Major college football teams could end up with 100 or more scholarship players next season. The thought of bringing back a bunch of sixth-year seniors will bring smiles to some coaches, especially at programs that rely more on developmental players than blue-chip recruits who tend to be short-timers.

“I know this, if we had every guy who could come back next year and did come back next year, we would have a really, really loaded group,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said.

There are 257 Division I football programs (130 in FBS) that will start the 2021 fall season with, essentially, two freshmen classes, upward of 40 players who still have four years of eligibility left. There are no plans as of now to adjust scholarship limits after next year to address the clogged pipeline.

“I think anybody that knows the true workings of inside programs, these college program will run kids off,” said Nate Hillerich, football coach at Pickerington North High School in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. “Kids will be transferring, going to lower levels.”

Eventually that could squeeze out high school players as college teams divert scholarships to players in the transfer portal or keep some tied up an extra year on players who want to cash in the 2020 eligibility they have in the bank.

What happens to the high school recruits as the scholarship opportunities shrink?