A new idea about athlete compensation may include a major reduction in college football roster sizes.
The plan that the leaders of the main conferences are debating may restrict rosters to as few as 85 to 95 players, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
According to settlement agreements for the three antitrust claims against the NCAA, Dellenger observed that the idea was raised as “part of what could be a sweeping and historic transformation” within collegiate sports.
“Any settlement of these cases—House, Hubbard and Carter—is expected to feature as much as $2.9 billion in back damages for former players, a future revenue sharing model with current athletes and an overhaul of the NCAA scholarship and roster structure,” writes Dellenger.
Dellenger reports that settlement negotiations are “deep enough” for NCAA and college administrators to be “socialising plans of a new compensation model,” which would see universities paying athletes over $20 million a year starting in 2025.
As things are, a football team’s roster size isn’t strictly limited by the regulations. A game may have a maximum of 70 participants participating. Every year, FBS teams can only have 85 players on full scholarships. Up to 63 full scholarship athletes are permitted each year for FCS programmes.
In an FBS season, a normal roster may have 115 players or more. A squad’s ability to maintain walk-ons on the roster would essentially be restricted by the new rule.
Dellenger did point out that “scholarship restrictions by permitting schools to expand financial aid to the entirety of a sport’s roster positions” could be one of the proposal’s most significant elements.
As a result, additional full scholarships might be available for other sports. According to current NCAA regulations, baseball allows students 11.7 scholarships annually. Dellenger used baseball as an example. If the institution so wishes, the new model may provide full scholarships to each of a team’s 32 roster places.