Written by Juliet Gahan (@GahanJuliet)

On Friday afternoon the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted to give fall sport athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the cancelation and postponement of seasons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a win for players nationwide. Fall athletes will also have an additional year to complete it through a blanket waiver. The vote prohibits schools from canceling or reducing scholarships if an athlete decides not to participate in the season due to COVID-19.

The announcement will have a significant impact on future team’s rosters and scholarships.

Every year there are so many spots of each position set aside for the incoming class. Indiana already has 14 commits coming next season. This could change everything for the future Hoosiers.

“If you don’t have departures out of that group then you can’t replace them” said IU Head Coach Tom Allen on Thursday at a Zoom conference.

Teams everywhere have prepared to lose senior athletes. They have set aside a certain amount of linebackers, running backs and receivers etc. This change throws off calculations made everywhere. However, in this time of uncertainty it is important to put the student athlete first.

West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons told ESPN “the eligibility piece, without question in my mind, is a win for them. As administrators, as coaches, we’re going to have to deal with a potential backlog on the back end, but I’m very confident that we've done it in other situations on a yearly basis. It may be greater numbers, but we can work through that with the normal attrition you have on your rosters, as well as discussions with athletes in the coming years about their playing time and their interest in potentially transferring to other institutions.”

According to an Associated Press article “seniors will be permitted to return next year and not count against a sport’s roster or scholarship limits. Underclassmen will get access to a waiver they can use to extend their careers, but beyond the 2021-22 academic year, those athletes will count against scholarship and roster limits.”

For Indiana, a player like Whop Philyor or Ty Fryfogle can play this season AND a fall or 2021 season.

The coming years for college athletics will look different, but colleges will do everything they can to make their student athletes get the best experience possible.

The Huddle

NCAA Votes For Additional Year of Eligibility During COVID-19 Pandemic

Hoosier Huddle