House v. NCAA Settlement Signifies the End of a Major Component for Georgia Football

The recent settlement in the House v. NCAA case marks the end of a massive component for Georgia Football.

In sports, no story is more beloved than that of an underdog. A player (or team) that defies all odds and slowly rises through the ranks to reach a level of stardom that few ever enjoy has captivated the hearts of fans for decades.

In college football, the "underdog" story has been mostly supplemented by walk-ons. Players who do not receive a scholarship to play at a school, yet become full-fledged stars within a team. Individuals who began their collegiate careers as unknown members eventually become an essential component of a team's success.

The Georgia Bulldogs have had a handful of these stories throughout its history as a program. Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship turned from walk-on to internet sensation with his iconic "goggles" look, safety Dan Jackson became arguably Georgia's most consistent defender after walking on, and of course, quarterback Stetson Bennett became the Bulldogs' most decorated quarterback in history with two national titles.

But these heartwarming stories of "walk-ons turned stars" appear to be coming to an end. Earlier this week, Judge Claudia Wilken approved a landmark settlement in the "House v. NCAA" case that will usher in a completely new era of college sports.

The settlement approved a revenue-sharing model that would allow players to receive monetary compensation for their in-game efforts and would provide a spending limit as to what each school could spend for roster acquisition each year.

In addition to this, the settlement also approved an eventual shift to roster limits, permitting each school to hold a roster size of 105 players. In the previous NCAA model, schools were permitted only 85 players on a roster but were allowed to possess as many walk-ons as they wanted.

The new hard-cap roster limit likely means that the story of the "walk-on" in college football has come to a close and the sport's "feel good" stories will now likely come from players who are on scholarship.

College football has undergone a multitude of significant changes in the past decade, with century-long traditions giving way to make room for new ones to emerge. The latest upcoming change from "House v. NCAA" now appears to signify the end of the notion that anyone can walk on to their collegiate sports program and one day reach stardom.

With recent developments in college athletics, many fans have begun to wonder: Is the loss of walk-ons in college athletics an unnecessary blow to fans and dreamers, or is it a necessary evolution to maintain the sanctity of the college sports we have grown to love? A question that may only be answered with time.