Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.
A Match Made in Heaven Wisconsin
With the arrival of jersey patches in college sports, there will be plenty of there will be plenty of great, good, bad and horrible partnerships, especially when it comes to how the patch looks on the jersey.
To say that Wisconsin's jersey patch sponsorship is perfect would be an understatement, as the Badgers partnered with Culvers as their official jersey patch sponsor for the football, men's basketball and men's hockey teams.
A match made in Wisconsin.
— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) June 30, 2026
@culvers is the official jersey patch sponsor of @badgerfootball, @badgermbb and @badgermhockey.
Learn more: https://t.co/Lq33lQlYGN pic.twitter.com/3LNomYZ3NS
“There are few things more quintessentially Wisconsin than Culver’s. This partnership is a natural fit for our jersey sponsorship–it’s a beloved brand among Badgers and a longtime partner of Wisconsin Athletics,” said Deputy AD/Chief Revenue Officer Mitchell Pinta, in a statement. “Beyond the sponsorship, Culver’s will play an active role in engaging and creating meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes.”
Along with being the patch on the jersey, the Wisconsin-based national restaurant is also the on-court logo partner at Wisconsin's Kohl Center, which debuted in January 2025, and will now create unique content creation opportunities through NIL collaboration with Badger athletes.
On April 2, Wisconsin announced that UW Health would be the jersey patch sponsor for women's basketball, hockey, softball and volleyball, which marked the first jersey patch sponsorship devoted to women's athletics in college athletics.
Air Force Parts Ways with Athletic Director Nathan Pine
Air Force made a sudden change Thursday night, parting ways with Pine after seven years.
"The Department of the Air Force informed the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation that the service of Nathan Pine as the Director of Athletics at the Academy was no longer accepted," the statement said. "Given this directive and to ensure mission continuity, the AFAAC Board of Directors has appointed AFAAC CEO Dr. Nancy Hixson to provide these services on an interim basis. At this time, Mr. Pine remains under contract as an employee of the AFAAC."
Sources: Air Force is pushing out Atheltic Director Nathan Pine, at the urging of outgoing superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind. His surprising dismissal will include Pine being paid out the remaining years on his contract. pic.twitter.com/wRBW89h1L8
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 3, 2026
Pine recently hired men's basketball coach Joe Crispin in March. Crispin took over for Joe Scott, who mutually parted ways with the Falcons after he was suspended indefinitely in January pending an investigation into his treatment of cadets.
During his tenure, Air Force was voted the top program in the Mountain West four times.
Former Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky and Cincinnati Guard Kerr Kriisa Arrested by the FBI
Months after completing a six-year college basketball career, Kriisa was arrested by FBI agents on Friday, according to On3's Jack Pilgrim.
The 25-year-old is awaiting extradition from Kentucky to West Virginia, where he is accused of a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme during his one season with the Mountaineers in 2023-24.
Kriisa was set to take part in this summer's The Basketball Tournament for Kentucky's alumni team, "La Familia," but will no longer do so.
We’re aware of the allegations regarding Kerr Kriisa. Kerr will not be competing with La Familia during the TBT Tournament. We will have no further comment.
— LaFamilia - Kentucky’s TBT Team (@LaFamiliaTBT) July 5, 2026
While at Arizona (three seasons), West Virginia (one), Kentucky (one) and Cincinnati (one), Kriisa averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 36.6% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc in 127 games (106 starts) during his collegiate career.
ICYMI
Every Ohio State Player’s Remaining Eligibility After NCAA Adopts Five-Year Eligibility Model
We take a look at how many more years of eligibility every Ohio State player has now after the NCAA’s move to a five-year eligibility model.
Ohio State’s 2027 Recruiting Class Shows Buckeyes’ Emphasis on Improving in the Trenches
The makeup of Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting class is a clear sign that the Buckeyes are devoting more resources to the offensive and defensive lines after last year’s postseason struggles.
Ohio State Lands Five-Star Wide Receiver in Sixth Straight Recruiting Class With Commitment of Jett Harrison
With Jett Harrison's commitment on Wednesday, Ohio State has landed a five-star wide receiver in six straight recruiting classes and nine out of 10 classes dating back to 2019.
What's Next
- 62 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Ball State
- 104 Days: The Buckeyes face Indiana in Bloomington
- 146 Days: The Game
