Imagine, if you will, Hunter Renfrow not catching the game-winning touchdown in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Imagine there was no Tony Elliott calling the plays for Clemson from 2015-’21.

Imagine there was no Dabo Swinney running the Clemson football program.

This is what the NCAA could be asking us to do with the future Renfrows, Elliotts and Swinneys of the world. The NCAA, as part of its proposed new athlete compensation model, could eliminate walk-ons as a way to trim roster sizes from 115 to 85.

Currently, the NCAA allows 85 scholarships for FBS football teams. Major programs like Clemson’s have another 20 to 30 players that are listed as walk-ons.

Reports suggest many conferences, including the ACC, are expected to vote for the compensation model at some point this week.

When The Clemson Insider spoke with coaches at the ACC’s Spring Meetings in Amelia Island, Fla., last week, it was something some of them were not in favor of.

Elliott, who walked on at Clemson back in 2000, is not a fan of eliminating walk-ons, neither was Florida State head coach Mike Norvell.

“I started college as a walk-on. I was able to earn an opportunity,” Norvell said.

Swinney did the same thing at Alabama, walking on in 1988 before becoming a starter by the end of his senior year.

“I certainly would not be here if I did not have an opportunity to go chase my dream and prove that I could do something,” Clemson’s head coach said.

The concept of removing walk-ons started to move across the landscape of college football earlier this month, as administrators started going over the NCAA’s proposed compensation model.

If approved, the “no more walk-on model” could be instituted by the summer of 2025, as one way to eliminate expenses if colleges begin sharing revenue with student-athletes. If a settlement is reached, schools will be on the hook for an additional $20 million to $30 million each year.

But some coaches feel getting rid of walk-ons is not a solution. They believe walk-ons bring a lot of value to a program.

“When you look at our team, we have had some great walk-ons that have become some outstanding players and great contributors,” Norvell said. “So, I think all of those things need to be evaluated for the young men that are willing to bet on themselves in a sense. They deserve to get an opportunity.”

Swinney says if that happens, the NCAA will find itself in more hot water.

“That is probably another lawsuit. Everybody talks about lawsuits and all that stuff, that is probably another one that will be coming down the pike,” he said. “So, you understand roster sizes and things like that because that has always been the case, but to not have an opportunity for a young person to go to the school they want to go to, accept the challenge, go pay your way and try to compete at a certain level. That is truly sad.”

The only things sadder are stories like Hunter Renfrow’s, Tony Elliott’s and Dabo Swinney’s never being told again. It would truly take something away from the game of college football.

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