The world of college wrestling is in troubled waters. The sport had only just begun to gain a larger audience on the world stage with wrestlers like Carlos Yulos, Abdulrashid Sadulaev, and even the ex-Penn State star turned coach David Taylor, amongst others. And then out comes concerning decisions from colleges like Campbell, who started cutting down on scholarships. But the realities haven’t gone unnoticed!

Recently, the NCAA took notice and made some changes! The major shift is from a “scholarship limit” structure to a “roster limits” system to allow flexibility. They have also introduced 30 full scholarships for wrestling! Now, while this sounds good on paper, Jeff Byers, who has been the Nittany Lions’ voice for wrestling, had some questions to raise!

Penn State’s Jeff Byers brings up critical questions!

In a recent interview, Byers went on to talk about the scholarships. He went on to say, “Like everything else in college athletics, it seems like we’ve gone from one extreme to another.” And why is that? Firstly, the scholarship increased from 9.9 to 30! And the other? Well, Byers doesn’t see many programs being able to afford that level of financial support. Of course, the big names like Penn State, Iowa, and Oklahoma State could make a difference. But what about the smaller teams?

Well, that’s the challenge! The Penn State radio host believes that funding 30 full scholarships is nearly impossible. Smaller programs could have an issue with resources to provide 30 full scholarships. What does this mean? Well, imagine the coach has 12 scholarships to give out to 30 athletes. This can be given as a complete scholarship to 12, which would leave 18 out. Or it can be distributed among the athletes while keeping in mind that the sum of 12 scholarships cannot be exceeded. But what happens when a program can’t afford to offer 30 scholarships in the first place?

Now, if the sport is underfunded in a smaller university, they may only offer 6 of the 12 scholarships. That leaves the coaches dividing six scholarships amongst 30 even, though the maximum for it is 12. If anything, the sport already had it harder with 9.9 scholarships. Now, this would also mean widening the gap in competitiveness and access across Division I wrestling. However, his skepticism doesn’t end there!

Jeff Byers went on to add, “I don’t even know about those three, but I’m assuming they will. So it’s going to be a problem for other D-1 programs to compete with those top dogs.” It’s a question that now echoes through the halls of many universities. While the NCAA changes seem like a step forward for programs like that of Penn State’s, Byers’ questions remain just as valid. And recent changes from Campbell, if anything, prove Byers right.

A growing divide? Byers’ concerns and Campbell’s reality

While Campbell’s wrestling program has been one to make much noise over the years, they decided to make some changes. Just a few days back, Campbell’s head coach, Scotti Sentes, was all about the upcoming season. He was excited about the season-opening set to happen at Jim Perry Stadium. Then came the announcement of uncertainty!

Campbell went on to announce that they would be cutting down their wrestling scholarships. They made a major change and dropped it from 9 to 3. And now, here’s the real issue! They won’t allow their existing scholarship athletes to compete. Talk about pulling the rug from under your feet! Now, this is not just Campbell’s reality but of many universities’. These cuts force coaches to divide up scholarships, often leaving athletes with just a fraction of tuition covered. Ideally, the scholarships ought to function as a means to battle this. But we don’t live in an utopian reality!

If wrestling programs continue to follow this trend, the imagined reality that Jeff Byers is talking about might just become real. So, as Byers put it, “Yeah, 30 full scholarships.” It could be a recipe that leaves many athletes sidelined. And as Byers sees it, this disparity could change the entire landscape of college wrestling.