Big Ten, Pac-12 Considering Sitting Out Freshmen in Varsity Sports
Big Ten and Pac-12 commissioners Jim Delany and Larry Scott have expressed they are open to mandating that freshmen athletes in varsity sports be ineligible during their first year on campus.
First reported by The Diamondback, the University of Maryland's student newspaper, the idea of preventing freshmen from playing their first year on campus was also reported by CBS's Jon Solomon last week, but concerning the Pac-12.
This is not a new idea, as it was a rule that was enforced by the NCAA until 1972, but was discontinued for practicality purposes.
One big argument that surrounds collegiate athletics is the side that is for allowing the athletes to leave to the professional ranks whenever they want, without staying in school a specified amount of time. If this new proposal is passed, could the mandatory number of seasons a college athlete rise, or will this ultimately be a glorified redshirt year for freshmen?
This is surely a product of leveling the playing field in college football, as we see an increase in the number of freshmen that compete and make an immediate impact on their respective teams.
If an athlete is good enough to come into a program at 17 or 18 years old and be the best player at their position, there should be no ruling that prevents them to play for an entire season.