DESTIN, Fla. — SEC football coaches aren't sure what roster limits will look like under the new deal that is about to reshape college sports. Responses will take months to receive.
Collectively, the coaches made clear Tuesday at the SEC spring meetings that they want assistants to be a part of college football moving forward as the details of roster camps are worked out.
First-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko was more adamant against the idea of rosters being limited to 85 scholarship players.
“I am firmly against it,” he said. “I think it absolutely goes against college football, what it stands for and what it's about. I think that would be a major issue, especially when you look at the legacy of Texas A&M kids who will have the opportunity to play football at Texas. A&M could be taken away from them.
“I think that's a really bad thing for the sport.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart began his comments by saying he is eager to learn about the deal and what it looks like before forming a definitive opinion on the issues. He made it clear that the mere idea of eliminating walk-ons is disconcerting, mentioning that coaches like Will Muschamp and Dabo Swinney began their coaching careers as walk-ons.
“I don't know anyone who is against having companions,” he said. “At what cost does that come to us? I think it hurts high school football and football in general, when kids can't even dream.” [for the opportunity to walk on]”.
The problems affected other coaches. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea is a former walk-on who now coaches at his alma mater. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said his son, Brady, is a Texas player. Elko coaches at a school where the 12th Man, which began with a student coming out of the stands to play a game in 1922, is part of the school's tradition and includes multiple walk-on traditions.
Sarkisian noted that Texas has 35 walk-ins and that the ability to walk resonates with “what college football is all about.”
Coaches are months away from knowing what roster limits may be like. And in the coming months, commissioners and athletic directors will delve into the details of how roster limits can work. There appears to be time and momentum for a common-sense solution, as rosters with strict limits, with a specific number of scholarship players and leaving no room for walk-ons, would clearly face rigorous protests.
“I'm hopeful that we can find common ground on something that is a reasonable number,” Sarkisian said. “Again, I'm not opposed to change. Change will happen. Okay? But hopefully we can find a reasonable number where we still feel like we can operate at a high level as coaches and for our players.”
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said he has had rosters as small as 105 players and as large as 135 throughout his coaching career. A larger roster impacts health and safety as coaches can limit starters' practice reps. They can also help maximize reps for depth players who contribute to development.
“There are a lot of variables that come into play,” DeBoer said. “So, first and foremost, it's about health, safety and efficiency and having a successful practice that I think you want to run every day. That's important with the number on your roster.”
While the fate of the walk-ons emerged as one of the hot topics of the day, the coaches also made it clear that they were eager to learn more from SEC officials as this week's meetings unfolded. Decisions on this issue may not come until after the 2024 season.
“What I've heard is that you can't trust everything I've heard,” Lea said. “I think that's all to be determined and I want to know a little bit more about it.”
