The new NCAA roster limits could drastically change the landscape of college sports, particularly for athletes who walk on without scholarships. These changes, set to begin in the 2025-26 school year, arise from the House v. NCAA settlement, which may shift many schools to a revenue-sharing model, impacting larger, revenue-generating programs the most.
In essence, this new model limits the total number of roster spots while allowing all rostered athletes full scholarships. Schools, however, have to opt-in to this program. This structure directly reduces the number of walk-on opportunities, which historically have been a vital pathway for players who may not initially receive scholarships but still contribute substantially to teams, especially during practice sessions. For football, for example, rosters will be capped at 105 players, a cut from the typical 120-128 range. Olympic sports will face similar restrictions, greatly impacting their rosters.
This shift most heavily impacts schools that participate in revenue sharing, meaning powerhouse programs are likely to feel this more acutely than smaller schools. Power conferences will need to adjust their recruitment strategies, now leaning even more towards top scholarship-ready talent. In contrast, smaller institutions may opt out of the revenue-sharing model to maintain flexibility with roster and scholarship allocations.
In sum, while these limits aim to provide more robust financial support for college athletes through expanded scholarships, they also narrow the traditional entry points for walk-ons, potentially diminishing opportunities and altering team dynamics.
