Few quarterbacks in the SEC are coming into 2025 with starting experience.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is the betting favorite to win the Heisman; however, he only has two career starts under his belt.

But LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is entering the 2025 season having played in 31 career games, including starting all 13 games for the Tigers in 2023.

At SEC Media Days, LSU head coach Brian Kelly’s comments about his starting quarterback shouldn’t go unnoticed as the fifth-year senior aims to win the 2026 National Championship.

It’s no secret that LSU has a track record of sending elite quarterback talent to the NFL. Joe Burrow has been a top quarterback in the league for years, and most recently, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was the NFL Rookie of the Year and took the league by storm in 2024.

In 2024 — his first full season as the starting quarterback — Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Now, Kelly is confident that his quarterback will take a similar leap to what Daniels made in his second season.

“Garrett Nussmeier will have a similar jump. It’s because you go on the road and it’s sold out, you play teams that are so well-coached and so balanced and have great players that you have no choice but to learn, develop, and get better, or you’re going to be left by the side,” Kelly said.

“So that’s why I’m so confident that experience in this league at the quarterback position is the most important thing. Could you come in and play as freshmen? Absolutely. But there will be those moments where you look like a freshman. You look like a first-year player. Garrett will tell that you. And he wasn’t a true freshman. He had seen it, been there.”

Despite having the second-best odds of winning the Heisman Trophy in 2025, Kelly said winning the award is not Nussemeier’s goal.

“All of our conversations with him aren’t about individual goals, they’re about how do I lead this football team to a championship,” Kelly said. “All we’ve seen is him leading, him being selfless. His selflessness is going to be the differentiator from last year to this year, as well as the experience he had playing against really good SEC teams.”

Kelly also highlighted Nussemeier’s mentality and willingness to learn and improve as a player as one of the reasons he believes his quarterback has what it takes to win in the SEC.

“Every day he comes to workouts, every day I come to practice, he’s looking for areas to improve on. I would tell you that experience is going to be his best teacher in the SEC. Having played a year in the SEC and seeing what needs to happen on a consistent basis is most important,” Kelly said.

“He brings the individual trait that coaches love because he wants to be taught, coached. He wants to be coached hard. He wants to be coached in a manner that gets him to be the best version of himself.”

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Arch Manning has taken college football by storm.

The Longhorns quarterback has only started two career games for Texas. Despite his inexperience, he’s widely expected to be in the Heisman conversation in 2025 as the starting quarterback in Austin, Texas.

While Manning has only started two career games, he has game experience under his belt. In 2024, when he served as the Longhorns’ backup quarterback behind Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning still saw the field in 10 games, where he had 90 pass attempts and 13 total touchdowns.

The 21-year-old quarterback said that experience will help him in 2025.

“Anytime you can get reps in the game and make an impact to help your team win, it definitely builds your confidence for the following year,” Manning said.

Many players come to college programs around the country and need time to mature. But Manning is far from a “typical” player, and Texas’ head coach Steve Sarkisian believes his maturity will help him succeed with the Longhorns.

“He’s got a very even keel about him, he’s very quick-witted, he’s got a great sense of humor about himself and he’s OK to laugh at himself,” Sarkisian said. “I think that’s a great quality to have.”

While Sarkisian said he understands the coaching staff has to do their part in putting him in a good position to win, he knows Arch Manning already has what it takes.

“He’s a great guy, he’s a great teammate and he has an unbelievable work ethic,” Sarkisian said. If he stays true to himself, that’s gonna help him navigate these waters as they present themselves.”

For Manning, the key to the offseason wasn’t necessarily on the football field. Instead, he wants to become a more vocal leader for his team.

“As much as it wasn’t always easy, those two years I feel like I got a lot of respect from the team,” Manning said. “Now, being more of a vocal leader, they know it’s coming from a place of love and I’m not just being a turd.”

With everything going for him, Sarkisian knows that when adversity strikes during the season, his starting quarterback will battle through.

“He’s prepared for the moment, but now it’s time for him to go do it,” Sarkisian said.

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A new SEC football documentary is set to premiere in just a few weeks.

SEC Football: Any Given Saturday, a Netflix Sports series that followed the conference in 2024, will premiere August 5. The show will feature eight, 45-minute episodes.

Netflix released the official trailer for the show on Monday.

“This series places viewers inside some of college football’s most storied programs in the SEC through unfiltered access to their coaches and players on and off the field: on the buses, in the locker rooms, at the barbershops, around the fire pits, running out of the tunnels, and more,” according to the original announcement on December 18, 2024. “We take an exclusive look at key matchups throughout the SEC season to show the passion and drama of college football’s leading conference.”

The show followed the SEC throughout the 2024 season and allowed access to the conference that had multiple teams make the College Football Playoff and featured multiple historic upsets.

“This behind-the-scenes docuseries will bring all the drama and pageantry of Southeastern Conference Football to a worldwide Netflix audience,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said after the original announcement of the documentary.   “Football in the SEC will be presented in a way never seen before through the elite storytelling skills of Box To Box, the content studio that has produced numerous award-winning Netflix docuseries. We are excited about this new delivery of content for SEC fans everywhere.”

Netflix’s sports lineup has grown immensely over the last few years, including NFL shows Quarterback and Receiver, Starting Five — which follows NBA players — and Full Swing, which features professional golfers.The production company for the SEC football documentary, Box To Box Films, is the same one that produced Full Swing.

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Fleck — the head football coach of the Golden Gophers — signed a contract extension with Minnesota that will keep him with the program through the 2030 season, the school announced Wednesday.

Since he was named head coach in 2017, PJ Fleck has compiled a 58-39 record, including 6-0 in bowl games. His 58 career wins are the fifth-most by a coach in program history.

In eight seasons at Minnesota, Fleck has led the Golden Gophers to four eight-win seasons, including an 11-2 campaign in 2019. The 11-win season was the most wins for a Minnesota team in over 100 years.

Most recently, the Golden Gophers went 8-5 in 2024 with a 5-4 record in the Big Ten. Minnesota ended its season with a win over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Before becoming the head coach at Minnesota, PJ Fleck — a Sugar Grove, Illinois, native — played wide receiver at Northern Illinois University. As a senior, Fleck earned First-team All-MAC honors.

Upon graduation, Fleck signed an undrafted free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers, where injuries limited his two-year NFL career.

Fleck then began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2006, before he was hired by Northern Illinois to be the program’s wide receivers coach.

Fleck spent two seasons in the same role at Rutgers before he became the wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012. In 2013, he was hired as the head coach at Western Michigan before taking over the Minnesota program four years later.

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With Big 12 media day Tuesday and Wednesday, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez were honored with preseason awards by the conference on Monday.

Leavitt — a redshirt sophomore — was named the Big 12 2025 preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Rodriguez — a senior — was dubbed the conference’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Leavitt transferred to Arizona State after redshirting in his freshman season at Michigan State. In his first full season with the Sun Devils, Leavitt led Arizona State to a Big 12 title in the program’s first season in the conference.

Leavitt finished his first season in Tempe, Arizona, as the school’s new record holder for most total yards by a freshman with 3,328. He threw for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games.

Jacob Rodriguez, on the other hand, led Texas Tech’s defense in 2024 with a team-high 127 total tackles, five sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss. At season’s end, Rodriguez was named to the All-Big 12 first team by conference coaches and the Associated Press.

After losing an overtime heartbreaker to Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff last year, Leavitt seeks to lead Arizona State to the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez serves as a vital piece of consistent leadership on the Red Raiders, who are bringing in the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country.

In addition to Leavitt and Rodriguez, Utah junior quarterback Devon Dampier was chosen as the Big 12’s preseason Newcomer of the Year. 

The full All-Big 12 team is below. Texas Tech and Iowa State each lead the conference with three selections each.

Preseason All-Conference Team (Offense)

Quarterback: Sam Leavitt, Arizona State, Redshirt Sophomore

Running Back: Bryson Washington, Baylor, Redshirt Sophomore

Running Back: Jahiem White, West Virginia, Junior

Fullback/Halfback: Will Swanson, Kansas State, Senior

Wide Receiver: Eric McAlister, TCU, Senior

Wide Receiver: Chase Roberts, BYU, Redshirt Senior

Wide Receiver: Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, Redshirt Junior

Tight End: Joe Royer, Cincinnati, Redshirt Senior

Offensive Lineman: Ben Coleman, Arizona State, Graduate

Offensive Lineman: Spencer Fano, Utah, Junior

Offensive Lineman: Bryce Foster, Kansas, Redshirt Junior

Offensive Lineman: Caleb Lomu, Utah, Redshirt Sophomore

Offensive Lineman: Jordan Seaton, Colorado, Sophomore

Place Kicker: Will Ferrin, BYU, Redshirt Senior

Punt Returner/Kick Returner: Josh Cameron, Baylor, Redshirt Senior

Preseason All-Conference Team (Defense)

Defensive Lineman: David Bailey, Texas Tech, Senior

Defensive Lineman: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati, Redshirt Senior

Defensive Lineman: C.J. Fite, Arizona State, Junior

Defensive Lineman: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech, Senior

Defensive Lineman: Domonique Orange, Iowa State, Senior

Linebacker: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech, Senior

Linebacker: Austin Romaine, Kansas State, Junior

Linebacker: Keaton Thomas, Baylor, Redshirt Junior

Defensive Back: Xavion Alford, Arizona State, Redshirt Senior

Defensive Back: Bud Clark, TCU, Senior

Defensive Back: Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State, Senior

Defensive Back: DJ McKinney, Colorado, Junior

Defensive Back: Jontez Williams, Iowa State, Redshirt Junior

Punter: Palmer Williams, Baylor, Junior

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Early access for EA Sports College Football 26 is just one day away, and the worldwide launch of the video game is set for this Thursday.

The new and improved video game will have more than 2,800 new plays, over 10,000 players and at least 300 real-world coaches, the first time that EA Sports has included college football coaches in the series.

The game will also feature “new situation and stadium-specific music, fight songs, and dynamic commentary,” according to EA Sports’ website.

As college football fans across the country wait to play with their favorite teams and players, we have already taken a look at how each team stacks up. While each team’s full roster with overalls won’t be known until the game’s release, here’s a peek at the highest-rated player at every offensive and defensive position in EA Sports College Football 26.

Defensive positional overalls

Free Safety: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (96 overall)

Middle Linebacker: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (95 overall)

Left Defensive End: T.J. Parker, Clemson (95 overall)

Right Defensive End: Dylan Stewart, South Carolina (94 overall)

Cornerback: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (94 overall)

Defensive Tackle: Peter Woods, Clemson (94 overall)

Strong Safety: Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (93 overall)

Right Outside Linebacker: Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss (93 overall)

Left Outside Linebacker: Gabe Jacas, Illinois (92 overall)

Offensive positional overalls

Wide Receiver: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (98 overall)

Halfback: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (95 overall)

Left Tackle: Kadyn Proctor, Alabama (94 overall)

Right Tackle: Spencer Fano, Utah (94 overall)

Right Guard: Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M (93 overall)

Tight End: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (93 overall)

Quarterback: Cade Klubnik, Clemson (92 overall)

Left Guard: Cayden Green, Missouri (92 overall)

Center: Jake Slaughter, Florida (92 overall)

A full list of the top 100 players in EA Sports College Football 26 is here.

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Five-star offensive line prospect Felix Ojo put on a Texas Longhorns hat on Friday as the crowd in attendance screamed in excitement.

But Ojo took the hat off and tried to calm the crowd down.

Twenty seconds later, he made a historic announcement while picking up a hat from underneath the table.

Ojo, the No. 5 prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, committed to Texas Tech over Ohio State, Texas, Florida and Michigan and will receive a blockbuster fully guaranteed revenue-sharing contract with the Red Raiders, a three-year, $5.1 million deal, according to multiple reports.

“A new ERA of CFB is coming either jump on the train or get left behind,” Felix Ojo told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.

Ojo’s contract is higher than fellow offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell’s deal with Miami and is one of the richest revenue-sharing deals under the federal settlement, which was approved June 6, which allows programs to directly pay their athletes.

Ojo’s pledge also makes history for Texas Tech as he’s now the highest-rated recruit the program has ever landed. At 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, Ojo is the No. 4 offensive tackle and second-best recruit from Texas in the class with legitimate potential to play on Sundays for a long time.

Ojo was a multi-year starter at Lake Ridge High School in Mansfield, Texas, and will head roughly 350 miles west to Lubbock, Texas.

For the Red Raiders — who are looking to contend in the Big 12 this season —they’ve significantly improved their roster this offseason after an 8-5 record in 2024. Texas Tech has the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country, only behind the LSU Tigers.

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The Southeastern Conference will discuss player availability reports during meetings this week in Florida, according to multiple reports. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said to a group in Destin that the conference “will hold conversations this week” upon the meetings’ start on Tuesday about the use of availability reports.

READ: Lou Groza Award will be included in EA Sports College Football 25

Availability reports are common within sports and reveal which players may be questionable or not going to play in that week’s game. The Big Ten Conference started requiring its teams to send the list of players’ names to the conference office no more than two hours before kickoff last season.

Before the Big Ten, no other Power 5 conference had an availability report required to be distributed during the season.

READ: Charlie Baker believes antitrust settlement will ‘reshape the future of college sports’ in memo sent to members of NCAA

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, the SEC “does not expect a decision this week” regarding availability reports.

College football’s 2024 season will kick off in August with Week 0, and among the first games to be played include Florida State at Georgia Tech on Aug. 24 at noon EST which will broadcast on ESPN.

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The Palm Beach County Sports Commission, which established the Lou Groza Award in 1992 that is presented annually by the Orange Bowl, announced last Tuesday that the award will be featured in College Football 25. It will be EA Sports’ first release of the college football video game since 2013.

READ: Charlie Baker believes antitrust settlement will ‘reshape the future of college sports’ in memo sent to members of NCAA

“EA Sports College Football 25 is one of the most anticipated and long-awaited video game titles in history and we are incredibly excited that the Lou Groza Award will be a part of the game,” Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission George Linley stated in a release. “The Lou Groza Award is the pinnacle of collegiate football kicking, and we could not be more excited that college football fans from around the world will have a chance to vie for a Groza Award of their own.”

EA Sports released a full reveal of the modes and features within College Football 25 on May 18 after unveiling an official teaser trailer in February. The video game has been among the most-talked about topics in college football as it will return to consoles for the first time in more than a decade. It will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

READ: Report: Former Nebraska, Washington RB Will Nixon transferring to Syracuse

According to Pete Nakos of On3, the Lou Groza Award is the only award under the National College Football Awards Association that will be included in College Football 25, which On3 also reported in March that other honors such as the Biletnikoff Award and Outland Trophy will not be included in the game.

The Heisman Trophy will be included in College Football 25, the Heisman Trophy Trust announced in a social media post in March.

Former Miami (OH) kicker Graham Nicholson, who announced his transfer to Alabama in April, received the Lou Groza Award last season after setting an NCAA record of 25-straight field goals, and he finished 27-of-28 on field goals and 35-for-37 on extra points.

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NCAA President Charlie Baker sent a memo to members of the NCAA on Friday, and he stated the settlement of the House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA cases will help “in our ongoing effort to create a stable, sustainable and equitable model for the future of college sports.” The Ohio State athletic department published the memo, and a full read of it is below.

READ: Report: Former Nebraska, Washington RB Will Nixon transferring to Syracuse

The NCAA and each of the Power 5 conferences jointly announced Thursday that schools can share “up to $22 million with student-athletes per year.” Baker acknowledged there will be future compensation for Division I student-athletes and back damages, though, he thanked everyone within Division I for their “dedication and hard work in getting us to this point.” Baker stated “there is still much work to be done” and NCAA members’ “continued support and collaboration will be crucial.”

Baker stated the “nearly $2.78 billion” in back damages from the settlement will be split 42% paid by the NCAA and 58% among the Division I conferences “based on their distributions over the past nine years.” It will be paid over 10 years, about $280 million per year.

“This will be funded through careful expense management, new revenue initiatives and the use of reserves,” Baker stated.

Baker bulleted three “specific contributions” from a trio of sources, as outlined below.

• Football Bowl Subdivision conferences: $95 million annually (33%).
• Football Championship Subdivision conferences: $37 million annually (13%).
• Nonfootball Division I conferences: $34 million annually (12%).

Had the settlement not happened and trials unfolded, Baker stated the NCAA could have been on the hook to pay potentially $9 billion in “treble damages,” which he stated “would be financially devastating and unsustainable.”

READ: College Football Playoff, TNT Sports reach 5-year sublicensing agreement; TNT Sports to begin broadcasting 2 first-round games in 2024

Baker also listed “several critical objectives” reached through the settlement, as outlined below.

1. It replaces potentially crippling lawsuits with a negotiated settlement and a 10-year injunction.
2. It enables student-athletes to receive up to 22% of the average DI Power 5 athletics revenues — in addition to tuition and other benefits currently provided. Adding all these benefits together, many A5 schools would be devoting nearly 50% of athletics revenue to student-athletes. 
3. It ends decades of antitrust litigation, stabilizing college sports while permitting conferences and the NCAA to enforce rules that set a level playing field and emphasize the educational mission of college athletics.
4. It binds DI together, enabling the NCAA to contribute $120 million annually for 10 years toward back damages.

While Baker stated in closing that the settlement is “a massive step forward for student-athletes and college sports,” he accompanied that sentiment by acknowledging “it does not address every challenge.” Baker stated pending legal issues “such as those related to employment with the NLRB and the Johnson case” are among the obstacles still in need of a solution.

There is the possibility that “if the NCAA outperforms revenue projections and has unplanned surplus net assets, there will be an opportunity to determine how those additional assets can be used to offset the local impact of the damages payment,” Baker stated. 

The NCAA aims “to provide more direct benefits to student-athletes,” and Baker stated “this is a vital opportunity to positively reshape the future of college sports” amid the challenges ahead.

READ: Reports: Big Ten Conference made $880 million in revenue during 2023

Here is Baker’s full memo, via Ohio State.

“Good afternoon,

“I would like to share an update on an important step forward in our ongoing effort to create a stable, sustainable and equitable model for the future of college sports. We have now reached a proposed settlement in three major cases — House, Hubbard and Carter — involving back damages and future compensation for Division I student-athletes. 

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you in Division I for your dedication and hard work in getting us to this point. Your efforts have been instrumental in negotiating this complex settlement and in shaping a more stable future for Division I college athletics. We acknowledge that there is still much work to be done, and your continued support and collaboration will be crucial as we implement these changes.

“The media has covered these lawsuits extensively, with varying degrees of accuracy. The plaintiffs’ demand for back damages is substantial. In the House case alone, the plaintiffs sought approximately $3 billion. If the NCAA were to lose at trial, the courts could impose “treble damages,” potentially resulting in a $9 billion judgment. Such a verdict would be financially devastating and unsustainable.

“The lawsuits address three main issues: compensation for academic-related expenses; name, image, and likeness opportunities; and restrictions on scholarships. We have managed to negotiate the total back damages for these cases down to nearly $2.78 billion, to be paid over 10 years, equating to approximately $280 million annually.

“To address this obligation, we have developed a plan where the NCAA will contribute $1.2 billion over 10 years, representing 42% of the total back damages. This will be funded through careful expense management, new revenue initiatives and the use of reserves.

“The remaining 58% will be distributed among the Division I conferences based on their distributions over the past nine years. This translates to an annual contribution of $165 million, or a 20% total reduction in distributions.

“Specific contributions are as follows:

• Football Bowl Subdivision conferences: $95 million annually (33%).
• Football Championship Subdivision conferences: $37 million annually (13%).
• Nonfootball Division I conferences: $34 million annually (12%).

“While these contributions represent only 1%-2% of total revenues for FCS and nonfootball conferences, individual conferences will need to manage these contributions based on their members’ budgets. I understand this change will not be easy to manage, but given the challenges facing college sports over the last few decades, change is inevitable. I believe the change before us now presents massive new opportunities for student-athletes and all of Division I. 

“And to be clear, the financial estimate is just that. If the NCAA outperforms revenue projections and has unplanned surplus net assets, there will be an opportunity to determine how those additional assets can be used to offset the local impact of the damages payment (e.g., supplemental, pay down).

“Additionally, the forward-looking aspect of this settlement includes a revenue-sharing model allowing schools to provide more direct benefits to student-athletes, including for NIL. This model, starting in the 2025-26 fiscal year, proposes that 22% of average Autonomy 5 revenues can be shared with student-athletes, potentially amounting to $1 billion to $1.5 billion annually.

“This settlement achieves several critical objectives:

1. It replaces potentially crippling lawsuits with a negotiated settlement and a 10-year injunction.
2. It enables student-athletes to receive up to 22% of the average DI Power 5 athletics revenues — in addition to tuition and other benefits currently provided. Adding all these benefits together, many A5 schools would be devoting nearly 50% of athletics revenue to student-athletes.
3. It ends decades of antitrust litigation, stabilizing college sports while permitting conferences and the NCAA to enforce rules that set a level playing field and emphasize the educational mission of college athletics.
4. It binds DI together, enabling the NCAA to contribute $120 million annually for 10 years toward back damages.

“This is a massive step forward for student-athletes and college sports, but it does not address every challenge. There are still pending legal issues, such as those related to employment with the NLRB and the Johnson case. 

“While challenges remain, this is a vital opportunity to positively reshape the future of college sports. In the weeks ahead, the DI governance team will be working through all relevant committees to discuss next steps with you all. 

“There is a lot of work to be done, and we look forward to getting it done with you in the coming months. 

“Sincerely,

“Charlie Baker”

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According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, former Nebraska and Washington running back/wide receiver Will Nixon will join Syracuse before the 2024 season. Nixon has almost 30 games under his belt across four seasons in college football.

The Waco, Texas, native will have the opportunity to play for his father Jeff Nixon, who was named next offensive coordinator of the Orange in January and has built over 27 years of coaching experience across both college football and the NFL.

READ: NCAA, Power 5 announce settlement agreement, plan to pay student-athletes

Will Nixon ran for 201 rushing yards last season and scored a touchdown in his second year with the Huskies. While Washington advanced to its first College Football Playoff National Championship appearance, Will Nixon played an important role as the team’s second-leading rusher.

The 5-foot-11, 202-pound running back also is a threat in the backfield having averaged more than six yards per carry and catch in 2023. Will Nixon posted career highs in many categories, though in the receiving game he caught 84 yards along with 13 receptions.

Will Nixon was sidelined the first year of his college career at Nebraska after suffering a torn ACL in summer 2020.

READ: College Football Playoff, TNT Sports reach 5-year sublicensing agreement; TNT Sports to begin broadcasting 2 first-round games in 2024

The rising fifth-year is also accomplished in the classroom. Will Nixon earned a spot on the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team and won Washington’s 101 Club Academic Award in the postseason.

Will Nixon was a three-star recruit according to Rivals playing at Midway High School in Texas. He earned district MVP after totaling 2,087 yards from scrimmage and 29 touchdowns as a senior.

Syracuse is heading a new direction with former Georgia secondary coach Fran Brown as head coach and incoming quarterback transfer Kyle McCord from Ohio State. Will Nixon will join the Orange and junior running back LeQuint Allen, who led Syracuse with 1,118 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season.

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NCAA President Charlie Baker and each of the Power 5 conferences — the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern — jointly announced Thursday that they’ve agreed to settlement terms regarding antitrust and class-action lawsuits. According to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press, the NCAA and Power 5 will pay nearly $2.8 billion, expected to be paid over 10 years, to settle several antitrust claims, notably House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA, and the joint statement claimed it “is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come.”

Among the longstanding aspects that made up the foundations of the NCAA is set to change: schools can directly pay players.

Here is the full joint statement from Baker, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petititti, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come. This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students. All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”

READ: College Football Playoff, TNT Sports reach 5-year sublicensing agreement; TNT Sports to begin broadcasting 2 first-round games in 2024

READ: Reports: Big Ten Conference made $880 million in revenue during 2023

Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. also reportedly released a statement, calling the settlement “necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics.” Here is his full statement according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports.

“The settlement, though undesirable in many respects and promising only temporary stability, is necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics. To save the great American institution of college sports, Congress must pass legislation that will preempt the current patchwork of state laws; establish that our athletes are not employees, but students seeking college degrees; and provide protection from further antitrust lawsuits that will allow colleges to make and enforce rules that will protect our student-athletes and help ensure competitive equity among our teams,” Jenkins stated via Yahoo! Sports.

Among the expected outcomes from the settlement include the NCAA and universities sharing revenue directly with student-athletes. There could be “millions of dollars” paid to players as soon as fall 2025, according to the AP.

The model for revenue sharing with student-athletes “will cost major conferences a cumulative $1 billion-plus annually,” according to Yahoo! Sports, and schools can share up to $22 million with student-athletes per year — a figure that “was derived from 22% of an average of power conference revenues” and subject to change and exceptions.

According to Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel of ESPN, any Division I athlete dating back to 2016 is eligible to receive a share as part of the settlement class. These athletes therefore drop their claims in three antitrust lawsuits — House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA — and cannot sue the NCAA for other antitrust-related reasons.

Roster size could also be affected as a result of the changes expected after the settlement. According to Yahoo! Sports, scholarship restrictions could be eliminated while roster limits would be implemented.

Bankruptcy was reportedly at risk had the settlement not been reached among the NCAA and Power 5 regarding the lawsuits.

READ: Penn State Board of Trustees approves Beaver Stadium renovation before 2027 season

The ability for student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness began when the NCAA implemented policy in July 2021. Since, college athletics has seen a flurry of changes in almost the past three years, including in areas such as the conference realignment and the transfer portal. Texas senator Ted Cruz hosted an NIL roundtable on Capitol Hill in March discussing its impacts and urging Congress to pass college athletics legislation.

According to Yahoo! Sports, there is likely a five-to-eight month time period before finalization of the settlement to account for official filing, judge approval and individual plaintiff objections among other things.

Final details will be submitted to the court and Judge Claudia Wilken in the next 30 days, according to ESPN.

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