New SEC Rules Work For Taylor, Kentucky

Atlanta running back Justin Taylor became news well beyond his three-star rating when, earlier this month, he found himself being offered a grayshirt after having been committed to Alabama for almost an entire year. Alabama was up against the SEC's new 25-player cap, and as Taylor had missed his senior year to an ACL injury, Nick Saban wanted him to defer enrollment until January 2013.

Taylor today signed with Kentucky, an event that would have been unlikely under the old system. Taylor most likely would have signed with Alabama, as the school would have been able to take on up to 28 players. If Saban found himself with more than 85 players heading into fall camp, Taylor would then have been offered a grayshirt. Because he would have signed a financial aid agreement with Alabama as a part of his national letter of intent, he'd have to sit out a year in order to transfer elsewhere.

Because of the new rule, he was able to open his recruitment back up and find a new Kentucky home. The rule won't help any players who will get offered post-NSD grayshirts because their school signed enough to go over the NCAA's 85-player roster cap but didn't go over the SEC's 25-player signing class cap. However, it did work for Taylor and Kentucky, and that's at least some movement in the right direction.