In an open letter penned to Ohio State fans on Nov. 21, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork announced that — in light of the expected April settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust case that will enact roster limits for several sports and pave the way for revenue sharing — the university will add 91 additional scholarships across both men’s and women’s sports, while also remaining committed to maintaining 36 scholarship sports, though its pistol and rifle teams will transition from co-ed to women’s only programs by 2029.
A Letter to Buckeye Nation,
As we begin the transition period for this new era of intercollegiate athletics at @OhioState, we must collectively harness and direct all our assets so we can continue to lead and maximize our full potential.
Full letter 📝: https://t.co/cGmExhtoSx pic.twitter.com/FbrzsLuIkD
“With support from President (Ted) Carter, and our Board of Trustees, we are committed to maintaining 36 intercollegiate sports and athletic scholarships for all 36 programs, while also fully funding the $20.5 million dollars of direct payments to student-athletes,” Bjork wrote in the letter.
“After a thorough review of factors such as Title IX compliance, national and conference sport sponsorship trends, our history of competitive success and a sound fiscal plan, we are excited to announce the addition of 91 new scholarships across both women’s and men’s sports. We firmly believe this new investment will allow our programs to continue to compete for and win championships and keep excellence at the forefront of our mission.”
This announcement comes after Bjork said earlier this year that the athletic department might not be able to continue funding all 36 scholarships sports due to the added expense of revenue sharing, which according to Bjork in the letter, will cost the university $20.5 million and increase the “allocation of our department’s resources” by 4 percent.
It was also previously reported by NBC4 that the university was eliminating scholarships for its men’s gymnastics team.
But now, Bjork said that they have come up with a more sound strategy — along with the help of Carter’s new six-part strategic plan for the university called “Education for Citizenship 2025,” which lists college athletics as one of the main pillars to the success of the school — to ensure the scholarships of all sports while also providing the full $20.5 of direct payments to compensate current student-athletes.
Bjork also wrote that under the new NCAA model all Division I athletes who participated in collegiate sports between 2016 and 2024 are eligible for backpay for NIL earnings.
Bjork, who will begin his sixth month as Ohio State’s full-time athletic director in December, revealed several additional plans he has to better the Buckeyes’ athletic department as a whole. Those proposed changes included expanding the Buckeye Club and Champions Fund to increase funding, revising football season ticket plans for the 2025 season, increasing corporate scholarships, creating a combined men’s and women’s hockey arena and making several “imminent upgrades” to Ohio Stadium.
“We are committed to being extremely innovative and creative amid these changes to the collegiate sports model,” Bjork wrote. “During these times of immense change, we have an opportunity to show the world what it means to be a Buckeye and lead the way into the future.
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