image and likeness – Syndication Server

After NCAA settlement agreement, these big changes are coming to college golf

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women.

It won’t happen immediately, but there are major changes coming to college golf soon.

The NCAA, the Power Five conferences and lawyers for the plaintiffs in three antitrust cases concerning the compensation of college athletes on Friday filed documents asking a federal judge in California to provide preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that would include a nearly $2.8 billion damages pool for current and former athletes and dramatically alter other fundamental aspects of how the association’s top level of competition is governed.

Division I schools would be able to start paying athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time.

And while athletes would continue to have the ability to make NIL deals with entities other than their schools, the settlement would allow the NCAA to institute rules designed to give the association greater enforcement oversight of those arrangements. The NCAA also would be allowed to have rules requiring athletes to make progress toward a degree in order to receive the payments proposed under the settlement.

Especially for college golf, another significant change would be roster caps. Scholarship limitations also would go away in all sports, though each sport would now be subject to roster caps. For college men’s and women’s golf, the cap will be nine players, which means schools can fund up to nine full scholarships but cannot have more than nine athletes in any given season.

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women. Looking at specifically the Power 4 Conferences (SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC), Oregon State men’s coach Jon Reehoorn posted on social media those roster caps would result in a reduction of about 65 spots for next year with the current numbers.

Include the rest of Division I, that number rises exponentially.

Another issue is the possible cuts coming down the road. While it may not happen initially, there are likely to be numerous sports at schools across the country to be on the chopping block because of the changes, including college golf programs.

While nothing is likely to happen in the 2024-25 season, Friday’s ruling is likely the tip of the iceberg as it comes to changes down the road in college golf.

Current high school NIL rules in each of the 50 states (plus D.C.)

A current rundown that shows which states have adopted rules in favor of high school athletes benefiting from name, image and likeness.

When the NCAA adopted language that allowed college athletes to earn money—or benefit, as it was termed—from their name, image and likeness (NIL), it created a new chapter in amateur athletics, one that was as groundbreaking as it was, at times, confusing.

Since then, we’ve seen NIL deals take form at the NCAA level, with athletes singing endorsements never thought possible. But the unknowns remain, and really, have only grown as NIL questions and curiosities have been met by state rules and regulations that have been anything but uniform.

What are the current regulations regarding name, image and likeness in your state?

As expected, the variances make understanding or adhering to NIL guidelines much more complex, where your state might not even allow such deals, but the school you’re about to attend does. Or, in some cases, the answer is …. unclear.

Based on the latest data, here is the current rundown of NIL guidelines for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.

(Updated: July 25, 2024)

Ross, Rencher All In with NIL

Justyn Ross thinks the change in NCAA policy to allow student-athletes to profit of off their name, image and likeness is long overdue. The Clemson wide receiver hosted a meet and greet event in Greenville, S.C. on Sunday afternoon with his teammate …

Justyn Ross thinks the change in NCAA policy to allow student-athletes to profit of off their name, image and likeness is long overdue.

The Clemson wide receiver hosted a meet and greet event in Greenville, S.C. on Sunday afternoon with his teammate Darien Rencher at Charleston Sports Pub. Fans trickled in from noon until 2 p.m. toting Clemson memorabilia, 2018 national championship Sports Illustrateds and received signed photos as they sought an opportunity to meet the two Tigers and perhaps pose for a few pictures.

The sight exemplified the recent shift in college athletics that college athletes across the country have welcomed with open arms.

“It’s basically something that everybody has been waiting on for a long time and we are happy that it is finally here. This is something you can build your brand with and use in the near future,” Ross told The Clemson Insider. “It’s definitely at least seven years overdue.”

The NCAA formally removed rules that restricted student-athletes from profiting in exchange for promotions on July 1 this summer.

Since then several prominent stars in college football announced NIL partnerships. Last week Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei announced a deal with Bojangles at the ACC Kickoff in conjunction with North Carolina signal caller Sam Howell.

At SEC Media Days, Nick Saban estimated that Alabama’s Bryce Young signed close to $1,000,000 in endorsements before taking his first snap. Miami’s D’Eriq King launched a branding agency with Florida State quarterback Mackenzie Milton called Dreamfield and signed several deals of his own including a deal that will allow up to 90 Hurricanes to pull $500 a month from America Top Team in exchange for advertisements.

Even though Rencher serves as a behind the scenes catalyst for the Tigers he participated in two events on Sunday as a result of the NIL including throwing out the first pitch for the Greenville Drive game after the event with Ross.

The two Tigers agreed that the change allows student-athletes to prepare for life without football.

“I think it’s huge and long overdue for us to be able to make money or profit off our brands. Obviously, the market is there for it and I think both of us are trying to maximize it while we’ve got it,” Rencher said. “And we want to do more things after we leave football after we leave Clemson but to make money and build our brands while we are here means the most.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Miami already seeing ‘early returns’ thanks to NIL

Since the NCAA allowed student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness on July 1 perhaps no school has seen early returns as favorable as Miami. Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King cashed in almost immediately with …

Since the NCAA allowed student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness on July 1 perhaps no school has seen early returns as favorable as Miami.

Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King cashed in almost immediately with the launch of Dreamfield, an agency that connects businesses with student-athletes, and deals that will earn him more than $20,000 in addition to his scholarship. In fact, the entire team cashed in on a $540,000 deal that will allow 90 players to profit $6,000 each over the year.

The early returns from the NIL change have impressed Miami head coach Manny Diaz and met his expectations for how the rule change would impact his program.

“Before July 1 that was my only expectation in a pro market with a huge economy that it could be better for us because there’s just more commerce,” Diaz said at ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday. “But we didn’t know what to expect after July 1 and the early returns have been really positive.”

King views himself as more than a quarterback for the Hurricanes but an ambassador for the program and feels the change could help Miami get over the hump in the ACC.

“I think the NIL can influence recruiting a lot because people can see that Miami loves Hurricane football. A group of guys can see that and also play big time football every single Saturday,” Diaz said. “So a group of guys can play big time football while also making money and that will influence recruiting.”

Since Miami joined the ACC in 2004 it has made the ACC Championship Game once in 2017 when the Hurricanes won the Coastal Division but were overwhelmed by Clemson 38-3 in the title game.

But Diaz feels his team’s fortunes could change with a boost from the NIL on the recruiting trail paired with an experienced and talent team returning to the field in 2021.

“It’s interesting because there are very few things in recruiting that are outside of our control and we hear the news the same time as you guys,” Diaz said. “But obviously you can share it along and say look this is what’s happening for our guys and it’s a unique situation so it can’t be a bad thing and it’s nice to help pass good news along.”

Miami opens the season with a tall test against Alabama on Sept. 4 in the Chick-Fila-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. at 3:30 p.m.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Swinney ‘calling it like it is’ to media critics

College athletics changed forever on July 1 this year when the NCAA dramatically altered its model of amateurism by removing restrictions that prohibited athletes from profiting off of their name, image and likeness. When the change went into effect …

When the change went into effect the Twitterverse and some journalists dug up old quotes from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and attempted to back him into a corner saying he opposed the NIL.

But in reality, Swinney supported the ability of student athletes to utilize their NIL so long as it did not professionalize collegiate athletics and take focus away from education and graduation. Swinney responded to the critics at the Clemson Football Media Outing on Tuesday.

“First of all, we live in a world now where not everybody does their research. You go in the bathroom and hear somebody in the third stall and that’s your source,” Swinney said.

“I’m just calling it like it is and that’s the headline. People hear what they want to hear and then unfortunately a lot of people write what they want to write that will fit what they need,” he continued. “It’s just not accurate, I’ve never had a problem with name, image and likeness I thought it should’ve been more.”

The comments referenced on social media stemmed from Swinney’s response in 2014 to the attempted Northwestern Student-Athlete Union that advocated for wages for college athletes in addition to their scholarships. Swinney stated he wants his players to take advantage of their platform and brand but would do something else if the sport was professionalized.

In 2019 when ideas about compensation for NIL started circulating Swinney spoke out in support of the measure so long as college athletics remained centered around education and graduation. He doubled down on his previous comments and set the record straight on Tuesday.

“What I said, whatever that was, I still say that I am against professionalizing college athletics and getting away from the value of a degree and the value of education,” Swinney said. “That was never ever said against name, image and likeness I think it could be more and could have been tied in more to the education process so everybody could have an equal opportunity.”

Now Swinney’s goal is to educate his players on fiscal responsibility and protect them from inevitable “wackiness” that will be brought on by the change.

But his goal in coaching and managing the Tigers remains the same because a small percentage of his players will go the NFL and those that do also have to beat the odds of financial difficulty that often occurs at the end of a professional career.

“These are mid-twenties to thirty year-olds now we’re kinda bringing all this to them,” Swinney said. “So my goal and what I have always valued is education and graduation and the development process as a man that’s my passion and what I have always valued.”

As for the critics Swinney knows they will write what they write and joked that he’d create a Twitter account to correct misinformation.

“I guess I should sign up for Twitter and I can be one of those people and just go back at everybody and spend my life correcting whoever is putting crazy information out there,” Swinney joked. “It comes with a territory but ya know what it just means we win. If we weren’t winning around here it wouldn’t matter.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

NCAA Council recommends name, image, likeness policies should be up to schools in states without law

Ten states have laws or seen governors issue executive orders that will allow athletes to make money from their NIL.

The NCAA Division I Council on Monday recommended that the association temporarily “suspend amateurism rules” related to athletes’ ability to make money from their name, image and likeness, the association announced.

The Council is the division’s day-to-day policy-making group. Its recommendation now goes to the Division I Board of Directors, a panel comprising mainly college presidents that is the division’s top rules-making committee. The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday.

Monday’s action came with 10 states having passed laws or seen governors issue executive order that will allow athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness (NIL), beginning Thursday or whenever their schools choose. Bills with Thursday effective dates are on the desks of governors in four other states. Altogether, more than 15 states could have NIL laws in effect by Sept. 1.

Under the plan suggested Monday, schools in states that have passed laws related to name, image and likeness (NIL), would be “responsible for determining whether” athletes’ NIL activities “are consistent with state law,” an NCAA statement said.

In states without an NIL law, athletes would be able to engage in NIL activities without violating NCAA rules that so far have heavily limited those activities, which include having endorsement deals, leveraging social media for pay, and making money from coaching or signing autographs.

‘Adopt their own policies’

Schools in states without NIL laws and/or their conferences “may choose to adopt their own policies” regarding NIL activities, the NCAA statement said. However, the policy would leave intact the association’s “commitment to avoid pay-for-play and improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school,” the statement said.

This setup would remain in place “until federal legislation or new NCAA rules are adopted,” the statement said.

In choosing this path, the Council rejected another proposal that — while largely similar — also included the proviso that schools’ NIL policies not allow payments from “any booster, or any person or entity acting on behalf” of the school.

This indicates that the Council was concerned that virtually any restriction in a temporary policy would draw a legal challenge based on the Supreme Court’s ruling last week in the Alston antitrust case. The court unanimously decided that the NCAA’s rules on athlete compensation are subject to detailed antitrust analysis, and such an analysis showed that the association’s limits on education-related benefits for athletes violate the law.

“We don’t have a lot of options on this — the Alston decision came down,” Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference commissioner Rich Ensor said Monday afternoon. While not a member of the Council, Ensor is an attorney. He also is well connected with the thinking of commissioners of other mid-major conferences, and he said nearly all segments of Division I are “pretty well unified on this.”

He added: “This should be an interesting period we are entering into.”

Follow Steve Berkowitz on Twitter @ByBerkowitz