Ohio State's AD Ross Bjork makes thoughts 100% clear on Buckeyes' stance on NCAA vs. House settlement

The NCAA vs. House settlement has sent shockwaves through college sports, with the decades-long prohibition that prevented schools from paying their student athletes officially being a thing of the past. While the NIL revolution of 2021 had allowed players to earn compensation through deals with sponsors, schools had never been allowed to directly pay them.

Until now, schools used ad hoc figures like booster associations to entice players with NIL deals. However, this didn't equal revenue sharing, as NIL deals were more akin to sponsorship deals. Now, schools will be able to share up to $20.5 million of their revenue with their players. These could even be described as salaries.

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“The signing of the House settlement Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken will reshape collegiate athletics. Ohio State and schools around the country will now be permitted to directly compensate student-athletes through revenue sharing, which is actually institutional NIL rights. The Department of Athletics will fully fund the revenue sharing program, which will total $20.5 million and includes funding for additional scholarships for both women’s and men’s sports. We remain committed to maintaining the student-athlete model, offering 36 intercollegiate sports and providing scholarships to all 36.” –

@RossBjorkAD

One person who seems happy about this development is Ohio State's athletic director, Ross Bjork. On Monday, the school released the following statement on their X account where Bjork wrote:

“The signing of the House settlement Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken will reshape collegiate athletics. Ohio State and schools around the country will now be permitted to directly compensate student-athletes through revenue sharing, which is actually institutional NIL rights.

"The Department of Athletics will fully fund the revenue sharing program, which will total $20.5 million and includes funding for additional scholarships for both women’s and men’s sports. We remain committed to maintaining the student-athlete model, offering 36 intercollegiate sports and providing scholarships to all 36.”

While the settlement put a hard cap on revenue sharing at $20.5 million, this new landscape is set to benefit big schools. Understandably, leadership at big schools like Ohio State would welcome this development.

Michigan AD Warde Manuel on the NCAA vs. House settlement

Not everyone is as excited as Ross Bjork about the NCAA vs. House settlement. Michigan's athletic director, Warde Manuel, posted a letter on Monday explaining how this new revenue sharing will impact the school's finances.

"The prospect of these added costs left U-M Athletics facing a projected deficit of nearly $27 million for the 2025-26 academic year ($20.5 million to fully participate in revenue sharing and $6.2 million in new scholarships)," Manuel wrote.

"With only six home football games this fall, our projected year-over-year decline in revenue of roughly $19.1 million steepens these costs."

This highlights how the settlement will impact college athletics, with schools that don't go for the maximum cap being left behind in this metaphorical arms race. However, investing in revenue sharing could also bring unforeseen financial consequences.