NCAA expected to approve increased scholarships across multiple sports, 105 roster limit for football

The NCAA has finally moved on reform of roster sizes, opening the door for programs to offer more scholarships than before.

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, power conference commissioners finalized the roster-size limits under which athletic departments will be able to allocate millions of dollars in new scholarships. Football will have a roster limit of 105, up from the 85-man NCAA scholarship limit that currently exists.

Baseball will also see a massive increase in scholarship / roster size, going from 11.7 scholarship slots to 34. Basketball will increase from 13 to 15. Softball will increase from 12 to 25, while volleyball will increase from 12 to 18.

On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed the roster limit numbers.

Yahoo! Sports notes that the new roster figures are “expected to be included in the long-form agreement in the landmark settlement of three antitrust cases, including the House v. NCAA lawsuit. The agreement is expected to be filed Friday with details on the distribution of the $2.77 billion in back pay to former athletes as well as particulars of the new revenue-sharing model permitting schools to distribute upwards of $20-plus million annually.”

Opinions have been mixed on the new roster limits. While it will allow coaches to provide financial support to more players, coaches worry that capping a roster size at 105 will diminish their ability to stay fresh and conduct safe practices.

Asked if the scholarship number was high enough, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops provided a frank answer.

“It’s not but I really don’t want to get into much of that right now because it’s all still hearsay and we’re working through that,” Stoops told KSR at SEC Media Days. “I think we’re pretty collective within the SEC that think that’s a pretty tough number to operate.”

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin also outlined similar concerns about practicing with that number back in the spring.

“I mean, practice how you play and numbers could get low to where you have to overplay players compared to where you haven’t in the past,” Kiffin said. “So, there are some very big safety concerns. And the ability to practice well enough to develop young players also.”