marquee sports as part of a potentially historic year across the board for its athletic department. The football team landed transfer Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee and the men's basketball team brought in Donovan Dent from New Mexico, giving UCLA perhaps its best quarterback-point guard combination since Josh Rosen and Lonzo Ball nearly a decade ago. 'If you look at our athletic program,' Jarmond, who recently completed his fifth year on the job, told The Times, 'there's an energy and buzz that I feel we haven't had since I've been here, and that's why I'm most positive now.' At a recent player-run practice on campus, Jarmond watched Iamaleava step up in the pocket and fire a 50-yard pass down the sideline to wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer. 'Nico made a play that I don't know how many other guys in the country could make,' Jarmond said, 'and I was like, 'whoa.' Like, that's pretty cool, you know?' There's lots of intrigue to behold in Westwood these days. Fresh off a Final Four run, the women's basketball team bolstered itself with the additions of sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens, a highly coveted transfer from Utah, and freshman Sienna Betts, the younger sister of All-America center Lauren Betts. Oh, and don't forget that softball slugger Megan Grant will make Pauley Pavilion a second home as part of her bid to become a two-sport standout. Grant will also once again combine with Jordan Woolery as perhaps the nation's top-hitting duo in their bid to help the softball team not only make it back to the Women's College World Series but win the whole thing this time. The baseball team that just made the College World Series is bringing back shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the probable No. 1 pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft, and recently learned that high school pitcher Angel Cervantes will play for the Bruins next season instead of the Pittsburgh Pirates after contract negotiations ended with the recent draftee. Jarmond said he was confident the team could continue to play at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2026 after a judge issued a stay of legal proceedings that threatened to force the Bruins to go elsewhere. The men's water polo team will try to defend its national championship with Ryder Dodd trying to top a season in which the freshman scored a MPSF-record 102 goals. After finishing as runner-up to national champion Oklahoma, the women's gymnastics team will welcome a top recruiting class plus the return of two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles. Jarmond said he appreciates working for a university administration that understands the importance of supporting a strong Olympic sports program, particularly with the 2028 Summer Olympics headed to Los Angeles. 'This is the time to continue to invest in our Olympic sports and make sure that we have the excellence that UCLA is known for,' Jarmond said, 'and we're going to uphold that tradition.' Unlike other schools that have imposed student fees to help offset rising athletic department costs upon the onset of revenue sharing, UCLA officials have not discussed such a move, Jarmond said. The Bruins will instead focus on revenue generation through fundraising, ticket sales, sponsorships and new creative endeavors. The school plans to partner with an outside firm to help its athletes with content creation to boost their social media following, making them more attractive to brands that could hire them for name, image and likeness deals. Jarmond said he's not aware of any NIL deals involving UCLA athletes being rejected by the new College Sports Commission, though there remains a backlog of deals under review. Deals of $600 or more are evaluated by a clearinghouse called NIL Go to ensure they represent fair market value and a legitimate business purpose. The role of collectives in offering additional compensation to athletes beyond revenue sharing continues to evolve as part of a shift away from what was previously considered a hard cap on earnings. 'I'm optimistic that it's going to work out,' Jarmond said of maximizing earnings opportunities for athletes. 'I'm optimistic that we will adapt to whatever situation that presents itself based on hard cap, soft cap, whatever cap.' UCLA is also strengthening the infrastructure of its men's and women's basketball teams with the hiring of an assistant general manager for each sport to help with recruiting and navigating the transfer portal. When it comes to revenue sharing payments, Jarmond said he's leaving it up to coaches to dictate how much each player makes. Football coach DeShaun Foster said he divvied up his team's money based on talent, with general manager Khary Darlington and assistant general manager Steven Price assigning values for each player based on previous NFL front office experience dealing with salary structures. 'They loved that we had people explaining to them how you're getting this money or why you're not getting this money,' Foster said of his players, 'and I think that resonated with them.' Across all sports, the Bruins are seeking a strong encore after an initial Big Ten season that saw the school place fifth in the Learfield Director's Cup standings, its best finish since 2018. UCLA athletes posted what Jarmond called a 'phenomenal' 3.22 grade-point average through winter quarter (the latest for which figures are available) despite the travel challenges presented by playing in a coast-to-coast conference. For UCLA athletics to reach the heights that Jarmond wants, its football and men's basketball teams must win big, and he believes the coaches and influx of talent on each of those teams will give them a chance to do so next season. Iamaleava's arrival has generated heightened excitement about a football team that went 5-7 in Foster's debut season. Jarmond said two recruits he met with on their campus visits mentioned the quarterback as one of the reasons they wanted to come to UCLA. 'You know, we just have more interest and buzz, and it's cool,' Jarmond said. 'I think DeShaun has created that, and Nico and the guys.' What excites Jarmond most is the potential to be on a victory lap that's picking up speed. 'This is a great time for UCLA athletics,' Jarmond said, 'and I feel like it's just the beginning.'
15-07-2025
- Sport
Texas softball team from flood-stricken Kerrville honored at Oklahoma City tournament
A youth softball team from Kerrville, Texas, demonstrated remarkable determination by competing in a national tournament just days after their hometown was devastated by catastrophic flooding. David Muir, 'World News Tonight' anchor and managing editor, shares how the Texas Voodoo girls softball team made the seven-hour journey to Oklahoma City for the USA National Gold tournament, despite their community being one of the hardest hit by the July 4 floods that claimed at least 132 lives and left 101 people missing. "We were determined to go because even through all the hardships we still wanted to represent the hill county community," said first baseman Macy Cobb. For right fielder Bailey King, the tournament provided a brief break from the tragedy back home. "It helped take our minds off the devastation floods happening in our hometown," she explained. The devastating floods, which began early on Independence Day, hit Kerr County particularly hard, with officials reporting at least 106 deaths, including 36 children. Despite the unprecedented tragedy, the team united in their decision to compete. "Even with all the heartbreak and devastation, we wanted to show that we could do it," said shortstop Caydence Barbo. The team's journey caught the attention of USA Softball of Texas, which honored them with special "Kerrville Strong, Texas Strong" shirts. The organization praised the team's "incredible determination and perseverance," noting that their "grit and heart reflect the true spirit of Texas softball." Though the team faced close losses in their games - 3-1 and 3-2 - their presence at the tournament represented more than just athletic competition. "Our community has come together and we have been supported in so many ways," said Kylie Traub, who plays pitcher and second base. Catcher and utility player Callie Phillips captured the team's spirit of resilience: "Even though we have suffered an immeasurable amount of pain and tragedy, we will stay strong and rise above all of this." The tournament, held at Devon Park - a venue that hosts the Women's College World Series and will soon host Olympic events - provided these young athletes with a memorable experience during an incredibly challenging time for their community. The team took to social media and noted that the support from both Oklahoma City and their hometown has been "nothing short of amazing," as their community continues the difficult process of recovery and healing.
NBC Sports
14-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Texas Tech hoping big money and top transfers lead to unprecedented payback in football
FRISCO, Texas — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire already had completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado's Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal. The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas Tech athletes, which widely is reported to be around $55 million for the upcoming school year. A significant chunk of that is expected to go toward the transformation of a football program that has never won a Big 12 title or even had a 10-win season since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played his first game for the Red Raiders. 'Yeah, Joey got some money. Joey, where you at, baby? Spending that money, I love it,' Sanders said emphatically about the fellow Big 12 coach he calls a friend, and who coached two of his three sons in high school. 'I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?' The reported dollar figures are staggering, even in these early days of schools being able to pay athletes directly. That total supposedly includes the maximum $20.5 million of revenue each school can share with players under the NCAA's landmark House settlement that took effect, meaning the rest would come through name, image and likeness deals. Red Raiders spending big Last fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for the fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which had a budget of nearly $129 million. The headlines started to come soon after. Tech's softball team never had won a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship before standout pitcher NiJaree Canady arrived last year in Lubbock with a NIL deal that made her the first $1 million softball player. With Canady, who had been to the previous two Women's College World Series with Stanford, the Red Raiders won both of those league titles and got all the way to the final game of this year's WCWS before losing to rival Texas. Canady already has signed a similar NIL deal for next season. Tech also added three top transfers: Florida second baseman Mia Williams; two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA; and Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jackie Lis, an infielder from Southern Illinois. Along with all the money spent on players, Texas Tech this spring unveiled a $240 million football complex at Jones AT&T Stadium, where Cody Campbell Field is named after the former offensive lineman who made a $25 million donation to the project. Campbell's financial impact on the program goes well beyond that. He is chairman of the school's Board of Regents, a billionaire who with his oil and gas partner John Sellers co-founded The Matador Club, the school's NIL collective that is now under the umbrella of the athletic department's Red Raider Club. Sellers and Campbell earlier this year sold some subsidies of an oil and natural gas company for about $4 billion. Campbell announced the launch of a nonprofit called Saving College Sports to help solve a 'crisis' as the industry 'faces an existential turning point as legal, governance and economic challenges threaten' hundreds of thousands of athletes, fandom and the economies of campus communities. On the gridiron The Texas Tech men's basketball program has four Sweet 16 appearances since 2018, including a run to the national title game in 2019. But the big moneymaker for all programs is football and the Red Raiders will find out this fall if a big financial commitment to those players will get them into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Texas Tech brought in 22 football transfers in what many consider a top national portal class. Most are highly touted players, with about half expected to be starters and most of the others impact players on a team already with several key returners after going 8-5 last year in McGuire's third season. 'Yeah, it's been a fun offseason,' McGuire said before Sanders took the podium. 'We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for the football team. I think this conference is really strong. There's a lot of teams that have some big opportunities this year to really make a statement, and we're planning on being one of them.' With the amount of money involved, some front-loaded NIL deals before the House settlement with new guidelines went into effect, it certainly will be a huge and expensive disappointment if they are not. 'I understand how important this year is,' McGuire said. 'We've got to have a lot of things go right, but everybody does. You've got to keep your quarterback healthy. You've got to play at a high level. I know there's a lot of expectations. My job that I'm going to really try to do is keep the pressure on me and the coaches.' Tech returns senior quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the league's top tackler with 126 last year. Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, and on the league's preseason team with a pair of four-star transfers: edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and defensive lineman Lee Hunter (UCF). 'It's unbelievable, those guys came in and bought in to what we were talking about,' Rodriguez said. 'I love those guys to death already and I think they're going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.' It will also be up to McGuire to deal with paid players, some making significantly more than others on the roster. 'I think that goes into your culture,' the former Texas high school coach said. 'It's real. It's real money. Guys are making different amounts of money in the locker room. 'One thing that you better understand if you dream to play in the NFL, your contract's not going to be the same as the guy next to you, and if that's what you focus on, then you're going to spend a lot of time wasting a lot of energy,' McGuire said. 'If guys want to increase that, focus on what you can control. That's your game and how hard you're practicing and how hard you're playing.'
Fox Sports
14-07-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Texas Tech hoping big money and top transfers lead to unprecedented payback in football
Associated Press FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had already completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado's Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal. The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas Tech athletes, which is widely reported to be around $55 million for the upcoming school year. A significant chunk of that is expected to go toward the transformation of a football program that has never won a Big 12 title or even had a 10-win season since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played his first game for the Red Raiders. 'Yeah, Joey got some money. Joey, where you at, baby? Spending that money, I love it,' Sanders said emphatically about the fellow Big 12 coach he calls a friend, and who coached two of his three sons in high school. 'I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?' The reported dollar figures are staggering, even in these early days of schools being able to pay athletes directly. That total supposedly includes the maximum $20.5 million of revenue each school can share with players under the NCAA's landmark House settlement that took effect this month, meaning the rest would come through name, image and likeness deals. Red Raiders spending big Last fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for the fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which had a budget of nearly $129 million. The headlines started to come soon after. Tech's softball team had never won a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship before standout pitcher NiJaree Canady arrived last year in Lubbock with a NIL deal that made her the first $1 million softball player. With Canady, who had been to the previous two Women's College World Series with Stanford, the Red Raiders won both of those league titles and got all the way to the final game of this year's WCWS before losing to rival Texas. Canady has already signed a similar NIL deal for next season. Tech also added three top transfers: Florida second baseman Mia Williams; two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA; and Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jackie Lis, an infielder from Southern Illinois. Along with all the money spent on players, Texas Tech this spring unveiled a $240 million football complex at Jones AT&T Stadium, where Cody Campbell Field is named after the former offensive lineman who made a $25 million donation to the project. Campbell's financial impact on the program goes well beyond that. He is chairman of the school's Board of Regents, a billionaire who with his oil and gas partner John Sellers co-founded The Matador Club, the school's NIL collective that is now under the umbrella of the athletic department's Red Raider Club. Sellers and Campbell earlier this year sold some subsidies of an oil and natural gas company for about $4 billion. Last week, Campbell announced the launch of a nonprofit called Saving College Sports to help solve a 'crisis" as the industry 'faces an existential turning point as legal, governance and economic challenges threaten' hundreds of thousands of athletes, fandom and the economies of campus communities. On the gridiron The Texas Tech men's basketball program has four Sweet 16 appearances since 2018, including a run to the national title game in 2019. But the big moneymaker for all programs is football and the Red Raiders will find out this fall if a big financial commitment to those players will get them into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Texas Tech brought in 22 football transfers in what many consider a top national portal class. Most are highly touted players, with about half expected to be starters and most of the others impact players on a team already with several key returners after going 8-5 last year in McGuire's third season. 'Yeah, it's been a fun offseason," McGuire said before Sanders took the podium. 'We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for the football team. ... I think this conference is really strong. There's a lot of teams that have some big opportunities this year to really make a statement, and we're planning on being one of them.' With the amount of money involved, some front-loaded NIL deals before the House settlement with new guidelines went into effect, it will certainly be a huge and expensive disappointment if they are not. 'I understand how important this year is,' McGuire said. "We've got to have a lot of things go right, but everybody does. You've got to keep your quarterback healthy. You've got to play at a high level. I know there's a lot of expectations. My job that I'm going to really try to do is keep the pressure on me and the coaches.' Tech returns senior quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the league's top tackler with 126 last year. Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, and on the league's preseason team with a pair of four-star transfers: edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and defensive lineman Lee Hunter (UCF). 'It's unbelievable, those guys came in and bought in to what we were talking about,' Rodriguez said. "I love those guys to death already and I think they're going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.' It will also be up to McGuire to deal with paid players, some making significantly more than others on the roster. 'I think that goes into your culture,' the former Texas high school coach said. 'It's real. It's real money. Guys are making different amounts of money in the locker room. 'One thing that you better understand if you dream to play in the NFL, your contract's not going to be the same as the guy next to you, and if that's what you focus on, then you're going to spend a lot of time wasting a lot of energy,' McGuire said. 'If guys want to increase that, focus on what you can control. That's your game and how hard you're practicing and how hard you're playing.' ___ AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed. ___ AP college football: recommended Item 1 of 3
Hamilton Spectator
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Texas Tech hoping big money and top transfers lead to unprecedented payback in football
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had already completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado's Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal. The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas Tech athletes, which is widely reported to be around $55 million for the upcoming school year. A significant chunk of that is expected to go toward the transformation of a football program that has never won a Big 12 title or even had a 10-win season since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played his first game for the Red Raiders. 'Yeah, Joey got some money. Joey, where you at, baby? Spending that money, I love it,' Sanders said emphatically about the fellow Big 12 coach he calls a friend, and who coached two of his three sons in high school. 'I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?' The reported dollar figures are staggering, even in these early days of schools being able to pay athletes directly. That total supposedly includes the maximum $20.5 million of revenue each school can share with players under the NCAA's landmark House settlement that took effect this month, meaning the rest would come through name, image and likeness deals. Red Raiders spending big Last fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for the fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which had a budget of nearly $129 million. The headlines started to come soon after. Tech's softball team had never won a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship before standout pitcher NiJaree Canady arrived last year in Lubbock with a NIL deal that made her the first $1 million softball player. With Canady, who had been to the previous two Women's College World Series with Stanford, the Red Raiders won both of those league titles and got all the way to the final game of this year's WCWS before losing to rival Texas . Canady has already signed a similar NIL deal for next season . Tech also added three top transfers: Florida second baseman Mia Williams; two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA; and Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jackie Lis, an infielder from Southern Illinois. Along with all the money spent on players, Texas Tech this spring unveiled a $240 million football complex at Jones AT&T Stadium, where Cody Campbell Field is named after the former offensive lineman who made a $25 million donation to the project. Campbell's financial impact on the program goes well beyond that. He is chairman of the school's Board of Regents, a billionaire who with his oil and gas partner John Sellers co-founded The Matador Club, the school's NIL collective that is now under the umbrella of the athletic department's Red Raider Club. Sellers and Campbell earlier this year sold some subsidies of an oil and natural gas company for about $4 billion. Last week, Campbell announced the launch of a nonprofit called Saving College Sports to help solve a 'crisis' as the industry 'faces an existential turning point as legal, governance and economic challenges threaten' hundreds of thousands of athletes, fandom and the economies of campus communities. On the gridiron The Texas Tech men's basketball program has four Sweet 16 appearances since 2018, including a run to the national title game in 2019. But the big moneymaker for all programs is football and the Red Raiders will find out this fall if a big financial commitment to those players will get them into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Texas Tech brought in 22 football transfers in what many consider a top national portal class. Most are highly touted players, with about half expected to be starters and most of the others impact players on a team already with several key returners after going 8-5 last year in McGuire's third season. 'Yeah, it's been a fun offseason,' McGuire said before Sanders took the podium. 'We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for the football team. ... I think this conference is really strong. There's a lot of teams that have some big opportunities this year to really make a statement, and we're planning on being one of them.' With the amount of money involved, some front-loaded NIL deals before the House settlement with new guidelines went into effect, it will certainly be a huge and expensive disappointment if they are not. 'I understand how important this year is,' McGuire said. 'We've got to have a lot of things go right, but everybody does. You've got to keep your quarterback healthy. You've got to play at a high level. I know there's a lot of expectations. My job that I'm going to really try to do is keep the pressure on me and the coaches.' Tech returns senior quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the league's top tackler with 126 last year. Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year , and on the league's preseason team with a pair of four-star transfers: edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and defensive lineman Lee Hunter (UCF). 'It's unbelievable, those guys came in and bought in to what we were talking about,' Rodriguez said. 'I love those guys to death already and I think they're going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.' It will also be up to McGuire to deal with paid players, some making significantly more than others on the roster. 'I think that goes into your culture,' the former Texas high school coach said. 'It's real. It's real money. Guys are making different amounts of money in the locker room. 'One thing that you better understand if you dream to play in the NFL, your contract's not going to be the same as the guy next to you, and if that's what you focus on, then you're going to spend a lot of time wasting a lot of energy,' McGuire said. 'If guys want to increase that, focus on what you can control. That's your game and how hard you're practicing and how hard you're playing.' ___ AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed. ___ AP college football:
