Last night, United States Federal District Court Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement. This historic settlement signals a new era for college sports and changes the landscape in several significant ways. The key aspects of the settlement include the elimination of NCAA scholarship limits and establishes roster limits for each team; establishes a groundbreaking revenue-sharing framework that allows institutions to share revenue with student-athletes; and institutes a back damages payment plan for former student-athletes from the last 10 years for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
The College Sports Commission (CSC), which will operate separately from the NCAA, has been established to ensure enforcement and compliance with the new rules surrounding roster limits, revenue sharing and student-athlete third-party NIL deals. The CSC named Bryan Seeley, who has a distinguished career in professional sports and public service, as its first Chief Executive Officer. For more information on the CSC and the new era of college athletics, visit collegesportscommission.org.
Since the Court’s initial approval of the settlement in July 2024, Penn State Athletics has been preparing to meet the demands of this transformational change. We will share revenue with our student-athletes to the maximum allowable levels; through the new Legacy Fund and the existing Nittany Lion Club Excellence Funds, we will increase the number of scholarships we offer to our 800+ student-athletes, as the settlement removes NCAA scholarship limits; and we have developed ROAR Solutions, a powerful, dynamic group of resources assembled to deliver the best student-athlete NIL, endorsement and branding support in the country.
While the world around us changes, our steadfast focus on supporting student-athletes and winning championships remains constant! We had a terrific 2024-25 academic and athletic year, and next year looks to be one of the best in our history, and because of those successes, Penn State enters this new era of college sports in a position of strength and ready to attack this new collegiate landscape. While change can be difficult, it also can provide new opportunities, and I assure you we will embrace every opportunity this new model creates. We will continue to lean into our tradition of excellence to shine academically, emphasize the impact of a Penn State degree and alumni network, and pursue excellence in competition. Now, more than ever, we must rally together to ensure our student-athletes thrive and our legacy endures.
We Are…
Pat Kraft