Proposed New Scholarship Limits beginning in 2025-2026

[VObserver]

It is my understanding that all sports will become equivalency sports, meaning that partials can be offered; however, the scholarship limit is also the roster limit, so a school can choose to give full rides to every athlete.

These are NCAA D1 numbers:

Football: 105
Men's Basketball: 15
Women's Basketball: 15
Baseball: 34
Softball: 25
Cross Country: 17M/17W
Track: 45M/45W
Volleyball: 18M/18W
Tennis: 10M/10W
Golf: 9M/9W

I got these numbers from a recruiting service, so I am not certain they are all correct. However, the basic concept is correct. Roster limits and scholarship limits will be identical in each sport: if your sport has a scholarship limit of 15, that is also your roster limit. You will be able to choose to give all or some of your players partial scholarships for budgetary reasons, but as a practical matter, if you want good players, you will have to find a way to get them all money equivalent to a full ride. The walk-on concept will likely be dead at the D1 level, as the partial scholarship will probably replace the walk-on system.

[jaxmc1023]

Would be happy to have someone explain how I'm wrong, but this is pretty much the death knell for diamond sports at mid-major schools, right?

[sportsfanatic21]

Would be happy to have someone explain how I'm wrong, but this is pretty much the death knell for diamond sports at mid-major schools, right?

Outside of about 40 or so schools, college sports is dead to everyone with the current landscape. Everyone else is nothing more than a feeder program for those 40ish

[VObserver]

Would be happy to have someone explain how I'm wrong, but this is pretty much the death knell for diamond sports at mid-major schools, right?

The additional cost to compete in the diamond sports isn't too bad. Baseball is a little tougher; we will need to fund 22.3 more scholarships to give everyone a full ride. I don't follow baseball that closely, but in softball the new roster limit only slightly larger than the current roster at most money schools. I don't see them adding 2-3 girls who won't get much playing time just to keep us from getting them. They will still steal elite players from us when they can, of course, but they can't go overboard. In softball we can pretty much continue our success just by funding an extra 10-13 scholarships. We should be able to find the money for that.

[cjr3888]

It’s not scholarship limits but instead roster limits. School can fund any number of scholarships up to the roster limits. No more 130 players on the P4 rosters.

[Cajunsmike]

It’s not scholarship limits but instead roster limits. School can fund any number of scholarships up to the roster limits. No more 130 players on the P4 rosters.

We had 130 players on the roster in recent years due to the strong walk on program. Drop to 105 will hurt us as well.

[cjr3888]

We had 130 players on the roster in recent years due to the strong walk on program. Drop to 105 will hurt us as well.

How many of those extra 25 would ever see the playing field?

How many of those extra 25 would get that spot over a player on a P4 roster?

This is one of the few things that will help G5 schools with parity.

[VObserver]

I went check a few P4 rosters in softball. Most that I looked at have 20-22 girls on their Roster. That won't change much, if at all with scholarship limits moving to the roster limit.

[cjr3888]

I went check a few P4 rosters in softball. Most that I looked at have 20-22 girls on their Roster. That won't change much, if at all with scholarship limits moving to the roster limit.

Biggest change is lower football roster limit and sports like baseball being able to fund all scholarships instead of 11.7

[Cajunsmike]

The benefit of the walk on program we have employed is the extra practice reps players get. We often have 4 different sets of work ongoing. System was brought here by Coach Napier and it has been refined by Coach Dez

[R1Letterman]

Would be happy to have someone explain how I'm wrong, but this is pretty much the death knell for diamond sports at mid-major schools, right?

I think it would have helped previously, bit not now.
One way it could have helped would to avoud the big boys "hogging" bench warmers allegedly on walkon status that could have helped a g5 as a starter on scholarship.

Some enforcement would have helped as well. I doubt ncaa ever went to any registrars or bursars office to make sure there were checks submitted for many of these "partial" scholarship recipients.

[R1Letterman]

The benefit of the walk on program we have employed is the extra practice reps players get. We often have 4 different sets of work ongoing. System was brought here by Coach Napier and it has been refined by Coach Dez

Could this technically still occur, just with a different title. It was said that some womens basketball teams practice against students that are only practice players. So those "practice only" players are above their roster and walkon limits... Granted it would be harder to make that a glamorous position with no hope of even dressing and never even being on the roster.... but maybe a training table "scholarship" could be paid for out of academics, and gear?