ACC's Revenue On The Rise & Miami Lands No. 1 Overall Prospect For 2026
According to ESPN, the ACC generated $711 million during the 2023-2024 academic year, representing a 56% growth rate over the last five years.
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Dudes Of The Week 😤
Jim Phillips
Commissioner, ACC
During the last wave of conference realignment, the Big Ten and SEC separated themselves from the remainder of the Power Four pack with gaudy media rights deals leveraged by marquee brands.
However, behind the lead of commissioner Jim Phillips, the ACC is coming off a historic revenue haul, which could position the league favorably for long term success.
According to ESPN, the ACC generated $711 million during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, distributing an average of $45 million to each of its 14 full-time member schools.
The latest available financial report covers the final year of athletics before the conference added SMU, Stanford, and Cal, and it represents a 56% increase in revenue from five years ago.
For comparison, the Big Ten distributed $63 million to each member school in 2024, but the sizable growth rate should encourage ACC fans hoping to preserve conference loyalty.
“I feel good about where were at,” Phillips said during last week’s ACC annual spring meetings. “And, while I do take things one day at a time, I think there’s a period of time where let’s settle in and get things done.”
Kenyon Sadiq
Tight End, Oregon
Three Big Ten tight ends were selected in the first 50 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft, including Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson, who landed with the Los Angeles Rams in the second round.
Ferguson’s counterpart from last fall in Eugene, Kenyon Sadiq, was recently hand picked by On3’s JD Pickell to have a breakout campaign this upcoming season.
“I am as high on [Sadiq] as I am on any skill player in college football,” Pickell said on Friday. “[He’s] 6’3”, 245 [pounds]. Y’all — they’re throwing him screen passes.”
Pickell continued by tabbing Sadiq as “Big Ten Brock Bowers,” comparing him to the 2023 Mackey Award winner from Georgia.
Last season, the sophomore racked up 24 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in a reserve role. Now, many are calling him the top returning tight end in college football.
Danny O’Brien
Quarterbacks Coach, Penn State
The leader of the Nittany Lions’ quarterback room, Danny O’Brien, is prepped to enter his second campaign coaching the gunslingers in Happy Valley after spending three years as an offensive analyst.
Last season, Penn State executed plays for positive yardage on 52.8% of its drop backs, the top clip for a team returning its 2024 starter under center, per ESPN.
Consequently, ESPN’s David Hale ranked Penn State’s quarterback room within his “Tier 1” of all 134 FBS squads.
Aside from Penn State, Clemson, LSU, Oklahoma, and South Carolina rounded out the first tier.
“If Allar starts nine games, he’ll be the fourth Penn State QB since 2013 with 38 starts while playing for one team,” Hale wrote. “… No other team has more than two.”
O’Brien played at Maryland from 2009 to 2010 while James Franklin served as the Terrapins’ offensive coordinator, allowing familiarity to mold Penn State’s modern quarterback lineage into one marked by stability.
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Mood Tracker Across Fanbases 🤯
North Carolina 📈
Settled
In late April, CBS Sunday Morning aired an interview with Bill Belichick, highlighting his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.”
The interview went viral directly after it hit the airwaves for his girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s direct involvement with the CBS crew.
Afterwards, ESPN’s Pablo Torre and other sources cited tension between Belichick and UNC leadership, exploiting his alleged inability to adjust to a collegiate atmosphere.
On Friday, Belichick cleared the air for the Tarheel fanbase, explaining the satisfaction he’s taken away from coaching in Chapel Hill.
“I’ve learned so much being back in the college environment whether it be recruiting, the college game, the rules, the hash marks, some strategy, and putting a team together,” Belichick said on Good Morning America. “I learn every day.”
He also mentioned that he hasn’t had to change his coaching style, and his locker room is collectively bought-into the program’s grand aspirations of competing for championships.
“They’re hungry,” Belichick said regarding his roster. “They have dreams. They want to be good. I want to help make them good, and I want to help make them a good-on-good team. They’ve been very enthusiastic, and we’ve made a lot of progress.”
Colorado 📈
Amped
Despite losing reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and esteemed signal caller Shedeur Sanders to the NFL, the Colorado hype train isn’t set to slow down any time soon.
Last Wednesday, Netflix announced a new series, set to be released in 2026, called “PRIME TIME,” which will profile head coach Deion Sanders.
The three-part show will explore Sanders’ “evolution from a two-sport pro phenom to a culture-defining coach and media personality,” per USA Today.
This offseason, “Coach Prime” and the Buffaloes’ staff worked to amass the 2nd-best transfer portal class in the Big 12, highlighted by three four-star commitments.
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Who Made Money This Week? 💰
Jackson Cantwell
Verbal Commit (OT), Miami
Last week, Mario Cristobal’s Miami squad gained the services of the 2026 No. 1 overall recruit Jackson Cantwell by way of Nixa, Missouri.
The top-ranked tackle committed to the Hurricanes over Georgia, Oregon, and Alabama, and he’ll reportedly earn a top-dollar NIL deal in Coral Gables.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Miami offered Cantwell a $2 million NIL deal on May 7. Cantwell is still only 16 years old.
While many outsiders have speculated that Cantwell committed to “The U” solely for monetary gain, the polished high schooler recently stated otherwise.
“They spent the most time with me,” Cantwell said. “They put the most effort into recruiting me. I’ve got a lot of skin in the game with all these schools, as far as getting represented by Drew [Rosenhaus], and making sure that I’m going to be fairly compensated.”
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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