Mississippi State weighs quiet SEC roster agreement as offseason unfolds

A reported SEC gentlemen’s agreement on roster limits has Mississippi State deciding whether trust or depth matters more in modern college football.

Mississippi State Bulldogs athletic director Zac Selmon is introduces during a timeout during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

STARKVILLE, Miss. — In the SEC, some of the most important rules are never written down.

They’re whispered, hinted at, and occasionally laughed about on radio shows when someone accidentally says the quiet part out loud.

That’s what happened when BestofArkansasSports.com's Andrew Hutchinson reported on a growing belief that SEC programs have reached an unofficial gentlemen’s agreement to cap football rosters at 90 total players, including 15 walk-on spots.

Not a mandate. Not a bylaw. Just a shared understanding.

And now programs like Mississippi State have to decide whether that understanding is something worth trusting.

The concept gained traction when Trey Biddy discussed it on The Buzz in Little Rock, echoing what Hutchinson reported. SEC coaches and administrators appear to be operating under a handshake agreement designed to keep roster sizes from ballooning in the post-NIL, post-scholarship-limit world.

The reasoning sounds simple enough. Prevent stockpiling. Avoid turning roster management into an arms race. Keep walk-ons available without letting depth charts turn into storage units.

Simple, until you’re the one deciding whether to follow it.

Mississippi State now sits in the middle of that choice, and history suggests the Dawgs don’t get many mulligans when they guess wrong.

The Bulldogs aren’t a program that wins by hoarding five-stars. They win by developing depth, especially players who don’t arrive with fanfare. Walk-ons matter in Starkville. Extra linemen matter. Bodies matter in November.

So when an unofficial agreement quietly suggests, “Ninety should be enough,” State has to ask who that number really favors.

Because in the SEC, agreements only work when everyone actually agrees.

And everyone rarely does.

Mississippi State’s roster math has never been about excess. It’s been about survival through a schedule that doesn’t slow down and a league that punishes thin margins.

That’s what makes this gentleman’s agreement feel less like cooperation and more like a test.

Sources: The SEC’s football scholarship roster limit of 85 is under review, after a one-year rule that was considered transitional amid the uncertainty of the settlement. SEC presidents are expected to vote in the near future on removing that scholarship limit. pic.twitter.com/b0sxTh9A5v

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 25, 2025

Agreement exists, enforcement does not

Hutchinson’s reporting makes one thing clear: this isn’t an SEC rule. It’s not tied to the NCAA. There’s no enforcement mechanism, no penalty structure, and no compliance office knocking on doors.

It’s an understanding among programs that expanding rosters too far beyond 90 would create competitive imbalance and unnecessary chaos.

Biddy’s comments on The Buzz reinforced that idea, suggesting this is something programs are talking about behind closed doors — not something they’re eager to publicize.

That distinction matters.

Because Mississippi State doesn’t just have to decide whether the agreement is real. It has to decide whether it’s evenly followed.

The Bulldogs don’t have the luxury of assuming everyone else is playing fair while they self-police. That’s not paranoia. That’s experience.

The SEC has lived for decades on rules interpreted creatively, especially when those rules aren’t actually written down.

Staying at 90 players means making harder cuts. It means fewer developmental prospects. It means less margin for injuries in a league where depth charts can unravel in two weeks.

And it means trusting that Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and everyone else are making the same sacrifices.

Trust isn’t exactly the SEC’s strongest currency.

Mississippi State has to weigh whether honoring the agreement helps competitive balance or quietly reinforces it elsewhere.

That being said, this could be the first domino to fall to set up a reduction in roster size. Hearing a lot of the big programs are pushing for it to go from 105 to something closer to 70-75. If that happens you may have to rely on some of those dudes to play 9 games and still RS

— Keith Brill (@KABrill21) January 14, 2026

Depth has always mattered more in Starkville

For State, roster size isn’t theoretical. It’s practical.

The Bulldogs don’t reload with plug-and-play talent every cycle. They build, develop, and lean on players who grow into roles over time. Walk-ons become contributors. Scout team players become emergency starters.

That’s part of the program’s DNA.

Limiting rosters to 90 players — even with up to 15 walk-on spots — forces decisions that ripple across seasons. It tightens development pipelines. It shortens evaluation windows. It assumes health and continuity in a league that guarantees neither.

Mississippi State has been burned before by being just a little too thin in the wrong spots. That reality doesn’t disappear because a handshake agreement exists.

The risk isn’t just falling behind. It’s doing everything “right” and still paying the price.

Because nothing stops another program from quietly finding flexibility while publicly praising restraint.

That’s the part no one wants to say out loud, but everyone understands.

SEC history offers a cautionary tale

The SEC has never lacked for gentleman’s agreements. It’s also never lacked for programs willing to test their boundaries.

This roster pact fits that tradition neatly.

It sounds reasonable. It sounds cooperative. It sounds like something everyone can live with — until competitive pressure hits.

Mississippi State now has to decide whether following the agreement strengthens its foundation or simply narrows its options.

The Bulldogs aren’t looking for shortcuts. They’re looking for stability in a system that rarely rewards it.

That’s why this quiet pact matters. Not because of the number, but because of the uncertainty wrapped around it.

Ninety players may be enough. Or it may be just enough to make life harder for the programs that actually stick to it.

State has to choose without knowing which version of the SEC shows up.

Key takeaways

• Andrew Hutchinson reported on an unofficial SEC roster agreement capping teams at 90 players
• Trey Biddy discussed the agreement publicly on The Buzz in Little Rock
• Mississippi State must decide whether trusting the pact helps or risks long-term depth