Here is the latest Big 12 Conference sports news from The Associated Press

Published 3:30 am Sunday, August 4, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tradition-rich college football programs Nebraska, Ohio State and Alabama are capitalizing on the passion of their fans to generate funds for their NIL collectives. Nebraska is charging $25 for an open practice Saturday. Ohio State is charging $50 to attend one of four open practices. Alabama will let fans in for free to their open practice but charge for an autograph session afterward. Thilo Kunkel researches NIL’s impact on college sports as a faculty member at Temple. He said charging admission to watch practice is a creative and smart way to raise NIL funds at brand-name programs.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — University of Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is preparing for his first full season coaching at the college level since 1998, when he served as Stanford’s offensive line coach. Deion Sanders promoted Shurmur from offensive analyst to play-caller for the final four games last season. This year, he tabbed him as his offensive coordinator. Shurmur says being back at the college level with young players has given him a fresh perspective after spending 23 seasons in the NFL.

UNDATED (AP) — College sports leaders believe they have found a way through a massive antitrust settlement to finally separate “true NIL” for athletes from what they say is booster-funded pay-for-play. If the settlement is approved by a judge, mandatory disclosure rules, an outside clearinghouse to assess deals and an enforcement process that includes neutral arbitrators will be used to scrutinize transactions between college athletes and third parties for fair-market value. The plan is targeting so-called NIL collectives. For some, it looks like an overstep by the NCAA. Others see ample precedent in professional leagues to support regulating NIL.

PARIS (AP) — Three-quarters of the nearly 600 American athletes lining up for action at the Paris Olympics got their training in college sports in the United States. It’s an eye-opening figure that places the future of the Olympics themselves into the equation as the NCAA and its biggest schools set priorities when they start paying college athletes. NCAA President Charlie Baker told The Associated Press he thinks colleges are going to have to make tough choices in the near future. He was in Paris for the opening ceremony that took place at around the same time litigators filed details of a multibillion-dollar settlement that calls for players to share in revenue and is bound to alter the course of the NCAA.

WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor has extended the contract of women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen through the 2029-30 season after a 74-28 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of her first three seasons. The Big 12 school announced the extension on Tuesday. The Bears were 28-7 and made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, when they were 13th in the final AP Top 25 poll. Collen was coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream before being hired by Baylor in May 2021. That was after Kim Mulkey, who won three national titles in her 21 seasons with the Bears, returned to her home state as LSU’s coach.

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