House Settlement Brings Major Change to College Golf
The recent approval of the House v NCAA settlement introduces significant changes that will reshape the structure of college golf. These reforms, set to begin with the 2025–26 academic year, affect roster sizes, scholarships, athlete compensation, and name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies.
Scholarships and Roster Limits
Under the new system, golf teams are now limited to nine roster spots, and schools can fully fund all players. This removes traditional scholarship caps and creates the possibility for more fully funded athletes across men’s and women’s programs. However, smaller rosters also mean fewer spots for walk-ons and more competition to stay on the team.
NIL Oversight
All NIL deals worth six hundred dollars or more must go through NIL Go, a new platform run by Deloitte that verifies fair market value and prevents pay-for-play deals. For the first time, schools are allowed to directly arrange NIL contracts with recruits, as long as the agreement becomes effective only after the athlete enrolls or signs a national letter of intent.
Revenue Sharing and Athlete Pay
Athletic departments can now distribute up to twenty-five million dollars per year to current athletes. This is separate from scholarship funding and will rise over time. In addition, more than two billion dollars in back pay is being allocated to thousands of Division I athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024.
Impacts on Golf Programs
The changes create new scholarship opportunities and enhance recruiting power for well-funded programs. At the same time, the smaller roster size will increase competition for a limited number of spots. For prospective college golfers, understanding each program’s scholarship situation and maintaining strong communication with coaches will be more important than ever.
Sources:
Golf NIL Central – “What does the House settlement mean for college golf?”
