Andrew Luck Makes Moves At Stanford, Coach Prime Earns Extension, & Georgia To Ramp-Up NIL
As the new general manager of the Cardinal, Luck fired head coach Troy Taylor last week before hiring former NFL head coach Frank Reich on a one-year interim tag for 2025.
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Trending Upwards 📈
Georgia’s NIL Aggression
While Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have proactively leaned into heightened NIL capabilities over the last four seasons, On3’s Steve Wiltfong believes the program is “arming up” more than ever before for the 2026 recruiting cycle.
“Georgia was winning with the way that they were recruiting and developing players internally, but to have some misses on the recruiting trail and know that those misses were purely because of NIL,” Wiltfong said last week. “I think we’re seeing Georgia arming up in that area more than ever.”
In 2023, Georgia forged the creation of an in-house NIL department, built in conjunction with Altius Sports Partners. Per On3, it aims to develop personal brands of student-athletes to maximize monetization opportunities.
Although previous data from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford indicated that Georgia’s NIL collective funding eclipsed $18 million last season, good for fourth nationally, On3 expects the Bulldogs to soon step into another gear on the fundraising front.
Deion Sanders’ New Contract
Throughout the 2024 season, Colorado’s home schedule brought in a combined $93.9 million in “direct economic impact” to the Boulder area per Charlie Strella from Buffaloes Wire.
Consequently, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders received a well-deserved contract extension on Friday, making him the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 and slotting him at sixth nationally.
Sanders’ new deal is for five years, worth $54 million. “Coach Prime” will make $10 million annually for the next two seasons before his contract reaches as high as $12 million in 2029.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to continue building something special here at Colorado,” Sanders said. “… I’m committed to bringing greatness to this university — on and off the field.”
Last year, the Buffaloes won nine games for the first time in eight seasons.
Brandon Arrington
Five-Star Athlete, Mount Miguel (California)
Mount Miguel High School’s Brandon Arrington is a true jack of all trades.
The five-star athlete and projected next-level wide receiver holds over 40 offers as the No. 8 overall prospect per 247Sports’ Class of 2026 rankings, and now, he’s in the California record books for track.
This past weekend, Arrington recorded times of 10.24 and 20.37 seconds in the 100M and 200M races, respectively. Both new times now rank as the second-fastest ever recorded in California high school history.
Now, Arrington currently holds the nation’s No. 1 time in the 200M, making it a difficult decision whether to pursue football or track at the next level.
According to Athlon Sports, Arrington recently visited Georgia and USC in late March, with spring and summer visits lined up to Penn State, Texas A&M, Oregon, and USC for a second time.
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Trending Downwards 📉
Stanford’s Wild Spring
On Tuesday, Stanford general manager and former quarterback Andrew Luck made an executive decision to hit reset on his program amid spring ball.
Luck decided to fire head coach Troy Taylor, following a report that he had been investigated multiple times for allegedly mistreating female staffers, per the AP.
“Since beginning my role as general manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program,” Luck said. “It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to coach Taylor.”
According to an ESPN report, Taylor had been investigated twice since 2023 for “hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks, against female staff members.”
Luck moved quickly to backfill the vacancy left by Taylor, as he hired former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich on a one-year interim basis.
Reich coached Luck for one season with the Colts in 2018, resulting in a playoff appearance.
Jeremy Pruitt
Former Head Coach, Tennessee
Tennessee’s athletic department fired former head coach Jeremy Pruitt for cause in January 2021 on the heels of a recruiting scandal that put the program on probation for five years.
The NCAA found Pruitt liable for over 200 violations, largely for recruiting mishaps and granting impermissible benefits to his roster ahead of the NIL era.
Now, Pruitt is suing Tennessee for “over $100 million” in damages, claiming the NCAA and university conspired to make him a “sacrificial lamb.”
“Jeremy Pruitt may be the last coach in America to be punished for impermissible player benefits,” his attorneys said in his complaint.
Roughly four years ago, Pruitt’s former attorney wrote a letter to Tennessee’s general counsel, claiming that his lawsuit had the ability to “cripple UT’s athletic programs for years.”
Pruitt never received any of his $12.6 million buyout, but he claims that Tennessee was paying players “before he was hired in December 2017.” According to Pruitt, he notified former athletic director Phillip Fulmer, who failed to handle the situation through the university’s compliance department.
Between The Numbers 📊
36
A traditional mainstay on college football television broadcasts is calling his career quits after 36 years behind the mic.
CBS analyst Gary Danielson recently announced that 2025 will be his final year covering the sport before entering retirement.
“I have had the greatest seat in the house for 36 years and have loved every minute of it,” Danielson said. “As we enter our second full season of Big Ten football and my 20th at CBS Sports, the timing just feels right.”
Danielson began his broadcasting career at ESPN in 1990, but he’s most renowned for his presence within the “SEC on CBS,” beginning as the programming’s lead color commentator in 2006 before the network switched to focus on Big Ten coverage in 2024.
Before jumping into the booth, Danielson played quarterback for Purdue from 1969 to 1972, then embarked on a 13-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.
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Kenny Dillingham | Head Coach, Arizona State
“Have a day off. Lose in a one-on-one rep. It’s going on social media. You can’t just take a day off, because everybody’s going to see it.”
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has decided to hold his players accountable in a unique way this spring.
Last week, Dillingham announced that the Sun Devils will open Saturday practices to the public.
According to Dillingham, he believes fan presence this early in preparation for the fall campaign will “help limit complacency.”
“In today’s day and age, you need as many things that can motivate guys,” he added.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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