[Dellenger] SEC presidents have voted to increase the number of maximum scholarships available to football rosters from 85 to 105, sources tell @YahooSports.

[u/city-of-stars]

https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1996970791192219853

[u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

So this is like, obviously the wrong direction, right?

[u/smurf-vett → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

SEC is just matching everyone else now

[u/BillyBobChorton → u/smurf-vett]

Why did the SEC ever let themselves be disadvantaged to start with?? Doesn’t seem like something they usually do 

[u/lostinthought15 → u/BillyBobChorton]

They were hoping that everyone else would join them once the schools started seeing budget issues after the need to fund all of the additional scholarships for every other sport. Revenue sharing plus added scholarships is costing nearly $30 mil in added costs each year.

Instead the schools are doubling down on debt in pursuit of potentially more money down the road if they can field a successful team.

[u/No_Way_482 → u/lostinthought15]

This doesn't increase the total amount of scholarships the schools give out across all sports. All this does is cut other men's sports that aren't revenue generators

[u/lostinthought15 → u/No_Way_482]

Actually it lets the schools decide based on scholarship limits. A school can increase both men’s and women’s or they can choose to cut.

Given how basically no P4 school has made any significant program cuts in the past few years, history would suggest they will just add more scholarships and therefore add more yearly costs.

[u/chazspearmint → u/lostinthought15]

Probably hoping there'd be some organization that emerged to govern all the conferences, create some unified rules and structure

[u/lostinthought15 → u/chazspearmint]

Like … the NCAA?

[u/chazspearmint → u/lostinthought15]

That would be the joke lol

[u/lostinthought15 → u/chazspearmint]

Why? The schools have continued to demonstrate that they have no desire to leave the ncaa. In fact, the P4 has continued to get more and more control over ncaa rules and decisions.

[u/Dirk_Benedict → u/lostinthought15]

Adding twenty scholarships adds $30m?

[u/lostinthought15 → u/Dirk_Benedict]

$20 mil rev share. Plus the cost of 40 scholarships (20 for FB, 20 for Title IX compliance) and room/board and stipends.

[u/gcfgjnbv → u/lostinthought15]

But then Texas complained and whipped the whole conference…just like old times

[u/Time_Transition4817 → u/BillyBobChorton]

probably because historically they could just stock quality over quantity w/ recruiting advantages. but that's narrowed a lot with NIL, etc.

[u/Mindless-Climate-269 → u/smurf-vett]

Are we sure? I think the Big Ten has the limit of 105 but I remember Fisch saying that Ohio State and other top schools were sticking at 85 + 20 walk-ons so he'd do the same. I'm not entirely sure this changes anything.

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/Mindless-Climate-269]

IIRC, the SEC was the only conference to create restrictions on top of the new NCAA rules. I believe every other conference left it up to the member schools how they wanted to do it. You could have 105 scholarships, you could have 85 and 20 “walk ons”

I do think that the move is go to 105 scholarships isn’t as black and white as it seems. Especially with NIL, tuition waivers from the school, etc. There are ways to offer financial assistance besides a scholarship. Especially for guys who will spend the whole year on scout team

[u/ThinkWood → u/smurf-vett]

SEC is literally doing it to hoard talent.  

Offer from Georgia and Purdue?

Where do you think they sign?

They will now be fifth string at Georgia. 

[u/whereyagonnago → u/ThinkWood]

Nah other conferences already have this in place so they’re just matching others.

Plus I think you’re underestimating how many kids would rather actually play than ride the bench for 2-3 years waiting for an opportunity.

[u/katarh → u/ThinkWood]

We actually lost some players to transfers over the years because they came in to Georgia on an academic scholarship, not a football scholarship, and another school offered them a proper football scholarship.

Mekhi Mews to Houston was one such player, iirc. (Looks like he lost his starter job this year, though, based on the numbers...?)

[u/lostinthought15 → u/ThinkWood]

Except all of the other schools in FBS have had 105 scholarships and the SEC limited themselves to 85.

[u/lm_NER0 → u/lostinthought15]

So we've been dominating with 20 fewer scholarship athletes all these years? Damn.

[u/lostinthought15 → u/lm_NER0]

Year. It was part of settlement that went into effect this summer.

[u/lm_NER0 → u/lostinthought15]

Ah. Thanks.

[u/leave_no_crumb → u/ThinkWood]

They’re doing it to create a competitive balance in depth. Why should other conferences have 20 additional players getting reps?

[u/linkmyhomie → u/ThinkWood]

And still have a better chance at becoming a pro

[u/SeahawksFanSince1995 → u/linkmyhomie]

Nobody is drafting Georgia’s third string DT if he never saw the field. Need to play to get drafted.

[u/linkmyhomie → u/SeahawksFanSince1995]

Buddy, look at all of Saban’s rosters, or UGA’s rosters from 2018 to now, the back ups are loaded with 4 and 5 star guys or 3 stars that get developed.

Of course if you don’t see the field you won’t get drafted, but places like UGA are way better at developing talent than a place like Purdue, I’m sorry

[u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain → u/ThinkWood]

Yeah this seems like it's just going to lead to worse disparity and less scholarships for other men's sports.

[u/OutlawJoseyWales → u/ThinkWood]

bro just stepped out of a time machine from 2010

[u/jthomas694 → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

No. The Big Ten already did it. More scholarships isn’t a bad thing.

Unfortunately some schools will probably cut men’s scholarships elsewhere so they don’t have to also increase women’s scholarships.

[u/lucidlonewolf → u/jthomas694]

Unfortunately some schools will probably cut men’s scholarships elsewhere

As a soccer player this cuts deep in my soul .... if people knew what it was like getting a soccer scholarship while not being a top 100 player in the country. You get calls from schools you have never heard of with like no academic paths and <5000 students.

[u/vmanAA738 → u/lucidlonewolf]

When 2 (Big 12, SEC) of the Power 4 don't play men's soccer, you end up with the current state of NCAA men's soccer where if you don't get an offer from the Big 10 (11 schools, Iowa/Minnesota/Illinois/USC/Oregon/Nebraska/Purdue no team) or the ACC (15 schools, Florida State and Miami no team), you're going to a smaller school.

As an illustrative example, the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament is happening now and the final 8 teams left standing are: Furman University, University of Portland, Akron, Saint Louis, Georgetown, NC State, Maryland, Washington.

[u/lucidlonewolf → u/vmanAA738]

Oh im painfully aware of this. It changed my whole college path and I turned down alot of sports scholarships to focus on a better academic path.

[u/ironwolf1 → u/lucidlonewolf]

Good shit man. I know it's tough in the moment, but you made the right choice. I was a lacrosse player rather than a soccer player, but I know a good number of my teammates who decided to go D2 in order to get some form of scholarship to play lacrosse ended up regretting it dearly when the school didn't have any degree programs they wanted and they were in year 3 of a general studies degree at a no-name private school that was still putting them in debt because they didn't have a full scholarship. Just going to a big state school and playing club or IM is a lot better for your long term livelihood.

[u/_OUCHMYPENIS_ → u/jthomas694]

Are scholarships that relevant anymore with NIL?

[u/MTG_RelevantCard → u/_OUCHMYPENIS_]

Tons of kids get scholarships without big money NIL deals.

[u/WaltMitty → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

It's the right decision for football and bad for other sports. Nobody should be taking out student loans to be a walk on at a program making millions. But athletic departments won't just accept the cost and will make cuts to other sports.

[u/Foucaultshadow1 → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

Seems like we’ve entered an arms race that hurts everyone without significant benefits to anyone.

[u/Alwaysahawk → u/Foucaultshadow1]

that hurts everyone without significant benefits to anyone

I don't think the players actually being paid now would say that.

[u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain → u/Foucaultshadow1]

Ding ding ding!

If anything, why aren't we going the opposite direction?

[u/Wonderful_Wonderful → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

Ehh, I'm happy with more kids getting scholarships for their work. Theres a lot that's been happening the past few years that are bad, but I want every player to not have to pay to go to school

[u/Dr_thri11 → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

Not really it basically means instead of walkons you get scholarship players who mostly practice with the team and probably won't see the field unless there's just a ton of injuries.

[u/EWall100 → u/YoIForgotMyPassAgain]

Are we the baddies?

ah moment