Montgomery, Ala. – In a significant development for college sports, all 12 universities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) have announced their participation in the settlement between the NCAA and House, which allows universities to pay their student-athletes. This announcement came following the conference’s 2025 Annual Spring meeting held in Destin, Florida.
During the meeting, the conference revealed that there will be no scholarship caps for any sport currently sponsored by the league. As part of the settlement, NCAA Division I schools can now offer an unlimited number of scholarships, provided that each team adheres to a specific roster limit. These roster limits are established based on the average team sizes observed over the past few seasons.
Alabama State University Athletics Director, Dr. Jason Cable, commented on the changes, indicating that while ASU can offer scholarships up to the new roster limits, they haven’t yet taken that step. “I think it’s a couple of years down the road in terms of increasing roster sizes,” Dr. Cable stated. He went on to say that the institution is ready to increase name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments. “It’s a great opportunity to bring students into the institution that wouldn’t have an opportunity with roster sizes increasing,” he added.
However, Dr. Cable noted the need for comprehensive evaluation and preparation regarding the costs associated with increasing scholarships to the new roster limits. The upcoming changes signal a potential shift in how colleges approach funding and supporting their student-athletes moving forward.
As the landscape of NCAA sports continues to evolve, many are watching closely to see how these new rules will affect student-athletes and the overall dynamics of college athletics.
