What does new NCAA House settlement mean for Razorbacks?

Most Division I athletics programs are expected to spend 75% of their allotted amount to football, followed by 15% for men's basketball, with the remainder going toward various sports on campus. It's worth noting that the amount of revenue shared will increase each year.

Not only will the NCAA have a model of proper payments to athletes, this settlement brings about roster limits and set fair market value of players.

New restrictions will be in place on college sports across the land as a novel NIL clearinghouse will be established called “NIL Go” and will run through Deloitte, a third party accounting firm that can approve or deny certain deals for athletes that exceed $600.

The state of Tennessee, which recently implemented a state law that would allow its in-state schools to pay athletes above the amount allowed, could be kicked out of the SEC and perhaps the new Power Conference alliance dubbed the College Sports Commission for non-compliance.

The new agreement will put each program on an even playing field without allowing teams a competitive advantage among others.

Over the past four years, there is noticeable separation among college athletics as power conference schools can afford to pay unimaginable amounts to athletes by way of zealous boosters and donors from Group of Five programs and beyond.

Arkansas and other states which have fallen behind in recent years during the NIL war will now have an opportunity to better themselves, especially in football, with funds generally coming from athletics departments.

Also gone is fatigue and frustration from major donors, boosters and everyday fans who have been asked to give money blindly for years without a return on investment or where it goes.

The fractured relationship between fanbases and teams could finally be put together again with a little glue after the result of Friday's settlement.

While the settlement can level the playing field in recruiting, there will be enough smart people who can find loopholes faster than a hot knife through butter which will begin lawsuits galore.

Since NIL's inception in July 2021, there have been a handful of teams enter the conversation in recent seasons because of the ability to pay for play.

Football is the driving force of so many colleges across the country and the gamble has paid off somewhat with the rise of teams such as Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Miami recently.

It's possible the Red Raiders, a team that has become an also ran in the Big 12 in recent years, have committed to building a roster based off what it can offer with the new settlement along with belief in what coach Joey McGuire is doing.

McGuire's budget had plenty appropriated funds from the upcoming revenue sharing model that his program could possibly offer enough cash to sign the No. 2 transfer portal class, according to 247sports.

The Razorbacks, and others alike, should be admired admired for squeezing quarters so tight the eagles scream.

Arkansas has sat on the sideline for years now waiting to emerge from the shadows once revenue sharing went into order.

This is exactly what needed to happen four years ago this July when name, image and likeness was introduced by the NCAA. There were hardly any guidelines to go by as coaches, athletics directors and players had to adjust on the fly in order to figure things out.

As for roster limits, those will not be enforced automatically, which was reason for the hold off for Wilken signing the settlement.

Athletes who had their positions cut will be eligible for reinstatement at their schools’ discretion. It also allows those who leave or are not retained by their current school to receive grandfather status at a new school.

Schools must meet their designated number of roster spots by their first game of the season. Winter and spring sports must be at or below their limit by December 1, 2025 or the day of the team's first game.

The roster limits allocated include football (105), men’s and women’s basketball (15), baseball (34), men’s and women’s soccer (28), softball (25) and volleyball (18).

Over the next decade, the NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in backdated damages to former and current athletes who played at the college level from 2016 season to now which will reimburse lost NIL revenue.

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