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How is college football trying to rein in ‘wild West’ of transfers? Make players pay to leave

Published

9 months ago

March 15, 2025

How is college football trying to rein in ‘wild West’ of transfers? Make players pay to leave

For four years, college coaches and administrators have lamented the “wild, wild West” nature of the transfer portal, with athletes hopping from school to school in search of more money, more playing time or a better fit. Now, some universities are invoking a new threat to keep their players: Leave, and you’ll owe us money.

Programs are chasing that kind of leverage under the assumption that they will soon be in a position to directly sign athletes to NIL deals without having to depend on outside collectives or individual donors to make arrangements. They would gain that ability with the landmark House v. NCAA settlement, which would permit schools to share as much as $20.5 million in revenue with their athletes in the next school year if the settlement is approved by a federal judge in California. A hearing is scheduled for April 7.

Many schools during the recent winter portal cycle used that anticipated revenue to make school-funded NIL deals that would go into effect only if the House settlement is approved. The Athletic reviewed redacted copies or was briefed on the terms of several Power 4 schools’ proposed or finalized contracts, which were shared on the condition of anonymity due to the private nature of the contracts.

While there is no such thing as a standardized NIL contract, all contained language intended to deter the player from entering the portal.

“You’re seeing some stuff similar to coaching contracts with the buyout language in there,” said agent Joe Hernandez of Just Win Management Group. “Which is something that you wouldn’t really see in an NFL player-team contract.”

One Big 12 school required the athlete to pay a buyout equal to 50 percent of his remaining compensation if he transferred before the end of the deal’s term. An ACC school required the athlete to pay back 100 percent of his earnings if he transferred before Jan. 31, 2026.

One Big Ten player’s contract, based on a suggested template the conference sent to all of its members, requires the athlete to pay liquidated damages in the event he transfers. Another defers two-thirds of the athlete’s payments for the coming season until the end of January — after the winter portal window closes.

“They can’t stop players from moving from school to school,” said NIL attorney Mit Winter. “But the buyout clause is an attempt to limit that by making the player have to pay back money to the school if they want to get out of that contract.”

Shane Burnham, a former FBS defensive line coach who is now director of football for Ascension Sports Consulting, said he recently reviewed the contract of a player who signed with an ACC school in January. The deal included a clause where the player would have to forfeit 50 percent of the money he’d received if he entered the portal in April.

“It’s predatory what these schools are doing,” Burnham said.

Industry sources say the practice did not become prevalent until the most recent transfer portal cycle, when programs’ general managers began negotiating NIL contracts directly. In the past, schools were more mindful of maintaining separation between the school and an outside collective, but that’s gone by the wayside with the advent of revenue sharing.

“There’s just so much money,” said Walker Jones, executive director of The Grove Collective, which supports Ole Miss. “It got to the point where collectives and schools felt they had to be protected.”

It remains to be seen whether that protection is realistic.

Wisconsin set the tone for this new era in January when it refused to enter cornerback Xavier Lucas’ name into the transfer portal after Lucas had signed a two-year NIL deal. Lucas still left the program and enrolled at Miami, which Wisconsin subsequently accused of tampering with Lucas.

“A request to enter the transfer portal after entering into such an agreement is inconsistent with the representations and mutual understanding of the agreement and explains the reason for not processing a transfer portal request under these circumstances,” Wisconsin said in a statement, which also hinted at potential legal action. “Under the terms of the agreement between Xavier and Wisconsin Athletics, it remains in effect and enforceable.”

The schools are asserting that these contracts are licensing agreements that don’t make the athletes employees, echoing a red line for the NCAA and universities. They also say that the payments are not for athletes to attend the university or to play for it, even as they try to disincentivize players from leaving.

Several figures interviewed for this story speculated or assumed that schools that sign transfers, rather than the players themselves, would be expected to pick up the tab for a buyout.

“It’s basically a carbon copy of what happens with coaches,” said Winter. “They all have employment contracts that say, ‘You can’t coach anywhere else, but if you want to break the contract, here’s what you have to pay.’ And it’s almost always the new school that pays the buyout.”

In interviews with several athletic directors, football general managers and lawyers, all sounded skeptical that the buyout provisions concerning transferring could actually be enforced.

“Our preference wouldn’t be to be the first school to have to take a kid to court to chase down your $25,000 or $50,000,” said an ACC football administrator. “But … the student-athlete would be aware that, ‘Hey, I signed this contract and if I go in the portal, there’s a chance I might owe this money back.’”

“Theoretically, this kid isn’t getting paid to play still,” said a Big 12 general manager whose program did not include a buyout, “so when push comes to shove, if it gets litigated, you’re not going to win that. Now, I see the advantage of potentially using it as a scare tactic to keep players. They don’t know better. But the second any agent gets involved, they’ll just bypass it.”

“The first team that sues a kid — I’d like to see their next recruiting class,” said a second Big 12 GM.

Three agents told The Athletic they’ve insisted the buyouts be removed or reduced from their clients’ deals. However, many players do not have agents and may be unaware that this is a possibility.

Winter said schools need to be careful not to insist on such a high buyout that it might be deemed a penalty, which a court would not enforce, rather than a reasonable estimate of damages.

Meanwhile, it’s believed that most schools’ NIL contracts this cycle were only one-year deals. (Star quarterbacks may be a notable exception.) If there are buyout clauses, the remaining payments owed might be minimal. Multi-year contracts would make the buyouts more prohibitive and, in theory, decrease roster attrition. But as tempting as it may sound to lock down players, in reality, schools may want their own roster flexibility.

“If there’s a buyout, it’s usually both ways,” said the first Big 12 GM. “So it would limit our freedom to just cut the kid if he doesn’t turn out to be good.”

Which would be especially pronounced at a school with a coaching change. A new football hire will invariably want to bring in “his guys,” but may be stuck with some well-paid underperformers who know they won’t make more elsewhere.

After four years of seemingly never-ending chaos and relentless legal challenges, NCAA president Charlie Baker and others have been hoping the House settlement will bring much-needed stability to the NIL space. Collectives are not likely to disappear — if anything, they may help programs spend more than $20.5 million — but the Power 4 conferences have enlisted Deloitte to serve as a clearinghouse for all deals above $600.

As it pertains to transfers, though, any sense of order does not feel imminent.

“I’m not sure my expectation is that the current revenue sharing contracts will change the (transfer) flow,” said Nebraska AD Troy Dannen. “It hasn’t shown to be that way yet.”

— The Athletic’s Jesse Temple contributed to this report.

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Alex Slitz / Getty Images, AP Photo / Michael Conroy)

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Sports

Broncos’ Pat Bryant placed on backboard, carted off field after scary hit in loss to Jaguars

Published

3 hours ago

December 21, 2025

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Broncos’ Pat Bryant placed on backboard, carted off field after scary hit in loss to Jaguars

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant was carted off the field in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a vicious hit that was scary to look at.

Bryant was attempting to make a catch with just seconds left at Empower Field when Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown came flying in and crashed into him to break it up.

One could hear how hard Bryant was hit with the broadcast picking up the cracking of helmet and pads as he went to the turf.

Pat Bryant of the Denver Broncos is carted off the field during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field At Mile High on Dec. 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Bryant stayed down on the field after the play, and he wasn’t moving much as Broncos trainers came running out to look at him on the turf.

After several minutes of evaluation, Bryant was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off the field. There was obvious concern throughout the stadium for Bryant, and it was later reported that he was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

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Broncos head coach Sean Payton, speaking after his first loss in 12 games, gave an update on Bryant, saying that he “had movement” in his extremities, and it was “encouraging” to see, per 9News’ Mike Klis.

Of course, any time a player is loaded onto a stretcher, thoughts of the worst immediately enter the mind. Luckily, Bryant’s hospital visit was only to ensure everything was fine.

The Broncos moved to 12-3 after the loss at home, a 34-20 defeat at the hands of a red-hot Jaguars squad who have now won six straight games.

At 11-4, the Jaguars remain one win above the Houston Texans for the AFC South lead, though they are likely headed to the playoffs one way or another.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have already clinched their shot at a Vince Lombardi Trophy, having won 12 games this season for the best record in the AFC to date. Only the New England Patriots could reach 12 wins this week if they defeat the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.”

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Bryant finished the game with five catches for 42 yards. He has totaled 27 catches for 347 yards and a touchdown this season in a loaded Broncos receiving room.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

After scrambling to find an opponent, USC dominates in win over UC Santa Cruz

Published

4 hours ago

December 21, 2025

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After scrambling to find an opponent, USC dominates in win over UC Santa Cruz

The call came Monday morning, just six days before USC was slated to play its final nonconference contest. In light of the deadly shooting on Brown’s campus, its men’s basketball team wouldn’t make the trip west. If coach Eric Musselman hoped to test his Trojans again before the new year, he and his USC staff had less than 24 hours to find a replacement.

Which is how USC found itself facing UC Santa Cruz, a 6-6 Division III team with losses to Chapman, Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, on Sunday. USC had no trouble overwhelming the Banana Slugs in a 102-63 victory. But given the scrambling it took to schedule Santa Cruz, no one was complaining about the seamless victory heading into the Trojans’ winter break.

Musselman, who notched his 250th career win, initially hoped that USC could find a D-1 program to take Brown’s place. But rules limiting the amount of regular-season games a D-1 program can play narrowed that list considerably. It left USC’s coaches counting by hand to decide which teams would fit.

They first considered all the local schools, only to find that none would work. They looked into the teams facing local schools — and couldn’t find any there, either. They even looked at Hawaii’s schedule, since schools that face Hawaii receive an exemption to allow for an extra game.

Only “a select few” schools fit any of the criteria, one person inside the program told The Times. Those teams could make it work because they had faced a D-II or D-III team at some point during the season which didn’t count against its games limit. That also meant, in some cases, buying out their game contract with that school.

“There are some Division I schools, we couldn’t get them to say yes, I don’t know why,” Musselman said. “Because I thought it was a great opportunity for some Division I schools to, you know, get guaranteed money.”

That was hardly the only complicating factor. By playing a Division I team, Musselman said, USC also ran the risk of affecting his team’s strength of schedule come tournament time. Even a smaller margin of victory could mean paying the price.

So why not just cancel the game?

Awaiting USC after a brief holiday break are road trips to No. 2 Michigan and No. 6 Michigan State. Musselman didn’t want to start that gauntlet coming off an extra four days away.

“From a basketball standpoint,” Musselman explained, “we could ill afford tonight to start our break.”

The staff spoke with scheduling experts who agreed that there was one option that made sense for USC: Find a team from the lower ranks of college basketball who was willing to take a beating for the Trojans to fill out their nonconference schedule. That way, the game wouldn’t even register on USC’s tournament resume.

It was with all that criteria in mind that Musselman and his staff settled on Santa Cruz. But the Banana Slugs, who voted as a team to play the Trojans, didn’t just roll over. They came out firing from three-point range, hitting eight in the first half alone. They would hit just eight shots inside the arc the entire game.

With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Santa Cruz was down just three points.

But eventually, USC’s advantage in every other category except outside shooting would catch up to Santa Cruz. The Trojans slammed home one alley-oop, then another, then another in the second half. They hit 18 of 19 to open the second half and dominated the glass, finishing with a 36-rebound advantage.

Musselman made a point to give more minutes to 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes, with a three-big lineup coming up against Michigan. Dynes responded with a team-leading 16 points, along with five rebounds and four blocks, which Musselman said was “a huge step in the right direction.”

The game also gave new point guard Kam Woods a chance to get comfortable in the Trojans’ rotation. Woods missed all five of his shots in 21 minutes but was grateful for his first hoops action since March, when he played with Robert Morris.

“I definitely needed this game,” Woods said.

For the Trojans, it was a necessary tuneup heading into the break. Considering what it took to get it on the schedule, their coach was especially thankful.

“Santa Cruz stepped up,” Musselman said, “and I give them a lot of credit. I really do.”

Sports

Oregon outlasts JMU in first round of College Football Playoff

Published

16 hours ago

December 21, 2025

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Oregon outlasts JMU in first round of College Football Playoff

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Oregon defeated James Madison 51-34 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

The score looked like it would be more lopsided during the first three quarters, as Oregon held a 48-13 lead over JMU halfway through the third quarter.

JMU managed to lessen the deficit toward the end by outscoring the Ducks 20-3 in the final quarter and a half.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore passes for a 20-yard touchdown during the College Football Playoff game against James Madison Dukes on Dec. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Ducks (12-1) advanced to face Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. Oregon won a playoff game for the first time since 2014, when the Ducks beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinal before losing to Ohio State.

James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP games following No. 17 Tulane’s 41-10 loss at No. 6 Mississippi on Saturday.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson less than two minutes into the game to give Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Johnson hauled in Moore’s pass with his right hand, and romped into the end zone while dragging a pair of defenders.

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Oregon Ducks running back Jordon Davison runs the ball against the James Madison Dukes during the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

James Madison responded with a 30-yard field goal from Morgan Suarez on its next drive, one which required 15 plays and burned 8:03 off the clock. The Ducks took over from there, rattling off four straight touchdowns before the Dukes snuck in another field goal from Suarez ahead of halftime, which brought the score to 34-6.

In falling behind by such a wide margin, James Madison went away from its rushing attack, which ranked fifth in the nation in average yards per game entering the evening. Sun Belt Player of the Year, Alonza Barnett III, completed 23 of 48 passes, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to Nick DeGennaro on James Madison’s first drive of the third quarter.

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Oregon Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. scores a touchdown on a 56-yard run against the James Madison Dukes on Dec. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Oregon promptly responded with two touchdowns, including wide receiver Malik Benson’s second TD and a blocked punt that Jayden Limar scooped and returned 15 yards for a score. James Madison scored the last three touchdowns.

The victory was the Ducks’ seventh straight since losing to No. 1 Indiana 30-20 on Oct. 11. James Madison had won 11 in a row.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.