New NCAA Proposal Will Have Massive Impact on Razorback Athletics

Female athletes will get huge boost financially, but does Arkansas have enough dollars to meet requirements for new elite subdivision?

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Dec 5, 2023 2:39 PM EST
Original:
Dec 5, 2023

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It appears NCAA president Charlie Baker has dropped a bomb in the middle of college sports and it's going to come with a heavy price tag for the Arkansas athletics program.

According to FootballScoop.com, the plan is to create a new subdivision of athletics that only includes the richest of schools. To be included, a university must commit to investing at least $30,000 per year per student to an "enhanced educational trust fund" that will be distributed to a minimum of half the athletes on campus as a licensing fee for that student's name, image and likeness.

The move comes with two directives:
1. Make it possible for a university to offer student-athletes any level of compensation they deem appropriate.
2. Schools will be cleared to enter into an NIL licensing agreement with their athletes.

"These two changes will enhance the financial opportunities available to all Division I student athletes," Baker wrote. "They will also help level what is fast becoming a very unlevel playing field between men and women student-athletes because schools will be required to abide by existing gender equity regulations as they make investments in their athletic programs."

There are 495 athletes at Arkansas, so the Razorback athletics department would have to pay at least 248 the $30,000 minimum. That means the Hogs' minimum budget for paying players would be just north of $7.4 million. Also, it should be noted that because of Title IX rules, over $3.7 million of that is required to be used on female athletes. Factor in a barely above average quarterback currently runs $1 million, and the cost to be in this new subdivision starts to hit the bank account pretty hard.

“It kick-starts a long-overdue conversation among the membership that focuses on the differences that exist between schools, conferences and divisions and how to create more permissive and flexible rules across the NCAA that put student-athletes first,” Baker wrote. “Colleges and universities need to be more flexible, and the NCAA needs to be more flexible, too.”

The proposal is expected to streamline financial processes when it comes to donors. Instead of businesses and fans of the program donating to pay for facilities, then donating again to pay for coaches and again to various collectives to help pay for players, donations will go to one source and the university will decide which area of investment will best serve the program.

There is potential unforeseen fallout. The most obvious is schools like Arkansas State and Central Arkansas will struggle to meet this financial requirement and will find themselves relegated once again to a lower status after decades spent trying to climb the ladder.

The other is another round of realignment, but on a much larger scale. It's possible schools currently thought of as Power Five won't be able to meet the financial obligations, and thus, not be able to make the jump to this new subdivision.

It remains to be seen whether this will be used as a chance for reorganization. The schools that meet the criteria may decide to do away with the current conference structure and move toward divisions similar to professional sports while maintaining key rivalries as non-division games where necessary.

It's a lot to digest. However, it's only fitting that heading into a year with massive conference expansion and the growth of the college football playoffs to 12 teams that even more potential change get added into the mix.