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4 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shreya Nag |Rajdeep Paul
The Oklahoma Sooners seem to move to the backend for their standout OT David Stone. In the wake of the flurry of offseason departures among the schools, Stone joined the trend. The former five-star suited up for 13 games as a true freshman with the Sooners. The 6-foot-3, 313-pounder just played 88 snaps with 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. To be honest, his freshman era was pretty average. Stone has the talent. It’s just that he needs to be a finished product.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shreya Nag |Rajdeep Paul
The transfer portal has become a live chaos. Be it an unregulated NIL market or the players’ loose ends of the mind that can swing with the money, it makes things very complex for the coaches. To bypass the trouble, coaches like Auburn’s Matt Rhule wanted to hold off the spring practice, fearing new tampering. Tennessee’s Josh Heupel had to take a harsh call on Nico Iamaleava after his historic practice holdout in demand of a big-money contract. And amid the chaos, can Deion Sanders be left behind?
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shreya Nag |Rajdeep Paul
Remember when Ryan Day fiercely defended the two portal window idea back in February! It made a lot of sense since the Buckeyes had their season ended late, and having no second portal left their future severely jeopardized. Now, while the winter portal deadline called for immediate action, they were busy deciding on their existing season. But since we have the spring portal this season, the story took a U-turn.
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6 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shreya Nag |Rajdeep Paul
Travis Hunter has had a lot of the social media craps for over the past few months of his career. But guess what, fans are still not done. The guy gets so irked that he was forced to take down all his social media handles over a sassy outrage involving his girl, Leanna Lenee. But after a while, the Colorado two-way star realised that hiding behind the door isn’t a solution. He returned and started living a normal life, focusing on draft preparations.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Papiya Chatterjee |Rajdeep Paul
Is NIL a blessing or curse? Ask Josh Heupel, who just lost his starting QB to it, as Nico Iamaleava’s move from Tennessee sent shockwaves through college football. The highly touted quarterback, coming off a stellar SEC season, reportedly sought a lucrative NIL deal that the university wouldn’t match. Negotiations broke down, and Iamaleava transferred, leaving Tennessee scrambling. The move caused an uproar, but Miami coach Mario Cristobal’s reaction?
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Malabika Dutta |Rajdeep Paul
Tennessee’s $4 million athlete, Nico Iamaleava, has set a new example, not in favor of the coaches or higher-ups. He has taken steps to enter the transfer portal, officially sending the necessary paperwork to the Vols. Looking to renegotiate his NIL deal, Iamaleava skipped practice and meetings on Friday, sparking concerns. But while his father refuted a recent story from On3, tensions are still high within the Vols program.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Malabika Dutta |Rajdeep Paul
We all know that at Washington State, John Mateer and OC Ben Arbuckle built a brand—fast, fearless, and fireworks on the scoreboard. Well, their offensive magic wasn’t just flashy—it delivered results. Don’t forget that in 2024, Wazzu ranked 17th in total offense (442.8 YPG) and 6th in PPG (36.6). However, Mateer, the redshirt junior QB, lit it up—finishing 13th in the nation in passing TDs and 7th in yards per attempt (9.0). As of now, the dynamic duo heads to Oklahoma. And the challenge?
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Papiya Chatterjee |Rajdeep Paul
Well, the Spring games just saw a gust of change. All thanks to Deion Sanders, who “would like to style it like the pros.” Sanders wants more than an intrasquad scrimmage; he craves a real opponent. Bold? Absolutely. But he’s not alone. Mike Gundy wants a spring Bedlam game against Brent Venables’ Sooners, and coaches like Matt Rhule and Ryan Day are on board. The NCAA swiftly rejected the idea, but one analyst made it clear that they can’t control public perception.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Papiya Chatterjee |Rajdeep Paul
Well, Michigan’s been cooking on the recruiting trail, with the 3rd spot in the Big 10. Behind the scenes, however, cracks are appearing. Despite last season’s struggles, Sherrone Moore landed top recruits Bryce Underwood, Andrew Babalola, and Ty Haywood. This wasn’t luck; it was strategic recruiting, spearheaded by a $350,000-a-year savant who saw the NIL landscape’s potential before most schools had their feet wet.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Shreya Nag |Rajdeep Paul
Nico Iamaleava has shaken up the entire college football world with one decision. He probably carries the strongest testament of how NIL negatively shapes the college football world. The second-year quarterback came fresh off a breakout freshman season at Knoxville. He was all set to make a greater impact in the rolling year, but money got in the way. The QB phenom reportedly sought a new multimillion-dollar deal under his radar.
