Answers to Athletes’ Questions on the House Settlement
By Kristi Dosh
Last Updated on June 15, 2025
I’ve been getting quite a few questions from athletes and their parents about what the House settlement means for them. I previously wrote a detailed breakdown of the settlement, but here are quick answers to your top questions below.
Who does the settlement apply to?
Keep in mind this settlement only applies to Division I athletes. Some aspects of the settlement, such as roster limits and revenue sharing going forward, only apply to Division I schools that choose to opt-in and participate.
Is the settlement finalized?
Yes, it was finalized on June 6, 2025.
Who will receive back pay?
I have a detailed breakdown (with estimated amounts) in my larger piece on the settlement, but here’s a quick look at who will qualify. Please note the back pay is only for Division I athletes.
- Football: Division I football athletes on an FBS team that is a member of the Power Five and Notre Dame who received a full grant-in-aid and were, or will be, initially eligible from June 15, 2016 to September 15, 2024.
- Men’s Basketball: Division I men’s basketball athletes on a team that is a member of the Power Five and Notre Dame who received a full grant-in-aid and were, or will be, initially eligible from June 15, 2016 to September 15, 2024.
- Women’s Basketball: Division I women’s basketball athletes on a team that is a member of the Power Five and Notre Dame who received a full grant-in-aid and were, or will be, initially eligible from June 15, 2016 to September 15, 2024.
- Other Sports: Division I athletes (other than those listed above) who were, or will be, initially eligible from June 15, 2016 to September 15, 2024. For the NIL portion, the athlete must have received compensation while a Division I athlete for use of their NIL between July 1, 2021 and September 22, 2023 and who competed in the same Division I sport prior to July 1, 2021.
How much back pay will athletes receive?
The Plaintiffs counsel Hagens Berman has provided the following estimates. BNIL is for broadcast revenue, Videogame is for revenue football and men’s basketball athletes could have made from videogames during the term for use of their NIL, and Lost Opportunities is for NIL money that could have been made prior to the rule change.
If it says “no claim required,” then nothing will be needed from the athlete. However, if it says “claim required,” it will require information to be supplied by the athlete. See below for more information on receiving notices and getting more information as the settlement progresses.
Here’s some additional breakdown of what sports outside of Power Five football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball can expect:
When will back payments be made?
Back pay money will be deposited into escrow for distribution on May 15, 2025 or 45 days after the final order is issued by the judge, whichever is later. It will then take some time for the administrator of the escrow to issue payments. In subsequent years, the money will be deposited into escrow on July 15th.
How will I get notified if I’m in the class of athletes?
Direct email and postcard notice and publication notice will go out to more than 80% of potential class members. There will also be notice of the settlement digitally via social media and online news media. Soon, there will be a case-specific website, www.collegeathletecompensation.com, to provide additional information to class members.
What are the new roster limits?
The new roster limits established as part of the settlement will begin in the 2025-26 academic year:
- Acrobatics and Tumbling: 55
- Baseball: 34
- Basketball (men’s): 15
- Basketball (women’s): 15
- Beach Volleyball (women’s): 19
- Bowling (women’s): 11
- Cross Country (men’s): 17
- Cross Country (women’s): 17
- Equestrian (women’s): 50
- Fencing (men’s): 24
- Fencing (women’s): 24
- Field Hockey (women’s): 27
- Football: 105
- Golf (men’s): 9
- Golf (women’s): 9
- Gymnastics (men’s): 20
- Gymnastics (women’s): 20
- Ice Hockey (men’s): 26
- Ice Hockey (women’s): 26
- Indoor Track and Field (men’s): 45
- Indoor Track and Field (women’s): 45
- Lacrosse (men’s): 48
- Lacrosse (women’s): 38
- Outdoor Track and Field (men’s): 45
- Outdoor Track and Field (women’s): 45
- Rifle (12)
- Rowing (women’s): 68
- Rugby (women’s): 36
- Skiing (men’s): 16
- Skiing (women’s): 16
- Soccer (men’s): 28
- Soccer (women’s): 28
- Softball: 25
- Stunt: 65
- Swimming & Diving (men’s): 30
- Swimming & Diving (women’s): 30
- Tennis (men’s): 10
- Tennis (women’s): 10
- Triathlon (women’s): 14
- Volleyball (men’s): 18
- Volleyball (women’s): 18
- Water Polo (men’s): 24
- Water Polo (women’s): 24
- Wrestling (men’s): 30
- Wrestling (women’s): 30
Will everyone on the roster receive a full scholarship?
Scholarship limits have been eliminated, and new (larger) roster sizes established. However, schools are not required to provide a full scholarship to everyone on the roster. Each school retains the right to decide how many scholarships to provide and how to allocate them.
How much revenue will be shared with athletes?
Expected to begin during the 2025-26 academic year, 22% of the average revenue of the Power Five conferences, plus Notre Dame, will be shared with athletes. Currently, the estimate is around $22 million per school, per year, increasing by 4% in each of the following two years before undergoing a recalculation in the fourth year.
However, each school will be able to independently decide how much revenue they will share. Here’s what schools are saying about their revenue sharing plans so far.
They’ll also be able to count certain money against the revenue share amount, including up to $2.5 million of Alston awards and $2.5 million of the full cost-of-attendance value of the new scholarships created by the new roster limits.
Which athletes will receive revenue sharing?
Unfortunately, we don’t know the answer to this yet. The presumption is that football and men’s basketball athletes will be first in line because those two sports produce the most revenue. However, each school will get to decide which athletes they’ll share with and how much, so it may vary greatly from one school to the next.
Does Title IX apply to revenue sharing?
There is an ongoing debate about how Title IX will apply to revenue sharing, even amongst attorneys who deal with Title IX every day. Some believe revenue sharing should provide equal opportunities to male vs. female athletes (i.e., if you pay 100 male athletes, you need to pay 100 female athletes) but doesn’t have to be equal amounts (and instead based on market value). However, others believe revenue can and should be shared proportionately based on the sport that generates the revenue.
Without some sort of federal law or other guidance, schools will each make their own decision on how to distribute revenue and we’ll likely see court cases in the future to determine if those decisions are aligned with Title IX.
Can schools now pay athletes as ambassadors?
Yes, pending approval of the settlement, schools will be able to pay athletes to promote the school or athletic department. These agreements cannot extend beyond the athlete’s eligibility. However, content created while the athlete was enrolled and under contract can continue to be used as long as it doesn’t promote third-party goods or services.
Can schools now act as an athlete’s marketing agent?
Yes, pending approval of the settlement, schools will be able to act as an athlete’s marketing agent on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis. This means schools can help solicit and broker NIL deals for athletes.
Do athletes have to report NIL deals now?
Yes, but only for contracts/payments of $600 or more. If you’re receiving multiple payments from, or have multiple agreements with, a party (or two parties with the same ownership), those will need to be reported if the aggregate value is at or above $600. Like everything else listed here, this won’t begin until the settlement is approved.
If you’re the parent of an athlete, join my Parents NIL Playbook Facebook group to ask questions and learn from other parents/athletes on all things NIL and revenue sharing.
