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A16 SPORTS
Friday 23 december 2022
NIL casts cloud over college football’s early signing period

By RALPH D. RUSSO ning and his staff also
AP College Football Writer flipped four-star defensive
The early signing period for back Daylen Austin from
college football opened an LSU pledge and four-
Wednesday and in many star quarterback Austin No-
ways it looked the same as vosad from a Baylor com-
usual. mitment.
There were surprising last- “I think it’s great to be in a
minute flips by blue-chip place where you can be in-
recruits, pick-a-hat com- novative and ahead of the
mitment ceremonies held curve, but I think anybody
at high schools across the that really knows college
country and Alabama sign- football right now knows
ing the nation’s top-rated there’s a lot more to recruit-
class. ing than NIL,” Lanning said.
Hanging over it all, though, “Nobody picks the place
was the impossible to quan- just because of those fac-
tify but hard to ignore influ- tors ... it goes back to rela-
ence of NIL money impact- tionships.”
ing players’ decisions. Oregon also signed five-
This was second signing star Matayo Uiagalelei,
class since the NCAA lifted who picked the Ducks over
a ban on college athletes Ohio State and Southern
being able to earn money Oregon coach Dan Lanning reacts to a play against BYU during the first half of an NCAA college California.
for the use of their names, football game Sept. 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. The California linebacker is
images and likenesses. Associated Press the brother of former Clem-
There still there are no the country, according to and mishandled in a lot of Freeman said of NIL deals: son quarterback D.J. Uiag-
clearly defined, detailed 247 Sports’ composite rank- places.” “If that’s the only reason alelei.
and uniform rules regulat- ings. While coaches complain they want to come to The Ducks secured the top-
ing how third parties can It is still against NCAA rules about bad actors, nobody Notre Dame, we’re not go- rated class in the Pac-12
pay athletes. to use NIL payments as a names names and NIL is ing to be the right place for and top 10 in the nation
“I think there’s major con- recruiting inducement or now part of the recruit- them.” despite losing out on five-
cerns with what’s going on offer pay-for-play deals. But ing conversation, whether The Fighting Irish were on star quarterback Dante
in college football,” said with money and NIL deals coaches like it or not. the short end of two surpris- Moore earlier in the week.
Penn State coach James flowing to athletes through “The reality is this day and ing flips pulled off by Or- Moore, from Michigan, was
Franklin, who emphasized booster-funded collectives, age you have to make de- egon. a late flip to UCLA.
he supports athletes being it seems nearly impossible cisions on how you’re going The Ducks received com- Not every coach is leaning
able to cash in on NIL op- for the NCAA to enforce to handle this,” Southern mitments from five-star de- into NIL.
portunities. those rules. California coach Lincoln Ri- fensive back Peyton Bow- “We built this program on
“Right now, there’s really ”We all want something ley said. en of Texas and four-star NIL. We really did,” Clem-
no guardrails. There’s not a if we can get it” said new Riley said he believed USC running back Jayden Limar son coach Dabo Swinney
whole lot of guidance, and Nebraska coach Matt lost recruits to other schools from Washington. Both had said. “It’s probably differ-

there’s not a whole of gov- Rhule, who returned to the because of NIL deals, but been committed verbally ent than what you’re think-

ernance.” college game after three he added that “everybody and very much nonbinding ing, though. We built this
Penn State has a recruiting years in the NFL. “You can did.” to Notre Dame. program on God’s name,
class ranked in the top 15 in see (NIL is) being misused Notre Dame coach Marcus Oregon coach Dan Lan- image and likeness.” q

Argentina only No. 2 in new FIFA

rankings led by Brazil

ZURICH (AP) — Winning the despite winning only one of the CONCACAF region
World Cup was not enough game in Qatar and failing teams, rising three places
to lift Argentina atop the to advance from the group after advancing to the
FIFA world rankings with stage.England and the round of 16. Mexico is No.
Brazil keeping the No. 1 po- Netherlands, both beaten 15. Japan leads the Asian
sition on Thursday. quarterfinalists, stay at Nos. confederation teams at
Brazil was eliminated in the 5 and 6 respectively. No. 20, up four places, and
quarterfinals by Croatia Croatia climbed five Australia rises 11 places
but built enough rankings places to No. 7. European to No. 27. Both reached
points from results over re- champion Italy is at No. 8 the round of 16. Camer-
cent years that feed into despite failing to qualify for oon, which beat Brazil in
FIFA’s calculation. the World Cup. the group stage, rose 10
Argentina moved up one Morocco is the best-placed places to be No. 33. Qa- Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy in front of
place to No. 2 and beaten African nation at No. 11, up tar dropped 10 places to fans after winning the World Cup final soccer match between
Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar,
finalist France also rose one 11 places, for its historic run No. 60 after losing all three Dec. 18, 2022. Argentina won 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the
to No. 3. Belgium is still at to the semifinals. The United games as the home team match ended tied 3-3.
No. 4, a fall of two places, States at No. 13 is the best at the World Cup.q Associated Press