Important changes are coming to college sports in the 2025-26 school year and if you are a student-athlete hoping to be recruited, here is what you need to know.
Several college athletes sued the NCAA and the five largest conferences (the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pacific-12, and SEC) in a class action lawsuit. The three main lawsuits, consolidated into House v NCAA, alleged that the NCAA and Power Five Conferences denied student-athletes the chance to receive compensation in exchange for the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), which they alleged was in violation of antitrust laws.
In October 2024, a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a settlement of the lawsuit; final approval is expected to take place on April 7, 2025. The settlement provided:
- monetary relief for lost NIL opportunities, and
- injunctive relief, changing the rules to allow for more benefits.
The injunctive relief will allow universities that opt in to the settlement to pay benefits to student-athletes above and beyond their scholarships, and it will eliminate the scholarship limits in the NCAA’s rules. Schools that opt in must agree to new roster limits but there will no longer be a difference between headcount sports and equivalency sports. Theoretically, every player on the roster will now be eligible for a full scholarship.
It should be noted, however, that schools are not required to fully fund every team. They have the right to do so under the settlement, but they will have to make decisions based on their own budgetary concerns. Moreover, conferences are adding their own Already, we have seen that the SEC is requiring their schools to adopt stricter roster limits in certain sports than what the settlement allows.
The proposed roster caps, which were negotiated last summer by commissioners of the Power conferences and lawyers for the NCAA, are as follows:
| Sport | Proposed Roster Cap 2025-26 | Average Roster Size 2022-23 | Difference | Scholarship Limits 2024-25 | Difference* |
| Acro & Tumbling – Women | 55 | 38.3 | +16.7 | 14 | +41 |
| Baseball – Men | 34 | 39.7 | -5.7 | 11.7 | +22.3 |
| Basketball – Men | 15 | 15.7 | -0.7 | 13 | +2 |
| Basketball – Women | 15 | 14.5 | +0.5 | 15 | 0 |
| Beach Volleyball – Women | 19 | 17.8 | +1.2 | 6 | +13 |
| Bowling – Women | 11 | 8.9 | +2.1 | 5 | +6 |
| Cross Country – Men | 17 | 15.8 | +1.2 | 5 | +12 |
| Cross Country – Women | 17 | 16.6 | +0.4 | 6 | +11 |
| Equestrian – Women | 50 | 39.2 | +10.8 | 15 | +35 |
| Fencing – Men | 24 | 18.3 | +5.7 | 4.5 | +19.5 |
| Fencing – Women | 24 | 18 | +6 | 5 | +19 |
| Field Hockey – Women | 27 | 25 | +2 | 12 | +15 |
| Football (FBS) – Men | 105 | 128.2 | -23.2 | 85 | +20 |
| Golf – Men | 9 | 9.8 | -0.8 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| Golf – Women | 9 | 8.5 | +0.5 | 6 | +3 |
| Gymnastics – Men | 20 | 20.8 | -0.8 | 6.3 | +13.7 |
| Gymnastics – Women | 20 | 20.7 | -0.7 | 12 | +8 |
| Ice Hockey – Men | 26 | 28.4 | -2.4 | 18 | +8 |
| Ice Hockey – Women | 26 | 25.8 | +0.2 | 18 | +8 |
| Track & Field – Men | 45 | 39.1 | +5.9 | 12.6 | +32.4 |
| Track & Field – Women | 45 | 39.9 | +5.1 | 18 | +27 |
| Lacrosse – Men | 48 | 50.8 | -2.8 | 12.6 | +35.4 |
| Lacrosse – Women | 38 | 34.3 | +3.7 | 12 | +26 |
| Rifle – Men and Women | 12 | 6.7 | +5.3 | 3.6 | +8.4 |
| Rowing – Women | 68 | 57.1 | +10.9 | 20 | +48 |
| Rugby – Women | 36 | 38 | -2 | +36 | |
| Skiing – Men | 16 | 14.5 | +1.5 | 6.3 | +9.7 |
| Skiing – Women | 16 | 13.3 | +2.7 | 7 | +9 |
| Soccer – Men | 28 | 31.7 | -3.7 | 9.9 | +18.1 |
| Soccer – Women | 28 | 30.4 | -2.4 | 14 | +14 |
| Softball – Women | 25 | 22.8 | +2.2 | 12 | +13 |
| Stunt – Men and Women | 65 | 56 | +9 | 14 | +51 |
| Swim & Dive – Men | 30 | 29.2 | +0.8 | 9.9 | +20.1 |
| Swim & Dive – Women | 30 | 30.7 | -0.7 | 14 | +16 |
| Tennis – Men | 10 | 10.1 | -0.1 | 4.5 | +5.5 |
| Tennis – Women | 10 | 9.2 | +0.8 | 8 | +2 |
| Triathlon – Women | 14 | 8.9 | +5.1 | 6.5 | +7.5 |
| Volleyball – Men | 18 | 21.1 | -3.1 | 4.5 | +13.5 |
| Volleyball – Women | 18 | 17.3 | +0.7 | 12 | +6 |
| Water Polo – Men | 24 | 25.6 | -1.6 | 4.5 | +19.5 |
| Water Polo – Women | 24 | 22.7 | +1.3 | 8 | +16 |
| Wrestling – Men | 30 | 34.7 | -4.7 | 9.9 | +20.1 |
| Wrestling – Women | 30 | 16.5 | +13.5 | 10 | +20 |
* The new scholarship number assumes that schools that opt in to the agreement will fully fund each of their teams. Schools that do not opt in will continue with the NCAA’s current scholarship limits.