House Settlement Hurting Olympic Sports, Army and Navy Keep Winning Without NIL Compensation, and More | Newsletter #283
House Settlement Hurting Olympic Sports, Army and Navy Keep Winning Without NIL Compensation, and More | Newsletter #283
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
Today’s newsletter includes updates on Tony Bennett’s retirement, Washington’s NIL marketing unit, legal updates, and news for student-athletes and administrators.
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!
This Monday Newsletter includes:
1. Olympic Athletes In Trouble
2. Navy and Army’s Miraculous Run
3. What’s coming up in the world of NIL
4. Legal Updates: ACC Requests Discovery, and HCU Dismisses Appeal
5. News/tips for administrators and student athletes
Major News
House Settlement Hurting Many Olympic Athletes
As a result of the House settlement, college athletes in olympic sports are losing some of their roster spots
Schools have eliminated roster spots and, for some, scholarship offers that they were once promised. Meanwhile, several college athletes have been notified that they are no longer part of their teams.
While the NCAA and power conferences agreed to expand upon scholarships, they also imposed roster limits for sports as part of the House settlement. While unlimited scholarships is good in theory, the difference between new roster limits and current rosters (for some sports) are drastic. For example, the new limit for cross country teams is 17, while many cross country teams actually keep more than 30 runners on a roster.
As a result of (1) roster limits, (2) redistribution of revenue and (3) balancing men and women opportunities in compliance with Title IX, the 68 power conference schools are expected to eliminate at least 3,000 roster positions. Many of these athletes being “walk-ons” - college athletes that join teams without any scholarship money.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Navy and Army’s Miraculous Success Despite The Lack of NIL Money
Despite having rosters filled with players earning zero compensation from NIL, and not being active in the Transfer Portal, both Army and Navy’s FBS programs entered the weekend undefeated and ranked in the top 25 for the first time since World War II.
Players that go to Navy, Army and Air Force - the three service academies in the FBS - are prohibited from accepting other forms of compensation. In addition, they have strict transfer rules that deter many college athletes from coming to their programs.
Individuals that transfer into a service academy are required to start over as a freshman, no matter the credits accrued at their previous college. Currently, Navy and Army together have only two transfers on their rosters. However, they do not have many players transfer out of their programs as well. After a student’s second year at their service academy, they are required to sign an agreement binding them to complete their junior and senior years, plus five years of active duty, if they wish to stay at their school; and the fine for breaking the agreement is substantial.
While these rules restrict their ability to get top talent, it gives them the opportunity to develop their players and develop a type of chemistry that doesn’t exist anywhere else in college sports. Even though they cant offer money through NIL, or through the House settlement’s revenue sharing model, they have found a sustainable way to build good football programs.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Other Notable Stories to Follow
Inside Ashton Jeanty’s decision to turn down massive NIL offers and stay at Boise State - LINK
How collective bargaining could fix college football - LINK
Donald Trump planning to attend Ohio State v. Penn State game - LINK
Minnesota-based financial services firm pledges to give $1 million to Minnesota University’s collective - LINK
What’s Coming Up Next For NIL
April 7, 2025 | Final Approval Hearing for the House v. NCAA Settlement
Legal Updates
ACC Asks For 180 Discovery Period in Florida State’s Motion Against the Conference
The ACC requested that a Tallahassee Court give 180 days for discovery before they consider Florida State’s motion for partial summary judgement.
In Florida State’s lawsuit against the ACC, they argued that the ACC misinterpreted its 2016 amended Grant of Rights, the enforceability of the league’s liquidated damages and claims the ACC has breached its constitution. Furthermore, they filed a motion for partial summary judgement against the ACC
Florida State is seeking to leave the ACC without paying an exit fee and the cost of buying out its remaining media rights. An exit fee and media rights buyout could otherwise cost upwards of $500 million.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Houston Christian University Files Motion to Voluntarily Dismiss Their Appeal
A few months ago, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken denied HCU’s motion to intervene and to obtain a declaration that the House settlement was void.
Although HCU originally appealed Judge Wilken’s decision, they have now voluntarily dismissed their appeal with the goal of obtaining remedies on other courts
Judge Wilken originally denied the motion because 1) HCU’s membership in the NCAA and participation in D-I is entirely “voluntary”; 2) HCU has been on notice of the House litigation since it began in 2020 and could have taken earlier steps to impact the case. - HCU waited to intervene until last month, after a settlement was reached; 3) granting the motion “would delay the resolution” and “derail the parties’ settlement discussions.”; and 4) Judge Wilken doesn’t believe she has jurisdiction to address whether “the NCAA’s actions violate its own constitution, bylaws and rules” as HCU contends.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Optimum Sports Consulting is here to help.
For athletes looking for NIL insight and advisement, administrators and collectives looking for resources and facilitating a best-in class process, or agents looking to navigate the changing landscape, we’re here to help!
Message us now for a free consultation.
FOR ATHLETES
Notes for the Week
Freshman Basketball star, Joson Sanon, signs multi-year deal with Adidas - LINK
Star basketball recruit, AJ Dybantsa, pushing for record-breaking NIL figures - LINK
Tip of the Week: Money isn’t the only important factor when choosing a school
The school that offers you the most money isn’t necessarily the best fit. Just ask Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty was offered plenty of money to leave Boise State, but he decided to stay because he loves being a Bronco and felt it was the best fit for him. Now, he is a frontrunner for the Heisman trophy award.
FOR ADMINS
Notes for the Week
Rick Pitino flourishing in college’s new landscape - LINK
TCU announces “priority points” NIL initiative - LINK
Boise State plans to opt-in to revenue sharing - LINK
Tip of the Week: Look into services that could help with revenue sharing
Plenty of companies today are offering services to help with NIL and revenue-sharing related tasks. Look into what these companies offer and see if any of them can be helpful to your school.
Thanks for Reading!
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!