Kirby Smart on possible roster limits in SEC: 'We're here to figure that out'

The groundbreaking House v. NCAA settlement puts collegiate athletics on the precipice of some drastic changes, mainly a new revenue-sharing model that would rid the amateurism of college sports and potentially treat student-athletes more so like employees.

Another change that has been discussed as an extension of the House v. NCAA case has been the potential use of roster limits, limiting the number of players that can be on the roster of a team versus the current model that limits the amount of scholarships. Which has caused a lot of dialogue among college football decision-makers and coaches.

Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart was asked about the potential implementation of roster limits at SEC Spring Meetings, admitting that he like many others is also looking for answers.

“Well I think that’s what we’re here for right? To try to figure that out,” Smart said. “I don’t know, I think there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of narratives out there that are loose, that may not be true. We’re here to figure that out.”

College football rosters are currently comprised of 85 scholarship players but often hold upwards of 120-130 players. With walk-on athletes providing football teams with scout team players in practice and important overall roster depth. And just like in any sport, various walk-on athletes who also eventually earn scholarships and become impact players for their teams.

“I’m not completely up to date and educated completely on where it is, I do feel strongly that roster spots are important and that walk-ons are are important. But where that falls that’s what we’re here to decide today,” Smart said.

Smart is more than familiar with the impact of non-scholarship players, with former quarterback Stenson Bennett walking onto Georgia and eventually leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championship wins.

Every sport will be impacted differently by a roster limit, but it will be fascinating to see how the stakeholders in college athletics’ biggest revenue driver decide to go about a potential roster limit if it is in fact implemented down the road.

Greg Sankey on what he says to coaches about potential roster caps: ‘Slow down, guys’

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also chimed in on discussions surrounding roster caps. Sending a message to all of the coaches in the conference who have concerns regarding the topic.

“I’ll tell you exactly what I’d say, I’ve not talked to our coaches about that other than individually to say hey, slow down guys,” Sankey said. So we had a meeting three weeks ago, some of you have sources, that’s great. I think it’s a bit of a threat, a danger that we can’t have a conversation about concepts that don’t populate themselves outside the room. So then that provokes a reaction.”