There are 114 players on Penn State football’s roster. Most of them will go pro in something other than football, never playing a snap in the NFL. Twenty-nine of them are paying their own tuition.

Nine of them could lose their roster spots.

James Franklin, who has long described himself as a “relational coach,” hates that thought.

The roster cuts could come as a result of the incoming House v. NCAA settlement, which is set to redefine the landscape of college athletics. Kicked into motion by former NCAA swimmer Grant House and former NCAA basketball player Sedona Prince, the settlement could see college football programs reduce their rosters to 105 players while eliminating scholarship limits.

“I don’t like it at all. I’m a D-II football player. I went to college on a $1,500 scholarship and a full Pell Grant,” Franklin said on Saturday. “So I know what the game of football and college athletics does in general, in terms of helping build well-rounded individuals. What we do in the classroom, it’s complemented by what we learn on the fields and the courts.”

What’s become known as the “105 rule” may not come to pass, however. Judge Claudia Wilken, who has the power to approve the settlement, threatened to overrule any agreement between House, Prince, and the NCAA on the basis of roster limits. Wilkens wanted to see current NCAA athletes grandfathered into the settlement so that nearly 5,000 student-athletes wouldn’t lose their spot with their programs.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel right now, right?… I think everybody would love that,” Franklin said about Wilkens’ announcement.

“I don’t want to lose any of them,” Franklin later added. “I’d like for these guys to stay a part of the program until they graduate. A lot of these young men chose Penn State to get their degree from Penn State and play football. I think that’s one of the reasons why I think the judges decided this is you’re going to have people leave schools because they want both.”

One of those players is Franklin’s Dom DeLuca, a team captain who came to Penn State as a walk-on prospect. DeLuca could be the last of a long line of Penn State walk-ons who made an on-field impact with the program, including the likes of Carl Nassib, Matt McGloin, Deon Butler, and more.

“It sucks,” DeLuca said. “You’re not gonna see walk-ons as much anymore, and you’re not gonna see those blue collar guys are just trying to make a name for themselves and prove that they’re just as good as everyone else.”

“If I never had this opportunity, I don’t know where I’d be,” DeLuca added. “I mean, just coming to a school I love, and always love to come to Penn State and play for Penn State, and just having the opportunity to walk on and make a name for myself is huge. Just knowing that may not happen anymore, it’s kind of heartbreaking.”

While DeLuca said the 105 rule wasn’t being addressed much in the locker room, Franklin said he felt it was his role to keep players informed about what their options were. He gave players a chance to transfer away from the program, which some took, but Franklin said many players were comfortable with their standing.

While some schools have already started trimming down their roster, Franklin said he had no plans to do so, and would try to involve players who could be cut in the program even after they depart. In a world where those players lose their roster spots, Franklin said he would keep them on the team until the season begins and would add them back to the roster for offseason work, allowing each player to fight for their spot on the team.

As the settlement nears, Franklin hopes college sports will remember what he feels is most important: the relationships built and the student-athletes who have their lives changed for the better.

“I’m fighting and scratching and clawing to hold on to what I believe college athletics is all about, and having transformational experiences for student athletes, not transactional,” he said.