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The House v. NCAA settlement explained

For the first 115 years of the NCAA’s existence, college athletes weren’t allowed to earn money from their athletic abilities. The first opportunity arose in the State of California when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a statute into law on September 30, 2019, allowing colleges to refrain from denying student-athletes the opportunity to profit from their […]

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For the first 115 years of the NCAA’s existence, college athletes weren’t allowed to earn money from their athletic abilities. The first opportunity arose in the State of California when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a statute into law on September 30, 2019, allowing colleges to refrain from denying student-athletes the opportunity to profit from their name, likeness, or image.

However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that the NCAA changed rules to allow students to profit from their name, image, and likeness — otherwise known as NIL — after the Supreme Court ruled against the governing body.

A combination of school policies and state laws dictates what deals athletes can make. The NCAA has allowed universities to establish guidelines for their athletes in states that do not have laws outlining the parameters for designing NIL deals. Athletes only earned NIL benefits through outside parties, not through universities.

That changed last week on June 6 when Federal Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House v. NCAA settlement, which resolves multiple federal antitrust lawsuits, pays out thousands of former college athletes $2.8 billion in backpay from lost NIL compensation, and establishes a framework for athletic departments to directly pay college athletes for the first time.

Effective July 1, 2025, the agreement establishes a 10-year revenue-sharing model, which will allow schools to distribute up to $20.5 million in name, image, and likeness (NIL) to athletes during the 2025-26 season. This amount is expected to increase over time, potentially reaching up to $32.9 million per school by the 2034–35 academic year.

The men’s basketball roster size increases from 13 to 15 scholarships to be awarded. An equivalency system also allows coaches to award scholarships to more athletes by offering partial awards instead of full ones. For example, rather than 10 players each getting a full basketball scholarship, a team might divide 10 scholarship equivalents among 15 athletes.

Scholarships, which cover tuition, room and board, and other educational expenses, are not included in this cap. Schools can still offer full or partial scholarships to athletes without counting them toward the NIL compensation limit. In fact, the settlement allows schools to allocate up to $2.5 million of their NIL compensation pool toward increasing scholarships and providing additional support to athletes.

NIL payments can still be paid by outside supportive organizations, but if the payment is over $600, it must be justified by submission to a digital clearinghouse managed by Deloitte known as NIL Go in order to establish that third-party deals reflect what the clearinghouse deems is “fair” market value.

St. John’s and the rest of the Big East conference enter this new era of college athletics in an advantageous position over power conferences that prioritize competing in football programs. Most power conference schools are expected to pay out 75% of their revenue-sharing cap to football, with men’s basketball receiving 15%, women’s basketball receiving 5%, and the remaining sports receiving the final 5%.

This will not be a problem for the ten Big East member schools, which either have no football program or an FCS football program that is less costly than their FBS counterparts. Even UConn, which is the only Big East member with an FBS football program, shouldn’t feel pressure to divert much of its cap from its premier basketball programs in order to support football since they aren’t in a power conference and compete independently.



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Arkansas’ John Calipari Breaks Silence Year 1 Chaos That Ended with Sweet 16 Breakthrough

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari had an eventful first year as the head shot-caller for the program in the 2024-25 season. The Razorbacks had an abysmal start to the recently concluded campaign, wherein they started 0-5 in conference play, before eventually making it to the 2025 NCAA tournament and reaching the Sweet 16. In a […]

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Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari had an eventful first year as the head shot-caller for the program in the 2024-25 season. The Razorbacks had an abysmal start to the recently concluded campaign, wherein they started 0-5 in conference play, before eventually making it to the 2025 NCAA tournament and reaching the Sweet 16.

In a recent media availability on Wednesday, July 9, by Inside Arkansas on YouTube after an Arkansas open practice, Calipari was asked about his thoughts on his first year with the Razorbacks and how it affected his and the team’s overall morale from the beginning to how they finished.

“Last year, you know how it started, we had no team, had no staff. I said, ‘Can I see the schedule?.’ There was no schedule. I’m like, ‘What?,’ and now you bring guys together that did not know each other and I had a couple from before but the reality of it is it was a brand new team. Then we get hurt, so I didn’t get to do the scrimmaging, and I knew we’d be behind,” Calipari said. (13:30)

He then went on to expound on the gravity of the result they had by the end of the year.

“But, at the end of the year, that was the most rewarding year I can remember in a long time because they stayed true and they stayed strong and we just kept tweaking and changing to try to make us good. Right now, you know, you can tell I’m more comfortable, like, I had to walk in here, I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know the campus. Do you guys understand? I never was on this campus,” Calipari explained. (14:11)

“We went from the graduate down the back way and I’m thinking, ‘This is awful,’ to that building and most times, it was dark. We came in late and maybe in the afternoon, we’d come down and chill but we went the back way…So, I didn’t even know what the campus was, I didn’t know anybody, all that stuff. So, I’m just more comfortable,” he added.

In his first year with the Razorbacks, Calipari led the program to an overall record of 22-14 (8-10, SEC) and went all the way to the Sweet 16 of this year’s March Madness, bowing out of the tournament to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 85-83.

John Calipari Is More Aligned With The Arkansas Razorbacks Now Given That It’s About His Players

Later on his availability to the media after an open practice with the Arkansas Razorbacks, coach John Calipari shared why exactly he is more comfortable and at peach with being at the helm of the program’s coaching staff, citing their priorities as the reason why.

“Let me tell you, I am so happy and comfortable and at peace with what we’re doing and how we’re doing it because we’re about the kids. It ain’t about this, that, it’s about those kids. Now, if we do our job, they’re going to lead us to where we’re trying to go, and I say it again, it’s real, what we’re doing,” Calipari shared. (15:12)

Calipari and the Razorbacks will now look to uncork a better outing in the 2025-25 season later this year, which officially begins around the first week of November.

College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college footballmen’s college basketballwomen’s college basketball, and college baseball!



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Adam Hill: Brand new NIL, salary cap rules in college sports may already be outdated | Football

LAS VEGAS — There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago. Mike Gundy is right. OK, I said it. We got that out of the way. Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through […]

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LAS VEGAS — There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago.

Mike Gundy is right.

OK, I said it. We got that out of the way.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The Oklahoma State football coach didn’t exactly arrive at a correct opinion through altruism. But hey, that whole saying about a broken clock has been proved right yet again.

Gundy this week directly articulated what many in the college sports landscape are only willing to say behind the scenes. All of these new rules and regulations created by the House v. NCAA settlement and the implementation of revenue sharing for college athletes just isn’t working.

Already.

And we’re only like 10 days into the rollout.

“You’ve gotta restructure your systems and admit players are employees,” Gundy told the “Andy & Ari On3” podcast at Big 12 media day. “Then you can build collective bargaining. We’ve all talked about it. But you have to admit they’re employees. You can do it all. You can have a (salary cap) and you need an entry level for a high school player coming in because it’s not sustainable.”

Those voices that have been against players getting paid at all certainly aren’t going to like the idea of unionization and even more power, but it might be the only way forward.

Gundy’s evolution on the issue is a result of a realization his program, which tried to hold the line against pay-for-play recruiting in the transfer portal, can’t compete in the new era.

While his motives may not be pure, Gundy has at least arrived in the place where most everyone else will be in time.

Because remember how the settlement was supposed to fix so much of the broken pay structure in college sports? How it was going to bring transparency to a process that severely lacked it and at least put teams on an even playing field in terms of moving the payments above board while still allowing the athletes to profit off their individual value above and beyond the revenue sharing money while providing some oversight to the transactions?

It truly was an admirable endeavor. It just wasn’t going to work.

Ideally, this model was going to be a solid bridge to the inevitable and potentially a good foundation from which to build the future model for college sports.

But that concept certainly wasn’t helped by the settlement getting approved just days before it was set to be implemented. That created chaos.

While programs were cleared to immediately start compensating athletes up to the salary cap, the firm Deloitte was tasked by the power conference-backed College Sports Commission with deciding whether individual players’ NIL deals above and beyond that were legitimate and of fair market value.

It would take far more time and words to explain the difficulties of determining such a standard. So, it seems what has happened in practice is the College Sports Commission has decided to simply reject all deals done with athletes through collectives as a general practice as a starting point.

Collectives can serve as a conduit to connect athletes with legitimate businesses, it clarified in a letter, but can’t essentially hold their own fundraising events to collect money to pay players. It’s a fine line.

But it also means players were made promises that may not actually come to fruition.

Some of the more forward-thinking groups front-loaded deals and got the payments made before this process started a couple weeks ago, but others are left wondering what happens next.

Attorneys for the players have lashed out, demanding a retraction of the ruling on collective payments and calling it a restriction of the players’ earning potential that runs counter to the settlement.

On the flip side, allowing collectives to simply accumulate and distribute vast resources as a way to circumvent the new salary cap rules kind of defeats the whole competitive balance thing.

It’s incredibly complicated.

“We don’t know the rules,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham admitted. “The settlement passed, but who knows what Deloitte is going to clear? Until there is clarity, you’re living in limbo.”

Exactly.

Gundy is right. So is Dillingham. Sadly, this temporary fix has to be extremely short-lived.

Chances are even some sort of CBA isn’t going to provide all the answers, but it’s the logical next step.


©2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Copyright 2025 Tribune Content Agency.



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Big Ten and Big 12 in public dispute over future of College Football Playoff

At the Big 12 media days, commissioner Brett Yormark was very upfront about what the College Football Playoff expansion should look like. He continues to beat the drum of five automatic qualifiers with eleven at-large bids chosen by the College Football Playoff committee. He fired back at Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who is pushing […]

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At the Big 12 media days, commissioner Brett Yormark was very upfront about what the College Football Playoff expansion should look like. He continues to beat the drum of five automatic qualifiers with eleven at-large bids chosen by the College Football Playoff committee. He fired back at Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who is pushing for more automatic qualifiers, with four each going to the Big Ten and the SEC, and only two each for the Big 12 and ACC, and a small amount of at-large.

Tony Petitti and Brett Yormark aren’t hiding their disagreement over the CFP’s expansion

Petitti joined CBS Sports’ Joel Klatt a few weeks ago to talk about the College Football Playoff expansion and how a decision needs to be made by December 1. He believes the Big Ten and the SEC are due more bids than other conferences, and he doubts that increasing the committee’s at-large choices will make a difference.

““If you go to 16, and you have 11 at-large, you just added even more decision-making…We’ll stipulate the committee does the best job they can. This is not to say the (committee) doesn’t do a good job…They make incredibly difficult decisions based on data…When you start comparing teams that don’t have a head to head and you have very little data to look at between leagues, that becomes really difficult.””

Tony Petitti, Big Ten Commissioner

Brett Yormark thinks that’s a terrible idea and was very clear to voice his disdain over it during the Big 12 media days. He called it a professional model like the NFL and thinks college football should act like college football. There’s a reason it’s different in his mind, and that conferences should be working for the good of all of football, not just their own conference. Which ironically is what Yormark is being accused of by advocating for the 5+11 model.

““We have the responsibility to do what’s right for college football … not what’s right for one or two or more conferences. I think 5-11 is fair. Earn it on the field, assuming we want to expand. I love the current format, but if we’re going to expand, let’s do it in a way that’s fair and equitable and gives everyone a chance.””

Brett Yormark, Big 12 Commissioner

The Big Ten and the SEC have yet to have their media days, and so there will be more expansion thoughts publicly broadcast as the dispute has come out in the open. It’s hard to know how it will all shake out, but the December 1 deadline is looming.





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Freddie Retter, Shawn Collins Among Best Defensive Players In D2 Football

In less than two months, college football will return to our screens once again. And after a busy offseason with plenty of transfer portal moves, program shakeups, and more, the best teams of NCAA Division II football are beginning to gear up for the 2025 campaign. Some of the most productive offenses at any level […]

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Freddie Retter, Shawn Collins Among Best Defensive Players In D2 Football

In less than two months, college football will return to our screens once again.

And after a busy offseason with plenty of transfer portal moves, program shakeups, and more, the best teams of NCAA Division II football are beginning to gear up for the 2025 campaign.

Some of the most productive offenses at any level of college football call D-II home, which means that defenses will need to be primed and ready for the amount of weaponry they’ll have to go up against on a weekly basis. 

Some players returning to D-II ball this fall have already proven they can do that at an elite level, however, and five in particular stand out above the rest going into this season.

Here’s a look ahead at five of the best defensive players to watch in D-II football going into the 2025 season, part of FloCollege’s extended coverage in the leadup to kickoff:

Ricky Freymond, DL, Western Colorado

With another fall of Freymond, the Mountaineers have something that’s quickly becoming a rarity in college football, especially below the D-I level – returning star power. 

The only Cliff Harris Award finalist from last year to come back to D-II football, Freymond, already WCU’s all-time sacks leader, will once again be a force in the trenches in Gunnison and enters the fall as the preseason favorite to earn the highest honor for defensive players in D-II. 

The massive 6-foot-5, 265-pound California native had a monster season a year ago as he romped to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year while garnering multiple first team All-America honors, tallying a career high 12 sacks, 24.5 tackles for loss and 69 total tackles along with a pair of forced fumbles and kick blocks apiece. F

reymond’s choice to stay with the Mountaineers, especially considering he likely would’ve gained significant interest had he decided to test the transfer portal, is massive for a WCU team that went 11-2 overall and made the playoffs last season, and a Mountaineer defense that led the country in tackles for loss (117) a year ago now gets to retain its biggest disruptor up front.

Freddie Retter, DL, Kutztown

Kutztown’s reigning Male Athlete of the Year as a dual-sport star — earning national accolades in both football and wrestling last year — Retter is a busy man with a lot to juggle, but he’s got plenty of time left on his hands for terrorizing opposing offensive lines. 

Stuffing the stat sheet as he led the Golden Bears to an undefeated regular season, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and trip to the second round of the playoffs, Retter finished his breakout season with 43 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three blocked kicks and two forced fumbles in his redshirt sophomore campaign, winning the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year and D2CCA Super Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year awards in the process. 

Back for more on the gridiron after a successful side quest in the winter as an All-American heavyweight for the Golden Bears’ wrestling team, the 6-3 Retter should be spotlighted as one of the country’s top interior linemen this upcoming year as KU pushes for what could be a fourth season of 11 wins or more in five tries — and to be in the running for its first-ever national championship.

Clark Griffin, LB, Harding

Harding may be most well-known for its flexbone option offense that propelled the Bisons to a national championship in 2023, but the program wouldn’t be among today’s blue-bloods of D-II football if it didn’t also have an elite defense year after year. 

Enter Griffin, the returning anchor of a Harding defense that was D-II’s stingiest in 2024 (national-low 200.6 yards per game allowed) and likely the best linebacker in the division going into the fall.

A former walk-on at Alabama before transferring to Harding ahead of the 2022 season, Griffin has twice since been named to the All-Great American Conference first team and earned an AP All-America first team nod this past season after 110 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. A reliable play stopper and big-game performer, Griffin acquired at least 10 tackles in five different games a season ago, also reaching double digits in the Bisons’ national quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Ferris State. 

Expect familiar sights out of Harding football this season with Griffin leading the charge on defense and another unforgiving rushing attack, both of which will be pivotal in the Bisons’ hunt for a second national title in three years.

Anthony Cardamone, LB, Grand Valley State

Few (if any) D-II football programs churn out talent like Grand Valley State, and the next potential NFL Draft prospect to come out of the Lakers’ vaunted setup might be waiting in the wings. Already a two-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team selection, Cardamone will step into the fold this fall as GVSU’s leader on defense following the graduation of defensive back Ian Kennelly (who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the NFL’s Detroit Lions), looking to finish off his career by helping lead the Lakers to their first national championship since 2006. 

Still, Cardamone had a great 2024 regardless, as he finished fourth in the GLIAC in tackles (80) — a total of 26 of which came in the Lakers’ two playoff games against Indianapolis and Harding — along with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks at season’s end. Cardamone was also integral to GVSU having the third-best pass defense (121.6 yards allowed per game) in the country last season, and if recent history is any indication, the Lakers should be battling among the nation’s top teams once again as Cardamone aims to rise up as their skilled veteran playmaker. 

Shawn Collins, DB, Emory & Henry

The joint-team leader in interceptions for a Wasps squad that led the country in interceptions (27) is back in the secondary for an E&H program with a ton of momentum following its best season since 1998. One of the main catalysts behind the Wasps’ surprise surge to a 9-2 record in 2024 (including a perfect 6-0 mark at home), Collins had a breakout campaign a year ago with six interceptions, eight pass breakups, 38 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, all career highs as he staked his claim as the best ball-hawk in the South Atlantic Conference. 

Collins was picked as an All-SAC Mountain Division selection — named alongside the other three starters in the E&H secondary — and also picked up an honorable mention nod on the Don Hansen All-America team for his efforts, and comes into 2025 as one of the most proven defensive backs in D-II after many similar-caliber players in his position graduated or transferred in the offseason. 

The Wasps haven’t made the playoffs since making the leap from D-III in 2022, but with weapons like Collins in the fold, there’s a serious chance of E&H making some history this season.

When Do The 2025 NCAA Division II College Football Playoffs Start?

The first round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Playoffs will be Nov. 22.

The 2025 Division II Football Championship title game will be played Dec. 20, 2025, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas

College Football Rankings 2024 – Final AFCA Division II Coaches Poll

End Of 2024 Season

  1. Ferris St. (Mich.) (27) 14-1  
  2. Valdosta St. (Ga.) 13-1  
  3. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 12-2  
  4. Harding (Ark.) 12-2  
  5. Kutztown (Pa.) 11-1  
  6. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 11-2  
  7. Minnesota St. 11-4  
  8. Colorado St.-Pueblo 10-2  
  9. Central Oklahoma 11-2  
  10. Western Colorado 11-2  
  11. Virginia Union 10-4  
  12. California (Pa.) 10-3  
  13. Bemidji St. (Minn.) 10-4  
  14. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 10-2  
  15. Charleston (W.Va.) 11-1  
  16. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 10-3  
  17. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 8-3  
  18. West Alabama 9-2  
  19. Indianapolis (Ind.) 10-2  
  20. Angelo St. (Tex.) 9-3  
  21. Wingate (N.C.) 9-2  
  22. Miles (Ala.) 10-3  
  23. Ashland (Ohio) 9-4  
  24. Central Washington 8-4  
  25. Augustana (S.D.) 8-4  

Others Receiving Votes: Colorado School of Mines, 56; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 47; East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 38; Central Missouri, 35; West Florida, 20; Southern Arkansas, 16; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 14; New Haven (Conn.), 1; Truman St. (Mo.), 1.

Watch 2024 GVSU Football Highlights

Archived Footage On FloCollege

Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Watch The 2025 College Football Season On FloCollege

FloCollege is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don’t miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloCollege schedule page for the latest games. 

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Adam Hill

LAS VEGAS — There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago. Mike Gundy is right. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. 0

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Adam Hill

LAS VEGAS — There is a four-word sentence that would have been difficult to ever imagine typing even just a few days ago.

Mike Gundy is right.

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Stalions’ Wild Rant, Finebaum’s Texas Prediction, and SCORE Act Impact on NIL

Connor Stalions, a former Michigan football analyst, sparked controversy with a wild response to TCU coach Sonny Dykes’ comments about Michigan’s sign-stealing methods during the 2022 College Football Playoff. Stalions claimed he was never fooled by opponents and criticized the performance of Michigan players in that game. The outburst came as Michigan faces potential NCAA […]

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Connor Stalions, a former Michigan football analyst, sparked controversy with a wild response to TCU coach Sonny Dykes’ comments about Michigan’s sign-stealing methods during the 2022 College Football Playoff. Stalions claimed he was never fooled by opponents and criticized the performance of Michigan players in that game. The outburst came as Michigan faces potential NCAA repercussions, with a ruling expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, a new Texas vs. Ohio State matchup has the college football world buzzing, especially after analyst Paul Finebaum confidently predicts a Longhorns victory. Additionally, the SCORE Act introduced in Congress could reshape NIL regulations for college athletes.

By the Numbers

  • Stalions admitted to knowing “almost every signal” against seven high-profile opponents between 2021 and 2022.
  • Brice Sensabaugh scored 37 points in the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League, setting a new record.

Yes, But

While Stalions’ comments stirred controversy, they also highlight the ongoing debate over competitive integrity in college sports. Critics may view his outburst as an attempt to deflect blame from Michigan’s performance, raising questions about accountability.

State of Play

  • The NCAA investigation into Michigan’s sign-stealing practices is ongoing, with a ruling expected within 30 to 90 days.
  • Ohio State’s football season opener against Texas is set for August 30, with both teams highly anticipated in the upcoming college season.

What’s Next

The NCAA’s impending decision could significantly impact Michigan’s season and coaching staff, while the new NCAA landscape may reshape NIL deals for athletes across the country. As the college football schedule approaches, the Texas vs. Ohio State game is positioned to draw significant attention.

Bottom Line

The unfolding drama around Connor Stalions and the NCAA investigation reflects broader issues in college sports, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in athletic programs. With looming regulatory changes, the landscape of college athletics is poised for significant transformation.





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