Each day NiJaree Canady remains uncommitted to another school is a relief for Stanford, which is hoping the 2024 Pac-12 Softball Pitcher of the Year will stay after entering the transfer portal.
With some experts suggesting that bidding for Canady could reach up to $1 million annually, Stanford is engaged in negotiations that might reshape non-revenue sports. A source familiar with the discussions did not reveal exact numbers but indicated that Stanford’s NIL collective, Lifetime Cardinal, is fully committed to keeping the top returning player in the nation.
“It’s extremely important to us,” said a source familiar with the NIL talks.
The Cardinal have faced difficulties in NIL negotiations across various sports, resulting in the loss of important athletes like women’s basketball player Kiki Iriafen in the spring.
In contrast to most athletes who enter the transfer portal, Canady, who has guided the program to consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances, has not shared any information about her decision on social media. This lack of communication has led some to believe she might be contemplating staying at Stanford.
“I believe there’s a strong possibility she stays,” said Jessica Mendoza, an ESPN announcer and Stanford softball alum. “I wouldn’t assume she’s leaving. While she’s in the portal, it’s more about exploring options rather than a definitive decision to leave.”
For softball players, NIL offers generally don’t match the figures seen in football or basketball. According to On3.com, which tracks college recruiting and NIL deals, the highest earner in college sports is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at $4.9 million per season, and the top basketball earner is Duke’s Cooper Flagg at $1.4 million. The largest reported NIL deal in softball belongs to former Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts at $136,000.
Stanford has long been a powerhouse in Olympic and women’s sports, securing NCAA titles in at least one sport for 48 consecutive years. However, the bidding for Canady could influence the school’s competitiveness as it transitions to the ACC this season.
“If you want these sports to succeed, you need to invest in NIL deals, regardless of the sport,” said Mit Winter, a sports law attorney and NIL expert. “There is growing interest in various women’s college sports, and Stanford is one of the schools that must adapt to maintain its success.”
OpenDorse, a company that connects collegiate athletes with potential NIL sponsors, ranks softball sixth in player compensation, behind football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and women’s volleyball.
Canady, who was named the 2024 USA Softball Player of the Year, entered the transfer portal on June 17, the last possible day. As a sophomore, she recorded 337 strikeouts in 230⅔ innings with an ERA of 0.73 and is considered the top pitcher in college softball.
Two Stanford sources, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on discussing Canady’s negotiations with Lifetime Cardinal and the university, stated that the school is “not out of it” in its efforts to retain Canady.
Although players can stay in the portal for as long as they want, Canady will probably need to choose a school by August to ensure she can enroll for the upcoming school year.
According to the source involved in the NIL negotiations, Canady is receiving offers approaching seven figures from well-funded collectives at Oklahoma and other schools. Florida is thought to have made an offer, with Texas, Oklahoma State, and Florida State also expressing interest, according to a source within Stanford’s softball program.
Recently, Oklahoma signed Sam Landry from Louisiana, another top pitcher in the portal, raising questions about whether the school can also afford Canady. Despite speculation that Canady’s NIL offers might approach $1 million, Winter and other NIL experts believe the figures won’t reach that high.
“She’s going to elevate the NIL numbers to a new level,” Mendoza said, “but the situation is too fluid to assign a specific number.”
NIL-NCAA, a database estimating collective funding for public universities based on booster data, ranks Texas as the top-funded school, with Florida at seventh. Stanford, as a private university, does not publicly report its data, and Lifetime Cardinal has previously declined to disclose its funding level.
“The resources are available for Lifetime Cardinal to compete with any collective out there,” Winter said. “Stanford has many successful, wealthy alumni. It’s just a matter of accessing them.”
Smaller sports have seen an increase in donor money from collectives. For instance, Lifetime Cardinal has secured funding for the entire Stanford women’s gymnastics team despite it being a non-revenue sport, thanks to donors interested in that program.
“There are donors or supporters who may want to contribute to specific sports or athletes,” Winter said. “It only takes one. You can’t assume continued success in smaller or Olympic sports without considering NIL. There are donors ready to set the market.”
Reportedly, payments to softball players constitute just 0.8% of NIL money nationwide, and no reliable public resource tracks NIL deals in college softball.
Stanford can offer Canady a full scholarship, valued at about $70,000 annually. According to NCAA rules, each Division I softball program has 12 scholarships, often divided among multiple players, making full scholarships relatively rare.
Wherever Canady chooses to go for the next school year, her decision to enter the portal and the NIL compensation she ultimately secures could significantly impact recruiting in the sport for years to come.
“NiJaree transcends the sport of softball,” Mendoza said. “She has numerous opportunities available to her, no matter where she ends up.”
Softball has contributed to the rising popularity of collegiate women’s sports, with the Women’s College World Series providing a significant ratings boost for the NCAA, rivaling football bowl season and March Madness for men’s and women’s college basketball. This year, the series averaged 2 million viewers per game on ESPN, marking a 24% increase from 2023 and a 3% rise from the previous record set in 2015.
