Legally Binding and Day-to-Day

Welcome back, depth chart detectives, NIL accountants, and message board lawyers arguing precedent in House v. NCAA.

Fall camp is underway, which means it’s officially That Time of Year, where “day-to-day” could mean anything from a bruised ego to an ACL tear, and coaches start sounding like AI-generated clichés. Recruits are getting written revenue offers, five-star QBs are getting cleared to throw lasers again, and Stanford just hired a CEO to run the athletic department like a startup. It’s getting weird. And we’re locked in.

This newsletter is for anyone who’s screenshotting freshman QB reps, tracking which collectives are laundering the most Subway money, or trying to figure out how to salary-cap a college football roster without going broke.

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📰 Two-Minute Drill

Stanford Taps Ex-Nike CEO as AD. Brand Synergy Activated
Stanford just hired John Donahoe, yes, the former CEO of Nike, as its new athletic director. The Cardinal now have more corporate firepower in the admin suite than some NFL teams. Expect fundraising to look a lot more like a product launch.
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Texas Tech President Lands Seat at the Cool Kids Table
Lawrence Schovanec, Texas Tech’s president, has joined the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. Translation: the Red Raiders now have some say in the billion-dollar sausage-making of playoff expansion and scheduling. Don’t be surprised if Lubbock starts getting better kickoff times.
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Revenue Sharing Offers Now Legal for Recruits
As of August 1, schools can formally offer recruits a slice of revenue-sharing in writing. We’ve entered the age of the legally binding NIL offer letter. If you thought portal chaos was wild before, wait until someone leaks the numbers on a QB’s signing bonus.
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DJ Lagway Returns to Camp, Gator Nation Breathes Again
Florida’s five-star freshman QB DJ Lagway is back and throwing lasers after missing time for precautionary reasons. He’s expected to start Week 1. Billy Napier’s seat just got one degree cooler, for now.
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🚗 Car Dealership Chronicles

Coaches Brace for Revenue-Sharing Reality

August 1 marked the start of a new recruiting era: schools can now send written revenue-sharing offers to high school recruits under the House v. NCAA settlement. These aren’t binding until December, but they spell out exactly what schools are willing to pay, with a $20.5 million cap per program starting in 2025–26.

For coaches, that means figuring out how to divvy up real money across their rosters—before the season even starts. Some are already experimenting with mock budgets and tiered valuations by position. The pressure to not blow the cap, or create locker room resentment, is very real.

The deals are a preview of what's to come, and coaches know it. Several, especially at Group of Five schools, have admitted they’re unsure how to stay competitive without overspending on a few marquee positions. With numbers now on paper, the games behind the games, budget allocation, retention strategy, and roster politics, just got a lot more complicated.

🎯 Bet Your Team On This Guy

DJ Lagway - QB - Florida

DJ Lagway isn’t just Florida’s future. He’s already its present. The former five-star from Willis, Texas was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 class—a dual-threat juggernaut who torched Texas 6A defenses for over 4,600 passing yards, 58 touchdowns, and nearly 1,000 yards rushing as a senior. He didn’t just rack up stats, he racked up awards: Gatorade National Player of the Year, Mr. Texas Football, MaxPreps Player of the Year, and even the face of EA Sports College Football 26.

In his true freshman season, Lagway went 6–1 as a starter for Florida, throwing for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns, and adding a physical presence to Billy Napier’s offense that simply didn’t exist in 2023. He opened eyes immediately with a 456-yard, 3-touchdown performance in his first start. And he kept the momentum going with wins against Kentucky and others in SEC play. Even with a mid-season shoulder procedure and a recent calf strain in fall camp, Lagway remains the unquestioned QB1 heading into 2025.

What makes him such a dangerous fantasy and on-field weapon is the fit. Napier’s offense thrives on designed runs, quick-read RPOs, and vertical shots—exactly what Lagway was built for. He’s got size, a howitzer for a right arm, and the patience to let plays develop. As long as he stays healthy, he has every tool to make a second-year leap and drag Florida back into national relevance. He’s not just a breakout. He’s a build-your-dynasty-around-him guy.

Why he’ll succeed:

• Elite pedigree: Texas legend, decorated recruit, statistical monster at every level.

• Explosive rookie: True freshman All-American and 6–1 starter with deep-throw prowess.

• Offensive fit: Napier’s offense is custom built for his dual-threat skill set.

• Bounce-back resilience: Already overcoming injuries with no sign of losing his edge or leadership.

Florida’s season trajectory is feeding on Lagway’s talent. If he stays healthy, he’s a legitimate Heisman sleeper and the kind of freshman phenom you don’t see every season.

🗣️ Coachspeak Decoder Ring

Mike Norvell - Florida State

The Quote: “We’ve seen strong development through summer workouts… Even an average performance would mark progress.”

Translation: “Look, we’re not trying to win a beauty contest against Bama. We just want to look like a functional football team. If the offensive line doesn’t collapse like a lawn chair and we get the snap off on time, that’s technically progress.”

Context: Norvell’s playing the long game here. With Gus Malzahn’s high-octane offense barely out of the shrink wrap, expectations are being managed with the precision of a political campaign. Don’t expect fireworks in Week 1, just pray for coherent football.

That’s it for this edition of “how many revenue-sharing contracts can you fit in a locker room before it explodes.”

Until next time, keep the depth charts messy and the hot takes hotter.

— The Convert on Fourth Down Team

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