DESTIN, Fla. — University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart isn’t sugarcoating it.
“I think the number one thing when you deal with that situation is when you don’t know, you tell somebody you don’t know,” Smart said Tuesday at the SEC spring meetings. “And you tell them which way it’s leaning and what we’re hearing and you prepare for that.”
Smart was referring to the looming effects of the House v. NCAA settlement—a $2.8 billion agreement that, if approved by a federal judge, would bring the biggest financial and structural changes to college athletics in NCAA history.
The proposed settlement would distribute billions in back pay to athletes who were denied NIL (name, image and likeness) compensation between 2016 and 2024 and, starting in July 2025, allow schools to share up to $20.5 million per year with current athletes from media rights, ticket sales, and sponsorship revenue.
For coaches like Smart, that means a new world of uncertainty—especially when it comes to roster management and walk-ons.
“We not only don’t know that,” Smart said. “We don’t know what the camp number’s going to be. We don’t know who’s going to get to come back when school starts, who’s going to get to come back when camp starts. A lot of unknown in that.”
One of the biggest changes would be the elimination of scholarship limits in favor of roster caps—possibly around 105 total players in football. That could squeeze out walk-ons, many of whom have historically earned playing time and scholarships through development and dedication.
The settlement doesn’t just affect athletes. Member schools would see reduced NCAA revenue distributions, as 60% of the $2.8 billion settlement would come from those funds over the next 10 years….
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Publish date : 2025-05-29 03:59:00
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