Stanford athletics could face trouble in NIL era amid wave of transfers

The decision by Stanford softball P NiJaree Canady to transfer “could be a sign of problems for the athletic department that won’t soon go away," according to Marisa Ingemi of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Though the athletic department “more recently has embraced the new NIL landscape and endorsed Lifetime Cardinal," the school's NIL collective, the school has "lost several key players in the portal across multiple sports.” In 12 months, Stanford has lost, in addition to Canady, potential No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Kiki Iriafen, men’s basketball G’s Andrej Stojakovic and Kanaan Carlyle, TE Benjamin Yurosek and baseball OF/P Braden Montgomery. I n revenue sports, “some of that could have been unavoidable," but Stanford "typically has thrived in Olympic and women’s sports.” Ingemi: “That a softball player could command a seven-figure deal leads to this question: Can Stanford keep pace in any sport if the market keeps being reset?” Without former women's basketball C Cameron Brink, Iriafen and Canady, Stanford “will lack the women’s sports star power that has been a trademark of the department for the past half-decade.” The loss of Canady “gives pause to the idea of Stanford being able to compete in the expanding NIL market across women’s sports” ( S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/26 ).