BYU Athletic Director Celebrates $2.8 Billion NCAA Settlement
PROVO — Brian Santiago’s inaugural month as BYU’s athletic director has been pivotal, highlighted by a recent landmark legal decision. On Friday, U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken approved the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement, concluding several lawsuits against the NCAA and opening pathways for significant revenue sharing among college athletes.
Next season, Division I programs across the country, including BYU, could see up to $20.5 million of this revenue shared with student-athletes. Santiago expressed his appreciation for the timing of the announcement, which allowed his team adequate preparation. "We have a great team in BYU athletics, and we were ready," he remarked in a BYUtv interview.
Santiago posited that the settlement shifts power back to universities, potentially leveling the playing field for institutions. “This gives us the opportunity to invest in our student-athletes, and for us, it feels like we can rise to the top doing it the right way,” he noted. BYU plans to invest strategically in student-athletes aligned with the university’s mission.
His sentiments were echoed by counterparts across the Big 12 during spring meetings in Orlando, including University of Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan. Harlan announced that Utah’s athletic department is preparing to fully embrace the revenue-sharing opportunities, expecting allocations to rise up to $30 million by the early 2030s.
While Santiago did not disclose whether BYU would meet the maximum allowable revenue for athletes, he emphasized that the focus would include equitable investment across all sports, not just high-revenue ones. “We want all of our student-athletes to feel the impact of this and be at a place where they can chase their dreams,” he concluded. As momentum builds, Santiago remains optimistic about BYU’s future in collegiate sports.
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