UMaine tweaks playbook on pay for student athletes

Photo / Courtesy of the University of Maine The University of Maine, a Division 1 NCAA school, said it will pay student athletes directly in the 2025-2026 school year.

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By Renee Cordes

At least for the coming school year, the University of Maine will pay its student athletes directly for the first time, including for commercial use of their name, image and likeness, more commonly known as NIL.

The policy is made possible by a landmark settlement that allows members of the National College Athletic Association to pay student athletes up to $20.5 million a year out of their own budget — financed from sources including fundraising, endowments, donations and corporate partners.

The settlement, approved in June, covers $2.8 billion in back damages for former athletes. As part of the agreement, $20.5 million was set as the maximum schools could pay out in the 2025-26 school year, with the amount expected to increase every year over the next 10 years.

“While our initial intention was to opt out, after closer review of the final settlement and the clarifying guidance — in particular regarding roster limits — we have officially notified the NCAA that we will opt in for the 2025-26 academic year,” UMaine Athletics said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz.

UMaine, based in Orono, is the flagship campus of the statewide University of Maine System. The school said the decision aligns with its commitment to support and enhance the student-athlete experience and to promote a level playing field.

“UMaine is proud to be the state’s only NCAA Division I institution and remains committed to supporting opportunities for our student-athletes and Black Bear fans,” the school said, pledging “to take a thoughtful, strategic approach as the collegiate athletics landscape evolves.”

The school also said it will reassess the policy every year “to ensure it remains aligned with the best interests of our student-athletes, the university and the state.”

'Exciting news'

Greg Glynn, founder and CEO of Pliable Marketing in Augusta who represents three athletes at UMaine, welcomed UMaine’s decision.

"This is exciting news for sports fans in Maine,” he said. “It indicates the University of Maine is committed to competing with the other top athletic programs in the country.”

Glynn also said he expects UMaine to be one of the few schools to put NIL money towards its hockey program, which would help the Black Bears recruit top talent.

"If the athletic department decides to allocate some or a majority of their funds to their men's and women's ice hockey teams, that would be something that many other bigger schools who have opted-in are not doing because they're putting their money into football and basketball," he said.