After a lengthy wait, the House v. NCAA settlement was finally approved Friday night by a federal judge. The settlement changes the landscape of college sports, shifting how current athletes are compensated and delivering back damages to players from 2016 to present day.

According to Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne, the changes will be enormous.

“I tell our coaches and our students, ‘The three most significant events in the history of college athletics are, first, the NCAA’s foundation (1905), second, the adoption of Title IX (1972) and all the opportunities that were created because of it, and, third, the House settlement,’” Byrne said in an interview with ESPN, published on Saturday.

As schools prepare for the changes, here’s what the settlement means for Alabama.

Alabama can directly pay players

The most obvious change stemming from the settlement, is that Alabama and other schools can pay players now. For the length of the 10-year settlement, colleges can share revenue with athletes, with the “cap” rising every year.

For the first year, starting July 1, schools will be able to share around $20.5 million according to most estimates. Different colleges can opt in to the full amount, or distribute a lesser number.

According to a statement from athletics director Greg Byrne, Alabama will be spending the full allowable amount.

“Alabama Athletics has been planning for this day and making decisions that best position our department for long term success,” Byrne said in a statement posted to social media on Saturday. “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.”

More scholarships are coming

The settlement eliminates scholarship limits across sports. Instead, roster limits will be the order of the day.

That means the Crimson Tide can add scholarships for various sports. Ahead of the settlement, Byrne said he expected UA to fund around 40 additional scholarships.

That’s a hefty jump. However, it’s not as many as some of Alabama’s SEC peers, including Texas and Georgia

“Chris Del Conte is one of my best friends, the AD at Texas” Byrne said during a March appearance on the Will Cain Show. “They’re a bit of an outlier in terms of how they’re managing the scholarship number because they have the financial flexibility to do that. I’m Alabama, which people think we’re flush. We don’t have that same flexibility, OK?

“We’ve had some challenging conversations with some of our coaches in saying,’ You’re gonna have this number of scholarships to work with. There will be schools that have more than you do.‘”

Walk-ons are still allowed… for now

According to Alabama’s 2024 NCAA revenues and expenses report, the Crimson Tide football team had 142 participants during the fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Many of those were walk-ons, something that would be eliminated under the House settlement.

However, the main sticking point in Wilken approving the settlement, was letting the walk-ons continue their college career. So, for now, they can remain on Alabama’s, or any other school’s, roster.

Even with the roster limit going to 105 for football, Alabama can, but isn’t required to, keep any player whose spot was expected to be eliminated to get under the number, provided it submits a list of such players within 30 days. UA can also keep any player whom it recruited for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.

Head football coach Kalen DeBoer had discussed the walk-on uncertainty at SEC spring meetings.

“We have a full team on campus right now, and I believe still a lot of those guys that are walk-ons actually have their name in the portal because they have to be able to adjust,” DeBoer said in May. “We’ve fortunately got some guys that really want to be at Alabama in those walk-on roles, and if the roster size was reduced they, and we, would have to adjust accordingly.”

NIL will change

The introduction of revenue sharing doesn’t mean NIL is going away. However, it will likely change.

Byrne made sure to note that the Crimson Tide’s NIL collective is sticking around.

“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,” Byrne said in his statement Saturday. “Crimson Tide Sports Marketing and Learfield will also continue to cultivate local and national opportunities that greatly benefit our student-athletes.”

NIL will be more regulated under the new system, at least until someone challenges it in court. Players will have to report deals over $600 with any party besides their schools, and the College Sports Commission, a new entity, will evaluate whether they align with what the commission perceives as market values and have legitimate business purposes.