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TAMPA — The resemblance, from their names to their statures to their facial features, is striking.
Five-foot-10 USF receiver Sean Atkins is a dead ringer for Sean Astin, the diminutive actor who portrayed the most famous walk-on in college football lore, Notre Dame’s Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. Like Rudy, Atkins also arrived at his school as a walk-on with minimal opportunities for playing time. In his inaugural season, he caught one pass for 1 yard.
But he ultimately paved a somewhat parallel universe with Ruettiger. A couple of generations after Rudy was carried off the field by teammates after recording a sack in his only game in an Irish uniform, Atkins set USF season records for catches (92) and receiving yards (1,054).
“I feel like a lot of people like myself were under-recruited coming out of high school,” said Atkins, who finally was awarded a scholarship entering his third year in the program. “And (a walk-on opportunity) kind of just gives you the ability to showcase what you have.”
Now, those opportunities may become as obsolete as the wing-T offense.
The landmark House vs. NCAA antitrust lawsuit will eliminate caps on scholarships in certain sports but also will put a limit on roster sizes. Currently, Football Bowl Subdivision programs are allowed 85 scholarships and up to 120 players on their roster during the season. The roster cap for football moves to 105 for the 2025-26 school year.
Moreover, football becomes an equivalency sport, meaning — like baseball — scholarships can be split up. While most players will receive full scholarships, others can be awarded partial ones.
“Amongst coaches, it’s probably been the biggest topic of debate,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “I think we ultimately were entering uncharted waters to some degree.”
So, while more players will be afforded…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/requiem-rudy-college-football-future-115500431.html
Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Publish date : 2024-08-06 11:55:00
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