Lincoln Riley previews House v. NCAA settlement, reveals how enforcement model could work

As Lincoln Riley and USC go through spring practice, they’re keeping their eyes on April 7. That’s when the House v. NCAA settlement final approval hearing will take place in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and the agreement would transform college athletics.

If the settlement receives full approval, it would usher in the revenue-sharing era in college athletics. Schools will be able to directly share up to $20.5 million with athletes, and many schools are planning to direct most of that money toward football.

But there are still questions about enforcement. The NCAA and Power Conferences announced an implementation entity last month, which includes two athletic directors from each of the five conferences. Riley noted it was difficult to pin down what exactly the plan would look like, but said surviving legal challenges would be the biggest key.

“It’s tough, because obviously, there’s a whole legal side of that,” Riley told reporters Thursday. “And you’re going to need something that’s going to hold up legally. I think that’s something that has enough teeth to accomplish what it needs to accomplish and it’s something that’s not just going to get run over with people getting sued and all that.

“That’s the world that those people live in, and that’s why it’s been tough to find it. If we can, that’d be great. Hopeful that they can make some good progress.”

Lincoln Riley: ‘We’ll see what happens’

In addition to revenue-sharing, the House v. NCAA settlement would also set roster limits. The agreement capped football rosters at 105, although conferences such as the SEC are staying at the current scholarship limit of 85 even if it receives full approval.

With so many moving parts, Lincoln Riley said USC has a “working idea” of what the post-House landscape would look like. But to actually see what rosters look like, in particular, is something he said would show the true impact the settlement would have on the Trojans.

“I think everybody’s kind of eager to see,” Riley said. “It’s obviously a little tough to speculate on like how well it could. It just depends on how well it’s constructed. We’re just in a day and age where – we’ll see. That would be great if we could get to that, but I don’t know that I’m expecting that. I don’t know that really anybody is. So we’ll see what happens.

“And then, certainly, some clarity on some things with the rosters, certainly, and the scholarships, all that. We’ve got a working idea of what it’s going to be like, but to actually see and know for certain, I think, will be super helpful. I think those are the big points that we’re going to be most excited to see that affect us, obviously, a great deal.”