New NCAA Rules...Uh-Oh
Helpful or Detrimental?
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New NCAA rules start for the 2025-2026 season w/ more scholarships allowed but new roster caps. Are these rules hurting the sport—especially mid-major and smaller programs? Taking away opportunities from athletes? I’m nervous.
At first glance, the numbers look exciting. Why? We get the ability to give more scholarship money out. For years, track & field and cross country have had the following caps.
NCAA DI
Men could have up to 12.6 scholarships to disperse to athletes on the team from anywhere from 1% to 100%. Most programs had no roster limits or soft roster limits, so walk-ons were quite common in programs to round out a full team and develop into scholarship athletes.
Women could have up to 18.0 scholarships to disperse to athletes on the team from anywhere from 1% to 100%. Most programs had no roster limits or soft roster limits, so walk-ons were quite common in programs to round out a full team and develop into scholarship athletes.
New rules for the 2025-26 season:
Most sports teams have been given the ability to raise the number of scholarships in their programs. Just some quick examples:
-Men-
Football: 80 increased to 105
Baseball: 11.7 increased to 34
Basketball: 12 increased to 15
Soccer: 9.9 increased to 28
Waterpolo: 8 increased to 24
-Women-
Tumbling: 14 increased to 55
Lacrosse: 12.6 increased to 48
Soccer: 14 increased to 28
Softball: 12 increased to 25
Waterpolo: 8 increased to 24
At first glance, you might think, “this is amazing, we get more scholarship money for more talent, and more athletes and a bigger future”. That’s a fair first thought. But the question is, “Where is all this new scholarship money coming from?” Great question, I STILL DO NOT KNOW. Nor do some athletic directors…so some schools aren’t getting any. Look at the new allowable increases in Cross Country and Track & Field
-Men-
Cross Country: 5 increased to 17
Track & Field: 12.6 increased to 45
-Women-
Cross Country: 6 increased to 17
Track & Field: 18 increased to 45
My first thought was excitement as I immediately thought we would be able to recruit more high-level talent. That thought was quickly smashed when I realized the increases are ALLOWABLE, not required. So, at a school like mine, the administration has decided that track and field and cross country will operate on the same numbers as in previous years—we will not have access to more scholarship money. BUT we still have to adhere to new roster caps in each sport—Men’s and Women’s Cross Country (17) and Men’s and Women’s Track & Field (45). Our program is over that cap on the men’s side, therefore, the first thing we have to look at as a program is limiting recruiting new athletes and potentially making cuts to get to 45 for next season. Essentially, we have been hit at both ends. No increase in money and cut some people from your team…it’s not a fun position to be in as a coach.
Good feelings gone.
As a competitive person, I want to help my athletes reach their highest potential, but I also want to help my team be one of the very best teams in the nation. These new rules allow the biggest schools with already the most resources to dominate and monopolize the industry even more. They will get raised scholarship dollars, and be able to fill their 45 man Track & Field roster with absolute stars. The new system creates unknown change and uneven opportunities. Before we all had the same money, so every school would run out at some point. When the biggest schools ran out, mid-major and other divisions had a chance to recruit great athletes that thrive under good coaching. The new rule takes that away.
Schools that are mostly distance strong will start taking scholarship money away from sprints, hurdles, jumps. And vice versa. To accommodate the change many schools will try new tactics, strategies, and “plans” that will undoubtedly hurt athletes more than anyone else.
Entire conferences are making changes too. Have you heard?
The SEC has decided to set smaller roster caps for men to offset imbalances (primarily caused by the 105 football roster). The men’s SEC programs will be capped at 10 for cross country, and 35 for track & field. This is drastically lower than the 17/45 cap being put into place by the NCAA.
Everything is changing. And it will start with recruiting and signing fewer athletes. Those initial numbers we saw earlier do not seem so exciting now. Do more men’s track & field programs get cut? Or both genders all together? Do smaller teams mean coaching cuts? Do programs shift some budget money to scholarship money, and travel less?
A lot of uncertainties. So many unknows. What next?
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