UNC opts into House settlement, paying athletes $20.5 million through revenue sharing

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On July 1, UNC began the process of directly paying student-athletes.

This comes after the University opted into the ruling from House v. NCAA, also known as the House settlement.

The landscape-changing court case was first filed in 2020 by former collegiate swimmer Grant House, who sued the NCAA for rules that prevented athletes from benefiting from their own name, image and likeness. The lawsuit was an antitrust suit that combined three cases into one -- House v. NCAA, Carter v. NCAA and Hubbard v. NCAA.

U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California Claudia Wilken made the settlement ruling on June 6, paving the way for schools to participate in revenue sharing with athletes.

By opting in, North Carolina will distribute the full $20.5 million directly to student-athletes during the 2025-26 year. This is the highest amount of money that schools are allowed to distribute this year. A majority of the money will be given to football and men's basketball, the two highest revenue-generating sports, with baseball and women's basketball also receiving a portion.

It is unclear how much, if any, of the new allotted funding will go toward athletes in other sports.

The amount of revenue that schools can share with athletes is capped at 22 percent of the average yearly revenue that Power Five schools generate. This year, that figure is set at $20.5 million and every year it will grow by four percent.