"I'm just wondering how realistic it is to be an '08 position player and expect a scholarship from any D1, given the new NCAA requirements. It seems that many programs currently have way more than the 27 max-allowed scholarship players on their rosters and will have to whittle their numbers down this coming year. Plus, I would think that they will want to reserve most of their remaining minimum 33% scholarships for incoming pitchers and ask position players to walk on. Am I way off in my thinking?"
I posted the above comments as part of a post in the recruiting forum a few days ago and there wasn't much response regarding this aspect. I'd really like to open it to discussion. I'm specifically wondering about the types of players who will be asked to be among the 8 walk-ons permitted by the NCAA. Will they be current roster players who are currently receiving books-only or very small scholarships? It doesn't seem fair to reduce their scholarships to zero. Will they be newly-signed '08 position players? I can't imagine pitchers being asked to walk on.
Looking at some well-known programs across the U.S., it appears that most are going to have a difficult time conforming to the new regulations without some blood-letting. Here's a survey of current roster sizes:
Oregon State 42 (minus 5 graduating seniors)
Clemson 32 (minus 4 seniors)
Cal State Fullerton 41 (minus 4 seniors)
Univ. of Texas 37 (minus 7 seniors)
Univ. of South Carolina 34 (minus 7 seniors)
Baylor 40 (minus 7 seniors)
Rice 38 (minus 3 seniors)
And these schools have not yet added their '07 signees to their rosters.
I realize that juniors who are drafted will also reduce roster sizes, but there is no guarantee of how many will be drafted from year to year or how many will sign.
Has anyone had any insightful discussions with college coaches about this issue that they can share?
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