House v. NCAA Cheat Sheet: What you need to know about the college sports settlement

Revenue-sharing is coming to college sports. This has been established. After a wild run with collectives once name, image, and likeness (NIL) was passed in 2021, we’ve seen the sports we love turned upside down and change drastically overnight with a ton of instability.

There could be stability on the way.

The House v. NCAA class-action lawsuit is on the verge of passing in Oakland with Senior Judge Claudia Wilken overseeing the case over a decade after overseeing O’Bannon v. NCAA. On Monday, Wilken heard from both plantiff and defendant lawyers as well as objectors to the settlement but the six-plus hour proceeding has gotten us to the next step.

“Today’s hearing on the landmark settlement was a significant step in modernizing college sports,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement. “If approved, the settlement will allow student-athletes the opportunity to receive nearly 50 percent of athletic department revenue in a sustainable and fair system for years to come.”

All parties are scheduled to reappear in court next week. The revenue-sharing distribution model could finally be passed and go into effect on July 1. To put it simply, there is a lot going on. In the simplest form possible, I have put together a cheat sheet so you can be up to speed on the important topics.

It can be very easy to get lost in the lawyer sauce. KSR is here keep you up to speed on what is going on and what matters most.

Judge Wilken likes the settlement

There are some things to get through, but the most important development to come out of Monday was that Judge Wilken likes this settlement after going back and forth with the NCAA in a previous court proceeding.

The wheels are in motion for a final conclusion.

“Basically, I think it is a good settlement — don’t quote me,” said Wilken. “I think it is worth pursuing and I think some of these things could be fixed if people tried to fix them, and that it would be worth their while to try to fix them.”

Roster limits must be worked through

A big part of the settlement including setting roster limits for all sports. This would essentially eliminate walk-ons. From a football lens, schools could have up to 105 scholarship players but each conference can do what they want as long as they don’t exceed the number (the SEC plans to stay at 85 scholarships). However, this would force some athletes to be cut.

Judge Wilken didn’t like that and requested that athletes currently on the roster to be grandfathered in. This is something that both sides must work on and correct before next week’s meeting. This likely the biggest change that will occur on the settlement. We could see some inflated rosters over the next three seasons.

The proposed rosters include football (105), basketball (15), baseball (34), soccer (28), softball (25), and volleyball (18).

Schools will have $20.5 million to spend

Once this settlement passes, it means that schools are allowed to share up to $20.5 million in revenue to athlete. Schools are allowed to share how ever much they want as long as it does not surpass this number. How that money is split between athletes is to be determined.

Those payments can begin on July 1. Once approved, the NCAA will be required to pay $2.77 billion in back-damage pay to college athletes in the pre-NIL era starting in 2016.

NIL deals must go through a clearinghouse

A big goal for the NCAA throughout this entire process was to find some way to combat pay-for-play through collectives. NIL deals are not going away but deals must be approved if over $600 via a clearinghouse run by NCAA employees. Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart is expected to play a role in this.

This will go into effect as soon as the settlement is passed. College basketball programs and players are in a rush to get new deals done now that will not be forced to go through a clearinghouse. That’s part of the reason we’ve seen so many commitments occur before visits could occur for players in the portal. College football’s spring portal (opens on April 16) is expected to be fairly tame if this bill is passed next week.

There is worry that lawsuits could potentially blow up the NCAA’s plan with this. Their counter is to find help from Congress.

College sports figures were in D.C. on Wednesday for a reason

On Wednesday, we saw multiple Kentucky head coaches and other representatives on Capitol Hill meeting with members of congress. Why was this happening? There was a “College Sports Day on the Hill” occurring to help campaign for college sports bill that would grant a limited antitrust protection based on settlement terms.

Honored to welcome @universityofky Coach Mark Pope to my Congressional office to discuss college 🏀 issues. Coach Pope is doing great work for #BigBlueNation #BBN pic.twitter.com/l2LzM9Ita0

— James Comer (@JamesComer) April 9, 2025

The lawsuits aren’t going away. The NCAA will need help from Congress to protect their NIL clearinghouse plan. Baker and other leaders are working with Sen. Ted Cruz to help get this passed. It is vital to this organization’s current plan working.

There is also a concern that numerous Title IX lawsuits could occur after this settlement with schools expect to give a lion’s share of the funds to the revenue producing sports. Those lawsuits will likely have to be against individual schools. Schools could find themselves underwater quickly without the protection from this proposed college sports bill.

The NCAA needs to get this settlement passed but there is an equally big need currently being worked on.

Expect some more wild proposals

On Monday, a wild federal bill was introduced in the House of Representatives. It would replace the NCAA.

H.R. 2663, called the “Restore College Sports Act” and filed by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), would create the American College Sports Association. The organization would replace the NCAA and, “oversee and regulate college sports.” The ACSA would have a commissioner appointed by the President with advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner would serve four-year terms.

There is a working theory that eventually college football will break off from the NCAA with the Big Ten and SEC creating their own version of the SEC and Big Ten. Some people outside the NCAA will use this instability to try and sell their pitch to be the front office that helps those conferences with that transition.

Don’t expect that to happen soon, but a move away from the NCAA could happen eventually. This proposal that calls for a decrease in coaches salaries will not happen anytime soon. The NCAA should gain some teeth from this settlement. How sharp will those teeth be? That’s to be determined.