Merrimack will opt into the House v. NCAA settlement

According to school officials, Merrimack College will opt into the House v. NCAA settlement.

A major component of the House Settlement will allow schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes in the form of direct NIL payments.

Along with revenue-sharing, the settlement calls to end scholarship limits and replace them with roster caps, under which every player is allowed to receive an athletic scholarship.

In hockey, the new roster cap was set at 26 players. In basketball, the cap is 15 players.

The new roster caps will take effect starting in 2025-26.

A source said a few weeks ago that “about half” of the MAAC schools were expected to opt in. In Hockey East, confirmed opt-in schools include Boston College, UMass, and Northeastern. UConn and Providence have not made official announcements, but both are expected to opt in because of the impact it will have on their basketball programs.

New Hampshire, Maine, Boston University, and UMass Lowell have not announced their intentions.

Vermont is planning to opt in in two years (2026-27), in an effort to prevent roster cuts associated with getting under the new limits in some of its sports.