Mizzou AD Laird Veatch Provides Updates, Insight on House Settlement Plan

Being confused with the NCAA-House settlement is completely reasonable. There are plenty of twists, turns and language that isn't easy to comprehend. One thing that is easy to nail down is that it's actively impacting collegiate athletic departments, and the athletes themselves.

At Missouri's 'ZOU to YOU' event on Tuesday night, University of Missouri Director of Athletics Laird Veatch spoke to the media, where he shared his thoughts on a variety of subjects, one of which is a national issue.

Veatch does have an understanding of the house settlement when it comes to Missouri and is navigating it carefully with the athletic department. Amidst many potential changes and high levels of uncertainty, Veatch is staying patient in waiting for more information and trusting what he's already done to handle the settlement.

“We’ve made a lot of decisions up until this point and we’ll continue to adjust and work through that as it finalizes,” Veatch said. 

One of those things that remains uncertain is NCAA roster limits. The concept of the roster limits hit a standstill in federal court and was postponed due to concerns surrounding how it would affect current student-athletes. Once a decision is made revolving around roster limits, there won't be much more to clear up.

“We’re now right at a point with the settlement where we’re waiting to hear what’s that final piece with the roster limits and how does this work out,” Veatch said. 

Roster limits are one of multiple things that will be tweaked throughout the settlement process. Another one that could see changes is the transfer portal and when it occurs.

At this very moment, the times at which the transfer portal opens across various sports differ. Questions of when it should be open and not have circulated since it became more prominent in the current college athletics landscape and because of that, many teams have been impacted.

A popular example is Penn State during this year's College Football Playoff, which saw multiple players transfer, including current Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula, while preparing for playoff games. Many believe changes need to be made to the transfer portal in a variety of ways, with the timing being one of them.

“That is one of the many things we need to work through, is our calendar and how we manage [the] transfer portal, not only for football, [but] for all of our sports that there needs to be adjustments that continue to take place after it is settled,” Veatch said. 

Question marks are littered throughout the House settlement and it's potential impacts, but Veatch does believe him and his team have enough to work with.

“There are a lot of challenges, a lot of unknowns, but we get enough information where we’re able to make some key decisions,” Veatch said. 

The landscape of the NCAA is constantly changing and the House settlement is no different. There's no telling when decisions could be made and when answers to questions will be provided, which creates the level of uncertainty that surrounds it.

Because of that, athletic departments across the country, including Veatch and the Tigers, must stay on their toes when it comes to those changes. As an overall program, you don't want to fall behind with the terms that the settlement provides, making the ability to move quickly is also crucial.

“There’s been a ton of planning going on,” Veatch said. “You’re definitely building the plan on the fly, so to speak.”

Navigating this settlement and everything that comes along with it was never supposed to be easy and that will continue until its end. For now, the success of Missouri's athletic programs over the last season will help the Tigers build a foundation for the future.