What does future hold for Alabama athletics? What to know at this critical juncture

Greg Byrne didn’t wait to watch the game until he reached a TV. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss any of the action.

SEC spring meetings had just ended in Miramar Beach, Florida, and the Alabama athletics director held his tablet as he walked out of the conference room. He had the broadcast rolling of Alabama softball’s game against UCLA in the Women’s College World Series on May 30. Byrne locked into the game even as he walked. So much so that he even stopped and stood in the resort hallway to finish the inning, knowing he was about to lose Wifi connection if he walked too far.

“I’m as excited to go to Oklahoma City with our softball team as getting to go to the College Football Playoff,” Byrne told The Tuscaloosa News the day prior. “Those kids have worked hard.”

Football and men’s basketball are the two revenue-producing sports at UA, but Byrne takes pride in his department supporting 21 sports. He talks frequently about his affinity for all of them. Also, he often stresses how special the Olympic sports model is in collegiate athletics.

There’s an extra weight to that conversation these days, though. College sports sits at a critical juncture, and as part of that, the exact future for non-revenue sports remains unclear. Far more questions exist than answers. In May, the NCAA and the Power Five conferences agreed to a a historic settlement that, if finalized, will give schools the ability to share revenue with college athletes. That number is expected to be at least $20 million to start, per USA TODAY Sports.

That new line item on the budget could have all sorts of ripple effects.

“This is a big deal,” Byrne said. “And I think we just have to recognize we don’t have all the answers yet and we have to be very thoughtful of how we decide to move forward with the new model and how that impacts our department across the board.”

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How Greg Byrne has been preparing for changes in college athletics

The NCAA and Power Five conferences approved the settlement terms late last month, but Byrne didn’t start preparing folks in Tuscaloosa then.

Rewind to a year ago; that’s when Byrne started discussing the House v. NCAA case with his staff.

“Just planting seeds that things were changing,” Byrne said.

That included what Byrne called a “heart-to-heart” discussion with all of the head coaches in the fall. He broke down where things stood, the potential of the House litigation and its impact. Then he talked with the entire department.

“I’ve always found, when things are going to change and change dramatically, that first conversation you have with people in your department shouldn’t be after everything is all said and done,” Byrne said. “It needs to be an educational process. We’ve been doing that, and part of that is how you manage your resources going forward.”

Will Alabama have to cut sports?

It’s the question that looms largest for all athletics departments with significant change incoming. To make the new expenses fit, will some sports that don’t produce revenue have to go?

“I would hope we wouldn’t have to do that,” Byrne said.

He added that’s the last things he wants to do.

“Our Olympic-model sports program is one of the cool things in our country,” Byrne said. “But it also is very, very costly. That’s not an Alabama comment. That’s across the board in what we do. I’m proud of how we support our Olympic sports.”

What’s the future of Yea Alabama and NIL collectives?

Simply put, it’s unclear. As is the case with most things until the settlement is finalized. And even then, plenty will have to be hammered out.

Once revenue sharing begins, the role of collectives could change. The bigger unknown is the extent of the change. Could collectives go in-house as well? Might collectives focus solely on facilitating “true NIL” deals? Will collectives cease to exist? Or is there another role for them? It’s unclear at this juncture.

“If anybody tells you they know exactly what is going to come of their collectives, they’re a lot smarter than I am,” Byrne said.

Yea Alabama has operated as UA’s official NIL entity going back to February 2023. Byrne praised Yea Alabama and how it has “done a really good job of representing our student athletes.” Having a strong collective is key to compete in today’s college athletics. Maybe it won’t be required down the road, but that change hasn’t happened just yet.

“Until we understand what the new model looks like, we need to continue to stay competitive from a Yea Alabama standpoint,” Byrne said. “And we’ve made really good strides there.”

Will CFP revenue solve the new expense problem?

Increased revenue from the expanded College Football Playoff will help bring in more income for each SEC school. Annual distribution from the CFP is set to increase to about $23 million for Alabama and each SEC school, per Yahoo! Sports. That’s going to help, but more will likely be needed with increasing expenses.

“It’s not the only solution,” Byrne said. “It’s not the silver bullet to me.”

Strategic decisions around budgeting will need to be made. One example that has already occurred: Byrne said Alabama athletics has already reduced some personnel, just by choosing not to fill some vacant positions.

“We’re trying to find efficiencies on a regular basis,” Byrne said. “But our costs continue to escalate, and it’s not just this line item.”

Byrne’s title is director of athletics, but the approaching era of college athletics will call on him to be a CEO more than ever. For Alabama athletics to continue to thrive, it’s vital Byrne answers.

“We all have a responsibility,” Byrne said. “As much as people think there’s unlimited money, there’s not. You have to make financial decisions.”

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter