Stetson Bennett was one of the greatest talents in college football history. Rudy is, by all accounts, one of his most famous sports movies of all time. They were walk-ons, but those specks can… fade away.
Instead, we may see a world where schools with a deep interest in a particular sport can double or triple the number of athletes they offer on scholarship. Mississippi State baseball has 35 scholarship athletes, and Georgia is looking to recapture its gymnastics glory days by moving up the standings. 25 scholarships and more.
In theory, this could happen with the latest developments to the college athletic model. Here’s what happens:
• Scholarship limits for sports (e.g. 85 for soccer) will be eliminated.
• However, they would be replaced by lower roster caps for each sport. 85 for soccer etc.
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This could be agreed to as part of the House of Representatives v. NCAA settlement and is expected to lead to revenue sharing with athletes. (If that happens, a settlement could be reached within the next two weeks.)
Alternatively, eliminating scholarship limits while capping rosters could happen independently. Either way, it will be a groundbreaking change.
For years, NCAA scholarship quotas have been seen as a way to (try) to establish parity between schools, with all FBS football programs receiving 85 scholarships, all men’s basketball programs receiving 13, and baseball receiving 11.7. Limited to names etc. (You can see the complete list by sport and NCAA division here.)
The scholarship limit is intended to reduce costs, which is why it could be part of the House settlement.
“More scholarships mean more money for athletes,” said Mitt Winter, a lawyer specializing in college sports. “Although it is not a direct cash payment as opposed to revenue sharing, the school hopes to receive some credit by adding scholarships as part of this settlement.”
However, if the football cap remains at 85, those scholarships will be available for other sports, which would mean the end of walk-ons. Most sports already have roster limits, and in soccer he said 120 people are that number. So for years there was a clear line between scholarships and walk-ons in major sports, and more onerous arrangements of partial scholarships in baseball, gymnastics and other sports. He has 35 baseball players, but only 11.7 scholarships are distributed among the entire team. .
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Many details of the House settlement are still under consideration, so changes to scholarship limits and roster caps are not final. But here’s why you should consider it:
• Cost savings: Walk-ons still cost the program some money, whether it’s travel or equipment, and at some schools, those players are paid by Alston. Therefore, if the size of soccer’s roster is reduced, some of that money will be redirected to revenue sharing or other sports.
• Trying to avoid litigation: Lawyers are already suing the NCAA over name, image and likeness. transfer. And like everything else, the scholarship limit could be ripe for the taking. The roster cap would be more defensible since it is in place for competitive reasons. (Or you can think of it that way.)
• The team is over the scholarship limit anyway: Non-scholarship players can receive NIL money to cover all expenses. Some football programs have been outspoken about using the NIL to get over 85 points, and it’s easy to imagine some teams in nonrevenue sports doing the same.
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Has the NIL made college football’s 85-man scholarship limit obsolete?
The SEC has long wanted to expand scholarships for certain sports, such as baseball. Two years ago, the NCAA Transformation Commission, whose nominee was SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, discussed expanding scholarship caps for sports other than football and basketball. The idea was eventually scrapped, but has now been revived to cover all sports.
Of course, the impact on soccer will get the most attention. Top-level soccer coaches in particular will be concerned. It is a physical sport where players can get injured. Walk-ons exist for a reason, too. It’s not just about finding the next Bennett. Kickers, punters, and long snappers are often walk-ons. In that case, the key question will be whether the roster cap will exceed 85 players, and if so, to what extent.
This could be a way to convince them to sign on to a smaller program. The fewer walk-ons a large program has, the greater the trickle-down effect it has on smaller programs. There are many stories of recruits who received offers from smaller programs and were happy to continue because they wanted to play for a bigger program. If you can’t do that, you’ll move on to a smaller program.
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However, there is a possibility that there will be no roster cap. Let the market decide, or at least let the schools decide. If Alabama wants to splurge because he has 125 football scholarships in a given year, so be it. If Vanderbilt wants to pay the scholarships of 35 baseball players, it would give the Commodores more power. If you have the resources, there is no cap on your scholarship, which gives you more autonomy and flexibility.
“This allows schools to really decide what sports they want to focus on,” Winter said.
Still, everyone, almost everyone, wants to emphasize football, so this will be an area to watch. Is there an absolute roster limit of 85 players? Will it expand to 100? Is there no upper limit at all, or is there no change at all?
We need to know sooner.
(Stetson Bennett photo: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
