With schools now meeting a $20.5 million payroll for players, they don't just want to protect their athletes. They want to protect their edge.

The University of Louisville's athletic department is entering the 2025-26 fiscal year with something it has never included in its budget before: direct payments to athletes.

The moves come as UK Athletics prepares to shift its entire operating model to a new nonprofit holding company, Champions Blue, LLC, created earlier this year.

If you want a glimpse of how college athletic departments may operate in the future, take a look at what the University of Kentucky board of trustees will vote Friday.

The University of Louisville board of trustees voted to extend the contract of athletic director Josh Heird by three years on Thursday, through the 2030 academic year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Louisville approved a $145 million athletics budget on Friday, marking a slight decrease from 2023…