For so long many college baseball teams, including Clemson’s, have been hamstrung by the 11.7 scholarship limit.

With the House settlement potentially being finalized in the near future, full scholarships could be coming to the sport, something Tigers’ head coach Erik Bakich believes could be a game-changer for his program.

“Excitement is the word I think everyone shares,” Bakich said recently on the Mickey Plyler Show on WCCP. “However long it takes to get all the way up there. But any improvement is huge news because forever and ever playing college baseball was synonymous with taking out student loans.”

TCI has already reported that Clemson plans to offer 34 full scholarships to the baseball team, meaning players on the roster will no longer have to worry about going in debt to play the sport they love.

“Anything we can do to chip away at decreasing student loan debt that college baseball players are accruing by just playing sports in college is a massive win,” Bakich said. “Especially this idea that if you are on the team, you have access to a full scholarship. That is like a dream scenario. So if that comes true, it’s like a dream come true.”

Along with full rides for baseball, the settlement is also expected to allow schools to start sharing revenue with players beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The exact number that will go to baseball is yet to be finalized, but that concept is another game-changer for Clemson.

At the same time, there is one lingering question that remains, and that is how NIL will factor in once the settlement is official. It’s not something that is going away, but according to Bakich, there are several ideas that could potentially help rein in some of the underhandedness that has been ushered in with the pay for play era.

“I don’t know,” said Bakich. “There are so many ideas on the table with the distribution cap, the NIL being funneled through some type of a clearinghouse approval process, but nobody knows how the rules are going to come forward with how NIL will work. I just know when you’ve got good players and they have an opportunity to capitalize on their Name, Image and Likeness and earn a few extra dollars, that is a great thing. And I think everybody felt a little bit like this pay for play thing felt a little bit below the line. I think getting our arms around that as an industry is a good thing, but we’ll see. We’ll see where it lands and I know Clemson will be competitive in the space no matter where it is.”

A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available.  Get yours while supplies last!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!