College Sports Chaos: UNLV announces intention to compensate athletes

UNLV has officially opted in to the terms of the House vs. NCAA settlement and plans to begin paying student-athletes under the agreement.

“The class action settlement marks a historic shift in college athletics,” a statement Monday from the university read. “For the first time, UNLV will implement a revenue-sharing model that allows for direct compensation of our student athletes.”

Athletes had been allowed to earn money based on their name, image and likeness, but payments could not come directly from the school.

The settlement agreement amends that and creates a wave of change in college athletics for participating programs.

Schools that choose to opt in are responsible for a portion of the $2.8 billion in back pay to former athletes and allowed to begin paying players beginning this academic year.

The cap on spending for each athletic department is $20.5 million, but UNLV isn’t expected to approach that number in the first year.

While the decision to participate should allow the school to remain competitive in the Mountain West, it’s not clear how much of a budget the department will have or how it will be broken down among sports.

The settlement agreement was approved by a federal judge Friday. UNLV and other schools have little time for implementation, but have known the general parameters of the guidelines for months and have had ample time to plan for this moment.

“This groundbreaking initiative underscores our commitment to prioritizing student-athletes and enhancing their experience both academically and athletically,” the statement read. “UNLV athletics has prepared for this transformative era, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have.

“Thank you to our community for its continued support as we embrace this significant change together.”

The agreement also calls for an expansion of scholarship limits and a cap on rosters, a major sticking point that led to a delay in the approval.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.