The NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee is set to expand the 25-man signing limit to a maximum of 32, according to a report from Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger on Tuesday.
Raising the limit is viewed as a necessary counterbalance to the 1-time transfer waiver, where players can leave and play immediately and possibly leave their old programs in a lurch.
Until now, programs have been limited to 25 initial counters. Once approved, coaches could replace each out-bound transfer with an in-bound transfer, up to seven players.
One change from the plan in that story: Teams can replace *any* 7 players who enter the portal (even if they're dismissed).
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 14, 2021
Those leaving for NFL or retire can't be replaced.
Key date is December signing period. Players entering the portal after that can be replaced (up to 7).
One of the key drivers for political action here was the industry's fear that fewer and fewer players would be signed directly out of high school.
The way the system is currently constructed, coaches are incentivized to take transfers over a high school recruit, given the transfer is older and more likely to contribute immediately, has already adjusted to college life and, crucially, is more "locked in" to your program since he will have already used his waiver to join your program.
This waiver would not pit high school players against transfers for scholarship offers.