On the final day of the SEC meeting Friday, league presidents unanimously approved a rule limiting conference football teams to signing just 28 players annually.
NCAA rules allow teams just 25 scholarships per year, but SEC schools generally over sign players, anticipating a portion of the ones they sign won't academically qualify. The new SEC rule takes effect immediately.
No one said the rule was a reaction to Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, but when the Rebels signed 37 players in February it set off alarms with the SEC presidents.
"The presidents and chancellors view the signing of a letter-of-intent as a commitment by a student-athlete capable of being academically admitted and can contribute athletically," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. "Coaches have their own decisions for signing a player, but the chancellors believe this is an academic-educational decision when someone signs."
Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said Friday that he wasn't shocked that Nutt had over signed players, but didn't care for the large number.
"I know all the academic requirements needed to enter our school, so I knew it would get down to the right number," Boone said. "We went through ones that wouldn't make it, he went through the ones he thought he would greyshirt. He knew how they would all be placed. I did think it all got a little overdone."
Earlier this week, Nutt explained why he over signed so many players.
"I wanted to really make sure we had a good relationship with the state of Mississippi high schools," Nutt said. "We knew that seven to eight of those guys wouldn't qualify. We were able to help some Mississippi junior colleges."
Slive said over the last three years, more than half of SEC schools have over signed players in the 26 to 29 range. The league will have the new rule even if the NCAA doesn't adopt it nationally.
