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8/7/2025 0 Comments Opinion: NCAA needs to hold the line on four-year eligibility at Division II level Photo by Kayla Drake https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ The NCAA Division II Executive Board needs to do some more thinking on a recent proposal it has sponsored to extend the eligibility of Division II athletes to five seasons. This isn't a wise financial decision for a large majority of students, who won't go on to play professionally once their college careers end.
It also has the potential to limit athletes coming out of high school because coaches have the opportunity to bring in more seasoned players that could help their program right away. The executive board cites data from the Division II Academic Performance Census that shows student athletes are taking longer to graduate. The proposal came from the Division II Eligibility Review Working Group, which was formed in early 2025 to review eligibility rules and made its recommendation after review graduation data and member feedback. Based on data from the 2022-23 school year, the proposal cites that 63 percent graduated in four years or less, while 30 percent needed between four to five years and 7 percent took longer. The proposal would extend the eligibility of athletes to play a fifth season as long as they complete it during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment. Currently, Division II athletes must finish their four seasons to participate in any one sport during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment. But giving the student-athletes another year will have a nasty financial impact. Division II athletes don't receive enough scholarship money to make it worth their while. According to an October 2024 article on Debt.com, the average athletic scholarship for a Division II men's athlete is $5,548 and $6,814 for women. The average cost of tuition for public Division II schools if you are an in-state student is $21,000 a year, while an out-of-state student's average can come up to $31,000. For private schools, the cost could be even higher. The tuition cost doesn't cover the true cost for a student. Once you add in an apartment or dorm, transportation, costs of books and other supplies, the price rises even more. For athletes, who have additional commitments to practice in addition to classwork, there isn't a lot of time to work to cover the cost, which means taking out student loans. Those loans have seen the interest rates steadily rise. Current numbers for direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans are at 6.39 percent for undergraduate students. Direct PLUS Loans, which are for parents, graduate or professional students come in at 8.94 percent. Anyone looking at the money in Division I athletes and thinking NIL is a possibility needs to be realistic about Division II. There won't be a trickle down effect for most of these athletes to chase. College sports were special because athletes had four years to make their impact. If the athletes were struggling to finish in four years because of the challenge of balancing sports and academics, providing a fifth year with the same distraction seems like a move in the wrong direction. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and College and a proud graduate of a Division II University.
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7/28/2025 0 Comments Slippery Rock University's Joe Cooper named to watch list for East-West Shrine Bowl
The list for the watchlist for the Shrine Bowl is an expansive one. But it is still a rare honor for players below the Division I level. Slippery Rock University offensive lineman Joe Cooper was one of 10 Division II players of the 1,000 players named to the list.
A number of players from Pitt and Penn State were also selected for the watch list. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] |
AuthorMy name is Josh Rizzo, I am a sports writer who has worked for a variety of print and online media publications since 2008. I specialize in community journalism, focusing on regular people who happen to play sports. Archives
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