According to a SwimSwam source, the SEC discussed roster limits for men's and women's swimming and diving with coaches in a recent conference call ahead of this week's spring meetings in Destin, Florida.
The House-NCAA settlement proposed last week would pay billions of dollars in back pay for college athletes while paving the way for universities to share revenue with them, eliminate scholarship caps and institute roster limits.
Current NCAA rules limit women's swimming and diving teams to 14 scholarship spots and men's programs to 9.9, but there are no caps on overall roster sizes. Sources said the SEC has proposed roster limits of 35 women and 22 men.
The proposed limits would likely affect men's rosters more than women's: Last year, the average women's roster was about 33 players, with South Carolina leading the way with 46. Meanwhile, the average men's roster was about 26 players, with Florida leading the way with 41.
The roster limit for the SEC Championships is currently 22 players, while 18 are allowed for the NCAA Championships.
The settlement has not yet been finalized, so the U.S. District Court Claudia Wilken Terms still need to be approved. College athletes will receive about $2.8 billion in compensation for lost opportunities due to past NCAA name, image and likeness (NIL) restrictions, dating back to 2016. The more significant part of the deal is a revenue-sharing model that would allow schools to split up to $22 million per year with athletes, essentially a salary cap, likely beginning in the fall of 2025.
The settlement is set in stone for now, but there could be developments in the coming months. Jeffrey KesslerThe court will decide “the extent to which Title IX applies” to the settlement. Grant House The first class action lawsuit was filed against the NCAA in 2020, before college athletes were granted publicity rights.
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