The $2.8 billion NCAA settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge is touted as a solution for thousands of athletes to finally get the money they deserve and provide some clarity to recruiting. For some, it may have come too late.
Sophomore distance runner Jake Rimmel says he was one of five walk-ons cut from Virginia Tech鈥檚 cross country team after Thanksgiving break. Rimmel decided to take a leave of absence and train independently while considering his next move 鈥 something that鈥檚 proven easier said than done.
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 got their hands tied right now, so there鈥檚 just not many opportunities for me,鈥 Rimmel told The Associated Press. 鈥淚鈥檝e just been having to bet on myself and trust the process. It鈥檚 just been lonely. I鈥檝e been at home training by myself and living with my family again. Thank God for my family and all, I appreciate them. It鈥檚 still kind of lonely though, being out of the norm, not being at school and with my friends."
Pending approval, the so-called House settlement will allow schools to share revenue with athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). That could secure generational wealth for some but not others, and replacing scholarship caps with roster limitations is expected to leave walk-ons, partial scholarship earners, and high school recruits at risk. There are deep concerns about the potential impact on teams.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken told attorneys handling the settlement to come back to her currently or recently on rosters at schools across the country, a request seen as a way to soften the blow.
That filing came late Wednesday, with attorneys saying schools must offer athletes who lost their spots 鈥 at their old school or their new school 鈥 without counting against the roster limits for as long as they have eligibility.
There is no guarantee those athletes will win a spot on the roster and, for now, thousands of athletes like Rimmel have no idea where they might be this fall or are in jeopardy of no longer playing college sports at all. And many athletes balancing school and their sport are unaware of what鈥檚 at stake and have more questions than answers.
Belmont track and field athlete Sabrina Oostburg said everything she knows about the settlement is from personal research.
鈥淢y school doesn鈥檛 do a lot of education around it (the settlement). Every now and then, we鈥檒l be told, 鈥楬ey, if you want to sign up to potentially get some money from this House settlement that鈥檚 happening, you can do that,鈥欌 Oostburg said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like the education we鈥檙e being given is optional to consume, even though it鈥檚 limited.鈥
Oostburg is used to taking matters into her own hands, securing over 50 NIL deals by herself. She has contacted lawyers and asked for updates on the settlement, but she鈥檚 not quite reassured. The chaotic nature of college athletics, so obvious to the public, is even worse for the athletes themselves.
鈥淏eing a college athlete, it鈥檚 so hard to stay up to date with what鈥檚 happening every day because it鈥檚 so constantly changing,鈥 she said.
Smaller, nonrevenue-generating programs don鈥檛 often have a point person to navigate NIL deals or educate athletes. At Belmont, Oostburg said, NIL-related responsibilities are managed by an already busy compliance office.
鈥淭o take time to learn about what鈥檚 happening is just so time-consuming, especially if you鈥檙e not in that one percent or one of the football players where they have people dedicated to helping them stay up to date,鈥 she said.
Over the next six weeks, athletes will wrap up their spring semesters and many of them have league tournaments or even NCAA championship competition ahead before what many expect will be the final summer before college sports sees some of the most dramatic changes in history.
For athletes like Rimmel, those changes are already here. On the bright side, his name was among those on an eight-page list of 鈥渄esignated student-athletes鈥 released in Wednesday's court filing, meaning he is one of many who will be able to seek a roster spot without counting against a school's roster limit.
Some of the others cut from the Virginia Tech program have given up on their dreams of collegiate running altogether. Rimmel hasn't given up completely; he spoke with his former coach recently, who said the Hokies' athletics department is still trying to figure out what鈥檚 to come.
鈥淚鈥檓 still kind of hoping I might be able to find my way back there next fall," he said.
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