The Pac-12 Is BACK!
“It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind."
Welcome to Breneman Journal by Adam Breneman — a 2x per-week newsletter with analysis, hot takes, and news on all things college football, NIL, and recruiting. Subscribe now and join nearly 13,000 other sports fans, and share this newsletter with all the college football fans you know!
Dudes Of The Week 😤
Jeremiah Smith
Wide Receiver, Ohio State
EA Sports’ College Football 26 is set to be released on July 10, and yesterday, the top players of the video game’s latest iteration were released by the publisher.
To no surprise, Ohio State sophomore wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, ranked as the game’s top athlete, according to EA Sports.
The game rates Smith as a 98 overall talent, as the Florida native is two points above any other player included in the game.
As a true freshman in 2024, Smith hauled in 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was the first Buckeye in school history to become a first-team All-American in his first campaign on campus.
Haynes King
Quarterback, Georgia Tech
Throughout the offseason, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Miami’s Carson Beck, and Duke’s Darian Mensah have dominated conversations regarding who might emerge as the ACC’s top gunslinger.
During a chaotic spring highlighted by early season power rankings and transfer portal moves, one veteran quarterback has fallen under-the-radar — Georgia Tech’s Haynes King.
The former Texas A&M signal caller is entering his sixth collegiate campaign, and last year, he finished the season ranked firmly within the top 15 in QBR.
King completed 72.9% of his passes for the Yellow Jackets in 2024 and amassed 14 touchdowns compared to only two interceptions.
Additionally, he led Georgia Tech to a historic upset over No. 4 Miami while accumulating 413 total yards and five scores against Georgia.
Eric Singleton Jr.
Wide Receiver, Auburn
One of King’s favorite targets from a season ago, Eric Singleton Jr., is being tabbed as a top transfer to keep an eye on against SEC secondaries this fall.
In late December, Auburn warranted the commitment of Singleton, who 247Sports rated as the transfer portal’s best wide receiver prospect.
As a sophomore for Georgia Tech a season ago, Singleton hauled in 56 catches for 754 yards and 3 touchdowns. He warranted an additional 21 touches on the ground, where he scampered for 6.2 yards per carry.
“Having Singleton as a consistent matchup winner, to me, manufactures easy touches,” On3’s JD PicKell said on his Podcast, The Hard Count. “Easy touches for a quarterback to a playmaker, like Singleton, builds confidence, gets him in rhythm… Confidence [makes] good things happen, [then] your offense starts to hum.”
PicKell believes Singleton’s consistency will help the Tigers improve upon their abysmal -9 turnover margin from a season ago, which ranked 120th among all FBS teams.
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Mood Tracker Across Fanbases 🤯
Pac-12 📈
Revived
Now more than ever before, conference loyalty runs deep.
While I usually focus on individual teams for this segment, the Pac-12’s recent revival is more than deserving of acknowledgement.
Fans across the West Coast are amped about the return of an eight-team Pac-12, set to begin play in 2026.
On Monday, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould proudly welcomed Texas State as a “foundational member of the new Pac-12.”
“It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind,” Gould said.
Now, Texas State will compete alongside Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Washington State, in what many are deeming as the “Pac-State” conference.
According to the Pac-12’s website, five of the league’s eight programs were ranked within the College Football Playoff Top 25 over the last four seasons – good for the fourth-highest total percentage among all conference during that time frame.
Nebraska 📉
Disrespected
While programs like Ohio State, Alabama, and Penn State held claim to several players littered across EA Sports’ Top 100 list, one notable blue blood was left without representation.
Zero Nebraska players were included as top 100 talents in the new College Football 26 video game, marking the second-straight season where the Cornhuskers were left off the list.
Other Big Ten teams including Minnesota, Iowa, and Northwestern, have top 100 talents set to suit up this fall, but evidently, Matt Rhule’s bunch does not according to the gaming industry.
More surprising, Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium failed to make the top 25 “Toughest Places to Play” rankings, despite Big Red fans touting a legendary 403-game sellout streak dating back to 1962.
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Who Made Money This Week? 💰
According to a recent data release from Opendorse, it appears as though nearly every college football player is hauling in more money than ever before.
Now more than ever, programs and NIL collectives are “front-loading” endorsement contracts ahead of the revenue sharing era’s official start.
In June alone, NIL collectives spent 824% more than they did a year ago, per CBS Sports’ John Talty.
Overall, collectives have spent more than $1.3 billion on NIL payments throughout 2025.
“[This is] a moment in time and an opportunity that may not exist again in the next decade,” Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said. “It’s an opportunity to go all in.”
The Red Raiders have front-loaded more aggressively than any other Power Four program, allowing the program to secure top-end transfer portal prospects.
Opendorse’s study expects NIL money from collectives to drop significantly over the next two seasons. However, total compensation is expected to increase, offset by each school paying their athletes directly.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email at adam@brenemanmedia.com.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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