Imagine four-year Notre Dame starting quarterback Ian Book — despite not taking the job until his third year on campus. Or seventh-year senior Shaun Crawford. Or third-year freshman Brendon Clark.
There’s now a path for those oddities, and many others in a similar mold, to happen in college football and other fall sports due to the NCAA’s Friday afternoon ruling on fall sports eligibility.
The 2020 fall sports season — whether it is held as scheduled, in the spring or not at all — will not count toward a student-athlete’s eligibility, the NCAA announced Friday. It’s a free year, essentially, and comes with potential to shatter school and NCAA records and alter scholarship limits for several seasons. In football, anyone who plays a full year (if able) will keep that year of eligibility.
The ruling was expected after the NCAA Division I Council approved the plan Wednesday. It’s the same ruling as the one issued in the spring.
Players who were set to exhaust their eligibility this season who choose to return to their teams will not count toward their team’s scholarship limit. The team is under no obligation, though, to invite them back and can reduce or not renew the athletic financial aid they were previously receiving.
The NCAA also said schools cannot reduce or cancel aid for anyone who opts out of this season due to COVID-19. They cannot require athletes to waive legal rights regarding COVID-19 as a condition of participation.
Eligibility clocks were extended for all players. For example, a freshman this fall can be classified as a freshman next fall and still have five years to play four seasons.
Adjustments to athletic scholarship limits have not been announced, though extending all eligibility clocks makes amendments to those limits necessary. The other option is to not count any current player toward the scholarship limit after his or her four years are over but choose to use their remaining eligibility.
Notre Dame football has 14 scholarship players whose eligibility was set to expire after the 2020 season: Book; wide receivers Bennett Skowronek and Javon McKinley; tight end Brock Wright; offensive linemen Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey; defensive linemen Daelin Hayes, Ade Ogundeji and Kurt Hinish; linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath; defensive backs Nick McCloud and Crawford; and kicker Jonathan Doerer.
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