TAMPA — The resemblance, from their names to their heights and facial features, is striking.
Five-foot-tall USF receiver Sean Atkins is a dead ringer for Sean Astin, the diminutive actor who played college football’s most famous character, Notre Dame’s Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. Like Rudy, Atkins also arrived at school as a chaperone, with minimal opportunities for fun. In his inaugural season, he caught one pass for 1 yard.
But he eventually opened up a parallel universe with Ruettiger. A few generations after Rudy was carted off the field by teammates after recording a sack in his only game in an Irish uniform, Atkins set USF season records for receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,054).
“I feel like a lot of people like me were under-recruited coming out of high school,” said Atkins, who finally received a scholarship entering his third year in the program. “And (an immediate opportunity) just gives you the ability to show what you’ve got.”
Now, those opportunities could become as obsolete as the wing-T offense.
O Historic antitrust case House vs. NCAA will eliminate limits on scholarships in certain sports, but it will also place a cap on roster sizes. Currently, Football Bowl Subdivision programs allow 85 scholarships and up to 120 players on their roster during the season. The football roster cap increases to 105 for the 2025-26 school year.
Additionally, football becomes an equivalency sport, which means that – like baseball – scholarships can be split. While most players receive full scholarships, others may receive partial scholarships.
“Among coaches, this has probably been the biggest topic of debate,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “I think ultimately we were entering uncharted waters, to some extent.”
So while more players will have scholarship opportunities, walk-ons will essentially disappear at most schools. The same will happen with some of the most exciting stories in sports. Although Rudy is the best-known tale, it is hardly alone; social media annually is filled with video clips of a coach awarding a resilient scholarship in a team meeting, provoking screams from colleagues.
“I think it’s a strange kind of rule coming into play,” Atkins said. “I feel like that counts a lot of people.”
Generally, roster changes have been met with resistance – ranging from passive to passionate – from college football coaches. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was a walk-on (at Alabama). So did former Gators and South Carolina coach Will Muschamp (at Georgia).
NFL stars who began their college careers as assistants include Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt and six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews.
“I don’t think anyone really cares what my opinion is on this, but there are going to be a lot of guys who don’t have a home,” USF coach Alex Golesh said. “Part of college football is the stories. …Man, these stories are special.”
Once the legislation comes into force, these comforting stories will be replaced by headaches.
The reduced roster size coincides with an expansion of the college football playoffs, when some teams can play up to 17 games, creating potential depth concerns moving forward. Let’s say all your problems fall apart – there’s no one to pull out of the pool.
“It’s frustrating,” Swinney said at the recent ACC Football Kickoff, “because we’re going to play more games than we’ve ever played, practice more than we’ve ever practiced, and we’re going to have the smallest roster we can.” I ever had.”
And while Power Four teams can fund an additional 20 football scholarships annually, some in the Group of Five may not be able to, widening the disparity between the sport’s haves and have-nots. Managing 105 scholarship athletes can also be complicated; those who don’t log any playing time may choose to move on, further clogging an already oversaturated NCAA transfer portal.
High school players also may not see an upside to the opportunities. The conventional thinking is that these extra scholarships will likely go to portal players.
“I can’t imagine that all of a sudden everyone is going to sign 20 more high school players,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said.
And the USFs of the world? A player who can project as a significant contributor to the Bulls could choose a second- or third-string role at a Power Four program with an abundance of scholarships and possibly greater name, image and likeness revenue.
“I think this is going to put a lot of pressure on personnel departments, recruiting departments and certainly coaches to evaluate correctly,” Golesh said.
But at the center of this new era is the concept of the walk-on, which fades into college football’s oblivion. Unfortunately, another precious piece of the sport’s fabric — like the Pac-12, the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry, the SEC on CBS — is being ripped away.
“It kind of bothers me, honestly, because that’s my kind of makeup,” Atkins said. “It’s what I am.”
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls
Top 10 state walk-ons
In ascending order, we rank the 10 greatest players in Florida college football history:
10. LS Ryan Benjamin, USF (1997-2000)
Former River Ridge High standout went on to become a long snapper on Bucs’ first Super Bowl team
9.RB Greg McCrae, UCF (2017-2020)
This Canadian Football League tailback holds the Knights’ career record for yards per carry (6.45)
8. PK Judd Davis, Florida (1991-1994)
Won the Lou Groza Award as the country’s best kicker in 1993
7. DB Shevin Smith, FSU (1994-1997)
The Miami native evolved into a second-team All-ACC pick, played two seasons with the Bucs
6. WR Sean Atkins, USF (2019-present)
Unassuming speedster set USF season records in receptions (92), receiving yards (1,054) in 2023
5. WR Chris Doering, Florida (1991-1995)
The Gainesville native became a first-team All-SEC pick and set a UF career record with 31 touchdown receptions
4. S Louis Oliver, Florida (1985-1988)
Belle Glade native became first-team All-American and drafted in the first round of the NFL
3. QB Kerwin Bell, Florida (1983-1987)
Rural North Florida native evolved into 1984 SEC Player of the Year
2. DE Andre Wadsworth, FSU (1994-1997)
Recruited by a school, Wadsworth was named ACC Player of the Year in 1997, drafted third overall
1. WR Santana Moss, Miami (1997-2000)
Eventual Pro Bowler set UM career records in receiving yards (2,546) and all-purpose yards (4,394)
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