It remains to be seen who will succeed in replicating Deion Sanders's instant, wholesale roster makeover at Colorado, but the NCAA has made it easier for others to try.
On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Council formally removed the annual limit on initial counters, which limited FBS programs to signing 25 high school and junior college players and FCS programs to 30.
The rule was put in place in 2011 as a response to Ole Miss (among others) signing 37 players in its 2009 class.
However, subsequent rule changes -- most importantly the transfer portal -- rendered the initial counter rule obsolete. The NCAA suspended the 25-man signing limit (in FBS) as part of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and its related fallout, but signaled more than a year ago that the temporary change would eventually become permanent.
Moving forward, FBS programs now simply must be at or below 85 scholarship players by the opening of training camp. If coaches want to bring in 85 new players from season to season, the NCAA rule book won't stop them.
In addition to shortening the transfer portal window, the Division I Council also rubber-stamped the following changes:
-- Attendance requirements to achieve or maintain FBS membership have been eliminated, effective immediately.
-- Related to that, the application fee to transition from FCS to FBS has increased from $5,000 to $5 million, also effective immediately.
-- All FBS programs are required to provide at least 90 percent of available scholarships across 16 sports, including football. Additionally, FBS teams must fund 210 scholarships per year, totaling no less than $6 million. (That's effective 2027.)
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.