FCS and JUCO teams taking advantage of CoVID exemption in recruiting

Last week, senior writer Mike Craven wrote about how the CoVID exemption, not the transfer portal, is to blame for the drop in high school players receiving scholarships to FBS schools. Craven pointed out that 289 high school seniors signed to Texas FBS programs during the last recruiting cycle before the pandemic. That number fell to a low of 203 in 2021 and has begun to rebound in the previous two years.

What the FBS schools have lost by squeezing out high school players due to scholarship limits, the FCS coaches have been welcoming these players with open arms. Every coach I’ve spoken with recently has noticed a rise in the talent available from the high school ranks, and they’re using it to their advantage.