Maya Johnson Details Return to Belmont Softball, Unwanted NIL Contact Ahead of Transfer Portal Decision

Credit: Belmont Athletics

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON www.si.com/onsi/softball

NIL and tampering have been hot topics in the college softball offseason. 

The Texas Tech Raiders shook the nation when they announced the addition of several well-known transfers to their 2026 roster, with most of them reportedly approached by a third party, The Matador Club, Texas Tech’s Name, Image, and Likeness collective. 

While Gerry Glasco and the Red Raiders drew the most attention while legally using a third party and poaching players well before the college season ended, they aren’t the only school to be doing so. 

One player who entered the transfer portal spoke out about her experience being approached well before she even knew she was going to enter. 

Belmont University’s ace, Maya Johnson, was driving her team to the history books when third-party vendors of several colleges that were done with their seasons came ringing her line. 

Focused on pushing the Bruins to win the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship and earn an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Softball Championship for the first time in program history, Johnson wanted nothing to do with it.

“No one broke the rules, but yes, I had people contacting me before I was going to play for the conference championships,” Johnson said. “It still feels icky to me. I am here for my team. Transferring did not cross my mind until after the season because I was fully committed to my team. I had a job to do, and (transferring) was not something I wanted to think about. Just because you are out of your tournament doesn’t mean that I am out. My team is still playing, and I have a job I have to go do.” 

It’s no secret that Johnson put up her best collegiate season thus far, and anyone would want her on their roster. She went 24-6 overall with a 1.52 ERA over 207 innings pitched and led the country in strikeouts with 366. 

When Belmont eventually did fall in the NCAA Regional and its historic season came to a close, Johnson only entered the portal due to the university getting rid of their master’s of science in nursing degree, not because she felt she could do better elsewhere. 

“It was a wild experience, and unfortunately, in the current day and age, there are a lot of people who try to tamper in legal ways before the season is over,” Johnson said. “That was a unique situation to be in, and for someone who is really loyal to my program, it was not a great position for me to be in personally. I didn’t appreciate it.” 

Luckily for Johnson, she only spent a few weeks in the transfer portal, handling calls from coaches all day long and yearning for the Bruins like no other, when she discovered that Belmont transitioned to a partially online doctor of nursing practice program that would allow her to still play softball and chase her future career. She withdrew from the portal and will finish her final season of eligibility in Nashville.

While the collegiate landscape is navigating this new potential for tampering and NIL taking over, Johnson’s loyalty and dedication to her program speak volumes. 

Battling Lupus since she was a sophomore in high school, she initially committed to play at the University of Pittsburgh. Coming off an excellent high school and travel ball season, Pitt decided they wouldn’t clear her to play just days before arriving on campus. 

Never getting cleared, she was forced to redshirt her freshman year while she struggled with lupus and dealt with post-viral gastroparesis. 

Entering the portal for the first time, she was ready to head to Bowling Green with the Falcons, but coaching changes led to another bump in the road with another training staff refusing to clear her to play. 

Then she found Belmont, a place that welcomed her with open arms.

“Belmont was a place that supported me when no one else did,” Johnson said. “I had a lot of people question a few years ago if I could even play softball, and (head) coach Matthews never had that question. I love the city of Nashville, and I am going to finish my career with my family here at Belmont.”