As I noted in another column earlier today, July 1 is a seismic moment in college sports, as Syracuse Athletics and its peers can start paying their players directly, the result of the multi-billion-dollar House settlement that ushers in a new era in collegiate athletics.
This spring, Syracuse Orange athletics director John Wildhack said that come July 1, when the House settlement was likely to take effect, he would be streamlining the NIL strategy for 'Cuse athletes.
There are three third-party name, image and likeness collectives supporting Syracuse Orange players, and they are Orange United, SU Football NIL and Athletes Who Care. Wildhack had said in March that once July 1 hit, not all three of them would remain in existence.
Fast-forward to today, July 1, and a Syracuse Athletics spokesperson says that none of the third-party NIL entities have ceased operations. Wildhack and SU Athletics continue to discuss what things will look like moving forward regarding third-party NIL initiatives.
I've been told that, for one, officials with Orange United and its owner, the Las Vegas-based Blueprint Sports, have held discussions with Syracuse Athletics. Obviously, nothing has been decided about the future of Orange United or the other third-party NIL organizations.
It's important to note that as part of the House settlement, third-party NIL deals will come under new enforcement through the College Sports Commission, which is led by former Major League Baseball executive Bryan Seeley. Also, third-party deals of at least $600 must be approved by a clearinghouse called NIL Go.
Other information to share about Syracuse Athletics and revenue-sharing.
Beginning on July 1, Syracuse and other schools can elect to share up to $20.5 million with their athletes for the 2025-26 sports season. Syracuse Athletics is sharing the maximum amount.
As far as a breakdown, the SU Athletics spokesperson said that Syracuse is predominantly sharing revenue with the football and men's/women's basketball programs, but SU Athletics declined to provide specific percentages. The spokesperson also said that, for 2025-26, there will be a net increase in total scholarships for Syracuse Athletics, with a particular impact on women's Olympic sports.
With the House settlement, as noted in this press release from the NCAA last month, the limits on scholarships for schools that opt in to revenue-sharing have been removed, thereby increasing the number of potentially available scholarships, but now there are also roster limits, such as 105 for football, and 15 for men's and women's basketball.
Another item that I've discussed is how revenue-sharing could impact Olympic sports. Some experts have said there could be various repercussions stemming from the House settlement, such as athletic departments cutting their staff or forming limited liability companies, Olympic sports getting eliminated and more litigation arriving.
The SU Athletics spokesperson told me that Syracuse is continuing to sponsor all 20 of its varsity sports teams.
Love that.