UW Student-Athletes to Get Nearly $3M Payout as Wyoming Joins NCAA Settlement

Big changes are coming to college sports — and the University of Wyoming is getting on board.

UW will dish out around $2.8 million to its student-athletes during the 2025-26 school year, after officially opting into the NCAA’s massive antitrust settlement this July. The move follows the June NCAA v. House agreement that opened the door for universities to directly pay their athletes.

Athletic Director Tom Burman broke down the numbers in a press briefing Monday, explaining how the school plans to distribute the funds and why it’s a step forward — even if UW isn’t operating with Power Five-level cash.

“We’re never hitting that $20 million cap,” Burman said, referring to the NCAA’s new payout ceiling. “And nobody at our level will.”

Here’s how it’ll work: the money will come from three main sources — NIL licensing deals, Alston funds (which cover educational expenses like tuition and books), and traditional scholarships. More than half of the $2.8 million — about $1.5 million — is expected to come from NIL agreements, with another third tied to Alston money, which is tax-free.

But UW isn’t handing out checks to every athlete just yet. The initial plan is to focus payments on five sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, and wrestling — all considered the top revenue or brand-impact programs at the university.

That said, Burman left the door open for star athletes in other sports.

“If a magical kid comes along in, say, tennis or golf and moves the brand? Yeah, we’ll find a way to compensate them too,” he said.

The Teamworks platform will help UW manage and distribute the money, and Burman stressed that the school wants to stay smart with how it compensates athletes.

He also cautioned against schools relying too heavily on NIL deals rather than scholarships.

“Some schools are paying kids just to say they’re doing it through NIL — but that’s taxable. Scholarships aren’t. We’re trying to make smart, long-term choices.”

While football will get the lion’s share — not surprising, since it generates 65-80% of athletic revenue — UW is trying to find more money for men’s basketball, where NIL deals have skyrocketed nationally.

“Basketball’s a real challenge right now,” Burman admitted. “Some of the numbers out there through collectives are just wild. We’ve got to get more resources to Sundance (Wicks).”

As part of the settlement terms, UW also added eight new women’s athletic scholarships, including four in volleyball and one each in soccer, tennis, track and field, and swimming and diving.

Burman also addressed uncertainty around the future of 1Wyo, the university’s main NIL collective, which failed to get tax-exempt status. He praised the team behind it, saying:

“They tried hard and showed up when we were in dire straits. Wyoming fans should appreciate that.”

The original story by Anthony Dion for Casper Star-Tribune.