What House v NCAA Settlement Means For Boston College

Another change is officially coming to college athletics. 

Late Friday night, Judge Claudia Wilken granted the House v. NCAA settlement which will give schools the opportunity to participate in revenue sharing which lets them directly pay student-athletes, put in place roster limits, and more. 

“This is an exciting moment for everyone involved in college sports,” said NCAA president Charlie Baker in an open letter on Friday night. “As the defendant conferences now own several facets of rulemaking and enforcement related to specific settlement areas, the NCAA will be able to move away from certain enforcement activity that, despite the best efforts of many, wasn't working well. Rather, we will focus on further enhancing what is working: elevating the student-athlete experience and maintaining fair playing rules and eligibility and academic standards. Student-athletes will benefit from the rich opportunities they enjoy now, plus far more scholarship opportunities, landmark financial benefits and a streamlined NCAA to support them.”

So what does that mean for Boston College moving forward?

One of the biggest components of the settlement is that schools can directly pay players starting on July 1. In the first year of the new change, the pay limit for schools that choose to pay players will be capped at approximately $20.5 million and will increase each year.

If Boston College agrees to partake in the revenue sharing, it gives the school the chance to pay players competitively and similarly to other big programs in the ACC in certain sports. That can help with picking up players out the transfer portal and can be a big tool in recruiting by getting top talent to take a look at Chestnut Hill. It could also potentially help keep players from entering the portal.

Another big part of the settlement is roster limits. The historic decision increases scholarships for a majority of collegiate sports, however has a maximum limit on how many players can be on a team. 

Some of the bigger increases in the roster limits include baseball which went from 11.7 to 34, women’s lacrosse which moved up to 38 from 12, men’s and women’s track and field which both saw an increase of at least 27, and men’s and women’s soccer which both went up by at least 14. 

Including the programs previously mentioned, Boston College’s men’s and women’s hockey teams will also be benefited with an increase of eight scholarships apiece (26 limit) as well as softball which had an increase of 13 scholarship spots. 

"Yes, this all means change, and change at this scale is never easy," said Baker. "This is new terrain for everyone. Given the defendant conferences' new ownership of complicated pieces of rulemaking and enforcement, there will be a transition period and certainly bumps in the road. Opportunities to drive transformative change don't come often to organizations like ours. It's important we make the most of this one. We have accomplished a lot over the last several months, from new health and wellness and academic requirements to a stronger financial footing. Together, we can use this new beginning to launch college sports into the future, too."