Lady Raider Basketball
Level 13 Agency announced that they committed $25,000 to every Lady Raider on the team as part of a name, image and likeness deal. I can honestly tell you that I’m not quite sure what Level 13 Agency is, but their Twitter bio says that they are a sports marketing and management entity, “It is our goal to turn collegiate athletes into investable brands.”
We are proud to announce that Level 13 Agency has committed $25,000.00 per Lady Raider in the Women’s Basketball Locker Room! We see you, we hear you, and we support you ladies! #LΞVΞLUPLADIΞS pic.twitter.com/Io77uKnjz5
— LΞVΞL 13 Agency🌵 (@LEVEL13Agency) July 28, 2022
I know that they have had players wear certain brands, like Thrice Cold and sponsored players in other ways, but I can’t completely tell you that I understand the business model or how they are funded. That’s not really for me to be concerned about, but really just trying to understand everything. What I can say is that head coach Krista Gerlich was behind this and presume the university was as well.
@CoachGerlich @KirkLeeNoles What a day!!! @LEVEL13Agency pic.twitter.com/aZUzzilv5Y
— 🌵 Kevin Noles 🌵 (@Wr3ck3m) July 29, 2022
Best of all, this benefits the ladies on the basketball team and puts them on similar footing as the football team in terms of NIL deals. Congrats to Level 13 Agency and the Lady Raider basketball team!
Conference Realignment
BYU Insider Tyler Chsitensen compares two conference realignment insiders, Jon Wilner and Greg Swaim. I haven’t followed Swaim previously, but you can find him on Twitter and he’s an Oklahoma State grad and is pro-Big 12 while Wilner is pro-Pac-12.
Hmmm, which #Pac12 school is not mentioned in any #B1G wish lists? I can’t seem to remember. I can see them, but just can’t remember the name of the school. Can any of you #BYU fans help me out here?! 🤣🏈🏀 https://t.co/kp874msJry
— SWAIMVILLE 📡🌎 (@GSwaim) July 28, 2022
Arizona Republic’s Jeremy Cluff writes about how the Pac-12 is fractured because of the Big Ten chatter about continuing expansion:
Scheer seemed to echo some of that thinking in his comments to 365 Sports, at least in terms of the Arizona Wildcats.
“I feel comfortable saying that the Arizona administration would like to be in the Big 12 right now,” Scheer said. “There are aspects to that at play. They don’t want to go alone. If Utah comes with them, that would be probably the strongest option. If Utah says ‘We’ll go to the Big 12 with you,’ that becomes a situation where they both jump at once.
“If Arizona is going to need another school to come with it, I think they’re willing to see if the Pac-12 can make it worth it for them to stay with a certain financial offer. But right now, let’s say the negotiating window closed and the offers weren’t coming in, Arizona would be gone. I think they’re probably the most active school, from what I understand and what I’ve heard, in looking towards the Big 12.“
As for the “fracture” among the remaining Pac-12 schools, Scheer said: “There is absolutely a group of schools in the conference that feel that way (reacting to a Denver Post columnist saying that Colorado administration felt the Big 12 was a ‘JUCO league’). I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say a JUCO league, but I absolutely think that there are schools in the (Pac-12) conference that are arrogant.”
Football
Inside receiver Myles Price was named to the Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list, given to the most versatile player in college football.