What happens to wrestlers in the transfer portal who don't get picked up?

[CHROMEBIRD]

4 hours ago, alex1fly said:

Ok I have some dumb questions because it seems like this won’t actually help smaller programs. 
 

1. Even with a 30 man roster limit what’s to stop top teams from having extra killers in the room with RTC/greyshirts, paying them, and having them compete unattached? 
2. With wealthy donors already the top programs, why wouldn’t they also bankroll 30 scholarships? 20 extra scholarships at 50k each is a million bucks (the rumored price of several NIL deals), keeps studs out of other lineups, builds up the room…

I don’t know, I’m certainly missing something (like a bunch of money to throw at college wrestlers lol)

Yeah, folks on here have speculated that some programs will get around the roster cap via clubs/RTC. And while fully funding 30 schollies is a nice idea, donors wouldn't do that because there are alternatives that would likely produce better returns, like donating to the RTC, funding new facilities & equipment (and maybe having your name attached to it on a plaque, which a lot of donors dig), or giving elite guys outside NIL deals to keep them on the roster. 

None of this applies to Iowa ofc, because we're obviously

[Wrestleknownothing]

5 hours ago, alex1fly said:

Ok I have some dumb questions because it seems like this won’t actually help smaller programs. 
 

1. Even with a 30 man roster limit what’s to stop top teams from having extra killers in the room with RTC/greyshirts, paying them, and having them compete unattached? 
2. With wealthy donors already the top programs, why wouldn’t they also bankroll 30 scholarships? 20 extra scholarships at 50k each is a million bucks (the rumored price of several NIL deals), keeps studs out of other lineups, builds up the room…

I don’t know, I’m certainly missing something (like a bunch of money to throw at college wrestlers lol)

There would need to be a change to how scholarships are typically funded.

Schools do not like to rely on year to year funding as it is uncertain, making it impossible to do any long term planning. So they typically require the scholarship to be endowed. Depending on the assumptions the school makes about investment returns they may require a 20:1 (or more) ratio.

So twenty scholarships at $50k each, or $1 million, would require an upfront, one-time contribution of at least $20 million.

[alex1fly]

19 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Yeah, folks on here have speculated that some programs will get around the roster cap via clubs/RTC. And while fully funding 30 schollies is a nice idea, donors wouldn't do that because there are alternatives that would likely produce better returns, like donating to the RTC, funding new facilities & equipment (and maybe having your name attached to it on a plaque, which a lot of donors dig), or giving elite guys outside NIL deals to keep them on the roster. 

None of this applies to Iowa ofc, because we're obviously

 

17 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

There would need to be a change to how scholarships are typically funded.

Schools do not like to rely on year to year funding as it is uncertain, making it impossible to do any long term planning. So they typically require the scholarship to be endowed. Depending on the assumptions the school makes about investment returns they may require a 20:1 (or more) ratio.

So twenty scholarships at $50k each, or $1 million, would require an upfront, one-time contribution of at least $20 million.

Thanks y'all for the explanations.

[alex1fly]

On 5/1/2025 at 8:27 AM, BloodRound said:

They get sent to a farm where they can wrestle all the time to their little hearts' content, Jimmy.

LOL this is pretty much what I thought when I read the OP, but couldn't put into words. This is perfect haha