http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Power-5-pass-full-cost-of-attendance-What-does-it-mean
The biggest news to come out of Saturday was allowing the full cost of attendance in financial assistance, which passed by a 79-1 vote.
Student-athletes no longer can only be paid the cost of an athletic scholarship (tuition, room and board, books, etc.). Instead, there will be a federally-determined actual cost of attendance that schools can offer — what a normal student would spend annually. The new legislation goes into effect on Aug. 1.
This cost of attendance will vary between schools, and some coaches at the AFCA Convention in Louisville last week said they could see it affecting recruiting. Although the full cost will be covered, that full cost could be higher at another school, and that could be used in a recruiting pitch.
For example, the Austin American-Statesman reports student-athletes at the University of Texas will receive an extra $4,500-$5,000. At another school, a student-athlete could receive more money, but their expenditures would theoretically be more, too. Still, as one coach at the AFCA convention said, some families of recruits will hear “more money” and may be influenced by that. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Another passed proposal states coaches in the Power 5 can no longer pull or reduce scholarships for athletic reasons, and scholarships are guaranteed for four years.
In addition, student-athletes can borrow against their future earnings with loss-of-value insurance, and there will be new concussion management protocol.
There are 80 votes on the proposals: the 65 schools and 15 student-athlete representatives. The bottom line with autonomy is this: The schools with more money can use it, without needing support from the smaller schools that can’t afford it.
Passing Saturday's proposals was the start of a new era.
