The Smart v. NCAA volunteer baseball coach settlement is a $49.25 million antitrust class action fund, finally approved on September 16, 2025, that pays former NCAA Division I volunteer baseball coaches who served between November 29, 2018 and July 1, 2023.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ2Korein Tillery. Korein Tillery Secures $49.25 Million Settlement for College Baseball Coaches About 1,000 coaches fall within the class, each guaranteed a minimum of $5,000 per full academic year of service, with average payouts expected to approach $50,000.3ESPN. NCAA Agrees to $303 Million Settlement With Volunteer Coaches
Who Is Included in the Class
The class covers anyone who worked as a volunteer coach in an NCAA Division I baseball program from November 29, 2018 through July 1, 2023 — the day the NCAA’s volunteer coach designation was formally repealed.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ4NCAA. NCAA Division I Council Modernizes Rules on Coaching Limits Under former NCAA Bylaw 11.7.6, one coach per Division I program could be classified as a volunteer and was barred from receiving any wages, salary, or benefits, including meals, housing, or access to athletic trainers.3ESPN. NCAA Agrees to $303 Million Settlement With Volunteer Coaches
If you coached in a Division I baseball program during that window in a volunteer role, you’re in. You did not need to file a claim form; class members are automatically included if they meet the definition.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ
What Eligible Coaches Are Paid
Each class member receives at least $5,000 for every full academic year served as a volunteer coach during the class period. Average payouts are expected to be near $50,000.2Korein Tillery. Korein Tillery Secures $49.25 Million Settlement for College Baseball Coaches
Individual amounts are not equal. An expert economist calculates each coach’s share using two inputs: the school where the coach worked, and the number of years worked during the class period. The benchmark is what third assistant coaches at Division I programs were paid after the rule was repealed in July 2023, adjusted for inflation back through the class period.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ Coaches at higher-paying programs, and those who served more years, receive proportionally more.
What You Need to Do
Even though no claim form is required, class members must submit a W-9 tax form and a payment preference to the claims administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, in order to be paid.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ If you served as a volunteer baseball coach during the class period and have not received notice or submitted your tax and payment information, contact Kroll through the official settlement website.
Checks that go uncashed within 120 days are treated as unclaimed. There is a 30-day grace period for reissuance. Anything left over after that is either redistributed to participating class members or, if the balance is too small to justify a second distribution, donated to the American Baseball Coaches Association as a cy pres recipient.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ Cash the check promptly.
How the Fund Is Divided Before Payouts
The $49.25 million is reduced by several court-approved deductions before coaches are paid:
- Attorneys’ fees of up to 30 percent of the fund, or $14,775,000.
- Litigation costs estimated at up to $1.5 million.
- Service awards of up to $15,000 total for the two named plaintiffs, Taylor Smart and Michael Hacker.
- Administration expenses paid to Kroll for managing the settlement.
The remaining net fund is what the economist’s formula distributes among the roughly 1,000 class members.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ
The Legal Theory Behind the Payout
Taylor Smart and Michael Hacker, both former Division I volunteer baseball coaches, sued the NCAA in 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Smart had coached at the University of Arkansas from 2018 through the 2020 season; Hacker coached at UC Davis.5ClassAction.org. Smart et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, Complaint
The suit alleged that the NCAA and its member schools violated Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by fixing volunteer coach wages at zero. Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb denied the NCAA’s motions to dismiss and to transfer the case, finding it “not implausible” that the coaches “would have been paid a salary above $0 but for the NCAA’s adoption of the bylaw.”6CourtListener. Smart v. NCAA Docket7Sportico. Volunteer Coaches Antitrust Settlement NCAA Final Approval The settlement also resolves related claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the California Labor Code, and other state and local wage-and-hour laws.1Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Smart v. NCAA Settlement FAQ
Judge Shubb granted preliminary approval on April 30, 2025, held a final fairness hearing on September 15, 2025 in Sacramento, and signed the final approval order the next day. The case was formally terminated on September 16, 2025, and no objections or appeals have been publicly reported.8Justia. Smart v. NCAA, Order Granting Preliminary Approval6CourtListener. Smart v. NCAA Docket7Sportico. Volunteer Coaches Antitrust Settlement NCAA Final Approval
If You Coached a Different Sport
Smart covers baseball only. Volunteer coaches in the other 44 Division I sports are not part of this settlement; they are covered by a separate class action, Ray v. NCAA (No. 1:23-cv-00425, E.D. Cal.), with a class period of March 17, 2019 through June 30, 2023.7Sportico. Volunteer Coaches Antitrust Settlement NCAA Final Approval9Yahoo Sports. NCAA to Pay $303M to Volunteer Coaches Coaches in other sports should look to that case, not to Smart.