Last Friday night, District Court Judge Claudia Wilken gave the final approval for the House v. NCAA settlement. The changes as a result of the ruling are to be implemented beginning July 1st, the start of the academic year for most schools. Schools are not obligated to start the new system on that exact date, though.
This settlement is historic. It allows student-athletes to be paid directly from the institution they attend for the first time ever. The payment of student-athletes has been a hot-button topic for decades. The conversation may change now, but it will definitely not go away in light of the new settlement.
Of course, just like when athletes were granted the right to profit off of their Name, Image, and Likeness a few years ago, this will come with both pros and cons. How individual institutions decide to handle these unprecedented changes will be fascinating to see. Especially for schools like Clemson that have multiple programs with a chance to compete at the highest level in their respective sports.
House v. NCAA Settlement Affects Clemson
Splitting the Budget
According to the settlement, schools will have a salary cap of $20.3 million per year. This number will likely increase at different times over the 10-year life span of the settlement. The $20.3 million figure is for the athletic department to split up amongst the programs, however, it decides. So, if the Clemson athletic department decides to give the football program 80% of the budget, that is allowed. Though that is very unlikely to happen.
It is expected that the football programs at most schools will receive the largest chunk of the pie, though. For the Tigers, it will be interesting to see just how much the football program does get. It is no secret that football has been the breadwinner for Clemson athletics, especially over the last decade. In that time, Tigers football has won eight conference championships, two national championships, and has been in the college football playoffs seven times.
Other Clemson sports programs, such as men’s basketball, softball, and baseball, have been gaining their own momentum, though. Having the funds to pay a couple more high-level recruits could be what helps bring them to the next level. So the athletic department will have big decisions to make on how to split the budget. It must be in a way that keeps football competitive but does not stifle other programs on the climb.
Huge Roster Changes
One year ago, when talking about the settlement, Dabo Swinney touched on how he felt about the potential elimination of walk-ons. He said he would hate for walk-on opportunities to be taken away. Swinney himself was a walk-on at Alabama in his playing days. He believes that without that opportunity, he would not be where he is today. Well, the day he dreaded is on its way.
When the settlement goes into effect, roster limitations will be set to 105 players who will all be on scholarship. Current walk-ons who are already on a roster will be allowed to stay and finish their career. No future walk-ons are allowed, though. This is a change many coaches were hoping would not happen.
Walk-ons are an important piece of college football programs. Many of them are used as practice players who are relied on to be the scout team during the season. This means in practice, they emulate what the opposing team for that week will run. They are also good for developing into future depth pieces who can be part of the rotation for positions that need it. There is also the chance that a highly talented walk-on is found who was overlooked in recruiting and becomes a great player. Getting rid of walk-ons altogether is a big hit for programs across the country, including Clemson.
What the Settlement Could Mean
This is a huge moment in time for college athletics. How schools approach this new system early on will be key to how successful they are within it. Schools should have already started making plans when the settlement was known to be on the way to approval. The toughest part will be for athletic departments to find ways to split the money up that make every program competitive, keep coaches and players happy, and don’t put the athletic department in debt.
Specifically for Swinney and his program, how they spend the money will be something interesting to see. Swinney has made it known that when it comes to NIL money, he is not getting into bidding wars over players. So, when the funds come straight from the program, it’ll be something to watch if Swinney is more or even less willing to do a bit of bidding.
What is known is that if you do perform in Death Valley, you will get opportunities to make more money. It is said that top players such as Cade Klubnik, Peter Woods, and TJ Parker make seven figures in NIL deals. When it comes to Swinney and how he runs his program, though, he wants to make sure to keep family and winning on and off the field the top priority.
Main Image: Photo Credit: Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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