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College football rosters as we know them could be getting a dramatic change over the next year.
Initially, the NCAA was planning to grant an extra year of eligibility to fall sports athletes who lost their seasons due to the coronavirus. That obviously wouldn’t apply to Kentucky if the SEC has a fall season.
Now, the NCAA Division I Council has proposed allowing all fall athletes to compete in their respective sports and not lose a season of eligibility, according to Sports Illustrated reporter Pete Thamel.
Sources: The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any amount of competitions this year and it will not count as a season of eligibility. This still needs to be approved by NCAA Board of Governors on Friday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 19, 2020
If approved by the NCAA Board of Governors, that means Kentucky football could play this fall and have everyone back next season, in theory.
However, there’s obviously a lot of other details to work out if this plan goes through. Will roster limits be expanded from 85 scholarship players? Will everyone get to come back, or will there be a cap on it (say like 10 players from this year’s team can get an extra year of eligibility, but no more).
The thought of Kentucky getting to play this fall and have most of its roster back next year is an exciting thought, but there’s obviously a lot to work on to make this plan work for all of college football.