In October, preliminary approval was granted to the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement.

One of the proposed pieces of the settlement terms includes maximum roster sizes in every Division I NCAA-sponsored sport. In FBS football, that maximum roster figure is 105 players.

The average roster size in college football was 121.4 players during the 2023 season. That means there are some tough conversations to be had nationally as coaches and programs work to trim their rosters down to the 105-player maximum before the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz discussed how the new roster limits have made for a challenging December.

“Awful. It’s been the hardest part of this month. It could have been so easily avoided if we stair-stepped it. I’m sure it was a financial decision. Nobody asked me for my opinion or filled me in on the details. I’m sure it was a financial decision, like everything we do.

“I would argue whatever the dollar amount was, keep it the same and spread it out on 120, 118, spread it among 118 instead of 105 and not have bloodletting. That’s the regrettable part in my mind,” Ferentz said.

With the reality of the 105-player roster limit staring Iowa in the face, the Hawkeyes had those tough conversations this month. It’s evident by the amount of players that have departed Iowa’s program via the transfer portal.

Ferentz shared how the Hawkeyes approached those conversations with their players.

“There’s a couple ways to do it. I don’t know how other people are doing it. I’ve heard other people are approaching it differently. We felt very strongly as a staff we owed it to any player that might be in jeopardy to let them know the week following our last game what the status was, give them an opportunity to go out and prepare for whatever they want to prepare for.

“We’ve had guys leave the program at that point. They’ve left the program. We have other guys that are going to go to other places but staying with the program throughout the bowl. Everybody is getting bowl gifts, all that stuff. Everybody had the opportunity to stay with us and go to the bowl site and finish out this with us as a team member. They had the option of doing whatever they wanted to do. We’ve had other guys leave and already find other homes. We just felt like it was the right thing to do to give them a chance if they want to prepare for the future, do it. If they want to stay here, that’s great, too. It was hard,” Ferentz said.

As Iowa looks toward the future, Ferentz expressed concerns with how teams will navigate injuries during a season with the 105-player roster limits.

“Then the whole next chapter is going to be really interesting, too, because practice with 105 guys in college football. This is not the NFL. Nobody even brought up what happens if a guy has a season-ending injury. We can’t go out and bring somebody in to replace that guy. It makes practice a challenge, makes developing a team a challenge.

“Those are questions or discussions for post January. I’m not looking forward to that. I think it impacts a program like ours more so than other people that recruit five-star athletes every year because they’re a little bit more readymade. That’s the way it goes. We’ll figure out a way to make it an advantage,” Ferentz said.

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The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) recently revealed their depth chart against Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.

Iowa freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee wasn’t listed, but Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed that it’s not a cause for concern.

“I don’t know when we wrote that depth chart, it was probably last month. He’s fine. Practicing well. In fact, coming off the field last night, asked him how he felt. He feels great. He’ll be in the rotation,” Ferentz said last Friday.

This update is consistent with what Ferentz has said in the buildup to the bowl game versus the Tigers.

Ferentz said both Vander Zee and offensive tackle Gennings Dunker were tracking to play in the bowl game two weeks ago after Iowa’s bowl foe was revealed on Dec. 8.

“Yeah, both those guys are on track right now,” Ferentz said. “Not sure where they’re going to be this week, but I think we are a lot closer.

“Reece got to work—we worked a little bit on Friday—he was out there, so that looks really encouraging. Dunk’s probably a couple days away yet, but he’s doing really well, on a good path. Both those guys are eager to play.”

Vander Zee has caught 14 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns during the 2024 season. The 6-foot-4, 207 pound freshman hasn’t played since starting but then subsequently exiting the Northwestern contest and sporting a walking boot.

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Heading into the NFL offseason, the top question surrounding the Tennessee Titans will be about what they’re going to do at the quarterback position.

Will Levis and Mason Rudolph are clearly not clear-cut options long-term.

Outside of that question, the Titans will also need to figure out how to add more weapons for whoever their starting quarterback ends up being. Pursuing another quality wide reciever should be something that they try to do.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, there are ways for Tennessee to address both of those issues. Taking a look at wide receivers in the third or fourth round would make a lot of sense.

With that in mind, Justin Melo of Titan Sized has suggested a sleeper wide receiver out of Iowa State. In his recent five-round mock draft, Melo had the Titans taking Jayden Higgins in the fourth round.

“Are the Titans going to reunite Tee Higgins with Brian Callahan? Callahan’s offense will need an offseason addition to play “X” receiver next season. If Higgins proves to be too expensive, drafting a big-bodied weapon like Jayden Higgins offers an alternative route. Higgins does an outstanding job high-pointing the football at the catch point,” Melo wrote.

Higgins has put together an impressive 2024 season with the Cyclones. He has caught 87 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns.

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Higgins would bring great size to the Tennessee wide receiver room. His size would make him a lethal threat, especially in red zone situations.

Throughout his entire college career, Higgins has racked up 227 receptions for 3,317 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has proven himself to be a more than capable playmaker.

Taking a flier on him in the fourth round would be a very wise investment. He may not pan out, but if he reaches his full potential he could end up developing into a starter.

He may be a sleeper and wouldn’t be a “flashy” addition, but Higgins has all of the makings of being a draft steal for a team like the Titans who could use a little more help at the position.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!