In May, the SEC discussed potential roster limits for men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs with coaches ahead of the conference’s spring meetings. Today, sources told SwimSwam that the SEC has finalized the men’s roster cap at 22 athletes—the same number proposed in May. An official announcement is expected soon.
Current NCAA rules limit women’s swimming and diving teams to 14 scholarships and men’s programs to 9.9. While there are roster limits for conference and NCAA championships, there is no cap on overall roster size.
Part of the House v. NCAA settlement, granted preliminary approval this month after Judge Claudia Wilken set parties back to the drawing board in September, eliminated scholarship caps, replacing them with roster limits.
In July, The Athletic reported that the football team roster cap will be 105, which is up from the current scholarship limit of 85, which has been in place for decades. The SEC is cutting men’s roster spots in its other sports to offset this increase and stay compliant with Title IX.
Sources also told SwimSwam that neither the ACC nor Big Ten will follow the SEC in setting the men’s swim and dive roster caps at 22. Both conferences sponsor 28 sports, seven more than the SEC, which gives them more flexibility over their roster limits than the SEC.
Last season, the average men’s roster was approximately 26 swimmers. The Florida Gators had the biggest roster with 41 athletes.
The final approval hearing for the House v. NCAA settlement is scheduled for Apr. 7, 2025. While there is the possibility that more legal appeals will arise before then, if final approval is granted, direct revenue sharing will be implemented in July 2025.
