On Friday night, California judge Claudia Wilken approved the NCAA House settlement, fundamentally altering the landscape of college athletics.
Since then, folks across the college sports world have reacted to the news. NCAA president Charlie Baker released a statement saying that the settlement "marks a new beginning for Division 1 student-athletes and the NCAA," while individual schools and conferences are now rushing to get things in place as the new structure of college sports begins to take effect leading into the 2025-2026 season.
For West Virginia fans, the concerns are primarily how the new structure will affect the Mountaineers and the Big 12 Conference in which they compete. We've previously taken a deeper look at how the settlement's approval might play out for WVU, and since the news broke, both West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark have shared their thoughts on the matter.
In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, Baker said that the settlement's approval ushers in a "new era" for college athletics while reassuring those in the West Virginia Mountaineer community that their programs are set to compete nationally in the new landscape and that the school will "fully participate in revenue sharing."
"West Virginia University Athletics has been working and planning for this day for a long time to best position or department for future long-term success. While we will have further updates soon, I want to let Mountaineer Nation know that our tradition and place on the national stage is at the forefront of our decision-making process," Baker said.
Yormark, meanwhile, said in his Friday night statement that it is "crucial" to enter the new era with "structure, transparency, and the success of student-athletes in mind." He also said that the settlement will "prioritize fairness and opportunity" in college sports.