Dabo Swinney upset by proposed roster changes, impact on walk-ons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — College football may soon say goodbye to walk-on players, and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, a former walk-on player at Alabama, said it would be a huge loss for the game.

As part of the House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement, schools can no longer be limited in the number of scholarships they offer, although roster size can still be limited. Administrators quickly pushed for a lower cap — perhaps between 105 and 110 players, according to multiple sources — to reduce costs that come with the huge jump in scholarships.

The result would be that many current walk-ons would be forced to commit to their current team, causing a stir among coaches.

“This is the most unified coach in football history,” Swinney said. “It’s very disappointing.”

Sweeney began his career as a walk-on receiver at Alabama, eventually earning a scholarship after two years on the scout team. That experience, he said, led him to a job as a graduate assistant and, eventually, as receivers coach for Gene Stallings and eventually as the two-time national championship-winning head coach at Clemson. If he hadn’t walked into Alabama as a freshman, none of this would have happened.

“It wouldn’t have happened if (Stallings) didn’t see me,” Sweeney said. “I can’t imagine how things would have been different.”

North Carolina coach Mack Brown said the son of passing game coordinator Lonnie Galloway, the son of a trustee and the sons of several former Tar Heels players are all among the walk-ons in Chapel Hill, and if the situation isn’t addressed, he will cut them all loose.

“I have to tell them in January they can’t play football anymore,” Brown said. “It’s the hardest thing for kids. The money is crazy, but we’ll deal with it. But telling a kid on your team that you can’t play football anymore?”

Sweeney said that internally Clemson has considered possible workarounds, including a succession clause that would allow current walk-ons to stay with their team until graduation or even starting club football teams that would practice with scholarship players but play games against other club teams. school

“We’re trying to figure out how to attack it from a lot of angles,” Sweeney said.

Clemson, in particular, has a rich history of success with walk-ons, including Phillip Price, the starting left tackle on the Tigers’ 2009 ACC championship team, and Hunter Renfro, a former walk-on who caught the game-winning touchdown. Clemson’s 2016 national championship and now plays in the NFL.

Sweeney pointed to the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top former walk-on, as an example of how many players arrive without a scholarship but leave as stars.

“We’ve had great success with walk-ons,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “There are two (Cal) guys playing in the NFL now who were walk-ons. I don’t want to lose that.”

Some of the top walk-ons will likely earn scholarships when the cap is raised, but many others will likely choose to drop down so they can continue playing.

On the other hand, if each school were to add 20 or more scholarships from the current limit of 85 to the proposed 105 or more scholarships, that would open up 1,300 scholarships at once at Power 4 level, possibly prompting a groundswell of transfers. From the Group of 5 and FCS programs.

But the migration is unlikely to stop there. Sweeney noted that most teams travel with only 80 players for road games, meaning 25 or more scholarship players will be left behind. This, he said, will almost certainly lead to frustration and more players entering the portal by the end of the year.

The larger number of scholarships still represents a reduction in overall roster size, however. Most Power 4 teams will enter the season with at least 120 players on the roster — a requirement, Swinney said, to practice efficiently and deal with discomfort during a season.

Sweeney pointed to Florida State’s appearance in the 2023 Orange Bowl after 20 regulars missed the game due to opt-outs or transfers.

“Mike Norvell should lose the Orange Bowl without a walk-on,” he said. “It’s going to be a problem. Some bowl games won’t be played.”