A federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports on Friday, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions of dollars as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for more than a century.

Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House vs. NCAA settlement, allowing schools to share revenue directly with athletes for the first time. In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Auburn athletic director John Cohen confirmed that Auburn will fully participate in paying athletes,