Decisions on Returning Spring Seniors Being Made, Holder said It's His Job to Get it Done

The NCAA Division I Council just passed the measure a little over a week ago and schools now making decisions and showing their hand on bringing back spring sport seniors.

STILLWATER -- It just happened on March 30, but there were many inside and outside of college athletics that thought the NCAA Division I Council may have jumped the gun or at least acted earlier than necessary in passing the proposal to award all spring student-athletes an extra year of eligibility after spring sports were cancelled with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Division I Council created a decision for individual schools by awarding the eligibility but not the scholarship. Schools were left with the option of funding all of, some of, or none of the scholarship money for those student-athletes as they pass through that extra year.

The action has already started in response. I didn't think it would happen for awhile, but Wisconsin and athletic director Barry Alvarez came out April 9 and said good luck, but they are not going to bring back seniors from this spring. 

"That creates a lot of problems," Alvarez told WIBA-AM radio. "It's more complicated than that as far as numbers. You've got another group coming in, etc. ... You've got a group of freshmen coming in. Do you want this group coming back? How does that [affect] roster size? There's a financial burden that goes along with that."

Alvarez is a former successful head football coach for the Badgers and a former member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. He sees it one way.

Oklahoma State University Vice-President of athletics and athletics director Mike Holder, the former golf coach that led the Cowboys to eight NCAA team national championships, sees it completely opposite. Holder was highly supportive of those spring sport athletes getting the extra year and said he is committed to finding a way to do the scholarships.

"I have a lot of confidence in the NCAA because of what they did for all the spring sport athletes, they gave them an extension of their eligibility clock, which I think was the right thing to do," Holder said minutes after it was passed. "As an athletic director I have to figure out the financial piece of that because it is the right thing to do."

At Oklahoma State that covers 41 student-athletes that are receiving varying degrees of scholarship money from full rides to books and fees.  

There are fewer on the men's side. You don't know for sure how many will want to be back. For instance, Cowboys baseball head coach Josh Holliday said his eight seniors want to come back unless they get a good professional opportunity. The MLB amateur draft is expected to be shortened, maybe severely. 

Sport and Name	Position	Hometown and State/Country
Baseball - Cade Cabbiness	Outfielder	Bixby, Okla.
Baseball - Alix Garcia	First Baseman	Othello, Oregon
Baseball - Max Hewitt	Infielder/Catcher	Midhurst, Ontario, Canada
Baseball - Ben Leeper	Pitcher	Southlake, Texas
Baseball - Carson McCusker	Outfielder	Sparks, Nevada
Baseball - Jacob Ruder	Pitcher	Nixa, Mo.
Baseball - Ryan Van Leeuwen	Pitcher	Keller, Texas
Baseball - C.J. Varela	Pitcher	Katy, Texas
Golf - Ferdinand Muller	NA	Rennigan, Germany
Tennis - Mathieu Scaglia	NA	Frejus, France
Track - Garrett Calhoun,	Middle Distance	Boise, Idaho
Track - Martino Falls	Sprints	Sacramento, Calf.
Track - Ashenati Hatte	Middle Distance	St. Paul, Minn.
Track - Sukhi Khosla	Distance	Tallahassee, Fla.
Track - Ayrton Ledesma Fuentes	Distance	Tillamook, Ore.
Track - Mace Metcalf	Multi Events	Arkansas City, Ark.
Track - Jorge Perez	Distance	Reedly, Calf.
Track - Blake Scott	Pole Vault	Aledo, Texas

Sport/Name	Position	Hometown/State
Softball - Shalee Brantley	Utility	Broken Bow, Okla.
Softball - Carrie Eberle	Pitcher	Charlotte, N.C.
Softball - Alysen Febrey	First Baseman	Peachtree, Ga.
Softball - Logan Simunek	Pitcher	Piedmont, Okla.
Softball - Sydney Springfield	Outfielder/First Baseman	Flower Mound, Texas
Softball - Mackenzie Thomas	Catcher	Claremore, Okla.
Golf - Michelle Forsland	NA	Kolbota, Norway
Tennis - Katelyn Blumenthal	NA	Edmond, Okla.
Track - Ariane Ballner	Middle Distance	Elmshorn, Germany
Track - Aaliyah Birmingham	Sprints	Tulsa, Okla.
Track - Haley Geissler	Middle Distance	Owasso, Okla.
Track - Anna Gunter	Distance	Bartlesville, Okla.
Track - Kami Hankins	Distance	Edmond, Okla.
Track - Elliet Kulkim	Pole Vault	Jenks, Okla.
Track - Katelyn Larson	Middle Distance	Lakeville, Minn.
Track - Natalie Manders	Throws	Apple Valley, Minn.
Track - Gianna Moulis	Sprints	Glenpool, Okla.
Track - Baylor Nelson	Throws	Catoosa, Okla.
Track - Elaine Noll	Sprints	Guthrie, Okla.
Track - Peyton Osborne	Sprints	Norman, Okla.
Track - Bailey Sutherlin	Middle Distance	Ardmore, Okla.
Track - Michaela Vasey	Throws	Arlington Heights, Ill.
Track - Kira White	Sprints	DeSoto, Texas

The women's group is probably more of a known. Softball head coach Kenny Gajewski believes all of his seniors will come back for a team that looked talented enough to win a national championship. Really, with both men and women the biggest numbers, while they may not be the greater percentage of scholarship money, is with track and field. 

That number, 41 is still a big number that could run Oklahoma State somewhere close to $500,000 in scholarship. 

It was interesting that besides Alvarez commenting the school issued a release that said as friendly as possible that they wish their athletes the best but it was time to move on.

"UW Athletics places tremendous emphasis on its student-athletes earning an undergraduate degree and having a great competitive experience," read the Wisconsin statement. "In the case of the UW spring student-athletes to which the NCAA's waiver would apply, a substantial percentage of the student-athletes are scheduled to earn their degrees before next spring. In spite of today's uncertainties, we will do everything possible to support our student-athletes as they work toward those degrees.

"The athletic department has made the decision to not pursue waivers that would extend the eligibility of our senior student-athletes. Student-athletes in their fourth year of eligibility have concluded their careers with us. This group of student-athletes has our full support up to, including and beyond graduation. They are Badgers for life and we are greatly appreciative of the way they have represented our department and the university."

That doesn't mean those Wisconsin athletes can't find another school that is more willing to accept their eligibility and maybe award them some form of scholarship. 

This will continue to be another interesting facet of the COVID-19 impact on college athletics.