What the extra year of eligibility means for South Carolina

There's an old saying that drastic times call for drastic measures. Well, if this isn't the most drastic of times currently, I would hate to see the one that is.

The entire country is in a state of panic and soon to be emergency as Coronavirus precautions get taken by Fortune 500 companies to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The sports world is taking as many precautionary procedures as possible, canceling all NCAA championships this winter and spring leaving a Final Four and College World Series sized hole in the college sports world.

Dawn Staley's dominant group doesn't get to play for a national title. Frank Martin's squad left the SEC Tournament with a bag full of what-ifs in terms of making the NCAA Tournament or NIT. Ty Harris, Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan, Maik Kotsar and every senior smattered across the country have maybe played their last games collegiately.

But, through all of this, there is a glimmer of hope.

The NCAA is granting all spring sports an extra year of eligibility for pulling the rug out from under this season in the span of 36 hours, which is 100 percent the right thing to do but brings with it an interesting set of issues.

It makes sense to give this wasted year back to the players, that way guys like Dallas Beaver, Graham Lawson, Bryant Bowen and George Callil, all in their last year of eligibility, get another go round.

After all, it's not fair for a player to have to see his college career end while refreshing Twitter instead of on the field.

The Gamecocks will have the opportunity to bring everyone back and bring in a top five recruiting class on top of that.

It would set the Gamecocks up for a more success with them getting all of their injured pitchers—Dylan Harley, Wes Sweatt, Will McGregor—back fully healthy and giving guys more opportunities to get better and work out before the start of the 2021 season.

It'll present some interesting dilemmas as well. If those guys opt to come back for another year and the Gamecocks bring even 75 percent of their 21-man recruiting class, it means they'd be starting fall practice with close to 50 players on the roster with most of those guys being on scholarship.

Baseball is only on 11.7 scholarships for 35 players—a problem in and of itself—but how do coaches balance giving guys the scholarship allotment they signed up for on their NLIs while across a now juiced up roster?

The numbers always work out and shouldn't totally be a problem but there are only so many innings to pitch and at-bats to take. It's hard enough getting 35 guys enough playing time, let alone 50.

Plus, the MLB Draft still happens this summer and the majority of the Gamecock roster is draft eligible and was going to use this year as one to impress scouts.

Now, with no season right now, how do they do that? Will they still get drafted and, with no real film this year, will they opt to come back or go pro?

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It's a lot to sort out, obviously, but giving guys the chance to end their careers on their terms is still the right call.

With winter sports it's a little easier—especially for both men's and women's basketball—since those scholarships are all full ones, so there won't be any divvying there.

All the NCAA would have to do, if they were to extend eligibility for those players, would be to add two or three extra roster spots and things would operate a little smoother.

Could you imagine a Gamecock women's program returning that fabulous freshman group with Harris and Herbert Harrigan coming back or a men's team returning four underclassman starters and Kotsar coming back for another swan song while incorporating Seventh Woods into the mix?

That seems a little less likely than spring sports, but the option is on the table and it would be an intriguing one.

Whatever happens, it seems the NCAA (finally) did the right thing and is giving the players a chance to have their senior seasons.