Ready or Not: The G League-to-college pipeline is here to stay

Good morning,

Thanks for reading NIL Wire today. Real quick before we jump in…yesterday Extra Points announced a massive update to Extra Points Library. For anyone interested in better understanding the new tools and features, Matt Brown is hosting a free demo on Thursday to walkthrough the product.

If you’d like to attend, you can RSVP here. Or check out Library here.

— Kyle

KICKOFF

Missed expectations define Chris McIntosh’s Wisconsin departure

Perhaps it was fitting that Chris McIntosh’s final act at Wisconsin came in the form of the men’s hockey team’s third-period collapse against Denver in the national championship game.

After all, much of McIntosh’s five-year tenure as athletic director has been defined by things not going according to plan. That frustration was evident just weeks ago when he was booed during the women’s hockey team’s on-ice celebration.

On Monday, it became official. McIntosh will leave his alma mater to take a role as the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner. In many ways, it feels like an escape hatch, one that moves him away from a restless fan base and into a less visible, behind-the-scenes position.

Replacing legends like Barry Alvarez and Pat Richter was never going to be easy. But McIntosh struggled from the outset. While some challenges can be attributed to the rapidly shifting landscape of college athletics, Wisconsin’s lack of preparedness in the NIL era stands out as a major failure.

At a time that demanded steady, experienced leadership, the department often felt adrift. Direction was unclear, and fans and stakeholders were left searching for confidence in the program’s future.

Much of the criticism has centered on football. The decision to fire Paul Chryst in 2022 wasn’t the issue – it was what followed. McIntosh bypassed fan favorite Jim Leonhard, and while Luke Fickell arrived with significant hype and seemed like a natural fit, the results have been deeply disappointing.

Worse still, the frustration surrounding the program has shifted from anger to indifference, a far more troubling sign. Under McIntosh, the athletic department repeatedly stumbled in moments that required clear communication and awareness of its fan base. Those missteps accumulated, leaving many longtime supporters feeling ignored.

In an era where NIL success depends heavily on engagement and momentum, Wisconsin failed to keep pace.

Now, the university finds itself searching not only for a new athletic director, but also a new chancellor, facing a pivotal moment with more questions than answers.

Is Oklahoma State hockey inching closer to varsity status?

A few months ago, we briefed you on the chatter around Oklahoma State’s club hockey program making a push to become a Division I varsity sport. Well, the Cowboys just delivered one of the most successful seasons in their history, creating even more momentum for the club program. 

Thomas Bridges of OkState Roundtable says the movement could be reaching a turning point. University leadership is paying attention. Members of the Oklahoma State Board of Regents attended a game against arch rival Oklahoma in Tulsa and came away impressed. AD Chad Weiberg has been a regular presence at games.

Weiberg told the Oklahoman, “The club is committed to adding value to OSU, not taking from existing resources, which I appreciate. The athletic department and the hockey club share a desire to innovate and to help propel the university into the future.”

Private donors are fueling the program’s rise. Despite receiving no direct funding from the athletic department, the team operates on a budget larger than nine varsity sports, entirely supported by boosters who see hockey as a vehicle for growth. Leading that effort is Michael Mann, a Dallas-based private equity executive with ties to NHL ownership circles. After attending an Oklahoma State-Oklahoma game, Mann became a major backer, contributing seven-figure donations to the program and related academic initiatives. As chair of the OSU Hockey board, he’s helping build a long-term vision that includes NIL opportunities, expanded merchandising and a self-sustaining financial model.

The ultimate goal is Division I status by 2030. A roadmap has already been presented, though challenges like Title IX compliance and conference alignment remain. Progress is already visible. The roster now includes players with Division I experience and international talent. The next major milestone comes in January when Oklahoma State hosts a multi-day outdoor hockey festival at Boone Pickens Stadium. 

Long-term plans include a 5,500-seat on-campus arena designed to host hockey, concerts and major events.

Kirby Hocutt pitches expanded NIL strategy for Texas Tech

Texas Tech is looking to strengthen its position in the fast-changing world of college athletics, with AD Kirby Hocutt pushing for expanded NIL opportunities for athletes.

Speaking at a recent Red Raider Club event, Hocutt outlined a strategy centered on increasing third-party NIL deals and supporting the creation of a new independent collective. The initiative is designed to connect athletes with businesses for endorsement and sponsorship opportunities beyond what Texas Tech can directly provide.

Hocutt emphasized that the NIL landscape has become a critical factor in recruiting and retaining top talent. As schools across the country compete to offer more lucrative opportunities, he said Texas Tech must adapt to remain competitive. The proposed collective, which would operate separately from the university, is intended to bridge the gap between athletes and local or regional companies. 

By leveraging outside partnerships, the effort aims to provide athletes with additional financial support while enhancing the school’s appeal to prospective recruits.

More news and links:

• On his way out the door, Oregon State AD Scott Barnes is increasing the rev share bucket.

• The NCAA got more good news in another JuCo eligibility lawsuit.

• USC AD Jen Cohen says the Trojans have surpassed the $200 million mark of their fundraising goal. And she also gives an NIL update.

• Ratings for the College Basketball Crown were up — until the championship game.

• A 105-year-old World War II veteran played the national anthem on a saxophone at the Army-Navy lacrosse game.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

The amateur wall is gone – and G Leaguers are walking through it

Who’s ready for more G Leaguers in college basketball?! Yeah, me neither. But we have already reached that point.

Dink Pate, a 20-year-old standout for the Westchester Knicks, has committed to Providence, becoming the most recent pro basketball player to make his way to college. So, why would someone averaging 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the G League revert to college? 

M-O-N-E-Y. Pate is gonna get paid. Period. The former top-30 recruit in the class of 2023 is one of the most coveted targets in the current signing period. Pate’s production signals real NBA-caliber talent. Yet he never logged official NBA minutes, and reports suggest he declined call-up opportunities specifically to preserve his NCAA eligibility. 

NIL deals and revenue-sharing arrangements now offer top college players potentially millions of dollars. For someone like Pate, college basketball no longer represents a developmental stepping stone – it represents a financially competitive destination, one that may outpace what a fringe pro earns bouncing around the G League. But it comes loaded with legal and philosophical complications.

G League players are professionals in every meaningful sense. They sign contracts, earn salaries and receive compensation for their name, image and likeness. It makes their transition to college sports a fundamentally different situation than past cases involving international players whose prior pay was framed as covering expenses. Pate and players like him aren’t amateurs returning to amateur competition. They’re professionals choosing college as their next career move.

The NCAA has shown a willingness to accommodate this. In the past year alone, a handful of players made similar jumps from the G League to Division I programs. Pate’s camp may argue he isn’t technically returning to college sports because he never played in college to begin with, merely delaying his collegiate career while pursuing a professional opportunity.

But that flexibility is producing real inconsistencies. Charles Bediako, a former Alabama center, was denied extended eligibility after signing a two-way NBA contract, despite never establishing himself at the pro level. The NCAA appears to be drawing distinctions that are, at best, fine and, at worst, legally indefensible.

If courts determine that eligibility rules are being applied unevenly or without a coherent rationale, they may not survive legal challenge. Dozens of athletes have already sued for additional eligibility in pursuit of extended NIL earnings, adding further pressure to a system visibly straining under its own contradictions.

There’s also a political dimension. A recent executive order from President Trump asserts that professional athletes should not be permitted to return to college competition. The order has yet to be fully implemented or tested in court, and its real-world effect on cases like Pate’s remains uncertain.

What’s taking shape is a system in genuine flux. College athletes are quasi-professionals. Some professionals are finding it financially rational to move toward college. The traditional wall between amateur and pro sports, once rock solid, is now more suggestion than barrier.

For the Knicks, losing Pate and James Nnaji to college programs may feel like a strange new reality. But strange may be the wrong word. As NIL continues to reshape incentives across the sport, these moves could quickly become routine, not just for fringe prospects but for any player weighing development, exposure and earnings against one another.

Pate and Nnaji may look like outliers today. More likely, they’re just the first wave.

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