IRVINE, Calif. – In a heart-pounding rivalry showdown, No. 14 UCLA edged USC, 7-6, in Friday night’s series opener at Great Park. With the bases loaded and two outs in a nail-biting ninth inning, freshman right-hander Easton Hawk rose to the occasion by fanning the final USC batter to preserve the victory for UCLA (34-11, 17-5 Big […]
IRVINE, Calif. – In a heart-pounding rivalry showdown, No. 14 UCLA edged USC, 7-6, in Friday night’s series opener at Great Park.
With the bases loaded and two outs in a nail-biting ninth inning, freshman right-hander Easton Hawk rose to the occasion by fanning the final USC batter to preserve the victory for UCLA (34-11, 17-5 Big Ten) and secure his second save of the season.
Mulivai Levu delivered a masterful performance at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs to power the Bruins’ offense. His pivotal bases-clearing double in the fourth inning gave UCLA a lead they did not relinquish.
AJ Salgado homered for the fourth time in the last five games, bringing his season total to 11. The Glendora, Calif. native went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Payton Brennan also enjoyed a multi-hit game for UCLA.
Dean West led off the contest by slapping a single through the left side of a shifted infield to give the Bruins an early base runner. He later scored on Levu’s RBI single, giving UCLA an early 1-0 lead.
AJ Salgado doubled the Bruins’ advantage in their next trip to the plate when he launched a 408-foot home run over the centerfield wall.
USC answered in the bottom of the third by scoring twice to tie the game.
The Bruins quickly stormed back into the lead by rallying for four runs in the top of the fourth. Brennan led off the frame by legging out an infield single and scampered to second base on a wild pitch. Jarrod Hocking promptly bunted him over to third before Cashel Dugger smashed an RBI base hit off the third baseman to plate the first run of the inning.
After Phoenix Call worked a walk, USC elected to intentionally walk Roch Cholowsky, loading the bases for Levu. UCLA’s first baseman made the Trojans pay, ripping a bases-clearing double to left field to give his team a four-run lead.
The Trojans plated two more runs in the bottom half to cut the deficit in half. This chased starting pitcher Ian May out of the game, bringing freshman Wylan Moss on for his first appearance since April 18.
Moss was solid in his 2.1 innings of work, allowing just two hits and a run during his relief outing. He went on to earn his second win of the campaign.
Levu got himself into scoring position by hitting his second double of the game to lead off the seventh for UCLA. After advancing to third on Roman Martin’s fly out, Salgado delivered a two-out, two-strike RBI single to extend the Bruins’ lead to three.
USC tacked on a run in the seventh to make it a two-run game. Chris Grothues limited further damage in the inning by stranding a pair of runners in scoring position with a strikeout to end the threat.
August Souza was the next Bruin pitcher to come up clutch in a crucial moment, fanning back-to-back hitters to leave two runners on base in the eighth.
In the ninth, Head Coach John Savage turned to Hawk to get the last three outs. USC’s Adrian Lopez led things off with a double down the left field line, immediately creating some drama. Hawk got a strikeout for the first out of the inning, then induced a ground ball to bring the Trojans down to their final out.
A base hit scored Lopez to bring USC within one while placing the tying run on base. After back-to-back walks, Hawk had no-room for error with the bases loaded and the tying run just 90 feet away.
The freshman delivered in the biggest moment of his young career, punching out the final batter of the game to allow UCLA to escape with the 7-6 win in the series opener.
The Bruins will take on USC for the second game of the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. Michael Barnett is scheduled to get the start on the mound for UCLA. The game will be available to watch on B1G+.
Direct pay to college athletes starts July 1. Here are other key dates
It took five years for the $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and five major conferences to reach a settlement. Now comes the process of implementing it. The following are significant dates: June 6, 2025 Settlement approved; settlement-related NCAA rules are effective, as adopted by the NCAA Division I Board on April 21, 2025. […]
It took five years for the $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and five major conferences to reach a settlement. Now comes the process of implementing it.
The following are significant dates:
June 6, 2025
Settlement approved; settlement-related NCAA rules are effective, as adopted by the NCAA Division I Board on April 21, 2025.
June 11, 2025
NIL Go portal launches.
June 15, 2025
Opt-in deadline for non-defendant schools to fully commit to revenue sharing.
July 1, 2025
First date for direct institutional revenue-sharing payments to student-athletes.
July 6, 2025
Opt-in schools must “designate” student-athletes permitted by the settlement to remain above roster limits.
Start of 2025-26 academic year
Except for the “designated” student-athletes, fall sports must be at or below roster limits by their first day of competition.
December 1, 2025
Except for “designated” student-athletes, winter and spring sports must be at or below roster limits by their first day of competition or Dec. 1, whichever is earlier.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Judge Approves House Settlement; Nebraska AD Troy Dannen Issues Statement
A new era of collegiate athletics is here. A California judge Friday evening approved the House v. NCAA settlement, bringing forth revenue sharing and roster limits, among other changes to collegiate athletics. In the wake of the decision, multiple entities released statements. “Today’s decision in the House case represents the latest step in the ongoing […]
A California judge Friday evening approved the House v. NCAA settlement, bringing forth revenue sharing and roster limits, among other changes to collegiate athletics. In the wake of the decision, multiple entities released statements.
“Today’s decision in the House case represents the latest step in the ongoing evolution of college athletics,” Nebraska athletics director Troy Dannen said. “Nebraska has spent the past year planning for this resolution and the ensuing changes ahead.
“We are supportive of this settlement and fully committed to participating in revenue sharing with our student-athletes to best position Nebraska for future competition success.”
Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule and athletic director Troy Dannen walk off the field after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
“We look forward to implementing this historic settlement designed to bring stability, integrity and competitive balance to college athletics while increasing both scholarship and revenue opportunities for student-athletes in all sports,” said Tony Petitti, commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.
“Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a letter. “This new framework that enables schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes and establishes clear and specific rules to regulate third-party NIL agreements marks a huge step forward for college sports.”
The financial portion of the settlement revolves around two main parties: former athletes to receive back pay and the current and future athletes to receive revenue-sharing. The former athletes will $2.8 billion in back pay from lost name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation.
Memorial Stadium / Nebraska Athletics
Current and future athletes will receive a certain amount of revenue from schools. Each institution will be allowed to share a set amount – taking 22% of the average of certain power school revenues – with the athletes. In the first year, that cap amount is $20.5 million.
It is uncertain how Nebraska intends to distribute that $20.5 million. Most schools are likely to spend the majority on football and men’s basketball, with less than 10% remaining for the other teams on campus.
The settlement also includes roster limits. While football will have a 105-player roster limit in the future, Judge Claudia Wilken was swayed during arguments to allow for the grandfathering-in of athletes on existing teams or those who have been cut this year, as well as recruits who enrolled on the promise of a roster spot.
Schools will also be allowed to fund scholarships up to the roster limit. For football, that means an increase from 85 scholarships to potentially as many as 105.
Mar 1, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic director Troy Dannen, football coach Matt Rhule, and Matt Davison meet before the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Athletes can still receive additional financial deals through collectives, such as 1890. The money is now overseen by a new non-NCAA enforcement entity. Any third-party NIL deals of at least $600 must be approved by a Deloitte-run NIL clearinghouse called NIL Go.
Further legal fallout from the settlement and resulting changes to collegiate athletics is expected.
Future roster limits for sponsored sports at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln are listed below, with the current scholarship limit and change in allowable scholarships.
Sport
Current
New
Change
Baseball
11.7
34
+22.3
Basketball (M)
13
15
+2
Basketball (W)
15
15
0
Bowling (W)
5
11
+6
Cross Country (M)
5
17
+12
Cross Country (W)
6
17
+11
Golf (M)
4.5
9
+4.5
Golf (W)
6
9
+3
Gymnastics (M)
6.3
20
+13.7
Gymnastics (W)
12
20
+8
Football
85
105
+20
Rifle
3.6
12
+8.4
Soccer (W)
14
28
+14
Softball
12
25
+13
Swim (W)
14
30
+16
Tennis (M)
4.5
10
+5.5
Tennis (W)
8
10
+2
Track (M)
12.6
45
+35.4
Track (W)
18
45
27
Volleyball (W)
12
18
+6
Wrestling (M)
10
30
20
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Some major news has just come out in the college sports world. The NCAA was a part of a lawsuit called House vs NCAA, with “three separate federal antitrust lawsuits, all of which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of college athletes.” Players will essentially have a “salary” and will be able […]
Some major news has just come out in the college sports world. The NCAA was a part of a lawsuit called House vs NCAA, with “three separate federal antitrust lawsuits, all of which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of college athletes.” Players will essentially have a “salary” and will be able to be paid closer to their actual value than even NIL deals could offer.
ESPN is reporting that as part of the ruling, “the NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 through present day.”
Similar to the professional game, the NCAA is expected to have a salary cap of around $20 million annually per school. This is also expected to encompass all varsity sports, not just the ones that draw the most money. How that money ends up being allocated will be the question.
Essentially, college sports have taken another step towards becoming more like the pro game, relying on money and high prestige rather than good recruiting and better opportunity for players.
This could potentially be a negative development for the Stanford Cardinal.
There is zero doubt that Stanford is the best sporting program in the nation across all sports. Winning National Championships in 49 consecutive seasons and taking home the best athletic university award, or Directors’ Cup, 26 times since 1993-94, while the only other winners have been Texas (3) and North Carolina (1).
What this means is that Stanford will surely use their salary cap amongst every sports program in order to spread the wealth around and continue to draw in the best athletes in numerous sports.
This is positive for smaller sports. With so many dominant small sports programs at Stanford, they will surely win out tons of recruits. This should mean they continue to be amazing programs, and continue the norm of winning National Championships on The Farm.
However, this may be detrimental for bigger sports. With schools such as Alabama and LSU putting so much money into football, it will be very tough to beat them out for players, as Stanford is likely to spread the money around a bit more than other schools. This is true in basketball too, as Duke and BYU amongst others will put all of their chips into basketball, easily beating out Stanford for recruits.
The other potential issue here is for Stanford to figure out their overall gameplan, and implement it so that they can have success on the field or court. NIL deals have been fairly new, and the Cardinal are still trying to get the hang of how they want to handle those, and this will provide a new wrinkle for them to consider.
It could also be helpful, having another avenue for success, while also limiting how much the competition can spend overall, which could loop Stanford in on some top recruits since they also have the prestigious education they can offer.
Overall, there are some positives and negatives to this ruling. Small sports will definitely continue thrive at Stanford for years to come. However, as football, baseball, and women’s basketball attempts to get back to their dominant ways, the new salary cap rule has the potential to make those rebuilds a whole lot tougher than before.
Next. Three Stanford Football Freshmen to Keep an Eye on in 2025. Three Stanford Football Freshmen to Keep an Eye on in 2025. dark
What does the House V. NCAA settlement mean for Penn State athletics? | Penn State Sports News
Friday night was monumental for college athletics. California Judge Claudia Wilken approved the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement — an agreement that was a long time coming after nearly a year of deliberation and months of waiting for approval. The decision means Division I schools can now pay their athletes directly, while new scholarship […]
Friday night was monumental for college athletics. California Judge Claudia Wilken approved the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement — an agreement that was a long time coming after nearly a year of deliberation and months of waiting for approval.
The decision means Division I schools can now pay their athletes directly, while new scholarship and roster limits will be effective July 1. A salary cap will also be in place, which is estimated to begin at $20.5 million per school in 2025-26.
Additionally, the NCAA will pay back $2.8 billion in damages across the next decade at approximately $280 million annually to all D1 athletes who participated between 2016 and 2024.
Revenue sharing
Most athletic programs, including Penn State, plan to use the majority of the revenue-sharing money on football, but every other team is also set to receive investment from the Nittany Lions in this new era of college athletics.
Per NIL-NCAA, it’s been estimated that Penn State will spend 91% of that $20.5 million on football and men’s basketball. Men’s hockey comes in third with an estimated $394,839 available to pay its athletes, then wrestling with $310,241.
Women’s hockey and women’s volleyball are expected to receive $83,794 and $79,371 respectively, while women’s basketball is estimated to have $63,218 to pay its athletes. Men’s tennis is set to receive the least amount with just $15,064, an average of $1,674 per player.
Women’s soccer will receive $61,440 with the men getting $39,825. Baseball has $53,323 to use, while softball is estimated to have $47,991. In short, each sport at Penn State is getting some sum of money to share among its athletes.
It’s worth noting that these estimates assume “each school limits total revenue sharing to 22% of its annual athletic department revenues – this is the percentage utilized in the proposed settlement in House v NCAA.
This money is on top of scholarship earnings and separate from NIL money, which will now have to be reported through the new NIL Go portal. The portal will be run by Deloitte with the purpose of reviewing all third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more in aggregate to ensure deals are made at fair market value.
Roster limits
While the settlement eliminates scholarship limits, it adds roster limits, meaning each team will have to decrease the number of players on its roster. This change allows any athletes on the team to receive scholarship aid, allowing teams to offer a scholarship to each player up to the roster limits.
Men’s basketball is limited to 15 athletes, while the women are capped at 14. Baseball has a limit of 34, and men’s and women’s lacrosse are capped at 48 and 35, respectively.
Women’s volleyball is allowed 15 roster spots, men’s hockey has 26 and women’s hockey is capped at 23. How the revenue sharing allocated to each team is split among the roster is up to the discretion of the program.
There are rules to “grandfather” in the roster limits, which Judge Wilken requested when she paused the implementation of the settlement.
The final ruling reads: “…the parties modified the [settlement agreement] to provide that settlement class members whose roster spots were taken away or would have been taken away because of the immediate implementation of the SA will be exempt from roster limits at any Division I school for the duration of their college athletics careers.”
In short, those who would’ve been cut because of the new roster limits will instead have the opportunity to play out the rest of their collegiate eligibility.
Penn State will have until June 15 to fully commit to revenue sharing and will have to “designate” athletes it wants grandfathered in. Fall sports must have its roster cut down to its new limit by its first game of the 2025 season, with the exception of the designated athletes. Winter and spring sports must do the same by Dec. 1.
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After nearly a year of deliberation, a new era of college sports is here.
If you’re interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.
It’s official: A new era of college sports is here
College sports fans, the future is now. A federal judge has approved the House v. NCAA settlement on revenue sharing, clearing the way for it to take effect on July 1. From that day on, Division I schools will be allowed to directly pay their student-athletes, so long as they stay under a predetermined annual […]
A federal judge has approved the House v. NCAA settlement on revenue sharing, clearing the way for it to take effect on July 1.
From that day on, Division I schools will be allowed to directly pay their student-athletes, so long as they stay under a predetermined annual cap.
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NIL, or name, image and likeness, deals, including from booster-funded collectives, will remain available to college athletes, but most deals will now be reviewed by a clearinghouse aimed at making the NIL market more organized and fair.
The now-approved settlement will also bring with it new scholarship rules and roster limits, and it will resolve multiple antitrust lawsuits with a $2.8 billion payout to athletes who couldn’t access NIL funds in the past due to the timing of their college careers.
Lingering legal issues
Although the ruling will change college sports as you know it, it actually won’t create much work for school leaders in the short term.
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Most programs are already prepared for a post-settlement world since Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval of the plan in October.
Over the past few months, coaches have been meeting with athletes about the changes and school administrators have prepared for revenue sharing, such as by hiking the price of concessions, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Final approval of the settlement does open the door to new types of lawsuits, including legal battles over the clearinghouse’s assessments of NIL deals.
College sports experts, including Stewart Mandel at The Athletic, anticipate battles over athletes’ “fair market value” and athlete employment rights.
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“I remain skeptical that (the settlement) will solve much of anything,” Mandel wrote in early April.
The House v. NCAA settlement is expected to supercharge debates over related antitrust issues, including whether student-athletes are employees.
“Industry leaders have asked Congress to write a new law that would prevent athletes from becoming employees and provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption to create some caps on player pay and transfers,” per ESPN.
Background of the House settlement
Although many legal battles are yet to be fought, most college sports leaders see the House v. NCAA settlement as an important step forward.
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Supporters believe it will help tame the chaos of the current NIL era, which began in 2021, when the Supreme Court ruled that individual athletes, not their schools, should control — and be able to profit off of — athletes’ name, image and likeness rights.
That ruling ultimately made it harder for many programs to hold on to their star players, since it made it possible for booster collectives at other schools to tempt them away with major NIL deals, as the Deseret News previously reported.
While top athletes will still be able to snag huge deals moving forward, the settlement returns some power to schools — and should reduce the influence of collectives.
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“NCAA president Charlie Baker and others believe the deal will help schools regain control and tamp down the sky-rocketing, largely unregulated market for paying college players through third parties,” ESPN reported.
In a letter released Friday after the House settlement was approved, Baker wrote that he believes stabilization is on the way for college sports, but knows challenges remain. He called on Congress to take action to ensure that schools can enter the new era on solid ground.
“Opportunities to drive transformative change don’t come often to organizations like ours. It’s important we make the most of this one,” Baker wrote.
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WILMINGTON, Del. – Senior Maddie Aho and sophomore Delaney Miller of the Skidmore College women’s rowing team were both named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America Second Team as announced by the organization on Friday. The CRCA All-American Awards recognize the most outstanding collegiate rowers and coxswains […]
WILMINGTON, Del. – Senior Maddie Aho and sophomore Delaney Miller of the Skidmore College women’s rowing team were both named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America Second Team as announced by the organization on Friday.
The CRCA All-American Awards recognize the most outstanding collegiate rowers and coxswains across all NCAA divisions and the lightweight category. These athletes have demonstrated elite athletic performance, leadership, consistency, and dedication throughout the season, earning distinction among the top rowers in the nation.
This prestigious recognition honors athletes who have contributed significantly to their teams while meeting high standards in competition and training. The All-American teams also serve as the foundation for the selection of Athlete of the Year Finalists—with one ultimate Athlete of the Year selected from each division.
Both Aho and Miller earned All-Liberty League accolades on Thursday – Aho on the First Team, Miller on the Second Team. The recognition makes them just the second and third student-athletes in program history to claim All-America honors.
– Chiney Ogwumike | First Take
