🏅Dawn Staley, Michelle Obama and revenue sharing

Hi everyone,

We’ve got lots to get to in this newsletter, from Dawn Staley and Michelle Obama to Tennessee’s big apparel deal to New Mexico’s conundrum to all things Arch Manning. Get ready to open some tabs and fill your weekend with college sports reading.

— Joan

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The Big 3

Dawn Staley talked revenue sharing with … Michelle Obama

Legendary South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley sat down with Michelle Obama on her podcast this week, and the whole thing is absolutely worth a listen. Staley talked about her childhood, her basketball career and her leadership philosophy — and she also shared candid thoughts about revenue sharing in college sports.

“Five years ago, it was all the NCAA benefiting, and it didn't trickle down to players. And now, it's a waterfall down to the players,” Staley said. “I'm supportive of it. I really am. I think it's long overdue.”

“But I do think it's out of control, as well,” she added. We got to find a way to balance, to keep it an amateur sport while allowing young people to go out there and benefit from their name, image and likeness.”

Unsurprisingly, Staley said recruiting has been the most difficult adjustment in this new era. She also said she doesn’t worry much about money interfering with locker-room dynamics. She even makes players sign non-disclosure agreements about the money they’re making — which probably helps the dynamic. “Now, [I don’t know] whether they can stick with that or not,” she said. A disgruntled player might decide to transfer and talk about her earnings on the way out the door, Staley said, “and it can stir up the pot.”

Tennessee is making the switch from Nike to Adidas

The Vols are jumping from Nike to Adidas in a major deal that will make Tennessee Adidas’s flagship program — essentially the equivalent of what Oregon is to Nike. The partnership lasts for 10 years, and the Tennesseean reported that Adidas’s offer was so strong, Nike didn’t even counter.

The deal will help fund the Vols’ revenue sharing pool, and it could also open the door for more NIL deals for Tennessee athletes, as Adidas has prioritized deals with college players, per the Tennesseean story.

Can New Mexico hold onto its fleeting success — or any of its top players and coaches?

This week, the Athletic went deep on New Mexico’s revenue sports, which are bleeding personnel. According to the story, the school in the past year has lost its “athletic director, head football coach, star quarterback, top two running backs, top four receivers, top tackler, head men’s basketball coach, conference player of the year point guard, starting shooting guard and more.”

It sounds catastrophic, and the story does a great job of illustrating the obstacles New Mexico — and other programs of its stature — face. It’s simply losing talented people to schools that have more money. A lot more money, not a little. It’s also getting the short end of realignment; as the piece points out: “Half of the Mountain West is leaving the Lobos behind next year for a rebuilt Pac-12, citing a desire to separate from the bottom-spenders in the MWC. The Lobos’ budget is the second-lowest in the conference.” (Also, in case you missed it, there’s been another development in the legal battle between the MWC and three of its departing teams.)

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Texas Monthly profiled Arch Manning and the Manning family quarterbacks. The piece included one interesting detail: Archie Manning, the family patriarch, said his grandson will not be part of the 2026 NFL draft.

♦️ Sports Illustrated took a look at Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis’s NIL landscape.

♦️ This Group of Five school is doing all it can to remain competitive in NIL and revenue sharing.

♦️ Sen. Tommy Tubberville discussed NIL legislation on the radio this week.

♦️ High school NIL has arrived in West Virginia.

♦️ Scott Frost said college football is “off the rails and out of control.”

♦️ Wisconsin filed a lawsuit alleging Miami had tampered with one of its players. Now, Miami has filed a motion to dismiss the case.

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Would you rather your favorite college team have:

• a GM from the world of sports analytics/business - 76%

• a famous athlete/alum as its GM - 24%