Opinion Roundtable: Thoughts On NCAA's Ruling To Allow Extra Eligibility

Adding an extra year of eligibility really shakes things up for football programs from top to bottom.

The NCAA Division I board of directors voted on Friday to give all fall sport athletes an additional year of eligibility and an additional year to complete it through a blanket waiver. The move is pretty much unprecedented and really adds a lot of wrinkles to an already very weird season of sports.

What does this mean for specific players at Michigan? Who does it affect the most? Who isn't really affected? How much impact will it have on each player's decision heading into the end of 2020 with a potential winter/spring season on the horizon? 

We discuss...

Brandon Brown

When I first heard of the ruling I had two questions right away — who will take advantage of this and what are the freshmen thinking?

I've probably talked about Chris Evans more than anyone else in the market this offseason but he's the first person I thought of who must love this ruling. After missing the 2019 season he needs another opportunity to prove what he can do, especially in Josh Gattis' system that suits him much better than anything he's done at Michigan so far.

A guy like Ben Mason comes to mind too. As a fullback in an era where the position is almost dead, his role has been phased out. As a defensive tackle, he just can't quite cut it. What this ruling does is give him an extra "season" essentially to figure out a role. He's not a surefire NFL guy and he didn't play a ton last year. With an extra handful of games, he'll be able to stick around, play if and where he can and try to find a way to contribute. He loves football and Michigan, so I imagine he'll take advantage of the opportunity.

As for the freshmen, what are they thinking now? Part of picking a school is the path to playing time. With upperclassmen now potentially sticking around for an extra year, those youngsters might have an additional season on the bench. It's hard for freshmen to crack the lineup during any season but it just became increasingly difficult for every member of the 2020 class with this ruling. In some cases it won't matter, because players who are ready will still head to the NFL, but in some it definitely will. Think about a guy like Braiden McGregor, who was certainly going to push for playing time in 2021. Suddenly a player like Luiji Vilain could still be on the roster creating one more hurdle for McGregor. It's not necessarily a bad thing from a team standpoint, but it can be on an individual basis for some.

Steve Deace

I love the idea overall, because it shows flexibility and adaptability in favor of players caught in the nexus of an extraordinary situation beyond their control. And let's face it, until recently (and still not often enough) flexibility and adaptability weren't exactly the NCAA's jam. 

I think players who don't know right now they're a top three-round draft pick should take advantage of it, and that's going to be most of your senior eligibles (5th year, true senior and redshirt junior) — otherwise the vast majority of them wouldn't be back now and would've already declared. 

View this coming winter season in the Big Ten, which I do think is going to happen now, as house money from a developmental standpoint. And then take full advantage of the desire to have a complete, real season again in 2021. Someone like a Brad Hawkins can only benefit from having more time and chemistry with the likes of Dax Hill. Chris Evans can only benefit from having as many reps on film as he can get in a Josh Gattis offense tailor-made for his versatility and athleticism. Then there's Carlo Kemp, who was already destined to be the rare two-time captain at Michigan. However, with this bonus year he has the unique opportunity to do so thrice. 

Eric Rutter

With the NCAA ruling that any player who competes during this year is essentially granted eligibility for an additional season, a couple players at Michigan could take advantage of this opportunity. With so much experience spread across Michigan's offensive line, those players immediately come to mind, especially since the O-Line in general takes some time to gel. U-M is replacing four players that were selected in the draft, and Jalen Mayfield just declared as well, so any of Michigan's blockers up front could be well served with an extra year to develop. Left tackle and center are the most important positions in my opinion, so Ryan Hayes and Zach Carpenter are the two Wolverines that could gain the most from another season. Of course, as the offensive line improves, so does the rest of the offense. 

Michael Spath

The NCAA's unprecedented move to reward another year of eligibility to every fall-sport athlete whether they play some level of competition this fall or in the winter/spring is obviously a huge win for the players, though a massive complication for the coaches and administrators that must find a way to balance rosters and pay for it (at a time when finances will be dramatically lower than before). I will be curious how many athletes truly take advantage of it, with the effects of the new rule impacting teams for multiple years.

As for who will benefit the most on this Michigan team, the obvious answer is whoever wins the starting quarterback job, whether that's Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton or Cade McNamara. McCaffrey and/or Milton (the two best bets) could essentially enjoy an exhibition season this winter where they craft their games only to begin a fall 2021 campaign with either two (McCaffrey) or three (Milton) seasons of eligibility remaining.

They may not want all those years before pursuing their NFL dreams, but what a luxury to have - a warmup season to hone their skill, find chemistry with their receivers and develop in Josh Gattis' system and then a full complement of eligibility to truly showcase themselves and chase team goals beginning next fall.