‘We’re competing with the top programs’: Dawn Staley on Gamecock WBB’s rev share
College athletics officially began the revenue sharing era this summer.
As a result of the landmark settlement in the House vs. NCAA antitrust lawsuit, schools can now distribute up to $20.5 million a year directly to its student-athletes. That money comes in addition to name, image and likeness deals .
Schools can divvy up the money any way they choose. CBS Sports reported in July the expectation is at least 70% of that money will go to football at power conference schools. Schools such as Clemson are allocating over 80% to football.
Gamecocks women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has been publicly advocating for her program, and other women’s basketball programs around the country, to get a fair slice of the revenue sharing pie since for the past year.
South Carolina, like nearly all schools, has not shared how it will split up its revenue sharing payments. That information could eventually see the light of day though, as a lawsuit has been filed against the university for withholding the payments, claiming the information should be public record (USC argues they are “scholastic records” and protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
The State asked Staley at the SEC Tipoff basketball media event on Tuesday if she was satisfied with the amount of money her program was getting from USC.
“That’s a trick question, ain’t it?” Staley said, joking. “... It’s a fair question.”
Staley: Rev share alone is ‘not enough’
Staley did not give specifics on how much the women’s basketball program is receiving in revenue-sharing money from the athletic department. But she did say athletic director Jeremiah Donati has allocated a fair amount.
“JD has been generous,” Staley told The State. “We’re competing with the top programs in the country, so it’s fitting. Now, we’ve got to do some other stuff that can supplement and complement the rev share, because it’s not enough (by itself) to put the type of team together that we’re used to putting on the floor. To compete for national championships, you need dollars to do that.”
That “other stuff” Staley is likely referring to is NIL money and deals for her players, which can be “stacked” on top of rev share payments.
One example: No. 2 South Carolina playing in the Players Era Women’s Championship this season. The multi-team event will take place in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week, and the Gamecocks will play No. 7 Duke on Nov. 26 as well as either No. 4 Texas or No. 3 UCLA on Nov. 27.
The event will provide South Carolina’s players with at least $1 million in NIL opportunities in each year that it participates, according to a contract obtained by The State via a public records request. The Gamecocks were invited to participate in 2025, 2026 and 2027, per the contract.
How rev share has affected USC WBB recruiting
Staley was asked in Birmingham her thoughts on how revenue sharing has affected recruiting so far and said it impacts everyone on “different levels.”
“I certainly don’t overpromise when it comes to rev share and NIL,” Staley said. “I’m only going to spread it out with what we have in hand — not necessarily trying to go out and get it. You lose some recruits in that regards. If it’s all about the money, they’re a lot cheaper the second time around, so I’m OK with letting them go.”
As for any recruits she may miss because of money, Staley said the ones who care about making it as a pro often give South Carolina a second look in their careers through the transfer portal (which USC dips into for high-quality players annually).
“I do think we’ve got a quality program that produces pros,” said Staley, who’s had at least one player taken in nine of the last 11 WNBA Drafts. “When you are at a point in your career as a young person, when that becomes the priority — like, really the priority — we always get a look the second time around. I’m OK with that as well.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 8:10 AM with the headline "‘We’re competing with the top programs’: Dawn Staley on Gamecock WBB’s rev share."
