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Every school, as we all know, gets to have 85 scholarship players on the roster every season
In the P5, when a player gets a scholarship, the length of the commitment is tied to eligibility, not graduation. The scholarship commitment lasts 5 years or until eligibility is exhausted if that comes first.
To be one of the 85 (a “counter”), a player needs to be recruited. This generally means the player has taken an official visit, received an official financial aid offer after the August 1st following junior year, or has signed a National Letter of Intent. The player also must receive athletically related financial aid in year in which the player has remaining eligibility to be a counter.
Aid which is not athletically related includes scholarships available to anyone, family funding, and the player’s outside employment income. There is, however, an especially important exception to outside employment income:
We have a number of players who played in 2020 and are entering year six of eligibility (because the 2020 Covid year doesn’t count as a use of one of the maximum 5 eligibility years each student starts with). Could those players play year 6 at Nebraska without using a scholarship and get NIL and not count against the 85? The answer is No because of the exception above – they would not be on scholarship, but they would still be receiving athletic aid and still be a counter. Therefore, there is no reason not to give them a scholarship if they stay.
This same rule would appear to apply to recruited transfers out of the portal.
This same framework explains why PWOs do not get official visits – it would make them recruited. Anyone who took an official visit would be a counter even if they came to Nebraska and simply received NIL.
This explains the number we have for recruits and transfers. When 6th year guys stay – which is a good thing – they use a scholarship spot which could go to a transfer or HS recruit. As the guys who played in 2020 leave the player pool, this problem will go away because all players will be on scholarship until they are at school 5 years or use their 4 years of eligibility.
We will be able to get to 85 for 2024 with certainty even though we are way over 85 currently. This is because Rhule can still cut players under the new HC Rhule until fall practice starts next August. The pool of players he can cut excludes any recruits or transfers signed players he signed an any transfers. This pool, however, is only roughly a third of the total scholarship players including the committed class of 2024.
In the P5, when a player gets a scholarship, the length of the commitment is tied to eligibility, not graduation. The scholarship commitment lasts 5 years or until eligibility is exhausted if that comes first.
To be one of the 85 (a “counter”), a player needs to be recruited. This generally means the player has taken an official visit, received an official financial aid offer after the August 1st following junior year, or has signed a National Letter of Intent. The player also must receive athletically related financial aid in year in which the player has remaining eligibility to be a counter.
Aid which is not athletically related includes scholarships available to anyone, family funding, and the player’s outside employment income. There is, however, an especially important exception to outside employment income:
We have a number of players who played in 2020 and are entering year six of eligibility (because the 2020 Covid year doesn’t count as a use of one of the maximum 5 eligibility years each student starts with). Could those players play year 6 at Nebraska without using a scholarship and get NIL and not count against the 85? The answer is No because of the exception above – they would not be on scholarship, but they would still be receiving athletic aid and still be a counter. Therefore, there is no reason not to give them a scholarship if they stay.
This same rule would appear to apply to recruited transfers out of the portal.
This same framework explains why PWOs do not get official visits – it would make them recruited. Anyone who took an official visit would be a counter even if they came to Nebraska and simply received NIL.
This explains the number we have for recruits and transfers. When 6th year guys stay – which is a good thing – they use a scholarship spot which could go to a transfer or HS recruit. As the guys who played in 2020 leave the player pool, this problem will go away because all players will be on scholarship until they are at school 5 years or use their 4 years of eligibility.
We will be able to get to 85 for 2024 with certainty even though we are way over 85 currently. This is because Rhule can still cut players under the new HC Rhule until fall practice starts next August. The pool of players he can cut excludes any recruits or transfers signed players he signed an any transfers. This pool, however, is only roughly a third of the total scholarship players including the committed class of 2024.
