Insider claims Mark Pope's Kentucky among other SEC programs that opposed fixed revenue splits favoring football over basketball

Reports have surfaced that Mark Pope’s Kentucky basketball program was among those in the SEC that opposed fixed revenue splits among programs following the House vs NCAA settlement.

The ruling was made last week and it has triggered conversations about how schools should allocate revenue to their athletic programs moving forward.

Yahoo! Sports reporter Ross Dellenger revealed details during his appearance on The Matt Jones Show, explaining how discussions inside the SEC unfolded.

“The SEC had actually gone down the road on doing that,” Dellenger said. “I know football was at least $13.5 million. I can’t remember any of the other figures. Basketball may have been like $2.8 million, and the SEC had set some of those standards.

“But, Kentucky did not — and some others too — but Kentucky basketball, specifically, was a pretty big voice in the room to make sure that those standards weren’t set as a policy, because Kentucky obviously wants to spend more.”

He added:

“It wasn’t just Kentucky that wanted to spend more in basketball. Think about South Carolina women’s basketball, Arkansas baseball, LSU baseball… There were plenty of programs that wanted to spend more than the standards, sort of the maximum standards, that the SEC was talking about doing. So they kind of bailed on it for now.”

The pushback highlights the tension between powerhouse football schools and elite programs in other sports, especially basketball. The proposed fixed revenue split would have allocated a much larger share to football, limiting what basketball-heavy schools could offer players.

This is one of the many ways the House vs NCAA settlement ruling is set to reshape college sports after ending long-running legal disputes over athlete compensation.

It introduces a new model for direct revenue sharing with athletes, leaving conferences and schools responsible for determining the finer details. However, as Dellenger’s comments reveal, reaching a consensus across all sports programs remains a complicated task.

Walker Horn returns to Mark Pope’s Kentucky roster after House vs Settlement ruling

Walker Horn is set to return to Kentucky following the latest developments tied to the House vs NCAA settlement.

While roster limits are part of the new structure, a provision in the ruling allows teams to exceed those limits for returning players.

Horn, who is a popular figure among fans despite limited minutes last season, will now remain with the Wildcats under this exception.