Mark Stoops doesn't believe revenue sharing will slow down NIL

Starting with the 2025-26 season, schools will be able to pay student-athletes directly via a revenue-sharing model the NCAA created as part of the House vs. NCAA settlement back in May. Each school can set aside up to $20 million from broadcast rights deals, ticket sales, sponsorships, etc., to divvy up between sports, and therefore, players.

It remains to be seen how Kentucky will divide its money; even if football gets a large share — which it likely will since it generates the most money for the athletic department — Mark Stoops is worried it won’t be enough to stay competitive in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

“The revenue sharing is not going to stop this,” Stoops told Darrell Bird of The Cats Pause. “The players have rights to make money off their true, authentic name, image, and likeness.”

The issue got further complicated today when news broke that as part of the House settlement, roster limits are going up in five sports: football, basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball. Football teams can now use up to 105 scholarships, an increase from the current limit of 85. While that may seem like good news, today’s news does not address walk-ons. Currently, most college football teams have around 125 players, only 85 of which are on scholarship, the remaining being walk-ons. If walk-ons are eliminated under the new rules, rosters will really be reduced from 125 to 105, a huge difference when you’re trying to keep your team fresh and hold safe practices.

“It’s not [enough] but I really don’t want to get into much of that right now because it’s all still hearsay and we’re working through that,” Stoops told KSR at SEC Media Days when asked about the rumored 105-scholarship roster limit. “I think we’re pretty collective within the SEC that think that’s a pretty tough number to operate.”

Will roster limits just make it tougher for teams like Kentucky to keep up with the Georgias of the sport? Will revenue sharing actually do any good or just make fundraising even more important? As with everything in the college sports landscape right now, there are more questions than answers. Stoops is going on the offensive with his complaints and pleas for NIL help because he feels he has to, especially in the SEC, where It Just Means More.

“We have no choice,” Stoops said last week in Dallas about NIL and fundraising. “You want to compete in this league, you got to do it, and that’s part of what we have to do. Once again, you could exist, you could just hang around, you could leave, or you can continue to invest more and it’s super important.”

“You know, the SEC says it just means more, right? Well, we need to continue to pour into it and I continue to ask for help. If there’s one thing that’s weighing me down, it’s raising money. That’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of pressure. These guys deserve it. I have to find a way to be creative and continue to work at it to raise funds. I need some help. We need some help in that area desperately.“