Since the NCAA was founded in 1906, institutions have never directly paid athletes. That will now change with the passing of the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, ushering in the revenue-sharing era of college sports.

Beginning July 1, schools will be able to share $20.5 million with athletes, with football expected to receive 75%, followed by men’s basketball (15%), women’s basketball (5%) and the remainder of sports (5%). The amount shared in revenue will increase annually.

With this colossal change in the college sports landscape affecting everyone from the top down, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne was asked by 105.5 WNSP Friday morning about what this case will do to non-revenue sports. Specifically, Byrne was asked if Alabama would have to discontinue some of those programs at the university.

“We’re gonna try everything we can to have that not be the case,” Byrne said, per Mike Rodak. “We have one team that makes a healthy profit in football. We have one that turns a profit in men’s basketball. However, we have 19 that don’t. Football has been the sport that has historically supported the department, and the investments we’ve made in the young men in our football program I’m very proud of, both from a revenue-sharing standpoint but also what we do holistically with the young men.”

“As far as how many sports we have, it’s a hard model. There’s no doubt about it. But at the same time, too, I believe in the model and I think it’s something worth investing in and we continue to plan to do so here at the University of Alabama.”

Byrne gets into the weeds to discuss Alabama’s plan

Earlier this week, Byrne explained Alabama‘s plan for dividing revenue sharing in the near future. Along with football and men’s basketball, the university supports varsity teams in women’s basketball, baseball, women’s soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf, cross country, swimming and diving and track and field.

That’s not all, though. Alabama also supports club sports in crew, cricket, cycling, disc golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, racquetball, rugby, soccer, team handball, tennis, Ultimate, wheelchair basketball, water polo, water skiing and wrestling.

“The House settlement gives us a number, $20.5 million, we’re gonna get in the weeds here a little bit. Every SEC school program has committed to $2.5 million in new scholarships. That gets taken off the 20.5. So that means we have $18 million to work with in rev share, and we as an institution decide how we will distribute that to our teams,” Byrne said.

“We have taken the approach that it’s based off of revenue generation. We think that’s a solid approach and that its one that makes sense for our program. As you’ve heard me say many times, football is the engine that pulls the train. At the same time too, our two sports that turn a profit are football and men’s basketball.

Byrne believes the Crimson Tide are in a good spot

“So they will have the highest percentage of that rev share and then we’re splitting up the remaining dollars with our sports who are ticketed,” Byrne continued. “We have four sports who are ticketed – softball, baseball, gymnastics and women’s basketball. Those are the six sports that will have some type of rev share.”

“I’ve heard all over the yard how schools are doing it, and how many sports. I know one we compete against all the time is only doing three sports. I know that some schools are doing a little bit for everything. I’m not sure how much of a difference that will make at the end of the day when you just carve off a small sliver for a sport, but we have a plan. I’ve told our coaches it’s fluid. We’re doing the best we can to make decisions we are with the information that we have right now.

“I do think we’ve put ourselves in a good position, not only for the individual sports but for the department as a whole to make sure we’re staying healthy long term.”

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.

WALTHAM, Mass. – Tanner Main, an assistant captain with Bentley this past season, has signed with Strasbourg in France2, the second highest professional league in France.

A defenseman, Main was voted Bentley’s Most Improved Player for the 2024-25 season. He was named an assistant captain and played in 35 games with two goals and seven assists as the Falcons lifted the Atlantic Hockey championship trophy. His +11 number was tied for fourth best on the team.

He had four assists in Bentley’s postseason run, with one in each of the first four games.

A native of Welland, Ontario, Main played in 102 games in four seasons at Bentley.

Main is the third member of the 2024-25 Falcons to join a professional team this summer, joining Nick Bochen and Sam Duerr.

The city of Strasbourg is located in eastern France, close to the border with Germany.

Main graduated in May with a degree in finance.

 

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Bowdoin College has announced the six individuals who will be inducted into the 2025 Athletic Hall of Honor class.
 
The honorees will be formally inducted during a ceremony on Saturday, December 6, representing the 16th class of the Hall of Honor.
 
Long-time men’s lacrosse coach Tom McCabe led the Polar Bears for 22 seasons, recording 229 victories and finishing with the most wins of any coach in program history and totaling the 12th most all-time in Division III. In 2012, he was named NESCAC and New England Division III Coach of the Year. His tenure included two ECAC Championships, and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
A three-time captain of the Bowdoin wrestling team, Bill Hale ’72, finished his career with a 40-0 record in dual meet competition. A multi-time placer in New England Championships, he was the only Bowdoin wrestler to score at an NCAA Championship (1972), later becoming head coach of the program.
 
Stacey Jones Lee ’00 was a multi-sport star for Bowdoin, earning multiple NESCAC Championships and All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor track & field. She was also a captain of the Polar Bear volleyball team, where she was a four-year starter.
 
The leading scorer in the history of Bowdoin women’s ice hockey, Shelly Chessie Miller ’03 finished her career with 179 points. A two-time First Team All-American, she helped lead Bowdoin to the 2002 NESCAC Championship and a pair of NCAA Division III Final Four appearances while also playing women’s soccer for the Polar Bears. 
 
A native Mainer who helped put Bowdoin women’s basketball on the national map, Kristi Royer Ouellette ’03 finished her career as the second-leading scorer in program history while pacing the Polar Bears to the first three NESCAC Championships in the history of the league. She was a three-time First Team All-NESCAC and All-New England performer in her career.
 
A dominant midfielder on Bowdoin’s first two national championship teams, Julia King ’09 established field hockey program records in single-season and career assists while helping the Polar Bears to four straight NESCAC crowns and back-to-back national titles in 2007 and ’08. A two-time First Team All-American, King was also a key contributor on the women’s ice hockey team and captained both squads as a senior.
 
Established in 2002, the Bowdoin College Athletic Hall of Honor was founded to perpetuate the memory of those persons who have brought distinction, honor and excellence to Bowdoin through their accomplishments in athletics. Student-athletes are eligible ten years following their graduation year while coaches/staff are eligible five years after retirement or leaving Bowdoin.
 

by Dan Holland

For Broadview Heights native Ryan Rucinski, a dream of making it to the highest levels of the hockey world began by learning how to ice skate at the tender age of 2. 

“My dad played hockey, and at a young age he got me out on the ice and used to being on skates,” Rucinski, 18, said. “Ever since then, I’ve always loved it.”

He now has his sights set on going pro, as he’s a candidate for the 2025 NHL draft, which will take place June 27-28 in Los Angeles.

A recent high school graduate, Rucinski took online courses through a public school district in the Youngstown area. He attended Padua Franciscan High School during his freshman and sophomore years, then moved to live with a host family in Canfield, Ohio, where he played hockey for the Youngstown Phantoms in the United States Hockey League during his junior year. 

“I should play [for the Phantoms] for three or four years – depending on what happens – and then go on to college. There’s a chance I’ll go to Ohio State next year, as I’m guessing it will be one more year with Youngstown, and then OSU. But that’s not official.” 

Rucinski committed to playing hockey for the Buckeyes at The Ohio State University on a Division-1 scholarship heading into his junior year, just prior to being drafted by the Phantoms.

But that’s not the only credit Rucinski has to his name. He won a gold medal for Team USA as one of 22 players USA Hockey selected for the 2024 U.S. Junior Select Team that participated in the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alberta, held in December 2024. He scored two goals and had three assists in five games, including a goal in the championship game against Sweden, which aired on the NHL Network. 

As a center for the Phantoms, Rucinski had 42 points in 49 games – 19 goals and 23 assists – along with three goals in three postseason games, as he helped the team win the USHL Eastern Conference title.

Hockey runs in his family, as his dad, Jeff Rucinski, played hockey at Western Michigan University and subsequently played for a number of professional hockey teams, including the Cleveland Lumberjacks in 1998-1999.

Rucinski’s older cousin, Dylan Duke, was drafted in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Another older cousin, Tyler Duke, played hockey his freshman year at Ohio State University before transferring to play at the University of Michigan.

Siblings include brother, Kyle, a sophomore who plays for the varsity/prep hockey team at St. Ignatius High School, along with sisters, Raina – a figure skater – and Ella, who currently plays hockey for the U14 Lady Barons. The Broadview Heights family sets up an outdoor ice rink in its backyard every winter.

National Hockey League Central Scouting ranked Rucinski as the 204^th North American skater in their final 2025 rankings for the NHL draft, set to take place June 27-28.

“There’s a lot that can happen, and not everyone will get picked in the draft,” said Rucinski. “I’m just focusing on trying to get better every day, but if someone calls and I get drafted, that would be great. But I’m not going to get too worked up over that, because even if you don’t get picked, you can still make your way to the NHL.”“Obviously, I would like to be chosen in the draft,” he continued. “But if I can play out my college career, and then hopefully be able to sign a contract with a pro team, that would be my main goal.” 

Photo caption: Ryan Rucinski has his eyes on going pro – possibly during the June 27-28 NHL draft in Los Angeles. The 18-year-old currently plays for the Youngstown Phantoms but has a scholarship to The Ohio State University awaiting him as well. Photo submitted. 

“I matured as a person and a player from that,” Boumedienne said. “So that’s what I wanted to do at an early age, just to learn and develop and play against bigger players.”

Yet without his time in Columbus, Boumedienne said, that might not have even been an option.

“With the AAA Jackets, you get the opportunity to become an NHL player,” Boumedienne said.

Blue Jackets Roots

Before Boumedienne’s second season with the Under-16 team, Cannone – the newly minted U-16 team coach at the time – took the time to get breakfast with Sascha, Josef and Nick Petraglia, the executive vice president of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets.

“We kind of just got to know each other and laid out the goals we saw for him for the season. Those were my first impressions of Sascha,” Cannone said. “He was a very well-spoken kid. You can tell he was raised properly – he was humble. I think he knew in the back of his head that he was special, but he never came across as arrogant.”

Though Boumedienne has added more size and weight since his time with the AAA team, some things have stayed the same. He’s regarded as a terrific skater with superb offensive instincts. That was evident to Cannone before any scouting reports were put out.

“His edge work, his ability to run a power play and provide offense were elite,” Cannone said. “He has a very good one-timer, so any time he was able to get that off and showcase that also made him stand out. But the way he carried himself as a young kid at that level, not just with his play on the ice but off the ice, you could tell that he was special and different.”

Even as a thinner 15-year-old playing against much larger skaters, Boumedienne caught eyes. His skating – perhaps a result of the edgework he perfected with his dad, and extra skates he did in Columbus – carried him and his team further than they could have imagined. Cannone remembers a narrow overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres AAA team – ranked top five in the country – that wouldn’t have been close without Boumedienne.

“From then on, you know, it opened my eyes a little bit more of how special he was and his ability in those games against top teams to stand out,” Cannone said. “He was doing this all as a kid who was playing a birth year up. When you factor all those things in, you take a step back and you realize, ‘All right, this kid’s gonna be different than a lot of these other kids.’ And you see that firsthand.”

Perhaps Boumedienne’s talent is also an inherent consequence of being surrounded by the game of hockey. With his dad’s role on the Blue Jackets, Boumedienne spent much of his time in Columbus at Nationwide Arena with his brothers and friends.

“I have a ton of good memories from there, just strolling around the rink and watching NHL games. I had the chance to go down in the locker room every once in a while, which is pretty special, and talk to some of the players,” Boumedienne said. “Being able to do that is everyone’s childhood dream, right? That was one of the most fun things with moving to America.”

Boumedienne cited Zach Werenski as his favorite CBJ player growing up. As a defenseman, that’s not a bad role model to have.

With a front-row seat for some of the best hockey in the world, Boumedienne’s love for the game only further blossomed in Columbus. It helped that, with the AAA program, he got a second family.

“They treat their players so well,” Boumedienne said. “It’s an unreal organization. I made some really good friends, and we were on some teams with some really tight bonds, and we became really close.”

“We take a deeper approach into their development, and specifically what each player needs to succeed at the next level while also creating an environment of a team and community to succeed on and off the ice,” Cannone said.

The family atmosphere cultivated within the AAA program is infectious. At the mention of Cannone’s name, a massive smile erupted on Boumedienne’s face. It’s a testament to the people – from the ground up – that invest in the person first.

“It starts with Ed Gingher and Nick Petraglia,” Cannone said. “I think the program does a really good job of identifying the right people that coach and work within the program that are in it for the right reasons and want to help Columbus hockey grow. I think it separates the AAA Blue Jackets program from others, where the people that are involved genuinely care and want to see these kids not only succeed in hockey, but in life as well.”

Some of that family, Josef says, will be making the trip to Los Angeles next week for the draft.

“The passion grows every day when you’re around good people,” Josef said. “It’s been great for both (Sascha and Wilson), and then for myself and my whole family, quite frankly. We have a lot of friends we learned to know in the AAA program.”

Boumedienne’s still on the move – after his college season and U-18 World Championships, he had the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. He’ll soon get on a plane and head to Los Angeles for the draft, another step in a career that’s only just getting started.

The prospect of getting drafted by an NHL team excites him. The prospect of that team being the Blue Jackets?

“That’d be something special. Obviously living in Columbus and going to all those games, it feels like home,” Boumedienne said.

“For me, it would be really special,” Josef said. “I worked for this organization for 11 years, and that’s the longest tenure I’ve had with one team counting my playing career as well. I love the Columbus Blue Jackets. If that were to happen, that would be great.”

Hundreds of miles away, Cannone will be tuning into the draft, as will many others in Columbus. Boumedienne has called so many places home, but the AAA program is proud to have aided him on a big step in his hockey career.

“It means a lot that I got to play there,” Boumedienne said. “They do a really good job, and we had a blast playing there.”

“Columbus is an area where hockey’s been growing for a while now,” Cannone said. “We’re still continuing to grow. So it’s very rewarding to see the kids that grew up here (and) move here do big things, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice.”

WVU football fans don’t need anyone to tell them how dynamic Pat White and Tavon Austin were during their time as Mountaineers. However, the affirmation still has to be nice to see nonetheless.

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford placed both White and Austin on his list of college football’s 25 most dynamic players of the last 25 years.

Below is what Crawford said about why Austin cracked his top 10.

“When former Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen assumed the play-calling role in 201, he did so with Austin as his not-so-secret weapon. Austin’s touches increased and so did his production as one of the fastest players in the country scored nine times on offense and twice on special teams. His senior campaign was even better — a nation-leading 114 receptions for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 8.9 yards per carry and three kick return scores. In his collegiate finale, West Virginia beat Clemson, 70-33, in Miami thanks to Austin’s 280 total yards and four touchdowns.”

Only two spots behind, White checks in at No. 12 on the list.

“White, Steve Slaton and Austin … pick your poison. West Virginia had options over a multiyear stretch of offensive success in the late 2000s. At quarterback, White was the straw who stirred the drink for one of the nation’s leading rushing attacks, compiling 3,528 yards on the ground over his final three seasons with 40 touchdowns. Teams tried to keep the Mountaineers honest, but White was an efficient passer, too. Like Jackson, when White was one-on-one with a defender around the edge, he almost always made the first man miss en route to big yardage,” said Crawford.

Tavon Austin’s bio at WVU: 

Austin was a star at WVU from 2009-12, accumulating 4,446 scrimmage yards throughout his four years in Morgantown. Austin’s WVU highlight tape is what he will always be remembered for from his college days. The Baltimore, Md. native was untouchable when he was in the open field. Austin scored 15 touchdowns his senior year. He was a key part of record setting Orange Bowl winning team.

Pat White’s bio at WVU: 

As Mountaineers Nation is well aware, White is widely recognized as one of the most explosive and accomplished players in college football history. While at West Virginia, he was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year back-to-back seasons (2006-07). He led them to a 35-8 record and became the first quarterback to start and win four bowl games in program history.

Statistically, White threw for 6,051 yards and 56 touchdowns and ran for 4,480 yards and 47 scores on the ground, which set a then-NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback. White was honored a first-team All-Big East (2006-08) player three out of his four years as a starter in college. He was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.

Related