The Effects of the NCAA Roster Limits, Part One

2/24 CGC Staff

Photo: New York Times

We previously looked at the pending NCAA roster limits and proposed scholarship changes last July after the concepts were made public, presenting questions about revenue sharing, scholarship numbers, opting in vs. opting out, and the numbers of players that some schools may be forced to cut. Preliminary settlement approval was given by the District Court judge overseeing the House vs. NCAA case on October 7th, with her final verdict expected on April 7th. Even though preliminary approval was granted, there has been little concrete information made public to athletes, schools, and coaches. The initial signing period for the class of 2025 began in November, with some schools rescinding their verbal commitments to athletes, and others continuing with 2025 signings, even though their roster for the fall of 2025 will be over the proposed limit. For those that may not be aware, the NCAA has proposed a roster limit of nine for women’s and men’s golf, with the ability for a school to fund up to nine full scholarships. There is talk that they the SEC conference may lower their own limit to eight athletes, and other power 4 (Big 10, Big 12, ACC) conferences may follow suit, but these numbers are rumors until the final verdict and information is released in April. Information regarding the rules of schools who opt-in vs. opt-out of revenue sharing was recently made available to the public, with these documents laying out the details for colleges that choose to opt-out of revenue sharing. Varied information regarding roster limits (or lack thereof) for schools that opt-out of revenue sharing has been circulating since the topic was introduced, and we now know that schools outside of the power 4 conferences that opt-out will not be bound by roster limits.

Photos: NCAA.org

We heard from three current men’s head coaches, one from the ACC, another from the Big 12, and another from a mid-major school. It is a tough time for athletes, but also for the coaches who may be forced to part ways with athletes that they have formed relationships with. According to the mid-major coach, “It would be the worst part of the job to date for most coaches. We want to see our relationship through with all players and it’s tough to have that taken away.’ The ACC coach agrees, stating ‘To tell someone you’ve recruited and built a relationship with that there isn’t room is tough on a coach.’ The coach from the Big 12 laments that coaches didn’t really have a say in the matter, saying ‘The game was changed on us without us having a say. It's extremely tough to have to tell great kids they no longer have a spot.’

Photo: Junior Golf Hub

2025 recruit Walker Gantt is an athlete who was affected by the looming roster cuts, having been told a few months before signing day that his expected team no longer had room for him in the fall of 2025. Having built a relationship with his future coach for over five months. Gantt was preparing to sign with Augusta University until he was blindsided by the coach’s rescinded offer. Although it took Gantt by surprise, he notes the phone conversation that ensued must have been very difficult for the coach. His initial though was ‘Why me?’, as he had finished a great summer of tournaments and a good finish in his last event. Luckily, Gantt was able to jump right back into recruiting, contacting coaches whom he had built relationships with, as well as some new coaches. Gantt used our website to research teams that might be full, and which ones may potentially have spots for the class of 2025. He says ‘Many of the coaches from my old recruitment were very excited to start talking again. It was tough to start new relationships and recruitment with new schools.’ Luckily, Gantt was able to sign with Kennesaw State, a school that was on his initial list when recruiting began.

Current 2024-2025 roster of the National Champion Auburn Tigers, Photo: Auburn athletics

The impending roster limits and cuts don’t just affect the class of 2025 and beyond, but also currently rostered players. Discussing the issue with their current teams has also weighed upon coaches. All three coaches that we contacted have discussed the limits with their teams, with the mid-major coach saying ‘We have kept them updated with what they are seeing in the news and what it means now and potentially in the future. Mainly we answer questions to the best of our ability as they come.’ Communication from the NCAA has been sparse, and he states ‘As new information comes out, but with no firm answers, we get information from the school’s administration as its released. Very few people want to speculate and be wrong.’ The ACC coach, who likely won’t have to cut any current players, nonetheless, has brought up the topic with his athletes to cover all bases. ‘I’ve discussed it with our team so each person can have conversations with their parents and formulate a plan should there not be room,’ he notes, adding ‘The situation is definitely fluid, as it seems to change daily. For the most part, we haven’t been given a lot of concrete information given the case hasn’t been settled.’ The Big 12 coach’s school has been transparent as new information is learned. He offers,

'Our administration has been very transparent and wants us to be the same with our players. Yes, it's fluid and we are trying to keep everyone afloat of where things stand.’ The golf coaching staff has been forward and honest with the players, as he tells us ‘We have discussed everything with our teams, but made commitments to stick with this squad through the spring and didn't want to make moves at the Christmas break. We are still not convinced that this will ultimately pass in April. We are planning on it, but it's FAR from a done deal.’

Photo: Sport Recruits Blog

One result of the roster cuts will be a very busy transfer portal come May of 2025. There were rumblings of multiple names already in the portal back in December, from big schools such as Tennessee, Baylor, and Notre Dame (@brentleyGC on X). This indicates that some coaches have already had discussions with their athletes and have given some of them an early chance to test the transfer waters before the possible mass exodus from Power 4 teams in May. While the transfer portal was active last year, coaches expect the busiest transfer season ever if the roster limits are passed. The ACC coach notes the repercussions on the recruiting classes of 2025 and 2026, ‘I see this coming May as probably the most active portal season ever. I see this

as a negative for the 2025 class, and potentially the 2026 class as well. It’s very similar to the Covid year. Those two classes will definitely be harmed, as they’ll be competing for fewer spots. I’ve been shocked that programs haven’t already alerted their 2025s that there isn’t room; waiting until May is a big gamble for 25s. If I were advising 25s, I’d tell them to call their coach, or meet in person, and just ask them, ‘where do I stand.’ I’d want hard answers. Having to climb on the portal in May is going to be difficult for 25s with the first day of class just 3 months away. Gaining admission that close to the first day of class is near impossible at many places.’ We appreciate his frank answer and completely agree with his advice. We will discuss teams that have signed multiple 2025 recruits that are predicted to be at a roster number of more than 11 in part two of this series. The Big 12 coach adds, ‘We saw big numbers in the December transfer portal and will see another round of big numbers in May. There will more than likely be hundreds of D1 players having to either move to other divisions or just decide to move on from golf. So that's the negative side of having roster limits.’ While we still don’t know what colleges outside of the Power 4 conferences will opt-in to revenue sharing and will be bound by roster limits, we should have information after the response deadline at the beginning of March. Colleges that opt-out will not be tied into roster limits, specifically schools with mid-major golf teams, and may be big winners in the transfer portal come spring. Athletes who were the #8-10 athletes on a top ranked team may possibly slot into a #4 or #5 slot on a mid-major team, giving mid-major teams a boost in scoring and the athletes a chance to compete. What happens to athletes who were predicted to go to these mid-majors, whose spots will now be taken by transfers? ‘I see a busier transfer portal for a few years, but with limited spots on teams, there will be limited spots to transfer to as well. DII and DIII may be the biggest winners here,’ says the mid-major coach. As a whole, we may see scoring averages improve through all divisions in a few years, as the competitiveness for spots will be greater as higher caliber athletes will join lower ranked division I and division II and III teams.

Here at College Golf Commits, the general consensus is that roster limits and increased scholarship opportunities for athletes are a good thing in the long run, but we would like to see the roster limits phased in during the next two years, perhaps at 10 for the 2025-2026 and down to 9 (or 8 for the SEC) for the 2026-2027 season. It is unfair for coaches to have to make decisions so abruptly with little preparation, and also unfair to the class of 2025 athletes who were left in limbo so close to signing day or those who may be left out in the cold this spring. The coaches we heard from have a different perspective, as the Big 12 coach says ‘I don't necessarily think there is a better way. Sometimes it's best to just rip the band aid off and move on. If everything gets pushed through in April, then that's where we are and let's move on.’ The mid-major coach adds ‘I don’t know if the NCAA had a choice on the timeline, but this is a decade worth of change happening in 12-18 months.’ Athlete Walker Gantt concludes, ‘To be honest, I'm not sure what a better way to go about these new rules would be. Everything happened so fast, and I think a lot of players and coaches are still learning how to manage with new NCAA regulations every day. There is absolutely no one to blame but the NCAA for what they have done.’

Lorenzo Rodriguez in an athlete in the class of 2025 who was originally committed to the University of Florida. With an incoming 2025 class of four athletes, the Florida coaches were forced to make some difficult decisions, informing Lorenzo this past summer that he no longer had a roster spot awaiting him in the fall of 2025. Luckily, Lorenzo has found a future home at Wake Forest, another highly regarded school. His father, Carlos, also an attorney, has several thoughts and ideas regarding the timeline of the roster limits, and proposes a phased-in approach beginning in 2027 to avoid a plethora of legal disputes. ‘A phased implementation of roster caps starting in 2027 would have minimal financial impact compared to the potential costs and delays of litigation from recruits in

the classes of 2025 and 2026. An interpleader action from these recruits could result in substantial legal expenses and procedural delays, far outweighing the costs of a phased rollout,’ he explains, and adds ‘A phased implementation of roster caps starting in 2027 respects existing NCAA recruitment regulations by only impacting the class of 2027 and beyond, who currently have no engagement with or expectation of current roster cap standards. This phased approach upholds NCAA’s compliance standards while creating a fair transition for recruits in 2025 and 2026. This stability will prevent abrupt changes that may otherwise lead to regulatory disputes.’ A phased implementation approach is not a new concept for the NCAA. When Title IX was introduced, a phased in approach was used and created minimal disruptions by giving programs time to adapt to the new standards and rules.

While the focus in discussion of roster limits has been generally negative, there will eventually be positives for both athletes and coaches after the dust settles and cuts have been made. The Big 12 coach sees several positives, noting ‘Once these roster limits settle, the student athletes will never have been taken care of as well as they will be. Some increased scholarship, resources, and revenue sharing. With only 8 or 9 players, the individualized attention from coaches will be greater too. The one negative: The NCAA now eliminated our opportunity to have a couple "legacy" or "potential" guys on the roster. You need to make sure that the players you have are ready to come in a play and contribute as freshmen.’ The ACC coach notes both positives and negatives, stating ‘Positively, it will force prospective student athletes to choose a school where they are more likely to play, rather than going somewhere and sitting on the bench, as there won’t be as much room for guys to just hang around. For coaches, managing a team of 9 is easier than 12 or 13 players.’ He shares the same sentiment as the Big 12 coach, noting it will limit opportunities for a young person’s ‘dream school’ and it will limit a coach’s ability to find those ‘diamond in the rough’ athletes who coaches take a chance on and wait for them to develop.

Stay tuned for ‘Part 2’ of our look into the repercussions of roster limits, as we will look at the effects they will have on current Power 4 programs.