SEC reportedly sets guidelines for scholarship limits, roster sizes in 2025
SEC scholarship limits will remain the same going forward.
On Thursday, the league told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger that it will set a scholarship limit of 85 players for the 2025 college football season. Under the guidelines put forth by the House v. NCAA settlement, colleges can roster up to 105 players. Schools will be allowed — though not required — to fund scholarships for all 105 roster spots depending on the guidelines set by their respective conferences.
The SEC became the first conference to formally set limits in football for next season, per Dellenger. With 85 scholarships available, there will be 20 walk-on spots for each school.
“As football coaches recruit now to build rosters for the 2025 season, it was important to provide them with parameters to manage this interim period as we await a final ruling on the House settlement which would address how scholarships are managed going forward,” the league said in a statement provided to Yahoo Sports. “SEC schools will maintain an 85-scholarship limit for the 2025 season, the same as in past years, with an overall roster size to be established by the settlement if it is approved.”
The proposed settlement, which includes a framework for schools to begin paying players directly through revenue sharing as early as 2025, received preliminary approval from Judge Claudia Wilken in the Northern District of California last month.
While it is not yet finalized, a final approval hearing is reportedly scheduled for April 7, 2025.
It’s a proactive step for the SEC. And it’s an important one. The winter transfer portal for undergraduates opens on Monday, Dec. 9, and will remain open through Dec. 28. For teams that will not be participating in the postseason, only a few weeks remain in their regular season before the attention shifts completely to roster-building.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said earlier this week on the SEC coaches teleconference that he had hoped to see the limit rise as high as 95.
“We’re being asked to play more games,” he said. “So, I wish we would have went up a few scholarships.”
Dellenger also reported that the SEC is “exploring” scholarship limits for other sports as well, though nothing has yet been finalized.
Ouch
Napier needs about 100 more players
RIDICULOUS