College sports are entering uncharted territory with the recent approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, a landmark move expected to reshape the financial framework of amateur athletics. It’s a step towards much-needed structure, but as several Big 12 football coaches expressed last week at the conference’s media days, the transition brings uncertainty.
Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy voiced concern about rising entitlement and distractions from the sport’s core values, while TCU’s Sonny Dykes questioned how enforceable the evolving NIL regulations will be — and whether real competitive balance is even possible. While some coaches still see chaos, LSU’s Brian Kelly sees clarity. At SEC Media Days on Monday, he offered a more pointed and unapologetically blunt take.
“We are in the best place that we’ve been in a number of years,” Kelly told SiriusXM. “It’s the first step. We’re not at the end. I listen to some of our brothers over in the Big 12 complaining about where we are at. I was like, ‘I don’t think you should be complaining about anything.'”
The NCAA’s model effectively ended with the House settlement, which allowed schools to begin sharing up to $20.5 million annually in revenue with athletes as of July 1. The 10-year, $2.8 billion agreement also includes back payments for players who competed between 2016 and 2024 and establishes new NIL enforcement mechanisms aimed at curbing pay-for-play deals. It imposes roster caps and creates a framework for schools to manage direct compensation alongside third-party NIL opportunities.
While implementation details remain murky, the approval marks a dramatic pivot toward a semi-professional era in college athletics.
“I think we have some guardrails,” Kelly continued. “We have some direction. Revenue sharing helps that. I love the fact that the players are going to be able to get a piece of this. I think it’s great. They’re going to get their families to see them play every game. They’re going to put them up in hotels and have rental vehicles or leased vehicles. I think this is a great thing, but it’s the first step. We’ve got some work to do. There’s no question. But I’m bullish on where we are.
“You have different cycles,” he continued. “We’ve lived through maybe a bit of the difficult part, but I like where we’re going.”
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