A federal judge approved a $49.25 million settlement in Smart v. NCAA on September 16, 2025, resolving antitrust claims that the NCAA illegally forced Division I baseball volunteer coaches to work without pay. The baseball settlement covers roughly 1,000 people who served as volunteer coaches between November 29, 2018, and July 1, 2023, with an average payout near $50,000 and a guaranteed minimum of $5,000 per full academic year coached.1ClassAction.org. $49.25 Million NCAA Settlement Reached in Baseball Coach Antitrust Lawsuit2Korein Tillery. Korein Tillery Secures $49.25 Settlement for College Baseball Coaches
Who Qualifies and How Much They Get
The class includes anyone who held a volunteer coaching position on a Division I baseball staff between November 29, 2018, and July 1, 2023. Each class member is guaranteed at least $5,000 for every full academic year coached during that window. The actual payment varies based on which school the coach worked at and how many years they served in the role.3Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions With roughly 1,000 coaches sharing the fund after fees, the average recovery lands close to $50,000.2Korein Tillery. Korein Tillery Secures $49.25 Settlement for College Baseball Coaches
What the Case Was About
Beginning in 1992, the NCAA capped the number of paid coaching positions in Division I sports. Each baseball program was allowed a set number of salaried coaches plus one additional “volunteer coach” who was explicitly barred from receiving any compensation, including salary, meals, housing, and health insurance.4On Labor. Volunteer Assistant NCAA Coaches: Can Antitrust Law Help Employees Recover When They Weren’t Compensated? In practice these coaches ran practices, developed game plans, broke down film, wrote scouting reports, and coached during games, often working five or six days a week.5ClassAction.org. Smart et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, Complaint
Former volunteer coaches Taylor Smart and Michael Hacker filed the class action on November 29, 2022, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Smart had worked at the University of Arkansas from 2018 through the 2020 season; Hacker held the volunteer pitching coach role at UC Davis from fall 2019 through the 2021 season.5ClassAction.org. Smart et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, Complaint Their complaint argued the volunteer coach bylaw violated Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act because the NCAA and its member schools had effectively agreed to fix the price of coaching labor at zero.6Sports Litigation Alert. Court Rebuffs NCAA, Dismissing Motions to Dismiss in Volunteer Coaches Antitrust Cases
The NCAA had already dropped the rule before the case settled. In January 2023, the Division I Council voted to eliminate the volunteer coach designation across all sports effective July 1, 2023, and to allow all coaches within a program’s countable limit to be paid.7NCAA. NCAA Division I Council Modernizes Rules on Coaching Limits
Case Timeline
Senior District Judge William B. Shubb denied the NCAA’s motion to dismiss on July 27, 2023.8A&O Shearman. Putative Class Action Plaintiffs Defeat NCAA Motion to Dismiss Sherman Act Claim9Law360. Smart et al v. NCAA Case Articles10The Recorder. Final Approval Hearing Held in Class Action Settlement for Volunteer Baseball Coaches2Korein Tillery. Korein Tillery Secures $49.25 Settlement for College Baseball Coaches
How to Claim Your Payment
Class members do not need to file a formal claim form. To receive payment, a coach must submit contact information, a completed W-9 tax form, and payment preferences through the settlement website. Kroll Settlement Administration LLC is handling the distribution.3Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
Attorneys’ Fees
Class counsel Korein Tillery, led by Garrett Broshuis and Steven Berezney, requested 30% of the fund in attorneys’ fees, approximately $15 million.11Legal Newsline. Lawyers Seek $15M of $49M NCAA Volunteer Baseball Coach Settlement The full $49.25 million is funded by the NCAA’s national office.12NCAA. NCAA Finalizes Payment Structure for Ray Settlement
Coaches in Other Sports: A Separate Settlement
The Smart settlement covers baseball only. Volunteer coaches from every other Division I sport are covered by a separate case, Ray v. NCAA, which settled for $303 million and reached final approval on May 12, 2026. That settlement covers more than 7,700 coaches who served as unpaid volunteers in non-baseball Division I sports between March 17, 2019, and June 30, 2023, with average payouts near $27,000 and the same $5,000 minimum. The claims deadline in Ray is June 2, 2026.13ESPN. NCAA Agrees to $303 Million Settlement With Volunteer Coaches14Sportico. Volunteer Coaches Antitrust Settlement NCAA Final Approval15NCAA Volunteer Coach Lawsuit. Ray v. NCAA Volunteer Coach Settlement Baseball coaches are not eligible for Ray, and coaches from other sports are not eligible for Smart.