The Ohio State athletics department will reduce varsity sports rosters by a total of 150 because of new name, image and likeness and revenue-sharing rules.
Athletics department spokesman Jerry Emig told WOSU in an email Thursday that he couldn't say yet which of OSU's 36 sports will be affected.
The department's announcement comes after a federal judge preliminarily approved a settlement agreement involving lawsuits against the NCAA.
Ohio State said that after the court gives final approval as early as next spring, universities will begin paying athletes for their name, image and likeness rights.
Ohio State expects those payments to exceed $20 million a year.
“The intercollegiate athletics landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation,” Ross Bjork, Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director, said in a statement.
“And through this change, it is our goal to continue the tradition of supporting 36 teams, prioritizing academics, winning and maximizing the student-athlete experience on and off the playing fields,” Emig said.
The settlement means the amount the NCAA pays more than 350 Division I schools every year is going to drop. The organization is on the hook to cover some $1.2 billion in damages under the settlement.
With the settlement the NCAA will limit roster numbers nationally rather than scholarships. Ohio State said it will increase the total number of its athletic scholarships by 91.
The athletics department said most Ohio State student-athletes do not receive a full scholarship, and 30% receive no athletic aid.
The number of full or partial scholarships is expected to increase for most sports. All varsity sports will continue to offer scholarships.
The department said that it is reviewing ways to deal with the higher costs. They include budget cuts, expanding naming rights, revising the 2025 football season ticket plan, boosting corporate support and expanding the Buckeye Club and Champions Fund philanthropic arm of the department.
On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order allowing Ohio colleges and universities to pay student-athletes for their name, image and likeness.