Dusty May calls out failures in college sports amid revenue-sharing era: 'It's our fault'

CHICAGO – One year ago, as Dusty May and Michigan got ready for the Sweet Sixteen, revenue-sharing had not yet officially arrived. That happened in June when the landmark House settlement received final approval, bringing the rev-share era to college athletics.

Under terms of the 10-year agreement, a $20.5 million cap went into effect. That figure is expected to grow annually and get to $21.3 million in 2026-27. But May had questions about the revenue-sharing component – most notably, about how schools would stay below the cap.

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When asked by On3 about how rev-share impacts the game, May noted the impact of football, which was well-known to be getting the majority of those dollars. But the journey that got the landscape to this point, he said, stemmed from decisions that didn’t pan out the way people expected. He then called on coaches and others to “fix it” and make it a more level playing field.

“When they [announced] these numbers, I thought, ‘Wow, is everyone going to be under this cap?'” May said Thursday ahead of Friday’s game against Alabama. “And then, football spends three times – I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. I have my own opinions on where the game needs to go and why we failed our sport for so long as coaches and administrators to let it get to this point.

“But ultimately, it’s our fault. We’ve been making these decisions on such an obtuse level for so long that now it’s blown up in our face. So now we have a responsibility to fix it and to make sure it’s equitable and fair for everyone.”

Dusty May: Rev-share doesn’t appear to be ‘hard cap’

Since rev-share’s arrival, roster costs have only gone up. On3’s Pete Nakos detailed the biggest spenders in the Sweet Sixteen and which schools got the biggest bang for their buck. Data from Opendorse also showed college men’s basketball teams received an average of $4.2 million in rev-share dollars in 2025-26.

With regard to the cap, though, Ross Dellenger broke down changes coming in 2026-27. Schools are also finding ways to nearly double the cap through avenues such as multimedia rights partners, apparel brands and corporate sponsors.

Dusty May said he hears the figures being thrown around and the dollar amounts for teams. That said, he’s still searching for answers to his questions about the cap.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve heard the numbers. I’ve heard from agents. It doesn’t seem as though the rev-share number is any type of hard cap. Or soft cap.”