Advantage Fordham? Four-Year Scholarships Could Be a Factor

Fordham University announced earlier this week that beginning in 2015 it would offer four-year athletic scholarships to all student-athletes. Like many universities across the country, the school currently offers one-year renewable scholarships.

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Fordham Athletics to Offer Four-Year Scholarships #FeartheRam http://t.co/FGwdIRxKhN

— Fordham Athletics (@FordhamRams) November 3, 2014"

"All incoming freshmen for the class of 2019 will sign letters of intent that guarantee the student-athlete a scholarship for four years, provided the student-athlete continues to participate in the sport for which the grant is awarded and the student-athlete adheres to all eligibility requirements," Fordham announced via press release. "The student-athlete must remain in good academic standing, and abide by all University regulations."

With the move, Fordham joins a growing number of schools and conferences that have made similar decisions. In October, for example, the Big Ten announced that it would guarantee scholarships for four years.

“To make a four-year commitment and give student-athletes the security, it’s the right thing to do," said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, according to Ben Strauss of The New York Times.

Others have followed suit. The Times article identified Indiana, South Carolina and USC as schools switching to the four-year scholarship. According to the article, the Pac-12 said it would, too, and the ACC added its support.

Fordham made its announcement at a time when the landscape of college sports is changing dramatically. In a Bleacher Report article in August, Fordham athletic director David Roach said that the university will do what it can to "keep up" with other schools, specifically mentioning those in the Big 5 conferences (Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern) who generate the most headlines and revenue and have the most influence as a result.

Offering four-year scholarships would seem to be consistent with what Roach told B/R. 

"This new policy affirms Fordham University's support of its student-athletes," Roach said in Monday's press release. "We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience, both on and off the field. This decision, along with other[s] such as the creation [of the] Fordham Leadership Academy, will help our student-athletes now and in the future."

It could also help men's basketball, the school's marquee program.

Though it seems logical to think that at some point down the road that most if not all schools will adopt a similar policy, right now, as CBSSports.com's Jon Solomon reported in September, for various reasons not all of them have.

Maybe a kid chooses Fordham over another school because his four years are going to be guaranteed. Fordham could use every advantage it can get and may now have one over schools that are still handing out scholarships on a year-to-year basis.

Of course, Fordham didn't make this decision thinking it would help win basketball games. It made the decision because the school felt it was the right thing to do for student-athletes.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that someone like Roach, who was the athletic director at Colgate and Brown before coming to Fordham, would first and foremost be thinking about the student-athlete. You don't get a sentence out of Roach without him mentioning the student-athlete. Guys like that tend to work in the Ivy and Patriot Leagues.

Right now he's with Fordham, a school that may have just one-upped some of its competition.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello