NIL
NCAA House Settlement: A Look At The House Settlement & NCAA Implications
The House vs. NCAA settlement has been central to conversations around college football this offseason. If approved, it could drastically change the sport as we know it. The settlement covers many facets of college athletics. It certainly impacts the FBS, both the Power Four and the Group of Five, as well as the FCS and […]

The House vs. NCAA settlement has been central to conversations around college football this offseason. If approved, it could drastically change the sport as we know it.
The settlement covers many facets of college athletics. It certainly impacts the FBS, both the Power Four and the Group of Five, as well as the FCS and other divisions of football and other sports. But details still need to be finalized, and that’s assuming the entire deal doesn’t fall apart or is delayed beyond the upcoming school year.
Here’s more about the House v. NCAA Settlement.


House vs. NCAA Settlement Details
House v. NCAA is a legal case that revolves around the payment of college athletes. Once approved, this would allow schools to pay athletes directly for the first time.
While this does bring even more change to an already chaotic aspect to college sports, some hope that this brings about more stability in the long-term. This, some believe, will allow the NCAA or other governing bodies to enforce more regulations regarding how athletes are paid.
Many schools have already opted into the House settlement, meaning they are on board with how the case shakes out and will eventually pay college athletes directly.
But some have opted out, meaning they won’t pay athletes themselves. While that will save the schools money, it will likely impact their recruiting efforts and therefore their performance during competitions.
NIL House Settlement Back Pay
The House settlement would result in the NCAA and Division I schools paying $2.78 billion in back pay for students who competed in sports between 2016-24.
The House v. NCAA case materialized after collegiate basketball player Sedona Prince and swimmer Grant House, among other college athletes, filed a lawsuit five years ago saying that the NCAA and the power conferences unified against paying athletes and prevented them from profiting off their names, images, and likenesses (NIL).
Do Schools Opting Out Of The House Settlement Have To Provide Back Pay?
All Division I schools will have to contribute money toward back damages as a result of the House settlement, regardless if they opt into it. However, most or all of that for some schools could be taken out of the money normally disbursed from NCAA events like the NCAA Tournaments in men’s and women’s basketball.
Where House Settlement Money Will Come From
As for the $2.78 billion in back damages, the NCAA is to pay 60% of it while 40% of it will come from schools themselves. That’s to be paid out over 10 years. A good portion of the schools’ payments will come out of money that usually goes to them for NCAA competitions.
Schools can also pay students for NIL rights at a maximum of 22% of annual revenue that comes from broadcast deals and tickets.
How that back pay is dolled out hasn’t been widely publicized, though a vast majority is expected to go to football and basketball players. Specifics are to be hammered out by the plaintiffs in the case.

House v. NCAA Settlement NIL Cap
Several sources estimate a cap for how much schools will pay athletes directly will be established and that number would be $20.5 million per institution. That number would go up about 4% per year.
That wouldn’t be a minimum in this instance, just a maximum.
NCAA vs. House Settlement Update
Many expected the House settlement to have gone into effect by now, but that hasn’t happened yet.
It seemed federal judge Claudia Wilken, who oversaw other cases related to college athletics like O’Bannon v. NCAA, was going to approve the settlement. But after hearing from walk-on athletes who would’ve lost their roster spots, the case hit a roadblock.
The House settlement was going to change scholarship limits to roster limits, meaning many athletes on teams who aren’t on scholarships – also called walk-ons – would no longer be capable of participating on their teams.
Wilken reportedly wants to change these roster limit rules, accounting for current walk-ons and grandfathering them in. At the moment, schools seem unwilling to budge much on this as many had already accounted for the changes they believed were imminent.

NIL
James Franklin Wants to Be a ‘Transformational’ Coach
James Franklin’s body of work in college football crosses an important line of demarcation in the sport. The Penn State football coach played and coached in Division III football as the launch pad to a career in a game that wasn’t yet a business. Now, Franklin coaches in a business built around a game, to […]

James Franklin’s body of work in college football crosses an important line of demarcation in the sport. The Penn State football coach played and coached in Division III football as the launch pad to a career in a game that wasn’t yet a business. Now, Franklin coaches in a business built around a game, to which he’s constantly trying to adapt without losing sight of his purpose.
“I think the majority of people got into coaching college football, in my generation, to be transformational on young people’s lives” Franklin said recently. “None of us, my age or older, got into this business because of money. It was because you love the game of football and you wanted to help young people grow and mature. I worry a little bit now that, because of how the sport has changed, there’s people being attracted to the sport for the wrong reasons.”
Entering his 12th season at Penn State, and 15th season as a head coach, Franklin has developed into a pragmatic voice of the game. He addresses college football’s questions and inconsistenies with firm boundaries but a measured hand. Franklin talks about revenue sharing, the transfer portal, conference scheduling, NIL, roster limitations and every other debate point about the game through a common lens. Franklin wants college football to be transformational in a transactional world.
The recent House vs. NCAA settlement means that, beginning July 1, Penn State and other athletic departments can begin paying players directly for the first time. Penn State will fund revenue sharing for football to the maximum. It’s only practical for a national championship contender.
Penn State and Franklin recruit with revenue sharing and NIL in mind, sometimes top of mind, and are willing to pay for talent. Yet Franklin also wants money to be part of a package, not the focus, in playing at Penn State.
“The way the sport has changed from a transfer portal perspective and from an NIL perspective, I think there’s also young people and families that are making decisions based on a transactional experience rather than a transformational experience,” Franklin said. “So for us, we’re one of a handful of programs that are still holding on to [wanting] it to be as transformational an experience as possible. I think that aligns with Penn State and what our values are and how we want this program to be run. That’s something that was always very important to me.”
Certainly, Penn State football has traded in being transformational for decades through “Success With Honor.” However, Franklin also must understand modern college football, which believes that funding programs also can be “transformational.” At Penn State, the balancing act is more complex.
“It was also very obvious to me coming to Penn State that that was very important to our alumni and very important to this community and very important to our lettermen,” Franklin said. “So we are fighting, scratching, clawing to balance those two things. There’s an aspect that you have to embrace the evolution of college football. But you don’t have to abort what your values are and and how you still want it to go. And I think there’s a way that you can really blend the both, so that the kid, the family, the program, the university … can still really provide a similar experience that we always have.”
More Penn State Football
NIL
Athletic Directors reveal which sports will benefit from the House Settlement
It’s the dawn of new era in college athletics. Thanks to the new landmark House vs. NCAA settlement being approved, schools will now have $20.5 million to disperse throughout their athletic department for revenue sharing. The tricky part, how teams will do so. Obviously, college football is the biggest revenue sport out there, and with […]

It’s the dawn of new era in college athletics.
Thanks to the new landmark House vs. NCAA settlement being approved, schools will now have $20.5 million to disperse throughout their athletic department for revenue sharing. The tricky part, how teams will do so. Obviously, college football is the biggest revenue sport out there, and with basketball being second. But there are also other sports that deserve some money. But will they actually get any of the ‘House Settlement’ money?
With it being days following the historic announcement, a few Athletic Directors are starting to share which sports will receive money. Ohio State AD Ross Bjork shared there will be four Buckeye sports that get money, and that’s likely going to be the norm most schools follow.
“Yes, we have $20.5 million of revenue-shared dollars that can now be given to the athlete,” Bjork said. “And as part of that, anytime you add a new scholarship – in any sport – whether it’s one, five or 91 like we did, that has to count against the $20.5 million, up to $2.5 million. Does everyone follow that? Twenty-point-five million, minus $2.5 million for scholarships – we added 91 – so therefore there’s $18 million to distribute to our sports. The scholarship part has not been widely publicized, but any time we add a scholarship we have to count it against (the $20.5 million maximum).
“We are going to allocate the $18 million starting in four sports: women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball and of course our football program. We really tried to use metrics and a formula, while also balancing some Title IX approach in this as well.”
While football, both basketball teams, and women’s volleyball will likely be the four sports for most schools that receive money from the revenue sharing, Oklahoma will help out a couple of other sports.
Speaking at a Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said that six sports will be a part of the program’s revenue share: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and women’s gymnastics.
According to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, he says a model a lot of schools are focusing in on is the 75-15-5-5 model.
“Many schools have been very public already about how they’re going to distribute it,” Yormark said of revenue share. “One of the models out there, not to say it’s right or wrong, is 75, 15, 5 and 5. 75% to football, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball and 5% to other Olympic sports. But there are probably going to be variations of that model and it’ll be determined by the schools themselves.”
It’s clear football will get the lion’s share of the money, but other sports are going to get involved with the revenue sharing, while others are left out for dry.
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NIL
Miami baseball lands commitment from batter-turned-pitcher
Miami Hurricanes baseball received a significant boost this week with the official commitment of UNLV right-hander Michael Taylor. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and hailing from Somerset County, New Jersey, Taylor brings an intriguing mix of experience. He spent four seasons at Fordham as an infielder before making the switch to pitching at UNLV. I am […]

Miami Hurricanes baseball received a significant boost this week with the official commitment of UNLV right-hander Michael Taylor. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and hailing from Somerset County, New Jersey, Taylor brings an intriguing mix of experience. He spent four seasons at Fordham as an infielder before making the switch to pitching at UNLV.
I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to The University of Miami! I am so grateful for this opportunity and would like to thank the coaching staff for making me a Hurricane! @CanesBaseball pic.twitter.com/4sbLXaCZq7
— Michael Taylor (@michaeltaylo24) June 14, 2025
This past season, he recorded a 3.86 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 21 innings of relief duty. He allowed 18 hits, conceded 10 runs (9 earned), issued 13 walks, and struck out 27 batters. Taylor routinely sits in the low 90s with his fastball and throws a sharp cutter. That combination, paired with his imposing frame, gives him the physical and technical foundation to succeed in the ACC. At 24 years old during the upcoming season, Taylor will be one of the veterans in the bullpen.
Prior to pitching at UNLV, Taylor was a full-time batter who fielded at third and first base. He began his college baseball career at Fordham in 2021, where he appeared in 7 games, going 2-for-5 (.400) with a double and 1 RBI. In 2022, he saw more action with 26 games played, posting a .239 batting average, .390 OBP, and .435 slugging percentage across 46 at-bats. In 2023, Taylor logged 35 games with 20 hits in 96 at-bats, hitting .208 with 1 home run and 14 RBIs. His final college season at Fordham in 2024 saw more limited production with 3 hits in 35 at-bats (.086) over 17 games.
Across five college seasons, Taylor posted a .198 batting average with 36 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 home runs in 182 official at-bats. Before transitioning to pitching at UNLV, Taylor pitched a little bit in the summer of 2022 for Bergen in the ACBL. In 2022, he had a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 innings pitched.
NIL
LSU baseball star sends blunt NIL pitch to popular shoe brand
There is no time like the present, especially in NIL. Ahead of the College World Series, LSU’s star outfielder/pitcher took his shot at pitching his dream brand partnership live on TV. In an interview with Hurrdat Sports, avid Crocs-wearer Jake Brown shared that he spends his own per diem money on the off-field foam footwear […]
There is no time like the present, especially in NIL. Ahead of the College World Series, LSU’s star outfielder/pitcher took his shot at pitching his dream brand partnership live on TV.
In an interview with Hurrdat Sports, avid Crocs-wearer Jake Brown shared that he spends his own per diem money on the off-field foam footwear – and Jibbitz accessories – suggesting the brand slide into his Instagram DMs to coordinate a deal.
“I have some Crocs slides that I’ve decorated with Star Wars Jibbitz,” he told Hurrdat Sports. “So, I have a Star Wars pair of Crocs and I have Pizza Planet-Toy Story crocs that I bought with some per diem money thanks to Champ Artigues, our baseball ops guy. Thank you so much Champ and great purchase. I love my Crocs.”
LSU baseball’s Jake Brown has been using his per diem money to purchase Crocs
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We need to get him an NIL deal @Crocs! pic.twitter.com/v2v8aRIApZ
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) June 14, 2025
Brown – who is hitting .315 on the season with 52 hits, 43 runs and 44 RBIs – even pitched his own Crocs design, themed with animals prints to celebrate his home state of Louisiana, where the sophomore was the top-ranked player as a high school senior.
“I don’t know, like some gators,” he pitched. “Some alligators, something. A pelican, maybe a tiger, anything that we could do. That would be super sweet.”
Crocs has a heavy presence in the NIL space, recently partnering with fellow Tiger Livvy Dunne on a partnership. The brand also added freshman-to-be Cameron and Cayden Boozer of Duke basketball, the nation’s leading scorer Ta’niya Latson now of South Carolina and former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, now of the New York Giants.
LSU has won seven National Championships – most recently in 2023 – the second-most in NCAA history and enter their 20th College World Series. Brown and LSU face off against SEC-rival Arkansas to start the College World Series on June 14 at 7PM ET on ESPN.
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NIL
Bianchi
Everywhere you look across the landscape of college sports, athletic directors are holed up in boardrooms and budget meetings, furrowing their brows over spreadsheets and taking a chainsaw to line items like movie villains in a slasher flick — desperately trying to figure out how they’re going to come up with an additional $20.5 million […]


Everywhere you look across the landscape of college sports, athletic directors are holed up in boardrooms and budget meetings, furrowing their brows over spreadsheets and taking a chainsaw to line items like movie villains in a slasher flick — desperately trying to figure out how they’re going to come up with an additional $20.5 million a year to pay their athletes.
Programs are bracing for staff cuts. Olympic sports are sweating their survival. Facility upgrades are being shelved or downsized.
The University of Kentucky’s athletics department expects to operate at a net loss of nearly $31 million over the next two fiscal years and is borrowing $141 million from the university’s general fund to offset the deficit.
The hoity-toity University of Michigan athletic department is receiving $15 million in support from the university’s general fund so it can balance its budget this year.
And then there’s UCF … calm, calculating and oddly comfortable amid the chaos.
“We’re in a little better position because we’re getting some new money [from the Big 12] as opposed to some other programs that have a $20.5 million bill coming to their athletic department,” UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir says.
I would say UCF isn’t just in a little better position; it’s in a much better position.
Yes, UCF — the young, brash program often dismissed by traditionalists as a Johnny-come-lately — may actually be better equipped to navigate the beginning of the pay-for-play era than the so-called bluebloods.
Why? Because unlike Florida, Florida State, Miami and other marquee programs throughout the country that have long been dining at the wagyu-laden lobster-stuffed banquet table of TV riches, UCF has been living off the crumbs — and learning how to stretch every dollar like a Depression-era homemaker. Now, just as this new system demands schools pony up as much as $20.5 million annually to pay athletes, UCF is suddenly flush with new money, having joined the Big 12 and becoming eligible for a full share of TV revenue starting this year.
To put it plainly: While some schools will need to scramble, cut and beg to fund this new mandate, UCF will simply carve out its share from this fresh windfall of Big 12 media money.
Before moving to the Big 12, UCF’s annual TV revenue from the American Athletic Conference hovered around $9 million. Starting this year, UCF’s Big 12 revenue will spike to approximately $45 million annually — nearly a $36 million jump from the AAC. Even after setting aside the NCAA’s proposed $20.5 million for athlete payments, UCF still pockets $24.5 million. That’s a $15.5 million net increase in TV revenue from where the program was just two years ago.
Meanwhile, the established programs like Florida and Florida State already have baked their SEC and ACC TV money into their oversized athletic budgets. They’ve committed millions to coaching buyouts, bloated staffs and opulent facilities.
Now, they must find $20.5 million more per year — on top of what they’re already spending — to meet the athlete compensation requirements. Some — like Kentucky, Michigan and Washington —are borrowing while others may have to lean harder than ever on donors already fatigued by name-image-likeness (NIL) collectives.
But UCF? The Knights get to pay players with new money — and still come out ahead.
And maybe, too, UCF is better-equipped to navigate the current financial landscape because the Knights are accustomed to pinching pennies, turning dimes into dollars and digging into the couch cushions to stay competitive.
Consider their stadium. While many major programs have spent hundreds of millions on NFL-style cathedrals, UCF opened The Acrisure Bounce House in 2007 for roughly $55 million — a bargain at the time and an incredible steal by today’s standards. FSU would spend more than $55 million if it needed to buy out Mike Norvell’s contract after this season.
Or consider UCF’s indoor practice facility, completed in 2005. UCF was the first program in the state to build one, beating Florida and Florida State to the punch by nearly a decade. Again, it was constructed with resourcefulness, not extravagance.
UCF has always been a program that maximized efficiency and had to adapt and improvise out of necessity. And this is precisely the type of entrepreneurial spirit that the Knights and other programs will need to succeed in the era of revenue-sharing.
However, where UCF is at a massive disadvantage within the state and within its own conference is that the Knights don’t have nearly as many well-heeled boosters ready to supplement player salaries with exorbitant “NIL” deals. Even though conference commissioners and coaches say they will follow the new rules in regard to policing third-party (booster) NIL deals, color me skeptical.
It’s been reported by CBSSports.com that Texas Tech — aided by free-spending billionaire booster Cody Campbell — currently has an athletic payroll of $55 million. When I made the statement to Mohajir that it “doesn’t seem believable” that some schools are suddenly going to tell their athletes that they have to take a pay cut, the UCF AD responded, “It doesn’t seem believable, but that’s what they’re going to have to do. There are a lot of provisions to guardrail cap circumvention … and the penalties are punitive.
“I know there are a lot of cynics,” Mohajir added, “but I feel pretty good about it [the new system]. I have to look at it from an optimist’s standpoint. I feel like we’re on the right track. Is it perfect? No. But at this particular time, we need progress over perfection.”
Progress over perfection isn’t just a Mohajir soundbite; you could say it’s a summary of UCF’s entire journey and how it has prepared the Knights for this new era..
You see, this isn’t just about money; it’s about mindset.
UCF was built on budget discipline, innovation and adaptability.
In this new world of college football, a case could be made that the Knights are no longer an afterthought; they’re a trendsetter.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
NIL
Oklahoma State softball adds Indiana OF Melina Wilkison in transfer portal
What is Oklahoma State softball getting in former Melina Wilkison, the Indiana outfielder who joined the Cowgirls via the transfer portal earlier this week? “Melina is the type of the player that our fans at OSU are going to love,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said in a release Saturday. “She brings speed, power and a […]

What is Oklahoma State softball getting in former Melina Wilkison, the Indiana outfielder who joined the Cowgirls via the transfer portal earlier this week?
“Melina is the type of the player that our fans at OSU are going to love,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said in a release Saturday. “She brings speed, power and a toughness that will resonate in a big way with Oklahoma State fans. She’s had tremendous success at her previous stops, and we’re excited to welcome her to Oklahoma State.”
Wilkison joins the Cowgirls after three seasons at Ohio State and one at Indiana. She owns a .347 career batting average with a 1.017 OPS in 518 at-bats to go with 134 runs, 36 doubles, 15 triples, 23 home runs and 102 runs batted in.
The Greensburg, Indiana, native started all 54 games for the Hoosiers in 2025 — including against OSU in the NCAA Tournament — hitting .326 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs.
“I’m beyond excited to be a Cowgirl,” Wilkison said. “I’m so blessed to be able to be a part of this team and compete at the highest level. The Cowgirl name carries weight and tradition, and I can’t wait to get to work in Stillwater.”
Virginia Tech utility player Jayden Jones was the Cowgirls’ first transfer portal addition this offseason.
Jeff Patterson is the sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jeff? He can be reached at jpatterson@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jeffpattOKC. Support Jeff’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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