Mike Elko shares frustration with House v. NCAA settlement timeline, lack of clarity

Tuesday morning, SEC coaches arrived in Destin, Florida for the league’s annual spring meetings. All the while, they’re waiting for a decision on the House v. NCAA settlement with the July 1 implementation date looming if it receives final approval.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko expressed his frustration with the current timeline. He specifically lamented the lack of clarity around the settlement’s approval and the rules that would go into place.

Elko compared college football’s current situation to that of the NFL. With the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap coming with full approval, he said the landscape will change quickly in the middle of the offseason, which is part of the reason he’s looking for answeres.

“I couldn’t imagine an NFL team getting halfway through the offseason and deciding to change their salary cap rules,” Elko said, via Outkick’s Trey Wallace. “That’s what I guess we’re doing.”

Under the House settlement, schools will be able to share up to $20.5 million directly with athletes. That number will increase by 4% under the 10-year agreement.

But that’s just one of the changes that would come under the settlement. A clearinghouse would go into place and require approval for NIL deals worth more than $600, and On3’s Pete Nakos detailed the role a delay of final approval could have on football’s spring transfer window.

Roster limits would also be on the way, set at 105 for football. However, the SEC previously said it would stay at 85 for the 2025 season. Roster limits have been front and center in the House v. NCAA settlement conversation after Judge Claudia Wilken expressed concern for athletes who would lose their spots as a result of the changes.

Wilken encouraged a “grandfather” process for those impacted athletes, and the NCAA argued “disruptions” would happen with such a plan. She then said she would deny final approval without those provisions, and the two sides returned at the two-week deadline to make those changes with a plan to allow schools to opt-in to the grandfathering.

Objections and responses were due May 16. Now, the wait continues for a decision from Wilken on final approval.