UCLA is “embracing change” in the wake of the NCAA vs. House settlement ruling Friday that will allow schools to directly pay athletes via revenue sharing.
In a statement released Saturday, athletic director Martin Jarmond said UCLA is “committed to sharing the highest allowable amount.” The school will distribute $20.5 million in the first year, with direct paychecks allowed to be distributed starting July 1, and increase annually.
Jarmond said the school will partner with the Big Ten Conference to select a partner that will distribute the stipends directly to its athletes.
According to Yahoo Sports senior college football reporter Ross Dellenger, most power conference programs will likely allocate 90% of the share — $18.45 million — to football and men’s basketball players. Each individual school, though, will determine how to spread out the funds.
Schools are not required to participate in revenue sharing.
UCLA first announced its revenue-sharing plans after the NCAA settled the lawsuit in May 2024, with the model capped at 22% of a school’s revenue.
“After regular meetings with our head coaches and campus leadership, and following a thorough analysis of several proposed revenue sharing models, we have finalized a funding distribution structure for our athletic programs,” Jarmond said in the release. “Our goal is to uphold UCLA's tradition of broad-based excellence. In this new era, that will require competitively funding the programs that drive the majority of the revenue that supports our departmental operations. We also remain committed to sustaining the competitiveness of all athletic programs.
“More changes are ahead, and embracing change is the only way forward. Those who don't adapt will be left behind, and UCLA has never been left behind.”
Among those changes include roster limits, which was a major hold-up in the approval by U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken two months after the final hearing in Oakland.
The revised settlement will allow schools to grandfather-in current athletes and enrolled recruits who could have otherwise been cut by programs as they work to trim rosters before the first day of competition.
“At UCLA, we are committed to working closely with our coaches to manage these changes thoughtfully and to support all current and prospective student-athletes through the transition,” Jarmond said.
Schools are now permitted to scholarship full rosters. Football will move from 85 scholarships to 105, but it also eliminates some previous overflow in the form of walk-ons. Men’s and women’s basketball rosters will be capped at 15 players, as opposed to 13 and an unlimited number of walk-ons in previous years.
“But as the cost of each awarded scholarship at UCLA averages $65,000 per year, decisions must be made within the scope of available funding,” Jarmond said.
“We have added data analyst and recruiting evaluation positions designed to support and enhance the effectiveness of the new revenue sharing structure, and have invested in roster-building software to assist programs with strategically planning and preparing for the new funding model.”
Walk-ons, though, will still exist, as most programs are not expected to scholarship full rosters.
“It’s hard to cut players and I’m glad that somebody’s actually looking out for them in some fashion,” UCLA football head coach DeShaun Foster said before the close of spring camp in April.
“If we can try to help you out, we’ll try to figure out a way to get you help of some nature, you know? I just don’t want to lose players because they can’t afford to be on the team. I don’t want that to be the reason somebody has to lose, so we’ll try to find ways to help guys out and keep them around.”
Another change is the introduction of the College Sports Commission, a new LLC enforcement entity that will oversee name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts between athletes and third-party businesses, boosters and collectives.
Contracts will be subject to approval by the NIL clearinghouse run by Deloitte dubbed “NIL Go.” The clearinghouse will be tasked with ensuring all contracts that exceed $600 are legitimate and “within reasonable range of compensation based on multiple factors.” According to the commission, those factors include, but are not limited to: performance obligations, the athlete’s performance and social media reach, the local market and the market reach of his or her institution and program.
The language of such enforcement still leaves room for interpretation and will likely not stop any future lawsuits.
The House settlement will also distribute $2.8 billion in backpay to more than 85,000 former athletes who competed in sports from 2016 to 2024. That will be covered in a nationwide reduction in revenue sharing, Jarmond said.
“UCLA will receive over $1 million less per year for the next 10 years,” Jarmond said.
“Even with this ruling, questions remain. Two things are certain: this is an evolving situation, and UCLA will continue to be part of important conversations about the future of college athletics.”
