College football coaches will now have more flexibility in roster construction, thanks to a new waiver approved by the NCAA’s Division I Council on Wednesday.
Division I will waive the annual signing and initial counter limits for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, allowing schools to provide aid based on the overall roster limit of 85 scholarships for FBS football programs. In FCS, schools will be allowed to offer aid up to the annual equivalency limit of 63 scholarships.
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The combination of the new one-time transfer rule and the extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 has resulted in increasing numbers of players entering the transfer portal — but no corresponding increase in available roster spots for potential destinations, thanks to a rule capping initial counters in each class at 25 players per year. Previously, there was no way for programs to add players if they had already signed the maximum allowable number of players for that class.
"Some schools hadn't given out all their scholarships and felt constrained by the annual limit," D-I Council chair Shane Lyons said in a statement. "This temporary change provides schools more flexibility and adds opportunities for incoming and current student-athletes to receive aid."
The Football Oversight Committee will monitor transfer trends over the next two seasons, anticipating that coaches will attempt to run off players to replace them under these new rules. That committee will then be able to make a determination on what to do with initial counters after the waiver expires.
The Council also voted Wednesday to relax requirements for FBS leagues regarding conference championship games, which will allow each conference to determine the method for identifying the participants in its conference championship game. This move paves the way for the elimination of divisional play, if a league so desires.
(Photo: Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Why did the roster rules need changing?
Nicole Auerbach, national college football writer: In effect, the status quo has limited opportunities both for high school prospects and transfers, because a program that’s under the 85 cap is financially able to provide scholarships to more new players, but the rule will not let them fill out the roster. Some programs that have dipped under 85 haven’t been able to get back to it because they lose more players to the portal or the NFL than they bring in as initial counters.
