A ruling in the House v. NCAA settlement is finally expected this week, and part of the resolution will include a new enforcement organization and CEO to oversee college athletics, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The NCAA will relinquish its authority to punish universities, athletic programs and individuals for rules violations and instead hand the power over to a new entity called the College Sports Commission. Thamel reports the CEO of said commission could be announced quickly after the House settlement goes final.
Hiring responsibilities lie with the Power Four commissioners, who are already deep into the process of tabbing the first CEO. The person tasked with leading the College Sports Commission will immediately step into one of the most prominent roles in college athletics at a time in which countless figures across the sport beg for guidance with regard to NIL, revenue sharing and the myriad omnipresent challenges in the modern landscape.
According to Thamel, the expectation is the CEO will likely hail from outside the college athletics universe and is not expected to be a household name to college sports fans. The CEO will earn a seven-figure salary.
When the College Sports Commission takes power following the conclusion of the House settlement, its CEO will report to a board that includes the Power Four commissioners. The executive will oversee newly implemented systems including revenue-sharing salary cap management and the clearinghouse for NIL deals.
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Brandon Marcello
The NCAA was oft-criticized for its handling of rules violations. The lack of enforcement with regard to the transfer portal, NIL and tampering in particular drew the ire of college coaches and fans alike.
“We still have no idea what the rules are here for August,” Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said last month amid the ongoing House settlement hearings. “Think about that for a second. College football is fairly significant. It’s a big operation. A lot of revenue. That’s all we talk about anymore, is revenue. A lot at stake here, and we still don’t know what the rules are. It shows you just how screwed up things are, quite frankly.”
The idea of a CEO overseeing college athletics is hardly novel. A handful of prominent college football coaches said this offseason that college football would benefit from hiring a commissioner to manage and enforce rules. Some, including James Franklin, Chip Kelly and Kirby Smart, said that former Alabama coach Nick Saban would be the ideal candidate for such a job.
“I think one of the most important things that we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said during the 2024 College Football Playoff. “I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice.”
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