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A $2.8 billion settlement will change college sports forever. Here’s how

Associated Press A federal judge has approved terms of a sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will upend the way college sports have been run for more than a century. In short, schools can now directly pay players through licensing deals — a concept that goes against the foundation of amateurism that college sports was […]

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Associated Press

A federal judge has approved terms of a sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will upend the way college sports have been run for more than a century. In short, schools can now directly pay players through licensing deals — a concept that goes against the foundation of amateurism that college sports was built upon.

Some questions and answers about this monumental change for college athletics:

Q: What is the House settlement and why does it matter?

A: Grant House is a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five biggest athletic conferences in the nation). His lawsuit and two others were combined and over several years the dispute wound up with the settlement that ends a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes. Now, each school will be able to make payments to athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA.

Q: How much will the schools pay the athletes and where will the money come from?

A: In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22% of their revenue from things like media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress “those are resources and revenues that don’t exist.” Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through “talent fees,” concession price hikes and “athletic fees” added to tuition costs.

Q: What about scholarships? Wasn’t that like paying the athletes?

A: Scholarships and “cost of attendance” have always been part of the deal for many Division I athletes and there is certainly value to that, especially if athletes get their degree. The NCAA says its member schools hand out nearly $4 billion in athletic scholarships every year. But athletes have long argued that it was hardly enough to compensate them for the millions in revenue they helped produce for the schools, which went to a lot of places, including multimillion-dollar coaches’ salaries. They took those arguments to court and won.

Q: Haven’t players been getting paid for a while now?

A: Yes, since 2021. Facing losses in court and a growing number of state laws targeting its amateurism policies, the NCAA cleared the way for athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, including so-called donor-backed collectives that support various schools. Under House, the school can pay that money directly to athletes and the collectives are still in the game.

Q: But will $20.5 million cover all the costs for the athletes?

A: Probably not. But under terms of the settlement, third parties are still allowed to cut deals with the players. Some call it a workaround, but most simply view this as the new reality in college sports as schools fight to land top talent and then keep them on campus. Top quarterbacks are reportedly getting paid around $2 million a year, which would eat up about 10% of a typical school’s NIL budget for all its athletes.

Q: Are there any rules or is it a free-for-all?

A: The defendant conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12) are creating an enforcement arm that is essentially taking over for the NCAA, which used to police recruiting violations and the like. Among this new entity’s biggest functions is to analyze third-party deals worth $600 or more to make sure they are paying players an appropriate “market value” for the services being provided. The so-called College Sports Commission promises to be quicker and more efficient than the NCAA. Schools are being asked to sign a contract saying they will abide by the rules of this new structure, even if it means going against laws passed in their individual states.

Q: What about players who played before NIL was allowed?

A: A key component of the settlement is the $2.7 billion in back pay going to athletes who competed between 2016-24 and were either fully or partially shut out from those payments under previous NCAA rules. That money will come from the NCAA and its conferences (but really from the schools, who will receive lower-than-normal payouts from things like March Madness).

Q: Who will get most of the money?

A: Because football and men’s basketball are the primary revenue drivers at most schools, and that money helps fund all the other sports, it stands to reason that the football and basketball players will get most of the money. But that is one of the most difficult calculations for the schools to make. There could be Title IX equity concerns as well.

Q: What about all the swimmers, gymnasts and other Olympic sports athletes?

A: The settlement calls for roster limits that will reduce the number of players on all teams while making all of those players — not just a portion — eligible for full scholarships. This figures to have an outsize impact on Olympic-sport athletes, whose scholarships cost as much as that of a football player but whose sports don’t produce revenue. There are concerns that the pipeline of college talent for Team USA will take a hit.

Q: So, once this is finished, all of college sports’ problems are solved, right?

A: The new enforcement arm seems ripe for litigation. There are also the issues of collective bargaining and whether athletes should flat-out be considered employees, a notion the NCAA and schools are generally not interested in, despite Tennessee athletic director Danny White’s suggestion that collective bargaining is a potential solution to a lot of headaches. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been pushing Congress for a limited antitrust exemption that would protect college sports from another series of lawsuits, but so far nothing has emerged from Capitol Hill.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports




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Nick Saban stresses importance of keeping non-revenue sports after President Donald Trump’s executive order

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the intent of ending third-party, pay-for-play payments in college athletics. In the middle of all that, though, Nick Saban wants to ensure the protection of other collegiate sports outside of football and men’s basketball. In an appearance on FOX News on Friday, Saban stressed the […]

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On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the intent of ending third-party, pay-for-play payments in college athletics. In the middle of all that, though, Nick Saban wants to ensure the protection of other collegiate sports outside of football and men’s basketball.

In an appearance on FOX News on Friday, Saban stressed the need to take care of the non-revenue sports. That’s because of what the profits made in football and men’s basketball have meant to the other sports outside of those two for many years now.

“Well, I think that, you know, I’m for keeping all the sports that we have, as many that we can have. But, you know, there are financial concerns relative to how many sports can you promote that don’t create revenue?” Saban said. “I think one of the things that people need to understand about college sports – they say it’s a business, but it’s really not a business. It’s revenue-producing and two sports have created the revenue to have 20 other sports, and I think that’s why it’s important that we have a system in place.

“And I think, you know, President Trump has made the first step toward that. I think, you know, the SCORE Act in Congress right now would be another step in that direction, would protect the opportunities that we’ve been able to provide for male and female, non-revenue sports because I think it’s everybody’s goal to keep all those opportunities intact.”

Again, of everything to factor into what name, image, and likeness and revenue sharing looks live moving forward, this aspect is of note. That’s with football and men’s basketball making all of the profits as compared to every other sport around college athletics.

Saban reacts to Trump’s executive order relating to college sports

When President Donald Trump initially expressed concern about the current state of collegiate athletics back in May, he turned to Nick Saban for advice, as, after meeting in Tuscaloosa, Trump tabbed the legendary former coach as a co-chair on a yet-to-be-realized presidential commission on college sports. And, while Trump’s proposed presidential commission never went beyond those initial discussion phases, Saban’s input helped create the framework of what would become Trump’s recent executive order, titled “President Donald J. Trump Saves College Sports,” which the White House announced Thursday.

A day later, Saban praised the president’s executive order. He called it “a huge step” toward moving college athletics back to an “educational model” after the House v. NCAA settlement effectively ended the NCAA’s “amateur” model and ushered in revenue-sharing with student-athletes beginning July 1st.

“I think President Trump’s executive order is a huge step in providing the educational model which is what we’ve always sort of tried to promote to create opportunities for players, male and female alike, revenue and non-revenue, so they can have development as people, students and develop careers or develop professionally if that’s what they choose to do,” Saban said during a Friday morning appearance on FOX’s Fox and Friends. “I think we need to make a decision here relative to do we want to have an education-based model, which I think the President made a huge step toward that, or do we want to have universities sponsor professional teams. And I think most people would choose the former.”

The “Save College Sports” executive order delivers on multiple agenda items the NCAA and Power Four administrators have lobbied Congress for in recent months. That includes directing key members of his administration — specifically his secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services and the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission — to develop a plan to provide antitrust protections for the NCAA and its conferences so it can properly create and enforce rules governing the future of collegiate athletics.

An executive order streamlines some of the top items on the NCAA’s wishlist. The order “requires the preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports.”



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Report: ESPN sees ‘potential’ for Bill Belichick TV ratings to mirror Deion Sanders impact

In 2023, Deion Sanders brought Prime Time to Colorado. The Buffaloes were a ratings hit, making a near-weekly appearance in the Top 10 most-watched college football games. More Hall of Fame star power is coming to college football in 2025, this time in Chapel Hill. Bill Belichick is gearing up for his first season at […]

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In 2023, Deion Sanders brought Prime Time to Colorado. The Buffaloes were a ratings hit, making a near-weekly appearance in the Top 10 most-watched college football games.

More Hall of Fame star power is coming to college football in 2025, this time in Chapel Hill. Bill Belichick is gearing up for his first season at North Carolina, bringing plenty of attention to the program along with him. That was apparent at ACC Media Days this week as crowds of reporters listened to what the six-time Super Bowl champion coach had to say.

ESPN is also in position to capitalize with eight – maybe 10 – UNC games on its networks, Front Office Sports reported. As for whether the company is expecting a Coach Prime-like surge, it certainly sees “potential.”

“We have to wait and see. The potential is there,” said Kurt Dargis, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions, in an interview with FOS. “There’s definitely interest in him outside the typical college football fan.

“Deion was such a phenomenon. I still can’t believe some of the numbers we got that first year he was there. It’s too early to say.”

ESPN capitalizing early on Bill Belichick at UNC

ESPN’s main channel is set to air North Carolina’s opener against TCU, which will take place in primetime on Monday, Sept. 1 with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. The network will also broadcast College Football Countdown from Chapel Hill, hosted by Matt Barrie. Analysts Tedy BruschiDesmond HowardPat McAfee and Nick Saban will also be in attendance, as will college football insider Pete Thamel.

North Carolina’s Week 2 matchup against Charlotte will be exclusively on ESPN+, and Week 3 against Richmond will be on ACC Network – owned by ESPN. Two other Tar Heels games have already been picked up by ESPN. North Carolina’s Oct. 17 game at Cal will be on ESPN with a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff, and ESPN will air the Oct. 31 matchup at Syracuse.

Of course, TCU was also the season opener for Sanders’ first season at Colorado in 2022. The Buffaloes wound up winning that game 45-42, thrusting the program into the national spotlight as Coach Prime and Co. took down a team fresh off a national championship berth.

Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes previously joked this year’s opener was “bad scheduling” given that recent history. However, at Big 12 Media Days, he told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg he thinks the program is better prepared to deal with such an anticipated matchup.



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Why Hanna Cavinder Is More Than Just an Athlete

Hanna Cavinder turned her college basketball fame into a strong brand and business. With her twin sister Haley, she built a huge social media following and scored major NIL deals. Their TikTok has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Analysts say their influence rivals top male college stars. The Cavinder twins are now […]

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Hanna Cavinder turned her college basketball fame into a strong brand and business. With her twin sister Haley, she built a huge social media following and scored major NIL deals. Their TikTok has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Analysts say their influence rivals top male college stars. The Cavinder twins are now big names among student-athletes and young business minds.

Hanna Cavinder’s huge online following led to brand deals (Nike, Under Armour), startup investments, and media gigs. Her smart branding shows how college athletes can use their platform for long-term success.

Social Media

Before NIL rules, Hanna and Haley Cavinder became TikTok stars. By March 2021, they had 2.7 million followers, posting dances and basketball clips from Fresno State. Their reach showed that follower count, not stats, could drive earnings. Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said their impact was nearly as big as Trevor Lawrence’s the NFL’s top draft pick that year.

Today, the Cavinders have a massive online following. Their shared TikTok (@cavindertwins) has over 4.5 million followers and 150 million likes. Their Instagram accounts shared and individual total nearly 2 million followers, per SBJ. These numbers rival celebrity influencers, not typical college athletes. Hanna’s team treats these channels as key brand assets. The twins post lifestyle, fitness, and travel content to grow their audience. This steady activity taught Hanna the value of her brand even before NIL rules began.

By July 2021, when NIL rules took effect, Hanna had already shown her market power. Experts said her TikTok presence alone could earn hundreds of thousands a year. Within two years, the Cavinders reported nearly $2 million from NIL and sponsorship deals. They prove daily that social media can turn into real income for athletes.

Branding and Business Ventures

Hanna’s brand play isn’t just about TikTok. She and Haley treat NIL deals like real business. They’ve signed long-term partnerships and taken equity in companies. In July 2024, they landed a three-year exclusive apparel and footwear deal with Under Armour the first for NCAA women’s basketball players. UA even taps them to test and help design new products, using their real fan connection.

The Cavinder twins promote their ventures in a real, relatable way. Their agent says they offer brands a mix of sport, fashion, and wellness influence. Hanna often repeats her dad’s advice: ‘It’s not a four-year plan, it’s a 40-year plan.’ She says NIL taught them to invest, diversify, and think long-term. They work with a trusted attorney and aim to build a lasting business far beyond the norm for college athletes.

Under Armour even ran a playful campaign with the twins, sharing ‘7 easy steps’ to build an NIL empire. The list included ‘be elite,’ ‘sign with Under Armour,’ and ‘star in a Dick’s campaign.’ It was tongue-in-cheek, but Hanna has done it all and more.

NIL Pioneer and Role Model

Hanna Cavinder has become a key voice for college athlete opportunity. She and Haley were among the first to sign an NIL deal partnering with Boost Mobile on July 1, 2021, in a Times Square ad. The deal, reportedly worth five figures each, made headlines and opened doors.

They’ve also pushed for policy change. Both spoke at a U.S. Senate NIL roundtable, backing fair, earned rights for student-athletes.

Their success changed how people view NIL. They started at Fresno State not a sports powerhouse yet out-earned many big-school stars. As one writer said, ‘The twins are proof that NIL benefits go beyond the biggest names in the biggest sports.

In 2024, they were profiled by Sports Business Journal and included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Sports a nod to their pioneering role in the NIL era and their business success off the court.

Building a Lasting Legacy

For student-athletes interested in entrepreneurship and branding, Hanna Cavinder’s journey offers several key takeaways:

1. Invest Early, Think Long-Term

Approach NIL as a long-term opportunity. Hanna treats every deal like an investment, focusing on equity, royalties, and sustainability.

2. Diversify Your Platform

Grow your brand across multiple platforms (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) and use them to authentically support your ventures.

3. Be a Trailblazer

Don’t be afraid to try new things: sign major partnerships, appear in national campaigns, launch your own product lines.

4. Stay Authentic

Hanna’s relatable, humorous, and athletic brand connects with fans. Authenticity builds trust and trust builds influence.

5. Balance Sports and Business

Build a team to help you manage both athletics and business. Hanna has done this well, continuing her NCAA basketball career while growing a business empire.

Conclusion

Hanna Cavinder has become one of the most influential college athletes of the NIL era. Through strategic branding, smart investments, and relentless social media engagement, she has proven that athletic talent is only the beginning. Her story is not just about viral fame or flashy deals it’s about building a business, inspiring future athletes, and showing the world that college athletes can be CEOs in sneakers.



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Dave Aranda draws parallel to ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ when discussing transfer portal

The question was about the negative side-effects of the transfer portal and NIL. The answer was… not about that. At least not at first. Three seconds in, when Baylor head coach Dave Aranda uttered the phrase “they’re throwing midgets,” you realize you’re in for a wild ride. Aranda has a cerebral personality, a deadpan delivery, […]

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The question was about the negative side-effects of the transfer portal and NIL. The answer was… not about that. At least not at first.

Three seconds in, when Baylor head coach Dave Aranda uttered the phrase “they’re throwing midgets,” you realize you’re in for a wild ride. Aranda has a cerebral personality, a deadpan delivery, and a diverse set of interests. That means anything is viable to come out of his mouth at any time, and when it does he’ll deliver it with a straight face. Recall last year when he likened calling plays to being a fighter pilot trying to avoid being shot out of the sky.

Aranda was making a point on how too often in college football coaches will make players feel like a part of the proverbial family only to treat them like commodities it’s go time. To make that point, Aranda recalled the scene in The Wolf of Wall Street when Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and company are discussing hiring a little person to throw at a spinning wheel of money. But before they can do that, Hill points out, they must first make the performer feel like one of them.

Here’s how it sounded coming out of Aranda’s mouth.

Is that the best analogy to make that point? Probably not. But also yes, because you’re now going to be thinking about it all day. 



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UW football plans to use NIL to enhance community engagement

Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch made it clear at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas this week that his program has everything he needs to make the Huskies a contender on an annual basis. Fisch noted UW athletic director Pat Chun and Deputy Athletic Director & Chief Operating Officer Erin O’Connell as two vital […]

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Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch made it clear at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas this week that his program has everything he needs to make the Huskies a contender on an annual basis.

Fisch noted UW athletic director Pat Chun and Deputy Athletic Director & Chief Operating Officer Erin O’Connell as two vital people with the university who have helped usher the football program from the old Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten, viewed as a driving force in the new world of college athletics.

This past offseason, Fisch utilized the resources provided by the duo to increase the size of his football staff, including hiring a dedicated special teams coordinator in Chris Petrilli and hiring several other coaches for new positions.

“We are competing at the highest level,” Fisch said. “Whether that be through staff size, staff compensation, staff retention, player development, player rosters, and player compensation.”

Fisch also affirmed the previous stance UW has taken with respect to Name, Image, and Likeness, with community engagement at the forefront.

Under its partnership with Montlake Futures, the football team has heavily partnered with local non-profit organizations, including Girl Scouts of America, American Heart Association, and others, with the aim of having a more authentic, organic relationship for the players as they enter a new compensation world that previously hadn’t existed.



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Virginia Tech is reviewing claim that coach tried to lure NC Central player into transfer portal

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech is looking into an allegation by North Carolina Central’s coach that a Hokies assistant improperly tried to lure running back J’Mari Taylor into the transfer portal last season. Virginia Tech released a statement on Saturday saying it was made aware of the allegation a day earlier. ESPN reported that […]

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Virginia Tech is reviewing claim that coach tried to lure NC Central player into transfer portal

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech is looking into an allegation by North Carolina Central’s coach that a Hokies assistant improperly tried to lure running back J’Mari Taylor into the transfer portal last season.

Virginia Tech released a statement on Saturday saying it was made aware of the allegation a day earlier.

ESPN reported that the allegation surfaced when N.C. Central coach Trei Oliver was asked Friday what was the most ridiculous moment he has faced in coaching. Oliver responded that he discovered a Virginia Tech assistant coach on the sideline for one of the Eagles’ games in 2024 and said that assistant was trying to contact his running back. Taylor, a star RB, eventually transferred to Virginia.

WRAL News reported that Oliver told reporters: “Virginia Tech was actually on my sideline recruiting our running back. That was pretty bold. I couldn’t believe it.”

Oliver said he was told the Virginia Tech assistant was “just down here visiting.” Added Oliver: “But I knew what it was.”

In its statement provided to The Associated Press, Virginia Tech said: “We were made aware Friday afternoon of a public comment suggesting a potential NCAA rules concern involving a member of our coaching staff. This is the first time the issue has been brought to our attention, and no concern has previously been shared with us through any formal channel.

“Virginia Tech takes all NCAA rules seriously and is committed to conducting our program with integrity. We are reviewing the matter internally and will address any findings appropriately.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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