Teams potentially facing scholarship crunch in 2022
So a while back I asked if the NCAA was going to allow more than 85 scholarships for next year. It appears that everyone got a free year last year but from everything I am reading, it appears that it will go back to 85 scholarships for everyone. That will potential he cause a lot of issues with he was trying to get down to that number.
Right now Michigan has somewhere around 75 players that are eligible to return next season. We currently have 16 commits and certainly look like we are heading towards a class of 22-25 with the amount of recruits we are leading for. I’m sure we are in better shape than some schools but it will make things interesting to see what happens. I think the smartest thing the NCAA could do is wean off of this system. Do 90 for 2022, 88 for 2023 and then back to 85. But the NCAA isn’t always known for common sense.
September 16th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
First paragraph sucks due to talk to text. I’ll eat downvotes because I know we aren’t advanced enough to be able to edit. ?♂️
September 16th, 2021 at 3:02 PM ^
If it makes you feel any better OP I've now read your first paragraph four times trying to find the area you think will generate downvotes and I dont see anything amiss.
To address your question though my guess is if the NCAA stays firm on the 85 number some kids who got offers will get slowplayed/the offer pulled and some kids on the team will get the firm handshake and be invited to try out the old transfer portal.
As will a LOT of other schools I would imagine.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:28 PM ^
potential he = potentially
September 16th, 2021 at 3:30 PM ^
If you read “potential he” as meaning “recruit”, I think this works. Not what he intended, but who are we to judge art?
September 16th, 2021 at 3:55 PM ^
Yeah that was it. Also he was=teams.
September 16th, 2021 at 4:45 PM ^
Those were my thoughts as well. I'd imagine the coaches would be willing to honor 4 year scholarships for each player and assure they are provided enough time to earn a degree. 5th year/COVID year eligibility would be up to the discretion of the coaches as to whether or not there would be a spot available to them, which I would imagine means a higher number than usual will get the firm handshake for the next few cycles. Which seems fair to me.
September 16th, 2021 at 2:56 PM ^
From what I’ve seen and heard the bigger NCAA priority is to help schools stay at or near 85 players on scholarship given the transfer portal and current limit on how many guys you can bring in.
Would expect rules around how many initial counters (incoming players) you can bring in to evolve before they add to the 85.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:05 PM ^
Interesting ask as a rumor came out the other day that the NCAA is considering an immediate change to allow for larger recruiting classes to account for the transfer portal and the possibility of teams losing a bunch of players this coming off-season due to butterfly effects from COVID-19.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:06 PM ^
I really don't think it's going to be a problem. I don't think losing 15 players to the portal or the NFL isn't going to be that hard, or abnormal.
With that extra year of eligibility there are going to be several guys looking up the depthchart at people who have passed them, taking that degree and finding another place to play. That's fine, more opportunity in a system perhaps more suited for their skillset.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:07 PM ^
Impossible to use smart and NCAA in the same sentence.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:44 PM ^
Wait, didn't you just...????
September 16th, 2021 at 4:24 PM ^
I took that as a challenge and came up with this:
The smart money is on the NCAA screwing this up.
September 16th, 2021 at 6:54 PM ^
The NCAA is not smart.
September 16th, 2021 at 4:26 PM ^
[This was mean for no reason. I'm sorry. Downvote away.]
September 16th, 2021 at 6:32 PM ^
No need to apologize. We all knew that my mom had a past. It's something the family has grown to accept.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:28 PM ^
Given the hit that some schools took economically in 2020, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were schools who would NOT want a higher scholarship limit.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:36 PM ^
It doesn't mean you have to fill a scholarship just because it's available. If my kids want me to take them out to brunch after church but we've already spent that part of our budget then we're eating blueberry waffles at home.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:43 PM ^
If a program can't afford the increased scholarship limit, they sure as hell don't want the teams they're competing against that can afford it to have that option.
September 16th, 2021 at 5:18 PM ^
Yup. That was my point. If I’m a school struggling economically, I’m going to vote against scholarship increases so that everyone is stuck at the lower level. And, with grad transfers around, it might actually let me grab a couple of transfers who are better than what I would get from high school recruits.
September 16th, 2021 at 5:52 PM ^
I dont think that the scholarships themselves have much of an impact schools' budgets. There's no cash outlay associated with the actual scholarship - just because a school charges $40K/a year in tuition doesn't mean that it cost the school anywhere close to $40K to add a student to the roster.
The issue for most athletic departments is insufficient revenue and high fixed costs (facilities), which limiting scholarship is unlikely to solve.
September 16th, 2021 at 3:33 PM ^
I thought the ncaa made it clear that teams will be over the scholarship limit until all the players that played during the covid year left?
September 16th, 2021 at 3:54 PM ^
Haskins, Hutch, and Bell are more than welcome to come back if they would like ;)
September 16th, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^
Bell I would guess will look to give it another go. Hutch is trending his way into a top 15 pick, and Haskins I believe will have completed his 4th college season after this year (even though I believe he has Soph. eligibility). For a running back it might make sense for him to go get his money. That said, I would gladly take all three back if they wanted in.
September 16th, 2021 at 4:58 PM ^
I think with Haskins this is the year that Edwards get's spot playing time as he learns the college game. Next year, the team should be leaning on Corrum and Edwards as they wish Haskins best of luck for the next stage of his career.
September 16th, 2021 at 4:17 PM ^
I would wonder if some teams try to solve this problem through NIL $ and having the players who get most of it perhaps becoming PWOs - even if they are in fact stars on the team.
September 16th, 2021 at 5:26 PM ^
Not sure you can be a walk-on once you've been a scholarship athlete at the school.
September 16th, 2021 at 4:26 PM ^
I believe the NCAA is about to pass a +7 recruiting class rule to help with Transfer fluctuation, so maybe that helps
September 16th, 2021 at 4:26 PM ^
Do schools still abide by anything the NCAA says? How quaint.
September 16th, 2021 at 5:52 PM ^
Simple solution...do what BYU is doing with walk ons.
September 16th, 2021 at 5:58 PM ^
Interesting conversation. My son plays D3 baseball and would like to play a 5th year somewhere (his school is only a 4 year) but so would a lot of other guys. He's not looking for a scholarship but a grad transfer, but we fear it will be extra competitive between the guys coming in out of high school and the Covid players who'd like to get back the year they lost. Such a bummer for players like him who only got to play essentially 2 1/2 years of 4.
September 16th, 2021 at 6:29 PM ^
Why doesn't he just get a second undergrad degree? I hear super seniors are pretty popular these days.
September 17th, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^
They are - his team has had them the past two years -- but he really wants to get a graduate degree and may opt for that if he can't find a spot on a team. I'm trying to encourage him to try to walk on somewhere but I don't know if grad students can walk on.
September 16th, 2021 at 7:28 PM ^
I'd like to see them just drop the 85 limit (or raise it) and set a hard limit of 20 or 25 for recruits and transfers in. If a guy can stay in school a 5th or 6th year, good for him.
September 17th, 2021 at 2:09 AM ^
A very well known and current power 5 football coach told me tonight that the 25 per year will more than likely be increasing to 32.
He also said that the smaller bowls will disappear and the playoff will expand the second TV contracts are up.
September 17th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
I assume we'll see a lot of 5th-year guys be given a firm handshake, which will suck. Otherwise the NCAA will need to, as you noted, gradually reduce the cap to account for kids keeping that extra year of eligibility due to COVID.