North Dakota State opting in to NCAA settlement

FARGO — The revolving door known as opting in or out to the NCAA vs. House settlement decision finally stopped moving at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex on Monday. North Dakota State is all in.

Athletic director Matt Larsen on Monday cited two main reasons: cuts to rosters being phased over a few years and the ability to take NIL in-house as opposed to third-party entities like The Green and The Gold Collective.

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Recent legislation has put limitations and more scrutiny on collectives. At NDSU, the collective will be blended into Team Makers booster club and will be renamed The Green & The Gold Fund.

The opting in decision reversed a course Larsen was taking when asked in January, with the biggest reason team rosters not being immediately capped at a certain number. Football, for instance, will have a few years to get to 105 rather than having it sliced to that number immediately.

Under terms of the House v. NCAA settlement, additional scholarships and payments made available to student-athletes above the pre-settlement NCAA maximums will count toward each institution’s benefits cap, which is $20.5 million for the 2025-26 season. Any number of rostered athletes may be on scholarship, up to the roster limit.

NOTE: This story will be updated after 2 p.m. NDSU press conference, which will be carried live on WDAY-Plus.

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