Settle, Settle, Settle, Settle

After weeks of anticipation, a federal judge in California approved a $2.8B dollar antitrust settlement that clears the way for college institutions to directly compensate athletes at their respective schools (Editor’s Note: it also addresses back pay for athletes who played before the NIL floodgates opened in 2021).

What this all means is really anybody’s guess at this point, and trust me when I tell you that you can fall down a rabbit hole trying to make sense of it. Perhaps one of the best explanations I have seen comes from Yahoo Sports insider Ross Dellenger, who created this thread on twitter. I also found this article from CBS, and this article from The Athletic, to be insightful as well.

What I don’t like is how excited several twitter lawyers seem to be about challenging the NIL language included in the settlement:

This is not to say that the potential legal challenges are frivolous, or that the lawyers involved are acting in bad faith, but rather that there are still many areas that clearly aren’t well defined. I hope I’m wrong, but I get the feeling this is one step forward, and two steps back (Editor’s Note: many of these legal challenges will exist until/unless House is codified into law). Based on the twitter poll we ran this weekend, it looks like many of you feel the same:

So, what does this mean for UCF? Here is what we know now:

Terry Mohajir released a statement on Saturday afternoon, which seems to confirm the long held belief that UCF will opt-in to the settlement:

Mohajir also offered this answer recently when asked where UCF stood in terms of fully funding the 2025 rev share cap of $20.5M:

Hopefully, we’ll get an opportunity to hear more from Mohajir or UCF leadership soon on this topic.

When you choose the law firm of Werner, Hoffman, Greig, and Garcia, what you get is a combined 120+ years of legal experience, and unmatched customer service, to represent you in important matters. As an added bonus, partner Michael Hoffman is a UCF alum, shareholder, and philanthropist, and he will personally be involved in supporting your case:

The Best of the Rest

Get caught up on the week of content from the Sons and friends:

I spoke with David Rumsey from Front Office Sports on his coverage of Big 12 Spring Meetings and one on one sit-down with Brett Yormark:

The Pegasus Podcast with Bailey Adams and Christian Simmons dropped a new episode exploring how House might impact UCF:

A new episode of Sons Today ran this week with Trace Trylko and I answering the big question: do you trust Terry Mohajir:

Lastly, you can check out the audio only Around The Kingdom Overtime, with me, Trace, and Eric Lopez:

With Father’s Day right around the corner, you might want to consider getting that Knights obsessed Father figure in your life some fresh gear from Alumni Hall. They have a huge selection of polos, hats, and as always, 2 for $38 T-Shirts

Today I Learned

On June 3rd, the UCF Football account on twitter posted a montage video of the hard work being put in by the players during summer lift sessions. These types of hype videos are not uncommon to see while the team is in the off-season, but this particular video had a bit of a surprise addition:

In case you missed it, former UCF Basketball player Deebo Coleman was shown working out with the team in the video, signaling that he had joined the UCF Football team for his final semester of eligibility (Editor’s Note: NCAA rules allow a player to play an additional season in a different sport if they are within their eligibility window). Follow up reporting by Brandon Helwig of UCFSports revealed that Coleman would be playing tight end for the Knights as he attempts a transition from college basketball to college football.

Coleman certainly wouldn’t be the first college basketball player to turn to football at the end of their hoops career. In fact, history shows that there have been a few successful basketball to football transitions, particularly at the tight end position:

• Jimmy Graham spent four seasons on the University of Miami basketball team before joining the football team in 2009. He had a modest season, but his measurables and athleticism were enough to impress NFL scouts, and Graham went on to have a 13 year NFL career, amassing 719 receptions and 89 touchdowns

• Antonio Gates starred for the Kent University basketball team, and in 2002, he averaged 20 points per game as he led the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight. After a lukewarm response from NBA scouts, Gates instead held a tryout showcase for NFL scouts, eventually being signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers. What followed was a career stat line of 955 receptions for 116 touchdowns, and an upcoming induction into the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame

• Mo Alie-Cox was a four year basketball player for the VCU Rams who helped propel his team to the 2015 A10 conference championship while earning all-tournament honors. Following a similar path to Gates, Cox began to work out for NFL scouts, landing him a deal with the Indianapolis Colts. After some early injury plagued years in Indy, Cox has emerged as a consistent player for the Colts, notching 114 career receptions and 15 touchdowns over seven seasons

• Julius Thomas played four seasons of basketball for Portland State out of the Big Sky Conference. In 2010, he traded sneakers for cleats, and joined Portland State as a walk-on tight end, earning All Big Sky honors despite his limited experience. Thomas was selected in the fourth round of the draft by the Denver Broncos and spent four seasons in Denver before signing with Jacksonville and later Miami. In total, Thomas played seven NFL seasons, hauling in 226 career passes and scoring 36 touchdowns. One other additional fun fact, Thomas’ tight ends coach for his lone season in college was Steve Cooper, who is now the UCF offensive coordinator

Coleman will join a tight end room that includes Kylan Fox, Dylan Wade, Thomas Wadsworth, Grant Stevens, Cam Piening, and incoming transfer Max Drag.

A bonus item that I learned today: the agenda for the June 12th Board of Trustees meeting reveals the proposed name change for the UCF football stadium. Get ready for Acrisure Bounce House

If you need equipment and gear for your favorite youth football team, head over to Florida Football Prep. They have everything you’ll need, plus, you can get your football practice ready with their unique conditioning process

Also, check out their podcast, The Quarterbacks Room, available on your favorite player or YouTube:

Bye For Now

Friendly reminder to subscribe to the Sons of UCF YouTube channel and tell a friend! We’d love to get to 2k subs before football starts - but we need your help!

A bit of a light schedule this week due to travel, but we’ll have a few things for your enjoyment this week. Until we talk again, have a great week, and take care of yourselves and each other