Athletes get relief with extra season

More than 2 dozen Gators get 2nd chance via ruling

GAINESVILLE — When coronavirus led the SEC to cancel spring sports last month, many University of Florida athletes were left to deal with a mix of emotions.

More than two dozen of those Gators were seniors who wondered whether their careers had come to an unceremonious end.

The NCAA’s decision Monday to award spring student-athletes an additional season and extend their period of eligibility was met with a sigh of relief on campuses across the country.

“This ruling is really going to help soften the blow a bit for those seniors who were enjoying their final year of competition,” UF women’s tennis coach Roland Thornqvist said.

At Florida, 28 scholarship seniors in spring sports will now be eligible to return for the 2020-21 school year and compete next spring for the Gators.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” UF softball coach Tim Walton said. “For the NCAA Division I council to give spring sport student-athletes … another chance to experience all of the things that they have worked so hard for leading up to this point in their

journey was really uplifting to see.”

The ruling, however, applies to every spring athlete, leaving coaches, school administrators and athletes to dig into the details to understand the potential long-range impact of the legislation.

A junior who takes advantage of the ruling will impact how a coach approaches future recruiting classes while managing a team’s roster and available scholarships.

Softball, for example, has 12 scholarships but rosters of more than 25 players. This leads to some tough conversations and creativity to make the math work.

“The only concern I’ve ever had about every class gaining the hardship year was what it was going to do not only to recruiting but roster sizes,” Walton said. “There’s a lot of moving parts and I think that’s going to be one of the most difficult parts of this going forward.”

All nine UF spring sports — baseball, softball, women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s tennis, golf and track field — face similar challenges and offer partial aid to most athletes.

Golf offers 4.5 scholarships on a team where nearly twice that many players are vying for one of five spots during a given tournament.

“There’s going to have to be some tough decisions for the kids and us,” UF men’s golf coach J.C. Deacon said. “It’s going to put a lot of people in some tight spots, for sure.”

One challenge could be addressing athletes on scholarship who are under-performing but now will receive another year of eligibility and intend to take advantage. Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis.

The NCAA ruling also brings more immediate financial consequences.

The 28 UF athletes eligible to return will not count against a program’s scholarship limits, but each athlete will receive scholarship money.

If every athlete were to take advantage, UF would be on the hook for around $650,000 in scholarship money, according to a school official. This total would not include academic support, equipment, nutrition, insurance and medical expenses.

Not every athlete eligible to return will. Deacon said fifth-year senior Blake Dyer planned to move on. Beyond that, Deacon sees only uncertainty until the spread of coronavirus subsides.

“We just don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “Are we playing in September? Is next season going to be wiped out? There’s so many things that are going to be up in the air and that are going to be changing for awhile.

“I think for us to guess about next year’s roster or 2021’s roster, I don’t think there’s enough information to do that.”