INDIANAPOLIS — Butler athletic director Grant Leiendecker vowed to be aggressive in the new NIL era and Friday’s formal approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement allows the men’s basketball program to make its first steps toward closing its player compensation gap.
Leiendecker told IndyStar in March that Butler ranked toward the bottom of the Big East in NIL funds and that “raising money from donors to support NIL efforts has been a challenge.” Now, the process of compensating athletes is getting streamlined.
With the approval of the settlement, universities can compensate student-athletes directly through revenue-sharing contracts for name, image and likeness. With the new model in place, Butler will phase out its non-profit collective, All Good Dawgs, and is now asking all financial support to go directly to Butler Athletics.
In preparation of the settlement passing, Leiendecker said via new release Monday, Butler Athletics “has strategically reallocated some of our operating budgets” allowing it to “invest additional resources into revenue-generating programs.”
One new revenue-generating program is Butler’s 10-year multimedia rights partnership with PlayFly Sports set to begin in July. Leiendecker told IndyStar the new model will help Butler Athletics, especially its basketball programs, compete on a national level. Returning to national prominence has been Leiendecker’s goal since he became AD in January 2024.
“This transformational change to the funding model of intercollegiate athletics represents an opportunity for Butler to make up ground in the competitive basketball landscape, and we intend to do just that,” Leiendecker said. “Butler will emphatically and aggressively embrace this new model, while also continuing to prioritize the holistic student-athlete experience and educational benefits that have long been a trademark of our university.”
The settlement allows schools to distribute a revenue pool to athletes of up to $20.5 million in Year 1. Power Four schools are prepared to spend between $13 to $16 million on football, per Yahoo! Sports‘ Ross Dellenger. Butler has non-scholarship football and competes at the FCS level, meaning it can dedicate more funds to basketball.
The amount Butler basketball is spending on its roster is unclear. On3 reported Butler’s roster budget at $5 million. But Butler general manager Tony Bollier did not confirm that number to IndyStar in March.
The settlement also introduces new roster and scholarship limits at the Division I level. The roster limits put a cap on the number of players each team can have, but all programs except women’s basketball (15 scholarship limit) have been provided more scholarships to disburse.
Baseball has increased from 11.7 scholarships to 34 scholarships. Men’s basketball has increased from 13 to 15. Football has increased from 85 to 105. The record amount of player movement via the transfer portal can in part be attributed to programs preparing to trim rosters under the limitations. Baseball programs typically operate with more than 34 players. Butler had 42 players on its roster last season.
Leiendecker said the school will continue to honor current-student athletes’ scholarships.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: NCAA settlement revenue-sharing to help make up ground
