A new chapter in college athletics has officially begun.
On Friday, Judge Claudia Wilken approved a deal that permits schools to directly pay their student-athletes. Previously, athletes earned money through third-party NIL deals, some of which were outrageously expensive. Athletes can still land NIL deals, but for any payment of $600 or more, the deal will need to be approved through a clearinghouse, named NIL Go, which will be run by Deloitte, on behalf of the College Sports Commission. Approvals/rejections of deals are expected to be determined in roughly 24 hours.For the 2025-26 sports season, schools will be operating with a $20.5 million cap, which will increase each year by at least 4%. It is up to each school to decide how that money will be divided up amongst its programs, but most Division I schools will spend the majority of their money on football and men’s basketball, of course.
In previous months, West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker has stated on numerous occasions that he felt confident that WVU would be at or near the full revenue share, which will help them be competitive. Being at the cap each year will be a new challenge for Baker and his fellow ADs. Falling way short will put those schools at a serious disadvantage.As far as the football roster is concerned, yes, rosters are shrinking. Teams will be capped at 105 players, all of whom can be on scholarship, although it’s unlikely that all 105 will be. Rich Rodriguez did get his wish, however, in that players who were on a 2024-25 roster can be grandfathered in, allowing a team to surpass the 105 limit until said player(s) eligibility is exhausted
