College football has entered a strange and volatile new world, where lucrative contracts for the top players in the sport are now the name of the game. With the passing of the NCAA House Settlement, the landscape alters even more.

The House v. NCAA settlement, finalized on June 6, 2025, allows colleges to directly pay student-athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The settlement, which resolves multiple antitrust lawsuits, also includes $2.8 billion in back payments to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024. This landmark decision marks a significant shift in the landscape of college sports, moving away from the traditional amateurism model.

The benefits cap for 2025-26 is set for $20.5 million and is expected to rise. A 4% bump is expected every year for the first three years, with a full recalculation after year four.

But how does it all work? How do the contracts work? We had questions, and now we hope to provide you with some of the answers we found.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

This money doesn’t come from the NCAA or the courts, but must be raised by the schools. At Clemson, which is adding 150 new scholarships, the number actually rises to around $26 million that needs to be raised. Clemson was proactive in this regard and implemented a student activities fee, went to court with the ACC to earn anywhere from $10-15 million more dollars per year as part of the league’s media rights agreement, and added alcohol sales. There are also opportunities for logo placements and other sponsorship ventures throughout the program. IPTAY is still responsible for the scholarships.

HOW DOES THIS ALL AFFECT TITLE IX?

As of right now, Title IX isn’t expected to change how this progresses. Three College of Charleston female athletes have challenged the lawsuit and are appealing the decision, saying that the decision unfairly affects Title IX. This probably won’t be the last time we see a lawsuit, and until that is all worked out in the courts, I don’t see much in the way of change. The expectation is that this could take 8-10 years to be adjudicated in the legal system. However, as we mentioned, Clemson is adding scholarships, and that includes women’s sports. For instance, the women’s lacrosse program will now have a fully funded scholarship roster.

HOW DO THE CONTRACTS WORK WITH CURRENT PLAYERS?

Most schools have front-loaded contracts for the 2025 season, meaning that current players will get their share before July 1. That means the money from July 1-on will roll into retention of the players that will return from this year’s roster. Let’s use a fictional wide receiver – Rod Tidwell – and he has a $500,000 contract. The purpose of frontloading is that you do as many deals as you can through the collective and get them paid out before the beginning of the year. And that way once you get to December, you still have all of your revenue share money available from the limited amount, which is the $20.5 million. A lot of schools have said they are going to pay those deals in front to their football players and men’s and women’s basketball players. The schools have until Dec. 31st to fulfill the deals, but most will be paid out beforehand. Anything after July 1st would count against the $20.5M, which is why most schools have been trying to front-load and pay all that beforehand.

Now what happens if a player quits during the season or during the playoffs or whenever, that money is non recoupable. In other words, Tidwell was shown the money and ran.

HOW IS MONEY HANDLED WITH RECRUITS?

Obviously, schools are offering monetary incentives to the best recruits, but when and how does that happen? A school can work out a deal with a recruit’s representatives, but no money will change hands until that recruit is on campus. It’s my understanding that most freshmen are on monthly payments (or for some there was a signing bonus, and I think a lot of schools are moving in that direction), but those payments would not start until the player is on campus and enrolled in school. In the case of a December signee who enrolls for bowl practice or is on campus for January, they would more than likely get a monthly allotment until the season begins.

Now, let’s take a look at a fictional freshman linebacker named Bobby Boucher out of Louisiana. Boucher enrolls in January and begins receiving his monthly checks, but during spring practice becomes enraged at the quality of hydration on the sidelines and throws a Gatorade bucket at the head coach. Boucher is summarily dismissed from the team, and his monthly checks are stopped. But once again, the money spent over the first three months will not be recovered.

(This is one good thing about the way Dabo Swinney recruits. There are bad actors everywhere, and players will endeavor to game the system, but Clemson mostly recruits the type of players that won’t have these types of issues. It will happen, and we’ve seen it, but it doesn’t happen often.)

IS THERE A REVENUE CAP ON DEALS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL?

There is no cap for commercial revenue. For instance, quarterback Cade Klubnik made a deal with EA Sports to appear on the new College Football 26 football game cover and he went and spent a day as an ambassador and went for the creation day, and EA paid him independently of what Clemson plays. And, Cade can earn whatever those entities think he’s worth, within the framework of the NIL Go approval on deals of $600 and over.

WHO AT CLEMSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE ROSTER UNDER THIS SYSTEM?

There are obviously a number of people who will be a part of the process, including head coaches such as Swinney, Athletic Director Graham Neff, and support personnel. With football, it all begins and ends with General Manager Jordan Sorrells.

CLEMSON IS ADDING HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS?

Around 150. Neff and the powers that be have made a conscious decision to make Clemson as good as it can be in all sports. That means baseball will now have 34 scholarships instead of the 11.7 scholarships that was the rule in the past. Texas is adding 200 scholarships but is raising ticket prices. South Carolina will add 50 scholarships, while UCLA has announced it won’t be adding any new scholarships and will keep its current roster limits (85 in football and 13 in men’s basketball).

ONE FINAL NOTE

I am trying to gain some clarity on the recoupability and recruit piece of this, but as I understand it, so are a lot of schools. As I learn more or learn different, I will let you know.

GRAND FORKS — Cole Reschny interviewed with 27 teams at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., earlier this month.

How many asked him about his decision to leave Canadian major juniors for UND?

“Twenty-seven,” he said.

A day will soon come when a high-end player leaving the Canadian Hockey League for college is as routine as when a United States Hockey League player does it.

But Reschny, the Victoria Royals star center, was one of the first elite players to make that jump after a November NCAA rules change allowed major junior players to retain college eligibility. Questions have followed Reschny everywhere this summer.

“All the teams asked why,” Reschny said. “I just told them I thought it was the best decision for me. They supported it.”

Reschny officially signed with UND this week.

“We’re excited for a lot of reasons,” UND head coach Dane Jackson said. “He’s such a sharp young man with a ton of presence, a great team guy, an elite talent. One of the things we’ve talked about is trying to get guys that match our identity. We think he’s a real tenacious, two-way, really strong hockey player overall. It’s kind of how we want to build our team — guys who want to compete hard, are good teammates and have really good ability. We want guys who have all that character and substance to their games as well.

“When you get a good player, it’s a home run. But when you get a really good player and person and teammate, that’s a grand slam. We’re really excited about adding Cole to our group for the player and person he is.”

Reschny is on track to become UND’s 24th first-round NHL Draft pick.

The first round is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Reschny will attend the draft with his parents, grandparents, two brothers and two sisters.

“It’s very exciting,” Reschny said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s also what we all work our whole lives for. To see that it’s finally here and the time has come, it’s crazy.”

The Herald polled a handful of scouts asking if Reschny could drop out of the first round. They all said, “No.”

Several draft experts have projected Reschny to go in the middle of the first round.

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and TSN’s Craig Button have Reschny going No. 13. FloHockey’s Chris Peters has him going No. 15. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Reschny at No. 19. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News has him at No. 28.

“He’s very talented, skilled and has a great release,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “All of the skill categories, he’s going to grade out very well. He’s got creative playmaking ability. He’s extremely poised. He’s a very quick thinker. I really like that he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s willing to get to the net and go to the hard areas. His effort is good. He can forecheck and force turnovers.”

So, what’s the downside?

“He’s not a very big guy,” the scout said. “He’s going to have to fight through some stuff, but talent-wise, he’s very, very skilled.”

Reschny is listed at 5-foot-10.5, 183 pounds.

His stature didn’t matter last season. Reschny was one of the top players in the Western Hockey League in several categories.

He finished ninth in the league with 92 points in 62 games. During the playoffs, he tallied 25 points in 11 games, finishing second in points per game (2.27). Only Gavin McKenna, who is expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, had more (2.38).

Reschny was third in offense-generating plays (928), behind McKenna (1,000) and last summer’s No. 8 overall pick Berkly Catton (981). Reschny was fourth in pass completion percentage among WHL forwards (78.1%).

Reschny also won 57.2% of his faceoffs, including 62.9% in the offensive zone.

The Macklin, Sask., product is projected to be one of UND’s top two centers this season.

“He distributes the puck well,” Jackson said. “He has great vision. He executes with a high level of playmaking. He has a real elusiveness to him. He makes nice stutter steps and pauses. He slows the game down at times. He uses his teammates really well. He can score. He has a good shot. He goes to hard areas. He has a lot of innate offensive instincts that allow him to create and make players around him better.”

Edmonton Oil Kings Hockey Club / LA Media

After Victoria was eliminated from the WHL playoffs, Reschny was added to Canada’s IIHF World Under-18 Tournament roster. He served as an alternate captain for the Canadians, who won gold.

“I thought he was one of Canada’s drivers at the U18s,” an NHL scout said. “In their most important games in the medal round, he was one of their top players. He’s a guy who can rise to the occasion. If you look at what he did in the (WHL) playoffs, and you combine that with what he did at Worlds, he seems like a big-game player.”

Reschny said he tried not to focus on the draft during the season.

“I think it’s always in the back of your mind,” Reschny said. “I tried to play my game and stick to it and stay focused on the team-first game. That was going to help me out more than playing as an individual.”

Reschny has a busy summer ahead.

After the draft, he’ll attend development camp with whatever team selects him. Then, he’ll go to Canada’s World Junior Championship summer evaluation camp before arriving on campus.

Reschny plans to live with freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at UND.

They were teammates last year in Victoria. Verhoeff is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

“We’re close buddies coming from Victoria,” Reschny said. “He’s going into a big year, too. I’ll get to watch him go through that. He got to watch me go through it. It will be great getting to live with a guy like that. We’re both striving for the same goals. He’s a driven guy.”

Where: Peacock Theater, Los Angeles.
First round: 6 p.m. Friday, ESPN and ESPN Plus.
Second-seventh rounds: 11 a.m. Saturday, NHL Network and ESPN Plus.

Mike Bernard / Hockey Canada Images

2024 — Sacha Boisvert, No. 18, Chicago Blackhawks; E.J. Emery, No. 30, New York Rangers
2020 — Jake Sanderson, No. 5, Ottawa Senators
2018 — Jacob Bernard-Docker, No. 26, Ottawa Senators
2016 — Tyson Jost, No. 10, Colorado Avalanche
2015 — Brock Boeser, No. 23, Vancouver Canucks
2014 — Nick Schmaltz, No. 20, Chicago Blackhawks
2012 — Jordan Schmaltz, No. 25, St. Louis Blues
2010 — Derek Forbort, No. 15, Los Angeles Kings; Brock Nelson, No. 30, New York Islanders
2006 — Jonathan Toews, No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks
2005 — Brian Lee, No. 9, Ottawa Senators; T.J. Oshie, No. 24, St. Louis Blues; Joe Finley, No. 27, Washington Capitals
2004 — Drew Stafford, No. 13, Buffalo Sabres; Travis Zajac, No. 20, New Jersey Devils
2003 — Zach Parise, No. 17, New Jersey Devils
2000 — David Hale, No. 22, New Jersey Devils
1993 — Landon Wilson, No. 19, Toronto Maple Leafs
1989 — Jason Herter, No. 8, Vancouver Canucks
1986 — George Pelawa, No. 16, Calgary Flames
1981 — James Patrick, No. 9, New York Rangers
1968 — John Marks, No. 9, Chicago Blackhawks

Michigan’s hockey program continues to take advantage of the Canadian Hockey League players now being eligible to compete at the NCAA level.

On Wednesday, the Wolverines scored their fourth commitment from a CHL player, with Flint Firebirds defenseman Matthew Mania announcing his verbal pledge on social media.

The 20-year-old right-handed shot has aged out of the Ontario Hockey League — one of the three CHL leagues — but can now play college hockey since the NCAA lifted its longstanding ban on Canadian major junior players who were previously deemed to be professionals because they received stipends from their teams.

He was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2023 but they no longer hold his rights by not signing him to an entry-level contract by the June 1 deadline. Last season, Mania registered a career-high 45 points (seven goals, 38 assists) in 66 games for the Firebirds.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder spent the first three seasons of his OHL career with the Sudbury Wolves, totaling 16 goals and 74 points in 161 games.

Michigan only had one right-shot defenseman on its roster last season but now has three with the addition of Mania. Hunter Hady is back for his sophomore season, while the team also added Henry Mews from the OHL’s Wolves. The 2024 third-round pick of the Flames finished third among OHL blue liners in scoring last season with 82 points.

After missing the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2019, the Wolverines are bringing in a talented freshman class. There’s a chance six incoming freshmen could be selected during this week’s NHL draft, while Mews and Mania have already been drafted.

Bruins

“I love winning. I will do anything to win.”

James Hagens has said all of the right things when it came to potentially continuing his hockey journey from Chestnut Hill to Causeway Street.

“I love Boston,” Hagens said in a meeting with the media a month ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. “Being at Boston College, we’re right in the middle of Boston there. So it’s a beautiful city. Only great things to say about it. I love it there.”

Granted, the prospect of Hagens donning a spoked-B for the foreseeable future has been deemed a far-fetched scenario for most of the last year — even as Boston plummeted toward a top-10 pick in this draft.

Sitting at No. 7 overall on the draft order, the Bruins should be positioned to add a talented center prospect on Friday evening. 

But the consensus top prospect entering the 2024-25 season in Hagens? No shot … right?

It hasn’t taken long for that sentiment to change. 

Once deemed the crown jewel of the 2025 Draft class, Hagens has now been leapfrogged by other blue-chip talents like defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forward Michael Misa. 

But Hagens’ fall down the draft board might go beyond just the top two perches, however.

In his last 2025 mock draft, TSN insider Bob McKenzie — using insight from 10 different NHL scouts — tabbed Hagens as the No. 7 prospect in this class, right in Boston’s wheelhouse. 

McKenzie’s TSN colleague Craig Button has Hagens listed as the No. 8 prospect in his final rankings, while The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has Boston selecting the BC star with the No. 7 pick in his final mock draft. 

“Everyone I’ve talked to in the last week or so seems to think O’Brien/Martin/Hagens don’t get past the Flyers and Bruins at 6-7, and yet one of the top eight guys has to go outside the top seven,” Wheeler wrote. “I’ve also heard the Bruins have looked into moving up.

“I do think it’s interesting that the Flyers and Bruins seem to like the same three guys and pick back-to-back, though, and Hagens just makes so much sense for the Bruins as that high-end piece to build around if he’s there.”

On paper, Hagens is seemingly everything an NHL team would covet in a top-six, play-driving center in today’s NHL.

The 18-year-old pivot is dangerous in transition as one of the top skaters in this draft class. Even though he doesn’t have the same heft as 6-foot-5 Roger McQueen or the pugnacious approach as Brady Martin, Hagens’ hockey IQ, hands, and puck skills make him a lethal playmaker in tight spaces. 

Even if earlier comparisons of Jack Hughes might have to be tempered, the Long Island native is cut from the same cloth as slighter, uber-skilled forwards like Clayton Keller or Logan Cooley. 

In other words … a player that a talent-deficient Bruins roster would love to add to their pipeline if fortune falls their way. 

“He was a key component of the US National Team Development Program and a driver there, and was able to step into Boston College and play on their top line with some really good players,” Bruins director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau said of Hagens during the NHL Scouting Combine. “Watching him and the way he skates and the way he can attack open ice, and the way he can create space, and he’s got such good skill and vision, and he’s such a good driver. It was impressive to watch him this year. 

“His game has really come along. He’s gotten stronger, and it helped to be in college and take on that challenge. Even after school to now, he’s worked really hard to put on some extra muscle. And getting to know James and spending a little bit of time with him, he comes from a really great family.

“He gets to play with his brother at Boston College. Both his parents are eighth-grade teachers. He’s just a really, really impressive kid. He’s got a young sister who’s a pretty good hockey player too, and just a good family dynamic. And just spending a little bit of time with him, it’s been good to see him off the ice and get to know him.”

If Hagens is available at No. 7, the Bruins would welcome the opportunity to add such a high-end center prospect to their system — with the absence of a blue-chip talent down the middle standing as the top impediment toward Boston reasserting itself as a contender in due time. 

Injuries and off-the-ice concerns have held no weight over why Hagens has slipped in recent draft projections.

Rather, the knock against Hagens lies more in his 5-foot-11 frame and the production he showcased as a freshman at BC. 

At first glance, Hagnes was a key cog on a strong Eagles squad — closing out his first year against Hockey East competition with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games.

Perhaps Hagens’ inability to replicate the video-game-like statlines of other freshman phenoms over the last decade like Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games), Adam Fantilli (65 points in 36 games), and Macklin Celebrini (64 points in 38 games) has skewered some of the sentiment about just how elite of a prospect Hagens might be. 

But comparing Hagens to other ‘25 draft picks like Misa (134 points in 63 games) should ring hollow, given the sizable step-up in competition that the 18-year-old Hagens was routinely battling against this past year against players three to five years older than him. 

The concerns over whether or not Hagens’ size could have him developing into more of a skilled 2C than a franchise centerman are more valid — although his ceiling would seemingly be higher than other potential options at No. 7 overall like Martin or McQueen.  

Even if one might have a gripe with Hagens only submitting a point-per-game season as a college freshman at BC, Hagens’ body of work for years now map out a player who should be an electrifying offensive player at the next level. 

During the 2023-24 season, Hagens racked up 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 58 games with the U.S. U-18 National Development Program — a higher scoring total than submitted by the likes of Ryan Leonard (94), Phil Kessel (98 points), and Matthew Tkachuk (95 points) during their respective U18 campaigns.

The only players in that program to equal or surpass that scoring total in a single season? Patrick Kane, Cole Eiserman, Clayton Keller, Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Will Smith, and Gabe Perreault. 

Hagens also set a new scoring record at the 2024 World U18 Championships with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in just seven games, breaking the previous record set by Nikita Kucherov.

He may be a bit undersized, but Hagens’ has a years-long track record of decimating opposing defenses. 

Had the Bruins moved up in the draft lottery and picked first or second overall, the case can be made that Hagens would fall behind the likes of Schaefer and Misa.

But at No. 7 overall? If a player with Hagens’ potential is sliding down that far, the Bruins shouldn’t think twice about adding such a talent to their organization. 

“I love winning. I will do anything to win,” Hagens said. Something that’s helped me get to the point where I am today is just how hard I’ve been able to work my whole life. Nothing’s ever come easy. I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve ever gotten before, and that’s something I’m super grateful for. 

“That’s something that’s just within my family, something that I was raised up, taught from my parents and my coaches. So, going into those meetings just really expressing how hard I compete, and how badly I want to be on a team and hopefully win a Stanley Cup one day.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

The Bruins picked Dean Letourneau in the first-round of the 2024 NHL Draft but he didn’t pan out exactly how they wanted in his first year.

Before Boston picked Letourneau, he played in prep school at St. Andrew’s College in Ontario. He tore up prep school, totaling 127 points on 61 goals and 66 assists through 56 games in his last season.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward played just two games in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux Fall Stampede.

After Letourneau was drafted to the Bruins, he opted to go to Boston College instead of staying another year in the USHL. Typically, the USHL is used as a way to develop players before they make the switch to either college or professional hockey.

With the 19-year-old’s choice, he struggled in his first season with the Eagles. He skated in 36 games, tallying three assists and a plus-6 rating. His production ranked at the bottom of BC’s freshman class. Meanwhile, current 2025 draft prospect James Hagens popped off the stat sheet.

Boston general manager Don Sweeney admitted on Wednesday that Letourneau could have used an extra year in the USHL.

“We talked a little bit about what would be the best place in terms of Dean and in hindsight, I think we all agreed that maybe another year in USHL, a full year of USHL would have been the best path,” Sweeney told reporters on Wednesday.

Sweeney does believe that physically, Letourneau’s game did translate well to the college level. The Bruins prospect will be headed back to the Eagles in the fall, meaning he can prove himself more in his sophomore season.

“He’s been tested mentally and physically,” Sweeney said. “He’s putting in work now that he has an understanding of how much work it requires to play and that level and be successful.”