The NCAA released guidelines on Friday that aim to help schools safely bring student athletes back to college campuses.

Why it matters: Schools across the U.S. are prepping for football players to return as early as June 8, after the Southeastern Conference green-lit workouts and team activities at the discretion of individual universities.

The NCAA's proposed rule change that would allow student athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness (NIL) should result in major financial opportunities, most notably on social media.

Why it matters: The emergence of this new revenue stream could alter the landscape of recruiting, with athletes potentially factoring earnings potential into their college decision.

The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) report on Tuesday, which offers a snapshot of academic performance over a four-year span.

How it works: 1,000 is the top score, and programs are penalized with reduced scholarships and postseason bans if they dip below 930 — a score that predicts a 50% graduation rate.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and for the Big Ten, it began with the announcement of the Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet.

Why it matters: This is the first major initiative in Kevin Warren's young tenure as the new Big Ten commissioner, and it will help elevate the mental wellbeing of athletes at a time when so much of the focus is on physical health.

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down college sports, forcing athletic departments to search for any cost-cutting measures they can find.

Why it matters: While some of those are temporary, like furloughing employees, halting travel and asking head coaches to take pay cuts, others could be more permanent as schools take a closer look at their budgets and revisit why they were spending money on certain things in the first place.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said that it's not likely all schools will simultaneously be ready to start their seasons this fall, in an interview on Friday night.

Why it matters: States across the country are seeing varying impacts from the coronavirus — making it more reasonable that teams will have varying start dates and total number of games for the season, AP writes.

The NCAA's Board of Governors announced Wednesday that it supports rule changes that would allow student-athletes to receive compensation for their names, images and likenesses.

Yes, but: Don't expect a free market for student-athletes just yet. While the NCAA cleared the way to support third-party endorsements and other money-making opportunities, like social-media influencing and personal appearances, its announcement still leaves a number of questions moving forward.

The NCAA is moving closer to allowing Division I athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness (NIL) as early as next year.

Driving the news: Recommended rule changes will be reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the NCAA Board of Governors, which meets next Monday and Tuesday, AP's Ralph Russo reports.

The virtual NFL draft went off without any major hitches (hats off to the ESPN production team), and while it was certainly low-energy at times, it was the closest thing we've had to live sports in over a month and a welcome distraction.

How it went down: Highlight packages and player analysis filled much of the airtime, and ESPN was ready with plenty of human-interest sidebars (childhood photographs, heartbreaking and heartwarming stories).

Muffet McGraw retired Wednesday, stepping aside after 33 years as the women's basketball coach at Notre Dame.

The big picture: McGraw, 64, leaves behind a Hall of Fame legacy that includes nine Final Fours, two national titles and a 936-292 career record (.762), making her one of just five D-I basketball coaches with more than 930 wins (Mike Krzyzewski, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summit, Tara VanDerveer).