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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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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Veatch had been Memphis’ athletic director since October 2019. He previously worked at Missouri from 1997-2002 including the final three years as assistant athletic director for development. He also was general manager of Mizzou Sports Properties from 2003-06 and as regional vice president for Learfield Sports in Missouri from 2006-10.

READ: Heisman Trophy Trust reinstates Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman

“The opportunity to return to the University of Missouri and to Columbia is truly incredible for me and my family,” Veatch stated in a release. “I am grateful to President (Mun) Choi, the Board of Curators and the members of the search committee for believing in me and in the future of Mizzou Athletics. Mizzou has always had a passionate and dedicated fan base including broad support throughout the state, and together, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. That includes winning SEC and NCAA championships while providing our student-athletes with a tremendous experience. I am honored and humbled to serve the university and to do my part to elevate Mizzou Athletics to unprecedented heights.”

READ: Former Miami (OH) K Graham Nicholson transfers to Alabama

Veatch will assume his duties May 1, according to a release.

Veatch will bring more than 25 years of experience in college athletics in the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences. He has also worked at Texas from 1995-97, Iowa State from 2002-03, Kansas State from 2010-17 and Florida from 2017-19 in athletics administrative positions, and Veatch played college football with the Wildcats.

“AD Veatch is a proven leader with the vision we need to achieve our championship goals,” Choi stated in a release. “I want to thank Curator (Bob) Blitz and the search committee for identifying the right leader to build upon the incredible momentum of Mizzou Athletics. I also want to thank interim director Marcy Girton for her service and commitment to Mizzou Athletics.”

According to a release, Veatch “oversaw multiple facility projects and renovations, including an indoor football facility, a new tennis center, an Olympic sports weight room and nutrition center,” as well as the Name, Image and Likeness program which led to Missouri becoming one of the first schools to hire an NIL director.

Veatch also had a role at Memphis to unveil “an integrated academic program and athletics facilities master plan,” and the school “launched a $220 million renovation to revitalize and modernize Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium as the home of Memphis Football.”

The UM Board of Curators “will meet Wednesday to approve the contract,” according to a release.

READ: ‘Adversity teaches a man a lot about himself’: Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. pens letter to NFL GMs in Players Tribune

“Laird Veatch’s energy and leadership skills will serve him well in his new position as director of athletics at Missouri,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a release. “His previous experience at Missouri provides him with insight into the Mizzou campus, and he will also benefit from his experience in the SEC as a senior member of the Florida staff. We welcome Laird, Brandy and their family back to the SEC.”

Missouri is coming off the 2023 season which saw the Tigers go 11-2, beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and reach No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

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The SEC announced its 2025 football scheduling format on Wednesday and revealed that each team “will play eight conference games plus one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or major independent” much like in the upcoming 2024 season.

READ: Reports: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry runs 40 with Jones fracture in foot at Pro Day

2024 will be a major year for the SEC. It will be the first with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference from the Big 12, and it will also be the first year that the conference does away with divisions.

“We continue to monitor changes across college sports as they relate to future scheduling,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a release. “Continuing with our current format for the 2025 season provides additional time to understand the impact of the changes happening around us as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling.”

The SEC Presidents and Chancellors followed a recommendation from conference athletics directors and approved the 2025 schedule format, according to a release.

READ: Miami lands four-star running back

Sankey and the SEC formatted it in a way that teams will play the same opponents in 2024 that they will in 2025, only the site will be changed to ensure “equal home and away competition over the course of the two seasons,” according to a release.

The SEC’s full schedule “will be announced at a later time,” according to a release.

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According to a release, the two conferences are compelled “to take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports,” and they’ll address “recent court decisions, pending litigation, a patchwork of state laws, and complex governance proposals” among other topics.

READ: Ohio Lineman Jake Cook Commits to Louisville

“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti stated in a release. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”

Both the Big Ten and SEC are expending to upwards of 18 and 16 teams, respectively, beginning this summer.

The joint advisory group “will have no authority to act independently and will only serve as a consulting body,” according to a release.

READ: Reports: Ole Miss hires Billy Glasscock as next GM

The timetable and composition of the joint advisory group are yet to be determined.

“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a release. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”

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