When the House v. NCAA settlement received preliminary approval, schools prepared for new roster limits to go into place. For football, that figure is set at 105.
However, the SEC took a different approach, limiting rosters to 85 players upon the settlement’s final approval. Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said as the landscape continues to adjust to the new era, the conference has to “figure out” its approach to roster limits.
Speaking on Hey Coach Wednesday night, Byrne pointed out the impact the limits will have on college football in particular. Rather than carrying 130 players on a roster, SEC teams are limited to 85 – 20 fewer than other conferences. Byrne said the conference needs to ensure that doesn’t create a “competitive disadvantage.”
“We’re obviously all paying attention to the new world of the House settlement. … Scholarship limits are no longer allowed,” Byrne told host Chris Stewart. “They’re deemed illegal by the court system. But roster limits are okay. The roster limit eventually, when some of the grandfathering and the walk-ons, will be at 105. We’ve often carried over 130 kids on the football team, so it’ll be a reduction.
“At the same time, too, other leagues have decided not to have limits on how many scholarships you have on the 105. The SEC currently has 85. So we’ve got to figure that out, too. We’ve got to make sure that doesn’t put us at a competitive disadvantage.”
More on roster limits under the House settlement
By staying at 85 players, the SEC’s roster limit matches the previous scholarship limit in place by the NCAA. Walk-ons also allowed schools to go beyond that threshold.
In the first year of the House settlement, “designated student athletes” have grandfathered roster spots. Judge Claudia Wilken expressed concern about athletes who could lose their spots as a result of the agreement and told the plaintiffs and defendants to come up with some type of protection.
Ultimately, the two sides agreed to allow schools to decide “designated student athletes” to come in above the limits put in place. Those athletes had the option to enter the transfer portal for a one-time-only window, or they could stay on their current roster at schools’ discretion.
The House v. NCAA settlement implementation process began July 1, ushering in the revenue-sharing era in college athletics. Schools can now share $20.5 million directly with athletes under the agreement, and that figure will increase annually.
