Clemson Tigers One Step Closer to Sharing Revenue with Athletes

Preliminary approval of the House v. NCAA settlement plays into the Clemson Tigers’ plans to share revenue with athletes.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are one step closer to sharing revenue with its student-athletes, as Judge Claudia Wilken preliminarily approved the House v. NCAA settlement in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday.

The ruling allows for the next steps in the settlement procedure and also indicates she was satisfied with the changes she asked for last month in relation to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) as part of the settlement.

The House v. NCAA settlement is actually a combination of three different cases brought by current and former student-athletes that will change the face of college athletics if it is ultimately approved.

It will allow for $2.75 billion in damages will be paid to thousands of college athletes over 10 years. It will also bring revenue-sharing to college sports, as schools can opt into sharing $21-22 million in revenue starting in 2025-26, with that revenue increasing by 4% each season.

The settlement also caps scholarships and, in some cases, expands them for certain sports.  

The roster limits will be 105 for football 15 for men’s and women’s basketball, 34 for baseball, 25 for softball and 18 for volleyball.

Last month, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney signaled his desire to share revenue with student-athletes on his radio show.

“We’re going to be in a great spot when the revenue sharing starts,” Swinney said. He also said that Clemson already has “all the money here.”

Earlier this year the athletic department announced Clemson Ventures, which is designed to maximize revenue-generation strategies for the department.

The new program is designed, in part, to help support those future revenue-sharing efforts. It will adopt a private-sector business model that includes full-service marketing and NIL agency capabilities.

It will also manage the school’s multimedia rights integration, original media content, sales and marketing efforts, and a business operations unit.

Judge Wilken did not provide an opinion with the approval. But it does provide a calendar of next steps for the ruling to be completely approved.

On Oct. 18 a “notice of campaign and claims period” will begin. Current and former student-athletes will receive the terms and claims procedures for back damages pay, which is expected to start on May 15, 2025. If approved, the average damages award for a football or men’s basketball player at a Power Five conference school will be approximately $135,000.

If things run smoothly, the allocation estimate and the motion for attorneys’ fees, reimbursement of litigation expenses and service awards would take place starting Dec. 17.

The exclusion and objection deadline for the ruling is Jan. 31, 2025, which is also when the claim period closes. Any motions for final approval and response to objections must be filed by March 3, 2025.