The slow recruiting at Princeton or Harvard isn’t about a lack of U.S. talent — it’s the admissions squeeze. Even top domestic players with strong academics are getting turned away, so coaches are forced to wait and pivot.
And to be clear, the Ivies can’t pull just any Europeans. They can only take a very small group who check two boxes: national-level water polo and transcripts that fit the Ivy academic index. That’s why these classes move late and look thin and more and more will rely on the transfer portal!
CAL and UC Davis can take a broader range of internationals, just like most of the D1 programs and they absolutely are looking at more European players (Cal seems to have a pipeline with Spanish talent), as well as the transfer portal.
In its infinite wisdom, UC Davis administration chose to opt in a year later than everybody else. As a result, UC Davis will have to limit its roster to 24 next year but will not have the benefit of “grandfathering” recruits affected by the NCAA roster limits decision. This year, UC Davis has 10 or 11 freshmen, including redshirts, I think.
Yes it appears they have 29 this year, 5 graduating, leaving them 24, so they will have to cut to make space for any recruits. Going to be a stressful spring season at UCD.
It is Princeton-specific. Harvard and Brown’s ’26 recruited classes are larger than usual. I mentioned in earlier posts that Princeton is likely to recruit heavily internationally, since ’26 is the final year that standardized tests are optional. Standardized tests also carry twice the weight of GPA in the Academic Index, and GPA inflation has been rising faster than Argentina’s in recent years.
Still confused on how the grandfathered players from last year impact. Are the part of the 24 max or outside of that? Are they assured spots? Do redshirts still count as part of the 24?
The “grandfathered” athletes are part of the NCAA’s Designated Player Exemption, which means they do not count toward the 24-man roster limit. That exemption applies to both returning players and recruited athletes who would have pushed a team over the cap. They can continue to be DP , practice with the team for 4 years unless they make the team of 24 and their DP status is removed (and it can it be transferred)
Redshirts still count toward the 24 unless they’re designated players.
This exemption is only for the 2025–2026 season — after that, everyone must fit inside the 24.
Great theory, except transferring to an Ivy League school for athletics is virtually unheard of (and almost impossible). So not really an option for teams. Similarly, grad students are not allowed to compete in varsity athletics at Ivies - so graduate transfers also not an option.
