Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule anticipates that up to 40% of his players may enter the transfer portal in the coming weeks. His college football program will not escape the impacts of a new NCAA rule concerning roster size.
This situation will be an unfortunate reality affecting all 134 FBS teams.
Following the settlement of House vs. NCAA in October, the NCAA has shifted from limiting scholarships to imposing roster limits. Previously, teams were allowed 85 scholarships, but the new guideline permits a total of 105 players on the roster. Consequently, 15 to 20 players per team will lose their positions due to this adjustment.
As a result, these players will need to enter the transfer portal since they no longer have a place on their teams. This influx will occur alongside athletes choosing to transfer for other reasons. Last offseason, roughly 4,000 college football players entered the portal, and this number could rise by more than 50% with the new roster limitations.
This could mean around 6,000 players in the transfer portal
Head coaches are bracing for an unprecedented wave of departures. Rhule expects that at least twice the number of the 15 players he is required to cut will leave.
Think this year, we’re going to end up with 30-50 guys in the portal with the new roster (limit) …
I don’t want any of them to go into the portal. I want all of them to stay here and develop. It’s just the new world we’re in. It’s going to be different.
— Matt Rhule
A roster turnover of this magnitude usually occurs in programs that have either experienced significant losses or undergone a change in head coach. Some coaches, such as Deion Sanders, routinely opt to revamp a substantial portion of their rosters each offseason, so they will be less affected by this new rule.
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