This is a huge change because schools will be able to pay players directly

The Syracuse Orange and its peers across the country are already navigating the transformation in college athletics, given the constant changes in conference organization, the evolution of name, image and likeness opportunities, the explosion of the transfer portal and other factors.

But when it comes to college sports and the athletes who play them, another historic moment is upon us.

As many media outlets have reported in recent days, the NCAA and its major conferences, including the Atlantic Coast Conference, have agreed to allow schools to pay players directly for the first time since the inception of college athletics.

According to ESPN’s Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel, the NCAA and these leagues have struck a huge deal to resolve several ongoing antitrust cases at the federal level.

According to ESPN, “The NCAA will pay out more than $2.7 billion in compensation to former and current athletes over 10 years, sources told ESPN. Sources say the parties also agreed to a revenue-sharing plan allowing each school to split up to approximately $20 million annually with its athletes.

I would like to reiterate how historic and monumental this is for college sports, whether it is ultimately for better or for worse. According to ESPN, Division I athletes “dating back to 2016 are eligible to receive share as part of the settlement group.”

ESPN and other media outlets note that the proposed settlement must be approved by a judge overseeing three ongoing antitrust cases, and schools will likely begin sharing their revenues with athletes in the fall of 2025, according to ESPN.

As Murphy and Thamel, among others, report, the proposed agreement may reduce the NCAA’s exposure to antitrust legal cases in the future, but the settlement will not make all outstanding issues simply go away.

For example, ESPN reports: “Athletes and their supporters are still struggling to become workers or find other ways to collectively bargain in the future, which could change the shape of an income-sharing agreement.”

In a joint statement, NCAA President Charlie Baker and the commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC conferences wrote: “The five conferences seeking autonomy and the NCAA agreeing to the terms of the settlement is an important step in the continued reform of college sports that will benefit student-athletes.” athletes and will ensure transparency in college athletics across all sports for years to come. This agreement also serves as a roadmap for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American quality, the institution can continue to provide unparalleled opportunities to millions of students across the Division and has made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement in as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our diverse student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.

On3’s Pete Nakos published an interesting article about the proposed settlement and its connection to NIL and school advocacy collectives across the country, including the Syracuse Orange.

Last September, the commercial collective NIL Orange United began operations as the preferred collective of SU Athletics. Orange United is operated by Student Athlete NIL (“SANIL”) based in Atlanta.

Nakos wrote in his article: “For a platform like Student Athlete NIL (SANIL), revenue sharing could open up a new side of the business. … With the development of a platform designed to provide a return on investment for fans and donors, SANIL has created an infrastructure that will be a tool on campuses for revenue distribution.”

Chris Brown, CEO of SANIL, told Nakos in part: “There will be pay levels and the bonus or key differentiator will be collectives.”