College football was built on stories like the one of Daniel Ruettiger, the Notre Dame walk-on who defied the odds and earned playing time for the Fighting Irish during its last home game.
College football was built on stories like the one of Daniel Ruettiger, the Notre Dame walk-on who defied the odds and earned playing time for the Fighting Irish during its last home game. However, new NCAA legislation could spell the end of walk-on stories on major college football rosters.
In June 2025, the NCAA's DI Board of Directors made changes to its scholarship rules. Based on the House settlement, Division I removed sport-specific scholarship requirements and replaced that framework with a total roster limit where all athletes could be given scholarships. In football, this resulted in an increase of scholarships given from 85 to 105.
However, the rule also caps the total number of athletes at 105. FBS programs were previously allowed up to 120 total players on their roster. There is a grace period to avoid having to cut athletes to make the roster number work, but walk-ons will soon be a thing of the past at the top level of college football.
One of college football's underrated awards is the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the most outstanding FBS player who started as a walk-on. The award was inspired by Arkansas offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth who became an All-American and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999 before dying in a car accident.
This year's recipient was North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker, while players such as Hunter Renfrow and Baker Mayfield have won it in the past. With no roster spots available, these players may never be discovered.
At Tennessee, star running back DeSean Bishop started his Tennessee career as a walk-on from Karns High School and redshirted his freshman season in 2023. Tennessee took in many walk-ons due to NCAA sanctions that limited scholarships, a punishment that is likely no more with the new framework. Later, he took the field and excelled. Bishop will return for his redshirt junior season in 2026.
Others sports are also seeing scholarship spots rise but total roster members fall. Baseball, which was notable for its 11.7 scholarships and practice of awarding partial scholarships to players, now has a roster limit of 34 players, all of which can receive full scholarships. The rule helps those players who were receiving partial scholarships but hurts those who could see their roster spot be in jeopardy.
The rule also dictates that men's and women's sports fall more in line with each other. Instead of men's volleyball being allowed just 4.5 scholarships and women's volleyball being given 12 scholarships, both will have 18 total roster spots. Scholarship limits of 9.9 for men's soccer and 14 for women's soccer are replaced with 28 spots each.
Having these roster sizes does not compel a school to offer scholarships to all eligible student-athletes. Schools are free to give out as many or as few scholarships in each school as they see fit, and many schools will continue to manage scholarships in a way that makes them Title IX-compliant. But with the money that can be earned from football performance, schools will pour all available resources into the sport.
The walk-on story is one fundamental to the college football experience. Like rivalries, bowl games and roster continuity, it too will become a relic of the past in the new era of college football.