On the Hardwood
I started the first of the year’s eligibility chart for basketball as there were two players who have announced entry into the transfer portal, Leon Horner and Nolan Groves.
Additionally, North Carolina is looking for a coach and Grant McCasland is a candidate. It is thought that the main candite is Billy Donovan, who is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and believe that they are waiting to make sure he’ll say no before looking further down the list. Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd agreed to an extension, as did Iowa State’s TJ Otzenberger and Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington. Regardless, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander is reporting that Donovan, Baylor’s Bryce Drew, McCasland, and Iowa’s Ben McCollum are the main candidates for the North Carolina job. I would hold onto your butt for this one. I think that McCasland loves it in Lubbock, but it is also North Carolina and it’s a major thing. Of course, coaches have thought that one of the blue bloods is the pinnacle of coaching, but the streets are littered with guys who attempted that and maybe wished they had not. Iowa State’s Otzenberger, Michigan’s Dusty Mays, and Arizona’s Lloyd have all turned down North Carolina so it’s certainly a possibility that McCasland stays (Drew has turned down numerous jobs to stay at Baylor).
On the Gridiron
Stop Us Now |
 Buy Me a Coffee Strava’s Staking The Plains Running ClubPLEASE NOTE: Words that are in italics are quotes from a story or link. |
yahoo! sports’ Ross Dellenger with the report that the president signed an executive order to regulate college sports on Friday:
The order not only grants but commands the association to create strict guardrails around booster-backed NIL collectives — what it describes as “fraudulent NIL schemes” — and limit the movement of transfers by reinstating the NCAA’s “one-time” transfer rule. The courts deemed that rule unlawful through antitrust rulings. The rule would permit athletes to transfer once before requiring them to miss one season as a penalty for any subsequent moves.
The order does not unilaterally and immediately change the transfer rule, a critical concept. The language is key as thousands of players — some of whom have already transferred once — are preparing to enter the basketball portal, which opens Tuesday.
The order prohibits professional athletes from returning to play in college and encourages the NCAA to define an athlete’s eligibility window at five years. The NCAA eligibility standard is currently four competitive seasons over five years. This is a critical topic that even the most ardent NCAA detractors believe should be regulated.
The article notes that the president expects legal challenges and I think that given how people in this area were pushing to create some sort of legislation (I am guessing that the legislation proposed is probably largely contained in this EO) that there’s likely going to be some real challenges to this because there’s already federal judicial precedent that supersedes the executive order, which is why there was the push and need for legislation.
This is a thing and I think the EO is going to make things more chaotic, but I also think that you should never underestimate the will of a supporter of a program that happens to have a lot of money and the desire for said program to continue to win by securing good players.
ESPN’s Craigh Haubert and Tom Luginbill on how LaDamion Guyton might fit at Texas Tech:
Guyton is among the most gifted pass rushers in this class. Initially in the class of 2027, he reclassified to 2026 and quickly slotted in among the five-stars. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds with excellent physical tools, Guyton is one of the most celebrated recruits in recent Texas Tech history.
Guyton’s physical, hard-hitting style of play makes him a perfect fit for the Red Raiders’ aggressive defensive scheme. As a pass rusher, he possesses a good initial burst and active hands. During our extended in-person evaluation he demonstrated a desire to develop his craft. His combination of size, speed and ferocious tackling ability will allow him to develop into a three-down linebacker and be productive against the run, as well as be effective in space when asked to drop into coverage. Furthermore, his relentless motor and pursuit of the ball carrier align perfectly with the high-intensity, high-effort identity that Texas Tech’s defensive coaching staff looks for.
With David Bailey moving on, Guyton’s arrival comes at the right time and he has a similar ceiling. Guyton might not make an immediate impact, but don’t rule out a similar trajectory to 2024 five-star Colin Simmons at Texas. Guyton can find an impactful role in Year 1, then develop into a starter down the road.
CBS Sports has their writers predict who will make the final 4 of the college football playoff and a handful of the writers do pick Texas Tech.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz has some sort of fancy metric for measuring who will have the most sacks in the NFL:
David Bailey, Texas Tech
SackSEER projection: 26.6 sacks through Year 5
Scouts Inc. ranking: 7
Similar historical prospects: Khalil Mack, DeMarcus Ware
Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks last season, and he’s clearly the SackSEER favorite for 2026. He’s the only prospect in this year’s draft who combines excellent collegiate sack production with outstanding workouts, with a 4.50-second 40-yard dash, a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot-9 broad jump.