In the latest resounding change to the college sports landscape, the NCAA is expected to remove by-sport scholarship restrictions, allowing schools to offer scholarships to the entirety of their rosters.
On Wednesday morning, Yahoo Sports senior college football writer Ross Dellenger reported that “power conference commissioners [have] finalized new roster-size limits that pave the way for athletic departments to distribute millions of dollars in new scholarships to athletes in, most notably, football, baseball and softball.”
The change will come as part of college sports’ new revenue-sharing model, expected to be finalized in the NCAA’s settlement of three antitrust cases, including House v. NCAA.
The roster limit for FBS football teams will jump from 85 to 105, with all 105 athletes eligible for scholarship. According to Dellenger, teams may not have to adhere to the roster maximum until the start of the season, meaning coaches could go beyond that figure during summer workouts and preseason camp.
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Not all sports will receive a roster size increase, but all will see their scholarship maximum kept equal or increased — none will receive a scholarship decrease. For example, the scholarship maximum for basketball teams will go from 13 to 15, while the scholarship maximum for baseball teams will skyrocket from 11.7 to 34. Per the Yahoo report, “scholarship spots for softball and volleyball, each currently at 12, will increase to 25 and 18, respectively.”
“Head-count” sports, like football and basketball, will be turned into “equivalency sports,” meaning partial scholarships will be able to be distributed to players. As it currently stands, head-count sports have to offer all of their athletes full scholarships.
The change will not eliminate the walk-on. Schools will not be required to issue scholarships to every player on every sport’s roster — they will simply have the option to. As Dellenger points out, “many schools are unlikely to use a full 34 scholarships for baseball, choosing instead to offer grants to only a portion of its roster and leave walk-on opportunities.”
Final details of the scholarship increase, as well as other revenue-sharing details included in the antitrust settlements, are expected to be filed Friday.
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
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