INDIANAPOLIS, IN (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – We are all aware of the pending legislation that will allow colleges and universities to pay student athletes directly, as well as the world of NIL and how that is affecting the roster continuity of collegiate teams in the revenue sports of Men’s and Women’s Basketball and of course football.  Just as July of 2021 was a significant time period in the birth of NIL, Monday, April 21st was another significant milestone.  The NCAA met on Monday to officially propose 9 potential regulations to effectively govern the NCAA House Settlement.  In short, schools will have a budget capped at approximately $20.4 million dollars to spend annually, and most will go towards revenue sports.  However, we did learn a few things yesterday that will definitely impact the process.  The NCAA is looking to eliminate over 150 of its previous rules and regulations for college athletics.  Aside from the dollar figure, the NCAA is proposing eliminating scholarship limits for teams and creating a “NIL Clearinghouse” to help navigate some of the new dynamics that have presented themselves.  Overall, the new regulations will have to be approved by a federal judge, and the NCAA is also looking to develop an enforcement body for these specific issues.

Last month, UVA Athletics Director Carla Williams issued the following statement regarding the changes to NIL in a letter to the Virginia Athletics community:

“As we prepare for the outcomes of the impending House settlement, we remain focused on ensuring the continued success of our revenue-driving programs, including football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball. The college athletics funding model, where football pays for itself and helps fund all other sports, is being challenged in the court of law via the pending House Settlement. If passed, football and basketball student-athletes will be eligible to share in the revenues generated from their sports. Revenue sharing for football and basketball is projected at $20.5M in 2025-26. These are the same revenues that are used to fund the Olympic sports. The University has and will continue to invest in sustaining these programs and ensuring full participation in revenue sharing, however, the current model is not sustainable, and new ways must be established to bridge the financial gap. Your contributions play a critical role in navigating these financial challenges. Because of your support, we can provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to thrive—from top-tier coaching and training facilities to academic support and leadership development opportunities. While operational adjustments are necessary, our commitment to excellence remains unwavering.

In football, Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott is set to lead the Cavaliers into his fourth year at the helm. Our football program continues to make great strides, bolstered by outstanding progress in the transfer portal and in high school recruiting and several transformational gifts that have had a direct impact on giving the program a chance to compete. An anonymous donor has pledged to match every dollar contributed to the Football Enhancement Fund, up to $3 million through August 30, 2025.

Virginia supporters are encouraged to join this effort to maximize the impact of their gift and help ensure UVA is at the forefront of the evolving college football landscape.  These contributions have allowed us to attract exceptional talent, invest in critical resources, and strengthen our position for sustained success on the field. We are grateful for the generosity of our supporters, whose belief in the program fuels our ability to compete at the highest level.

The men’s basketball program is undergoing a pivotal transition following Coach Bennett’s retirement. Dean and Markel Families Men’s Interim Head Coach Ron Sanchez is leading the team through this period, with tremendous grace and care for the young men on our team. We are working diligently to bring the head coach search to conclusion prior to the end of the Spring Transfer Portal which is March 24 – April 22.

Our women’s basketball program has also benefited from a recent transformative gift from Alexis Ohanian. His generous support has provided the resources needed for Coach Mox and her staff to elevate the program by enhancing the roster to compete nationally.

Our Olympic sports continue to excel, including but not limited to, a sixth consecutive ACC championship for women’s swimming and diving, a No. 1 ranking for women’s tennis for the first time in program history, and the best pre-season ranking ever for softball (No. 24). Virginia Baseball opened the season ranked at No. 2 in the country and men’s tennis is currently ranked No. 5. Both lacrosse programs are in the top 20, men’s track and field relay teams continue to set NCAA records, and men’s and women’s golf are ranked in the top 15. We are looking forward to a very competitive spring sports season.”

For more context, here is the story from the associated press regarding the NCAA:

The NCAA passed rules Monday that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer.

The nine proposals passed by the NCAA board were largely expected but still mark a defining day in the history of college sports. An athlete’s ability to be paid directly by his or her university is on track to be enshrined in a rulebook that has forbidden that kind of relationship for decades.

For the NCAA rules to officially go into effect, the changes prescribed by the House settlement still have to be granted final approval by a federal judge, whose hearing earlier this month led to questions about potential tweaks before the new guidelines are supposed to go into play on July 1.

The changes will eliminate around 150 rules and alter many others in the NCAA’s sprawling rulebook. They essentially codify measures set up by the settlement, including:

—Modifying bylaws to allow schools to pay the athletes directly.

—Eliminating scholarship limits for teams, while also setting roster limits that are designed to replace the scholarship caps. Some details of the roster limits, which were a key sticking point in the April 7 hearing, will be finalized later.

—Establishing annual reporting requirements for schools that pay athletes; a payment pool is set to be approximately $20.5 million for the biggest schools beginning next academic year.

—Setting up a clearinghouse for all name, image and likeness (NIL) deals that come from third parties and are worth $600 or more.

—Granting authority to an enforcement body being developed by the conferences named as defendants in the lawsuit to enforce the new rules passed to implement terms of the settlement. This includes compliance with roster limits, payment of direct benefits to players and meeting requirements for the third-party deals.