Swimmers Surprised by Higher-Than-Expected House Settlement Payouts!

From the 34 responses collected via Google Forms, SwimSwam found that 18 indicated their projected total payout was “greater” than anticipated. Six athletes stated their payouts were “less” than expected while eight felt it was “approximately the same” as anticipated.

Despite being a limited dataset, none of the 13 mid-major athletes reported any Alston payments. Another trend identified in the data is that to obtain an estimate for “lost NIL,” the athlete needed to have earned NIL funds as a student-athlete.

Late last week, SwimSwam received projections from two swimmers following the release of the numbers. These figures received varied reactions.

The claims website indicates: “PLEASE NOTE: these are projections. Your conclusive settlement payment cannot be determined until the claims period concludes (January 31, 2025), attorney fees and expenses are decided (on or after April 7, 2025), and final consent has been granted (on or after April 7, 2025). These estimates can provide a decent comprehension of your estimated settlement payment, but they are not final.”

The reported responses include an NCAA Champion, numerous Power 4 (previously Power 5) athletes, and mid-major swimmers. No divers or water polo players are represented in the data.

Big Ten Reported Data

A swimmer with five years of experience, who was a multiple-time NCAA Champion, reported an estimated $3700 for “athletic services,” $600 for “lost NIL payment,” and $3100 for the Alston payment. According to the NCAA, institutions can grant up to $5,980 per year for the Alston Award.

An additional Big Ten athlete, who qualified for the NCAA three times, received a similar estimate for the Alston payment, reporting a figure of $3140.17. This athlete also noted $613.16 for “athletic services,” but $0 for “lost NIL payment.” The athlete remarked that they have not earned any NIL funds while participating as a student-athlete.

A Big Ten athlete with three years of experience, who was an NCAA scorer for two seasons and qualified for the meet in another, mentioned $299.47 for athletic services, $63.60 in “lost NIL,” and $1956.10 for the Alston payment. Although this athlete participated for only three years, they reported earning about $500 in NIL funds – which appears to be linked to whether athletes were able to benefit from “lost NIL” money – athletes had to have accumulated NIL funds to be eligible for its loss.

SEC Reported Data

An SEC athlete, who qualified for the NCAA twice, reported $408.15 for “athletic services” and $1956.10 for the Alston payment. This athlete estimated $0 for lost NIL, claiming they did not earn any NIL money as a student-athlete.

Another SEC athlete reported significantly higher figures, claiming $521.58 lost for “athletic services.” This athlete participated in three NCAA Championships and provided the same estimation of $1956.10 for the Alston payment. They indicated they earned about $3000-4000 in NIL money during their career and estimate $1292.85 in the “lost NIL payment” category.

ACC Reported Data

Two ACC athletes from the same institution had vastly different figures. One competed for two years with the program but did not make the conference roster during either year, reporting $286.92 in athlete services and $3140.17 for Alston. The other swimmer participated for half a season, thus did not score at ACCs, and reported $113 in athlete services.

A fellow ACC athlete saw higher estimates, having competed over four years and scored at ACCs in all four seasons. This athlete reported $613.16 in athletic services and $3140.17 in Alston payments, along with $324.48 in lost NIL funds, which exceeds their estimated earnings of $200.

Pac-12 Reported Data

A Pac-12 athlete and four-time individual NCAA Champion provided estimates of $286.92 for athlete services and $3427.09 in Alston payments. This athlete stated they were “not eligible” for lost NIL funds.

Mid-Major Reported Data

The majority of mid-major athletes solely indicated estimates for “athlete services.” One Big East athlete reported $499.73 and was a conference ‘A’ finalist in three events across three seasons. Two athletes from the same CAA institution reported $391.05 in athlete services, with both having reached a CAA ‘A’ final multiple times in their careers. An athlete in the A-10 reported $222.11 in athlete services and was a five-time individual ‘A’ finalist at A-10s.