SEC Expanding to 105 Scholarships on Football Rosters in 2026

This has been a big week of change for the Kentucky football program. Those changes are not limited to Lexington. The SEC will be playing by different rules in 2026.

According to Ross Dellenger, SEC Presidents have voted to increase the number of scholarships on a football roster from 85 to 105 for the 2026 season. This change was made possible over the summer by the House settlement. Rather than make the move right away, SEC officials kept the scholarship limit at 85 for one season before expanding.

There are a couple of things to note. One thing we did not know until a press conference this fall (I can’t recall if it was with Mark Stoops or Mitch Barnhart) is that these scholarships do not have to be full-rides. Kentucky had more than 85 players on its 2025 roster. Like the old baseball model, they were able to break some down into partial scholarships to provide financial aid to walk-ons. This was imperative to ensure the team had enough bodies to practice.

Another aspect of this change: Schools do not have to expand to 105 scholarships for the football program. Out-of-state tuition and board for one student is worth roughly $50,000. That means it will cost the school up to $1 million in additional funds to bankroll the 20 players. From my understanding, that cost comes from the overall revenue-sharing pot. That is why it is considered a roster “limit.” Not every school may choose to fill all of those spots.

The cost to compete in college sports, particularly in the SEC, is growing. Balancing a budget has never been more challenging.

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SEC Schedule Announced Next Thursday

While the college football world is consumed with coaches moving from one place to another ahead of the College Football Playoff, the SEC will be looking ahead to next season.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, at 8 PM ET, the SEC Network will reveal the 2026 schedule for all 16 teams in the league. Dari Nowkhah will host the show alongside Gene Chizik, Cole Cubelic, and Roman Harper. We know who Kentucky will play next fall. In six days, we will discover how the schedule is balanced for Will Stein‘s first season as the Wildcats’ head coach.

2026 Kentucky Football Opponents

9/05 Youngstown State
09/26 South Alabama
Florida
at South Carolina
at Tennessee
at Missouri
at Oklahoma
at Texas A&M
Alabama
LSU
Vanderbilt
11/28 Louisville