Lane Kiffin reacts to latest update on NCAA’s House Settlement case, potential changes

Lane Kiffin is rarely at a loss for words, especially when it impacts his team. But even the outspoken Ole Miss head football coach isn’t certain about his program’s next steps once the ongoing litigation involving the House vs. NCAA settlement is eventually finalized.

The highly-consequential settlement hit a bit of a roadblock during Monday’s hearing when U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ordered the plaintiffs to amend the language as it pertains to future student-athletes and proposed roster limits.

If and when the House v. NCAA settlement goes into effect, it would usher in the transformational revenue-sharing era in college sports while also implementing strict roster limits. Roster limits were a crucial part of Monday’s hearing as Wilken suggested potentially grandfathering all student-athletes currently on rosters so they don’t lose their spots.

Because of that uncertainty and lack of any finalized language in the agreement, Kiffin and other college football coaches and administrators remain in limbo regarding how they will move forward within the new proposed revenue-sharing model.

“It’s kind of like giving a gameplan for a game Saturday, you know, it’s pretty strategic. I think different people are doing different things. So I can’t really get into it,” Kiffin said Tuesday during a mid-Spring press conference. “But it is a continuation of a very complicated system, even more now that you don’t even know exactly what the rules are, the cap, or when that’s going to start. There’s even rules within when her judgement does (go into effect), and certain parts are supposed to start at that point. I don’t think anybody knows the exact answer on what to do. I think people are just doing different things.”

Lane Kiffin on what’s next post-House v. NCAA settlement: ‘It’s not ideal, but it is what it is’

As part of the House settlement, scholarship increases are coming across most sports, as are new roster limits, once the agreement is certified. The proposed rosters include football (105), men’s and women’s basketball (15), baseball (34), men’s and women’s soccer (28), softball (25) and volleyball (18).

And once the House v. NCAA settlement is ultimately approved, roughly $2.75 billion in damages is expected to be paid to thousands of college athletes over a 10-year period. And schools, at their discretion, will be able to share $21-22 million annually with athletes. The figure equates to 22-percent of the average Power Five school’s revenue and will rise by 4-percent each year.

“There’s a bunch of different options of how to do this that different people are (discussing) and there’s some risk in there too,” Kiffin continued. “So it’s not ideal, but it is what it is. It’s very complicated, actually, the answers within there of what to do, and then if it does or doesn’t go through, or which parts do, potentially people could be in really tough situations if they choose A or B or those options and then it doesn’t go through.”

Eli Drinkwitz begs for clarity with House v. NCAA: ‘I don’t know what the crap is going on’

To Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, it’s all part of navigating the unknowns about the future of college football. He, much like SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, said he simply wants answers.

“I spend a ton of time trying to figure out the new revenue-share system,” Drinkwitz told reporters Tuesday. “How are you going to divide the money and the cap, and what are we going to do for NIL, and how do we get to 105? Then, yesterday, the judge says we may grandfather in roster limits. So, like, I don’t know what the crap is going on. You waste a lot of mental energy, and I’ve heard a lot of players – we told all our guys in December, like, this is what we think the new framework is going to be.

“Now, if they go back to grandfathering it in, it’s just frustrating. Let the practitioners have a say in what we’re doing instead of – I’m not going there anymore. But we’ll adapt. We’ll adapt to whatever they say. We’ll find a way, we’ll figure it out. Yeah. We’ll figure it out.”

As the settlement approval process continues, Drinkwitz expressed his hope for college athletics to keep its heart and soul. He also spoke in support of sports beyond football and basketball as they would also be affected by the settlement.

“My hope is that we understand this is an unbelievable game,” Drinkwitz said. “College athletics is a worthwhile fabric of the culture of the United States of America – not just football, not just basketball, not just revenue-generating sports, but also the Olympic sports. They all matter. And we need to have some sort of governing structure that doesn’t have a lawsuit every stinking day. Like, I get it. But man, we can’t have a lawsuit every single day that dramatically shifts the rules. So we have to have some sort of protection so that we can move forward with a great game.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz and Pete Nakos contributed to this report.