The Power Five conferences last year "added a cost-of-attendance allowance to athletic scholarships," and they have not become "recruiting assets or liabilities," according to David Teel of the Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS. Virginia AD Craig Littlepage and Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock said that "during all their meetings with prospects and their families, COA variances were never an issue." VT and UVA's allowances are "changing little, if any," for '16-17 and "ranked in the middle among their ACC colleagues." In-state athletes on a full grant received $3,180 at UVA and $3,280 at VT, while the out-of-state rate was $3,620 at VT and $3,600-$4,600 at UVA "depending on distance from campus." Teel noted both schools "relied on donors to fund the new expense." Meanwhile, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney is "still concerned" about COA but "isn't nearly as strident" as he once was. Clemson's $3,906 allowance "trails Louisville and Florida State" among ACC schools. What coaches and few others "realize is how much administrative legwork preceded last year's rollout." College administrators such as VT Associate AD/Compliance & Governance Tim Parker "spent countless hours in meetings with admissions officials and the business office." Teel wrote year two of COA "has been much smoother, but one challenge that remains is educating athletes on how to wisely budget the extra money" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 9/11).
