No hyperbole, no lip service. As cheesy and self-indulgent as it sounds, June 6th, 2025 really was a red-letter day in the history of collegiate sport. It’s been in a state of flux pending the NCAA House Settlement, but conclusive has finally been reached. Judge Claudia Wilken has approved of all the nomenclature and verbiage. Ushering college football and the rest of the college athletics family into a new era. But there’s a gulf between approval and application. Will the House Settlement and its bylaws bring about the positive changes it promises to? CFB media figurehead and ESPN insider Pete Thamel deliberated on this. Spoiler alert: he’s not convinced just yet.
Of the many paradigm-shifting changes in the pipeline, one thing stands out. The crux of the NCAA House Settlement, the poster child. Something that’s been spoken about ad nauseam, and has both its pouters and proponents. Schools are now allowed to pay their student-athletes directly. Eliminating, or perhaps facilitating, these schools paying them illicitly- which, let’s be frank, has been a prevalent allegation. There is also the advent of revenue-sharing. Where schools will make these payments using the revenue they generate. Most importantly, there is a cap. $20.5 million is what a university can pay across all its athletic programs. With existing NIL channels added to this fund, the athletes can earn more than ever. Football being the no.1 sport for most colleges is poised to receive the lion’s share of this fund. It’s this $20.5 million cap that became grounds for Pete Thamel to express his views.
A salary cap is supposed to bring parity across the board. Equality for the bluebloods and the hopefuls alike. Traditionally, the ‘bigger’ programs have been able to stack the most talent. But with NIL and now revenue sharing, there should be more dispersion of talent. 5-star recruits, on paper, shouldn’t really be concentrated in Tuscaloosa, Columbus or Athens. If a ‘smaller’ program wishes to make a charge, they can go toe-to-toe with the powerhouses with their own $20.5 million. That’s the idea. However, Pete Thamel isn’t too sure the idea will manifest itself in reality. He appeared on SportsCenter on Saturday morning to discuss the fallout of the NCAA House Settlement and was asked a straightforward question.
“You mentioned abrupt change and precise change. Those don’t always go hand in hand. In theory, you would think a salary cap would level the playing field. Ultimately, once we figure out the details, to what degree do you think it will?” Thamel was asked. “That’s a fascinating question. There are so many variables between what’s being structured and what’s going to actually happen, that I’m hesitant to predict an ideal situation,” he remarked. Few if any across College Football have dissected the House Settlement as well as the process of its approval as closely as Pete Thamel. He’s had his finger on the pulse from the outset. So for him to be “hesitant” to cosign the promise of parity is a worry. Pete Thamel proceeded to elaborate.
Latest from @SportsCenter on a historic day in college sports. What’s next? We explore. pic.twitter.com/mlHJ8vpTFq
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 7, 2025
“The reality for a lot of this is the schools- the big box brands, the ones whose logos you recognize- have always had a competitive advantage for those brands…The competitive advantages are now going to be how much outside, NIL is going to be available to those athletes. You’re not supposed to promise it up front, but look. Texas is going to have more outside NIL than Louisiana Monroe, as it goes,” remarked Thamel. He also pointed to how MLB exec Bryan Seeley has been revealed as the CEO of the newly-formed College Football Commission. And how his actions will ultimately dictate whether there is indeed a level playing field. Or whether the advantages still exist. Speaking of NIL advantages, this segues into Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne’s official statement in light of the NCAA House Settlement.
Good news for Kalen DeBoer amid the NCAA House Settlement and Pete Thamel’s underlying concerns
Greg Byrne, like most of his contemporary ADs across the country, addressed the House Settlement in the aftermath of its approval. He, through his official X handle, released a statement that aims to reiterate the importance of their NIL collective amid this change. He also confirmed that Bama will utilize the full $20.5 million cap across their athletic programs. One of the biggest transformational changes in college athletics is upon us, and Alabama Athletics has been planning for this day and making decisions that best position our department for long-term success,” he began.
Approval of the House settlement offers stability going forward, which is something that is much needed. We’re extremely proud of the world-class resources our student-athletes receive and will now add to that by offering new scholarships while fully funding revenue sharing,” wrote Bryne. It’s been talked about whether student-athletes should be given scholarships anymore since they’ve got this additional means to money now. But seems like Bama has made its bed. Something that might ruffle some feathers in the fanbase, sure. But will only boost what the likes of Kalen DeBoer are trying to achieve. “In addition, our student-athletes have the distinct benefit of Yea Alabama, which focuses on creating authentic NIL opportunities powered by both the Alabama and student-athlete brands,” added Greg Byrne.
“We have a long history of being one of the most successful athletics departments, and we will carry on that tradition as we enter this new world. Roll Tide!” he wrote to sign off his statement. A plethora of schools have been making preemptive moves in preparation for this news. It has now arrived, and no surprise that the dynastic CFB program of the 21st century is looking to lead the charge. Pete Thamel’s skepticism in many ways stems from the likes of Bama and the sheer motion they have behind them. It’ll be fascinating to see how the pieces fall into place. And whether the field does actually level out with time in the post-House Settlement world.
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