Eugene, Oregon – July 15: Team Athlete Refugee Angelinana Diro Harris competes for women …(+)
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Rita Gary was a mother before becoming a coach.
And when it comes to being a mother, Furman University’s female head coach is aiming to have the kind of opportunity his son, a female head coach in cross country and track and field, and a high school soccer player, is known to shape him in the future. That includes college soccer.
“I know how much he wants to be involved in sports,” Gary said. “I want him to know how sports teaches him about hard work, values and goal setting.”
However, at the current university level, scholarships are becoming increasingly difficult for American-born athletes. NCAA rules currently limit men’s soccer programs to around 10 scholarships per team, but future home and NCAA settlements will overturn the idea of scholarship restrictions.
Vermont Catamount, the 2024 NCAA men’s soccer champion, has rocked a rather surprising momentum in the tournament of the year, featuring 12 international players on a 28-man roster. Meanwhile, Clemson’s men’s soccer team – the Gary’s lives at a public university in South Carolina – featured a roster of 38% international players.
“I understand that athletics is another college skill and that funding comes from a different path,” Gary said. “But I think (public universities) should support the value of the charters they were established.”
Last week, lawmakers introduced two identical bills in the Senate and House, and state-run universities aim to limit the amount of scholarships they can offer to non-US athletes in a given year, so lawmakers introduced two identical bills.
Senate Bill 1319, introduced by Senator Brandon Clayton, and House Bill 3100, set up by Republican Drew Derby, outlined a law that would only win 25% of scholarships that include grants and financial support to foreign athletes over the school year.
“Even though you may be led to believe, university sports are not business, our universities are not business that maximizes shareholder benefits, and taxes provide education and athletic opportunities for American citizens whose businesses are funded,” Derby told Front Office Sports, which first reported the bill. “The law still allows foreign recruits to award scholarships, but it ensures that the system is not abused to employ talent for the sole purpose of winning and deviating from the sacred mission of higher education.”
How Texas Senate and House laws will change the future of Olympic sports
Gary is an outside perspective. But she is also very aware of how sports are changing in today’s modern era.
“I’m grateful for diversity,” Gary said. “Variety is the spice of life. I don’t think this has to be either or a situation. But so far I hate seeing the pendulum swing in the opposite direction.”
Millions of dollars are pouring into soccer and basketball programs through group and zero trading, but Olympic sports are trying to get the resources they have allocated.
That’s why athletics program leaders have been thinking outside the box for the past five to ten years.
The sprint-based programme means landing talent from hotbeds such as Nigeria and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, distance-driven teams are focusing on the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Even on an individual basis, the strategy paid off at public universities in Texas. In 2024, the Texas Tech men won the indoor title and exploited the core involvement from international recruits.
In 2022 and 2023, the University of Texas men and women won indoor and outdoor titles, with some important performances coming from international recruits.
In 2023, St. Lucia-born Sprinter and Texas alum Julien Alfred pushed her name into Longhorns history, essentially the Heisman of Track. She won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 in 100 meters.
Her success in Texas was due to long-term thinking, acquainted with coaching by Edrik Floréal. Born in Haiti and in 1988 and 1992 at the Canadian Olympian, Floral is considered one of the top track and field coaches for the NCAA, pulsating in stimulating athlete development from both inside and outside the United States.
Paris, France – August 3: St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred celebrates after winning the gold medal …(+)
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The broad impact of the Senate and House laws on Texas Sports
The impact of spending limits on Texas school scholarships could have a major impact on the other side of the coin. Perhaps it’s a difference to signing Alfred’s caliber athletes and not doing so. Eliminating opportunities could potentially thwart hundreds of future athletes from developing.
According to a 2023 NCAA survey, international athletes account for around 14% of male and female teams in Division I athletics. A total of 25,000 international students participated in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, and 520,000 athletes were reported in the NCAA in 2022.
Gary says the pendulum may be starting to get a little too big in the other direction. Without guardrails, trends could begin to completely change the sport. When he reached for comment, Texas Tech head coach Wes Kitley (who was open but declined to comment), but Texas coach Floral did not respond to an email sent to him.
In 2024, the Texas Technology men’s cross-country team was 33% international, including five Kenyans, one of which is 28 years old.
The core goal at the exercise level is to drive decision-making. Or maybe it’s just a matter of developing a victory formula.
“What is the coaches expected?” Gary said. “If it wins at all costs, I think they are just doing their job, but that’s why I like how the law is intervening.
“We need to set our level. What is our value? Where do you see athletics benefits our community? What does it look like? That’s a big part of this conversation to me.”
