Latest news with #ScottStricklin
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UF to start using facial recognition at football games
The story for football fans: Headed to a Gators game this season? The University of Florida is set to become the first school in the nation to let fans use their face as their ticket. The university's Athletic Association announced on Tuesday the launching of an express entry system that relies on facial recognition. The goal, athletic director Scott Stricklin said, is to allow people to 'spend less time in line and more time cheering on the Gators.' The program is voluntary, and requires fans to submit a photo of themselves to enter into the software program. The school and the program vendor said they will not share any biometric data with outside parties. Eventually, the system will grant access to all UF sporting events. Read more from MainStreet Daily News. Vouchers: Orange County schools are working to attract students back to the public education as growing numbers of families accept state-funded vouchers, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Teacher retention: A kindergarten teacher at Apopka Elementary is entering her 51st year working for Orange County schools, Spectrum 13 reports. Superintendents: Two finalists remain in the search for Manatee County's next superintendent, the Herald-Tribune reports. School board members: Flagler County school board chairperson Will Furry says God is calling him to run against U.S. Rep. Randy Fine in the Republican primary for Florida's 6th Congressional District, Florida Politics reports. • Sarasota County Republicans are calling for the resignation of school board member Tom Edwards over his job promoting diversity projects for a Pride organization, Florida Politics reports. Private schools: The Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami are experiencing an enrollment surge, WPLG reports. • A Broward County private school faces closure two days into the academic year after police told it to stop operating in a local park, WSVN reports. Pay raises: Florida A&M University insiders are anticipating faculty and staff raises in the near future, WFSU reports. Homelessness: Rising eviction rates in Florida are having negative effects on children's schooling, Bay News 9 reports. Cellphones: The Brevard County school board extended its ban on student cellphone use to include high schools, Florida Today reports. Bus routes: Some Leon County parents are raising worries about their children's safety as they travel to bus stops on routes the district changed to cope with driver vacancies, WCTV reports. Book reviews: The Collier, Lee and Charlotte county school districts have returned to their libraries the vast majority of books that were pulled for additional content review, WGCU reports. Attendance zones: The Polk County school board is preparing to redraw the boundaries for all its high schools, WTSP reports. Artificial intelligence: The Miami-Dade County school board is preparing district-wide guidelines for using AI in classrooms, WLRN reports. Don't miss a story. Here's a link from yesterday's roundup. Before you go ... So you think you bought some honey. Check this out.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Understanding the House settlement, revenue sharing and NIL
A new era of college athletics has begun with the approval of the House settlement on June 6. Starting on July 1, institutions such as Florida, Florida State, and UCF will start the process of offering revenue sharing to their athletes. Here are some of the top questions about that process: How will schools pay for it? Any school that aims to remain competitive in football will fully commit to the settlement terms. But a $20.5 million obligation to athletes, both recurring and expected to increase, will strain even the richest athletic programs. Advertisement To meet any new expense requires a revenue increase, expense reduction or both. In 2026, SEC schools will receive more TV money from ESPN, which currently pays more than $800 million to televise the league's sporting events. The SEC reportedly could make another $50-$80 million if it were to go from eight to nine conference games. Expanding the College Football Playoff from 12 to 16 games would produce another financial windfall. Other schools, such as UCF, have also been fundraising, asking fans or boosters to donate to the Competitive Success Fund to help meet the goal of $20.5 million for its revenue pool. UF AD Scott Stricklin discusses House v. NCAA settlement in era of 'unprecedented change' On a smaller scale, athletic departments are reducing expenses on the margins. UF's University Athletic Association required every department and sports program to cut its budget by 5%, saving a few million in the process. Advertisement Prices for tickets and other costs at events are sure coast to coast to rise, too. Student fees for athletics also could. Tennessee plans to charge football ticket holders a 'talent fee' to go to athletes. Layoffs could sadly become part of the equation. Who'll get paid, and who'll get stiffed? SEC schools will commit $2.5 million to new scholarships, leaving $18 million in revenue sharing with athletes. Some schools are reluctant to share plans, but Georgia publicly offered a framework: 75% for football ($13.5 million); 15% for men's basketball ($2.7 million); 5% for women's basketball ($900,000) and the remaining 5% for other programs. While the amount for football should be fairly standard, it could get tricky elsewhere. South Carolina finished last in the SEC in men's basketball, but won two of the past four women's titles (2022, 2024) and lost to UConn in the 2025 title game. LSU won the 2023 women's title, while the men lost in the first round of the NIT. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley and LSU's Kim Mulkey should command, and could demand a bigger piece of the pie. Advertisement Examples are sure to abound at schools with traditions of success across the board. Lawsuits are likely to follow. With rev share disproportionately smaller for female athletes, some could claim violations of Title IX law instituted in 1972 to ensure equal opportunity at educational institutions. Conversely, football could argue it generates most of the revenue. UCF football reveals new uniforms, pays tribute to Daunte Culpepper era At UF, athletic director Scott Stricklin said athletes at each of the school's 21 sports programs will benefit financially from either revenue sharing, increased scholarship money or Alston payments, based on a federal ruling awarding money to athletes to meet academic expenses. How will NIL collectives operate? The launch of name, image and likeness legislation spawned organizations to facilitate sponsorships or fund-raise to pay athletes. Pay-for-play quickly became the modus operandi. The fact that collectives operated independently of the athletic departments allowed tens of millions to flow to top athletes without oversight or accountability. Advertisement Even the Jaden Rashada fiasco at UF, involving a $13.8 million promise to a high school quarterback, did not stem the flow of cash, curtail aggressive dealmaking or stop athletes and their camps from going to the highest bidder. Now that NIL payments will be vetted, collectives will have to market athletes, help big-money donors get creative and generate many three- and four-figure deals, not focus on five-, six- and seven-figure ones. In short, collectives will be asked to do what was intended, but ultimately ignored due to a lack of rules amid a high-stakes competition to attract talent. Who comprises the College Sports Commission? The College Sports Commission was created to oversee the implementation of the House settlement. Its membership consists of representatives from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12. The CEO of the organization is Bryan Seeley, a former Major League Baseball executive. Advertisement The CSC answers to a board of directors, which consists of conference commissioners from the Power 4 leagues: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. 'There will be a separate governing body, the College Sports Commission, which will oversee this,' said UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir. 'It's going to have its own CEO that will basically oversee the enforcement, and there'll be a chief investigator officer. We need a level playing field.' How would buyout clauses work in revenue-sharing? Buyout clauses are a standard feature in many NIL deals, as companies and collectives aim to address potential complications that may arise when an athlete decides to transfer to another team or organization. This same idea will also be integrated into revenue-sharing agreements. If an athlete transfers, they could risk losing a portion of their earnings. The new school they move to would then be responsible for covering the buyout amount, which would also count against their revenue-sharing cap. Advertisement 'That's going to be messy the first year or two as everybody figures out the math behind all of this,' said Kristi Dosh, author of 'The Athlete's NIL Playbook.' 'You can't give all your revenue sharing pool to your athletes who are coming in the fall because if you do that, you're not going to have any money left over for the [transfer] portal. Your money doesn't replenish until July 1, 2026. From a budgeting perspective, everybody's just making educated guesses.' According to an FAQ released during the approval of the House settlement, if an athlete receives $100,000 from a school (A) and receives $50,000 at the beginning of the academic year, but chooses to transfer to school (B), that institution would have to reimburse school (A) $50,000. It would be deducted from school B's revenue-share pool. Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@ Sign up for the Sentinel's Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iconic College Football Stadium to Receive Major Renovation
Iconic College Football Stadium to Receive Major Renovation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, or "The Swamp," as it is known to the college football world, is one of the most feared venues in the sport. With its near-89,000-seat capacity and raucous crowd, Gainesville is always a tough place for visiting teams to play. Advertisement Built in 1930, the home of the Florida Gators will undergo renovations to improve its fan experience and more over the next few years. This week, UF athletic director Scott Stricklin spoke on the Gator Nation Football Podcast, about the upcoming renovation and ways to combat seat loss, which he said is an inevitable part of the project. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the home of the Florida Haas "We have like six or seven goals for the renovation of The Swamp, which is 95 years old this year, the original part of that," Stricklin said. "We're re-investing in something that I think every Gator fan really holds dear. One of our stated goals is to minimize the impact of seat count loss." The planning of this construction project was first introduced in December 2023 when the University Athletic Association hired Crawford Architects to begin the development of renovation, construction and phasing options. Advertisement Stricklin said the construction company and the UAA are in the design and development phase of the project right now, which is the second of three parts of the design. "We'll wrap this up sometime in the fall," he said. "At that point, we'll have a really good sense on budget. We'll have a really good sense on what we'll actually do. And once we come up with a financing plan we'll be ready to start sharing that with Gator Nation.' While the ninth-year athletic director has promised to keep the same energy in The Swamp, some fans have voiced their displeasure with the decline of seating capacity. However, Stricklin has assured the losses will be limited and definitely worth the outcome. "[The renovation] is the most ambitious project in the history of college athletics," he said. Advertisement No matter the number of seats that are removed during the renovation, there is no doubt the deafening sound of Gator fans will never fade. Related: Former Florida QB Sends Strong DJ Lagway Message This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NCAA House settlement FAQ: What you need to know about evolving college sports landscape
The world of college recruiting with name, image, and likeness deals has seemed lawless and ungoverned since it initially became legal in 2021. Now, power conference schools are allowed to directly pay their student-athletes following the settlement of the House vs. NCAA antitrust cases. Advertisement The settlement, which was approved on June 13 by a federal judge in California, sets the stage for a tidal wave of confusion as schools, student-athletes, and their families navigate the uber-legislated college athletics ecosystem. With the passing of the settlement also comes the formation of the College Sports Commission, which will become the new enforcement arm of college athletics. The NCAA, along with the defendant conferences, released a 36-page Question & Answer package to address many of the common concerns and hurdles people are experiencing following the settlement. WHAT WILL COLLEGES DO? College sports athletic departments face tough revenue sharing decisions Advertisement Here are some of the biggest questions to how college athletics will operate pertaining to NIL under the new House settlement, and how the NCAA answered them in their document, which they released shortly after the settlement was approved: Who is affected by the House Settlement? Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 10, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] The House settlement forced the NCAA to pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next decade to any student-athlete that competed from 2016 to present day. Looking forward, the House settlement will have an influence on every Division I athletic program, its administrators and coaching staffs, current and prospective student-athletes, their families, and fans as well. Advertisement Any schools named in the settlement or intend on joining by this year's June 30 cutoff date are referred to as "Participating Institutions." IMG ACADEMY CEO: Why colleges should run to, not away, from sports after House settlement Who are Participating Institutions? All current members of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and ACC are part of the new revenue-sharing model. What do Participating Institutions have to do now? The NCAA makes clear the obligations schools have following the settlement, including: Ensure that any additional payments or benefits being provided comply with the benefit cap and cap-related rules, policies and procedures. Report to the cap management reporting system (CAPS): All licenses between the institution and its student-athletes for name, image andlikeness; and Any other payments or benefits provided beyond what was permitted by NCAA Division I rules as of October 7, 2024, assuming such benefits are otherwise permitted by NCAA rules. Report all additional benefits that count against the benefits cap to CAPS and complete the annual attestation by September 1 after the close of each academic year. Adhere to the established roster limits. Agree that the designated enforcement entity (i.e., College Sports Commission) has theauthority to enforce NCAA Bylaws adopted as part of the settlement (e.g., roster limits,additional payments and benefits and noninstitutional NIL). Is there a cap to how much revenue a school can share? In three seasons at Miami, Mario Cristobal has compiled a record of 22-16. Yes. Schools are permitted to distribute up to 22-percent of the average revenue between the Power-5 conferences from media rights, ticket sales, and sponsorships. This is known as the revenue sharing cap or benefits cap, and is the maximum dollar amount a school may provide to its student-athletes during an academic year. What is the revenue sharing cap under the new House Settlement? The benefits cap for 2025-26 is set for $20.5 million and is expected to rise. A 4% bump is expected every year for the first three years, with a full recalculation after year four. How is the House Settlement's revenue sharing cap calculated? First, participating schools from the five conferences (plus Notre Dame) enter their revenue into eight categories; ticket sales, input revenue from participation in away games, media rights revenue, NCAA distributions and grants, non-media conference distributions, direct revenue from participation in bowl games (as well as conference distributions from bowl revenues), and athletics department revenues from sponsorships, royalties, licensing agreements and advertisements. Advertisement The cap is then found by pulling 22% from the sum of the revenue generated by the eight defined categories. Do NIL deals count towards the revenue sharing cap? Topeka native NiJaree Canady is the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and signed a record-breaking NIL deal to play her junior year as a Texas Tech Red Raider. Canady hopes to represent Team USA in the 2028 Olympics. Yes and no. NIL deals paid from a source outside of the school, or a third-party, does not count towards the revenue sharing cap. Other funds distributed from student assistance funds or third-party grants/awards are also exempt from the benefits cap up to a certain amount. However, if a player is receiving funds directly from a school for NIL purposes, that money will be counted against the benefits cap. What money counts against the revenue sharing cap under the House Settlement Any money a player receives directly from a schools for NIL uses is applicable to the benefits cap. Any other direct payment or additional benefits a player or their family receives that is not exempted by NCAA rules is also fair game. Advertisement Academic and graduation awards (like Alston Awards) also count towards the cap, but only up to $2.5 million. The same is true for athletically-related financial aid that exceeds the 2024-25 academic year limits. How will NIL deals be regulated after the House Settlement? President of the NCAA, Charlie Baker speaks during a press conference celebrating the 25 year anniversary of the NCAA moving its national office to Indianapolis on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis. All NIL deals, from all student-athletes, that are worth more than $600 must be processed and approved by the new clearinghouse, NIL Go. NIL Go is run by Deloitte, a major consulting firm. It's works as an online portal that student-athletes, schools, and third-party payees will use to verify that an NIL deal meets the criteria of a true third-party deal. Advertisement All players must submit deals to NIL Go within five business days of execution of the contract. From there, Deloitte and NIL Go will determine if the deal meets "valid business purposes" for an NIL contract. Who is enforcing the new rules under the House Settlement? The College Sports Commission will oversee NIL Go. The CSC was created by the major conferences to act as a self-policing arm of the NIL era. The CSC, headed up by former MLB executive Bryan Seeley, will determine if schools break any rules and then determine the appropriate punishments. Seeley answers directly only to the Power-4 commissioners that hired him to police their conferences. How will NIL Go judge if a deal is valid? When the player agrees to the NIL contract or payment terms, it must include the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit. Otherwise, it is not a valid third-part deal and will be rejected by the clearinghouse. Advertisement Deloitte recently shared data that 70% of past NIL payments from boosters and collectives would have been denied under the current scrutiny. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel on Oct. 16, 2024. MORE FAQS: What does the NCAA settlement mean for college sports? We answer the burning questions How do multiyear agreements count against the revenue sharing cap? Additional payments promised in multiyear agreements are counted against a Participating Institution's benefits cap in the year that the payments and/or benefits are provided. For example, if a player signs a two-year agreement for $100,000 through 2025-27, the first $100,000 would count towards the school's cap in 2025-26, and the second $100,000 would count against the 2026-27 cap. Advertisement If the contract includes incentives, the total amount of incentives will count against the cap of the year that they promised. If the player fails to meet the criteria for the incentive, the amount is removed from the cap at the end of the year. Who is a third-party under the House Settlement, and who isn't? Because where a money originates from decides whether or not it counts towards the cap, determining true third-parties is more essential than ever. Associated entities/individuals are anyone that is known to have promoted a school's athletics program, created or identified NIL opportunities, assisted in recruiting, or contributed more than $50,000 over their lifetime to a school (for individuals). Are boosters considered associated individuals under the House Settlement? Boosters are not automatically considered associated individuals. However, any booster or "Representative of Athletic Interests" defined by NCAA Bylaw 13.02.16 would automatically become an associated individual by the definitions set forth in the House Settlement and NCAA bylaws. How do transfers and buyouts work under the new House Settlement? Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17. Every contract is different, but the principles will be the same throughout. If a player transfers out of a school before the end of their contract, the school is only obligated to pay the terms of the contract that are valid up to the date they enter the portal. Any money that would have been owed to the player that transferred out can be removed from the benefits cap. Advertisement Take for example, a player that signs a deal that pays $100,000 per year over the course of two years. If the player transfers out before the start of the second year of the contract, the school is off the hook for the back end of the contract because it was never owed or due. If there is a buyout clause in a player's contract, the school that the player is transferring into must pay the entirety of the buyout to the school that the player departed from. The buyout also counts against the paying school's cap, but cannot be added to the receiving school's cap. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: NCAA House settlement: How does NIL work now? Answering some FAQs
New York Times
02-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Florida baseball coach, athletic director apologize for coach's outburst
Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan and athletic director Scott Stricklin apologized Monday for an expletive-filled tirade O'Sullivan directed at NCAA Tournament site officials the day before because he was unhappy that the start of the Gators' regional game against East Carolina was moved back an hour. Advertisement 'I did not represent the University of Florida to the appropriate standard yesterday and take full responsibility for that, and promise to learn from this experience and be better moving forward,' O'Sullivan said in a statement. He apologized to the site representatives, Rick French and Mark Scalf, as well as Coastal Carolina's associate athletic director Bryan Stiles. The regional was played at the home field of Coastal Carolina and a video showing O'Sullivan yelling at officials circulated on social media on Sunday. Later in the day, Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall used his postgame press conference — after his team beat East Carolina to advance to the Super Regionals — to address the situation. He did not name O'Sullivan but said another coach had 'disrespected' the school's associate AD, the field crew at the stadium and tournament officials. 'This is a national championship coach who thinks he can come in here and try to bully people around,' Schnall said. The start time of the game was reportedly moved because East Carolina's game on Saturday night ended late. 'This afternoon, I met with Kevin O'Sullivan and told him his actions prior to yesterday's NCAA Tournament game fell well short of our expectations of how Gators treat people,' Stricklin said in a statement. He added, 'On behalf of Florida athletics, I want to personally apologize for everyone impacted, — including NCAA representatives, Coastal Carolina and their staff, East Carolina and their team, as well as Gator Nation.'
