Should I stay? Go? Purdue seniors will have decision to make after 2020

MORE: Training camp coverage

Sixth-year seniors are rare. But there could be a proliferation of them in 2021.

Given the unique circumstances of a 2020 season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA Board of Directors voted over the summer to give all fall sport student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, and an additional year to complete it, through a blanket waiver.

With this blanket waiver in place, current Purdue seniors would be eligible to return to the team for the 2021 season while not counting against the official scholarship limit.

“I think every team is going to be different,” said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm as training camp was starting. “For us, we don't have a whole lot of seniors. So, I think there's some other teams that are going to be challenged much more, not the first year because you can get all those guys back and have a loaded roster. But after that, it'll be challenges to get back down to the proper number.”

The Purdue roster on the school website shows 11 seniors (nine redshirt seniors and two true seniors) along with two graduate students. That's 13 players who under normal circumstances would be playing their final season at Purdue in 2020.

“We have a low senior class,” said Brohm. “We're not going to sign a big class, as well, due to those numbers to make sure that we can manage the roster.”

Purdue currently has 10 commitments in its 2021 recruiting class, according to Rivals. Incoming freshmen counting on playing in 2021 potentially could walk into depth charts that could remain loaded with 2020 seniors and fifth-year seniors who can return in 2021.

The NCAA's announcement in August did not mandate that schools fund the scholarships of seniors for an additional year. Rather, this adopted rule only allows for the temporary expansion of scholarship limits to accommodate seniors who do opt to return for an additional season.

“When you get to the end of the year, everyone will have an option to do what they perceive,” said Brohm. “And I would guess some will want to play again and some may not. So, it will get handled individually. But it's important that we give our guys an opportunity to come back and compete and play again, because I think the more experience you have, the better off you're going to be.

“So, that would be important that we talk to all of our guys. We (have) to make sure that we have a good understanding of who really wants to come back and compete again and others that may want to move on with their life.”

This "blanket waiver" is the same outcome that the NCAA decided to give to spring student-athletes when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled spring sports last March.

"All fall sport student-athletes will receive both an additional year of eligibility and an additional year in which to complete it," the NCAA said in a release. "Student-athletes who do not enroll full time during the 2020 fall term have flexibility in the progress-toward-degree requirements that must be met for eligibility in future terms."

The NCAA's announcement said senior student-athletes who take advantage of the additional year of eligibility will not count against team scholarship limits in 2021-22. But even with temporarily-expanded scholarship limits, athletic departments dealing with significant budget shortfalls may not be in position to spend more on athletic scholarships.

Here's the breakdown of the graduate students, redshirt seniors and true seniors on Purdue's 2020 roster, per the school website.

Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2020. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.