CAA Backs Fifth Year Plan for FCS Football
The CAA appears to be proposing a legislative proposal for this fall that would allow FCS Football student-athlete's to play in a five for five scenario. It is an interesting proposal, said to combat the fewer number of scholarship athlete's on an FCS team, and the often difficult decision coaches may face when redshirting a student versus saving the year and playing a walk-on. There appears to be built in provisions for FBS students looking to transfer down for a fifth year; it appears that a student would need to spend at least two years at the FCS school to qualify, at least as the proposal is said to be written. Given that FCS and FBS votes are now separate, it could play out differently that it would have in the past. Currently, there are sport specific rules for financial aid, recruiting and academic eligibility, but it is hard to imagine a sport specific rule for athletic eligibility. NCAA eligibility at all levels has been built on the four years of eligibility model and this would mark a radical change from that point of view. Maybe we will learn more about this as we head towards the fall legislative cycle.
