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UNIVERSITY PARK – As part of the rebuilding process at SMU, the football program will need players such as Tony Eckert, Jerad Romo, Kendall Mouton and Bobby Chase.

These potential impact players have one thing in common. They are junior college transfers, a rarity at SMU the last several seasons. After three years without a junior college recruit, the Mustangs have six this season.

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Coming off an 0-12 season – the third winless season in school history – SMU has voids in need of immediate filling. Most come at skill positions. Eckert and Romo each have a chance to see action at quarterback before the season is done. Chris Merrill and Chase could each see action at receiver, and Brandon Jones in the defensive backfield.

Mouton, who redshirted in his only junior college season, could start at defensive tackle.

Coach Phil Bennett believes in junior college players. As a defensive coordinator at Kansas State, he bought into the philosophy of head coach Bill Snyder, who used junior college players to turn around a once-foundering program.

"We won't ever be a junior college team," Bennett said, noting most junior college athletes don't take the courses required by SMU. "If you watch us play at our quarterback position, we needed some choices back there. We needed some at our skill positions. We needed players with two or three years experience at certain positions to give us an opportunity to compete."

Bennett said the SMU coaching staff made a greater effort this off-season to find junior college players who met SMU's admission standards.

"It was extremely difficult to recruit," said Johnny Ringo, the Plano East football coach, who was the recruiting coordinator for four years at SMU before being released from his contract this year. "Sometimes, it was almost impossible to get a few kids in just from high school. Junior college kids, that was tough."

The reason SMU can now get junior college players accepted more easily, specifically for football, is the change in the admissions process.

Academic standards are the same at SMU as at most other Division I-A colleges, officials say, but the process of recruiting prospective players, and the procedures coaches have to go through have changed. Also, most agree, coaches have better communication with the admissions office and faculty.

"The procedures are more inviting," said Vicki Hill, director of the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center, which primarily is designed to tutor and form study groups with students. "The goal is to carefully evaluate the transcripts, and our coaches are more proactive in being interested in a student."

Under the previous system – put in place after the 1987 Death Penalty to give more power to the faculty – before an athlete could make an official visit to the SMU campus in the fall, he had to qualify academically to be accepted. Most hadn't taken an SAT test or received their results until January and sometimes as late as February – too late to be part of the SMU recruiting process.

"Our admission standards were to the point of being absurd compared to our competition," Bennett said. "Our recruiting pool was so small."

If a prospective recruit were borderline academically, SMU wouldn't take him. Manyrecruits went before a faculty review board that analyzed transcripts. If they didn't like what they saw, the athlete didn't come to the Hilltop.

Coaches were rarely consulted by the review board. Hill said the death penalty caused friction between the faculty and coaches.

Three years ago, athletic director Jim Copeland said SMU needed a review of the admissions process.

A committee was formed to study 10 years of SMU graduation rates. From 1988 to 1997, SMU graduated 96.4 percent of its athletes. Content that SMU was doing a good job of graduating its athletes, the committee found that SMU coaches were handicapped in the recruiting process and recommended changes, associate provost Tom Tunks said.

"What happens now is we can see a student with some red flags and then tell the coaches, 'Hey you can help this kid get better academically,' " said Barb Totzke, senior associate athletic director for academics and programs, who served on the committee.

Hill said SMU has always been willing to accept junior college players, but part of the problem has been the type of classes taken.

"We wanted kids who took real classes," Hill said, "not basic math, but a real math class, algebra."

The last junior college player taken at SMU prior to this season, quarterback David Page in 2000, was a management information services major. In 1999, running back Brendan McGraw, another junior college transfer, was a finance major.

The 2004 group has Eckert, who is a markets and cultures major, and Chase, a cinema/television major.

Recruits can now make an official visit without being admitted. And if the athlete has academic issues, coaches can now talk with the faculty and admissions office to find out what changes need to be made. Chase said he was taking a computer course on the recommendation of a counselor at Blinn Junior College. But when he talked to SMU coaches and was told that course wouldn't be accepted, he quickly found another class that would. That kind of interaction couldn't have happened in the past.

"I heard things were hard," said Chase, a wide receiver. "And they are, but if you take good classes, you can get in here. The paperwork is a little more, but if you want to come here, you can get in."

That's a really good article. Mr. Watkins could have taken the easy route and talked to Coach Bennett only, but he had a bunch of administrators in there - he really did his homework. Great story.

How many JUCOs should we sign in February? I'd like to see maybe a huge OL, a DL and a safety, but only if an exceptional WR becomes available.

Thoughts?

OH my GOD, could it be?? NO! Don't let stallion see this...it's...it's...

MY VINDICATION that I was right all along!! ON NO!!!!

Great story. And on a normal (non-local-Olympic-angle) day, that was front page of sports! Nice of them to give SMU some legitimate coverage, rather than just the little notes in the back.

Now let's see some more!

GoRedGoBlue claiming victory again since no one will do it for him. Read it again genius it clearly infers that there is a large group of JC players who are eligible under NCAA rules who are not admissible to SMU Plus it quotes Mike Cavan's recruiting coordinator who only came on board in what 2000? or so as saying that it was almost impossible to get high school kids in and JC players were even more difficult. It calls SMU policies ridiculous and the pool of players inadequate. It documents what I was saying 15 years ago and for the last 6-7 years on these boards while cheerleading Mustang Clubbers like you were either too frightened to tell the truth or too dumb to know the difference. I think I know which one you are! While the majority of people exactly like YOU were spending the day talking about the color of SMU's uniforms, the best hamburger joints in town and where SMU would be going on its certain bowl game, I was busy framing the essential issue and focusing these boards on the fact that SMU would not be successful in turning its program around until it created a Model which allowed it to compete on an even level with its natural and traditional rivals. They haven't yet as 0-12 attests. I have been proven 100% correct Pal. Thanks for playing along with my game. BTW what point did that article make exactly that I have not already conceded already.

Silk wrote: .... How many JUCOs should we sign in February? I'd like to see maybe a huge OL, a DL and a safety, but only if an exceptional WR becomes available.

Thoughts?

With the losses of Eidson, Hargis and Neal, I'd say definitely an offensive lineman. On the defensive side, we're graduating Adami and Williams - let's get a JUCO there, too.

Maybe a linebacker, too?

The other area I'd say is a cornerback. We lost two to graduation last year, and now McGee and Barnett are gone. If Coach Bennett really needs a lot of CBs to properly run his scheme, I'd say we should grab one JUCO corner and at least two out of high school.

Here's a thought for GRGB and Stallion: have your "I'm smarter than you" slapfight through private messages. Both of you have a lot of valuable thoughts for this site when you actually talk about the Ponies, instead of trying to convince everyone of how in touch you are. You're both good fans and seem to know a lot. But do you need to get into the "look how smart I am" argument all the time? Take that to private messages please.
Thanks

I agree. I think a b*tch slapping might settle this.

giacfsp wrote:Here's a thought for GRGB and Stallion: have your "I'm smarter than you" slapfight through private messages. Both of you have a lot of valuable thoughts for this site when you actually talk about the Ponies, instead of trying to convince everyone of how in touch you are. You're both good fans and seem to know a lot. But do you need to get into the "look how smart I am" argument all the time? Take that to private messages please.
Thanks

No, please do not. I think they are fun to read.

Stallion wrote:GoRedGoBlue claiming victory again since no one will do it for him. Read it again genius it clearly infers that there is a large group of JC players who are eligible under NCAA rules who are not admissible to SMU Plus it quotes Mike Cavan's recruiting coordinator who only came on board in what 2000? or so as saying that it was almost impossible to get high school kids in and JC players were even more difficult. It calls SMU policies ridiculous and the pool of players inadequate. It documents what I was saying 15 years ago and for the last 6-7 years on these boards while cheerleading Mustang Clubbers like you were either too frightened to tell the truth or too dumb to know the difference. I think I know which one you are! While the majority of people exactly like YOU were spending the day talking about the color of SMU's uniforms, the best hamburger joints in town and where SMU would be going on its certain bowl game, I was busy framing the essential issue and focusing these boards on the fact that SMU would not be successful in turning its program around until it created a Model which allowed it to compete on an even level with its natural and traditional rivals. They haven't yet as 0-12 attests. I have been proven 100% correct Pal. Thanks for playing along with my game. BTW what point did that article make exactly that I have not already conceded already.

Your an idiot because I have been complaining about SMU's rediculous recruiting restrictions / processes LONG before you did.

I was extremely vocal that we had situations that prevented us from competing such as:
1) lack of being able to have campus visits without practical admission by the recruit
2) lack of priority registration for athletes so they can practice together (See BRANDON KIDD, C, not practice with OL. See Ramon Flannigan fumble 2x on critical drives and SMU lose to UHou in the cotton bowl).
3) lack of degree programs for JC transfers.

I don't do burger wars, I don't talk too much about uni's (just that you couldn't see the Pony on the helmet last year - a la VIRGINIA's bad logo Orange on Dark).

Take me down because I said we'd win the Baylor game, go ahead. We essentially did, along with Nevada and FSU, and a shot against TCU.

Good luck seems to follow good teams, or rather, bad luck always seems to surface against bad teams. Well, that's what we were last year, a bad team with bad luck - because we weren't a good team.

You have been pontificating about SMU's lack of commitment while some like me have been stating, simply, "you WERE right, but now YOU'RE WRONG!"

This article vendicates that end. Go root for someone else, please.

Stallion wrote:While the majority of people exactly like YOU were spending the day talking about the color of SMU's uniforms, the best hamburger joints in town and where SMU would be going on its certain bowl game, I was busy framing the essential issue and focusing these boards on the fact that SMU would not be successful in turning its program around until it created a Model which allowed it to compete on an even level with its natural and traditional rivals.

You heard Stallion, anyone that talks about burgers or uniform colors from here on out gets banned.

Gee Stallion...was your recounting of your dating and sex-capades on the other board (when there was another board) part of your framing of the essential issue and focusing these boards on the facts of our pitiful condition?

All work no play makes for a dull life. Now, I recently had a great burger at...

I was first to complain. I think it was back in "64 when we didn't have black athletes. Or then again, maybe it was Matty Bell who complained first. UT used to offer 2 times the schollies we did. No-- I was definitely the first to complain cause I said so. I like the new helmets. Nanny nanny billy goat!!!!

In fact this article clearly proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that GRGB is in fact WRONG! SMU admits in this article that it is at a competitive disadvantage to TCU, Tech in particular but more generally with just about every team on our schedule-just as I've argued even after we began signing JUCOs. Phil Bennett says "MOST JUNIOR COLLEGE ATHLETES DON'T TAKE THE COURSES REQUIRED BY SMU" The article goes on to say that SMU attempts to counsel JUCO players who are interested in coming to SMU as to which courses to take to gain admission. That glosses over a HUGE ASSUMPTION ie that the kid is focusing only on getting admitted to SMU which is highly doubtful and that he doesn't have more enticing offers from the other 113 Division 1A schools. So as I have said ALL ALONG SMU is recruiting from a small slice of the JUCO pool and all signees have had two things in common 1) they weren't highly recruited-in fact had very few other opportunities and 2) they have to take courses that will transfer to SMU. Let me assure you that the vast majority of quality JUCO prospects including most prominently TCU and Tech our first two opponents are not handicapped like SMU and can admit JUCOs who meet NCAA minimum JUCO requirements-and in fact have recruited a bushel full of nationally recruited, prominent JUCOs in both FB and BB both in recent years and in the past. Now the issue becomes whether SMU SHOULD admit these kids-that's not for me to decide but to deny that SMU will not be at a competitive disadvantage against for example TECH and TCU is wrong.

bottom lineis that SMU was able to build some depth at some critically weak positions. Bennett says it all when he says SMU will never be a JUCO laden team, but the changes that have been implemented have at least broadened the pool of recruits. Anyone who thinks we are on a level playing field, especially with the public universities we will be competing against, just doesn't get it. BUT...things are clearly improving. By 2005, our starting lineup and 2-deep will be loaded with upperclassmen and it's been a too long since we've seen that.