How The Academies Compete

[Stallion]

This is a story from the New York Times explaining how the academies have become more competitive over the last few decades. They are not subject to NCAA recruiting numbers and have their own prep schools to develop players-some of which have players who are apparently good enough to start immediately at SMU. Laugh all you want but when 60-70% of SMU's class are leftover sleepers then having unlimited scholarship numbers for the academies as well as a backup Academy prep school to get players eligible and add another large number of recruits is an advantage over many of the weaker NCAA Division 1A schools. When you are mostly signing leftover sleepers then signing a whole bunch of leftover sleepers is an advantage. Again 11 starters-1/2 the starting lineup came to Navy from this Prep School.


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October 15, 2004
Formations Begin in Prep Schools for 3 Academy Teams
By BILL PENNINGTON

EWPORT, R.I. - Against a bracing sea breeze, the Navy officer candidates emerge from their living quarters in identical crisp blue uniforms for the morning march to class. It is just past 9 a.m., but most everyone in the tight formation striding across campus has been up since dawn.

Several hours later, many in this group will enter the football locker room to pull on classic gold helmets and navy blue jerseys. Morale in the room will be high, because it has been a good season with another big game coming up. And as the players head out to practice, they will pass under a banner imploring them to "Beat Army," a game weeks in the future but somehow never far away.

A scene from the United States Naval Academy?

Not quite.

Or, for these players, not yet.

This is the Naval Academy Preparatory School, where select candidates are primed with a year of schooling on a peninsula naval station in majestic Newport harbor.

The prep school also harbors nearly 80 recruited athletes for the Naval Academy, 35 of them football players. The athletes, like all of the nearly 300 students at the prep school, have their education, room and board, training and equipment paid by the federal government.

When Navy's undefeated football team plays Notre Dame on Saturday at Giants Stadium, 11 of the Midshipmen's starters will be graduates of the Naval Academy prep school. The United States Military Academy and the Air Force Academy have similar prep schools, places where dozens of athletes in the student body get, in effect, a redshirt year before heading into the academies.

It is the service academies' way of keeping up with other major college programs, where freshmen football recruits are routinely held out for a year of seasoning and strength training. Officials at the academies consider the three prep schools, whose teams mimic the offensive and defensive systems favored by the coaches of their related academy, indispensable to football success.

"It's the best-kept educational secret in the country," said Coach Fisher DeBerry of the Air Force Academy, where the prep school is on the academy's campus in Colorado Springs. "I would like to put all our recruits into the prep school. It gets them ready for the academic challenges of the academy, it gets them stronger and they get to play games beyond high school competition.

"The service academies are at a disadvantage trying to compete at the level of football we're in. This permits us to play a little catch-up."

Said Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk: "The prep school is a lifeblood. Without it, we would be looking at playing true freshmen all the time. And that wouldn't work."

The prep schools do not exist solely to improve service academy athletics, of course. Roughly two-thirds of the student bodies are not recruited athletes. All prep school students, including the athletes, are vying for an academy appointment, and as such are being trained as potential officers in the armed services.

Most were considered first for an academy, but were recommended to the affiliated prep school because their high school grades or their test scores were slightly below academy standards. Another mission of the prep schools is to help the academies diversify their student bodies. The schools were created, as well, to give selected enlisted personnel a way to attend an academy and become officers. Each of the academies is at least 40 years old.

Those guidelines no doubt help the football programs expand their talent base and rosters by getting more players under the academies' umbrella, including those whose academic credentials did not initially meet standards. But the prep school students are also immediately indoctrinated in military discipline; they keep a tight training regimen and face a rigorous academic schedule.

"The normal idea of a redshirt year is a recruit who is stashed away and treading water," said Capt. Charles A. Hautau, the commander at the Naval Academy prep school. "Our candidates study chemistry, physics, two sections of math and English every day, five days a week. Does that sound like a redshirt year?"

Not only that, but the prep school students are not obligated to go on to any of the service academies after their year at the prep schools. They can choose to go to private colleges. The athletes, while playing at the prep schools, can be recruited to play football for other universities. When Navy played at Tulsa, the opposing punter was a Naval Academy prep school graduate.

But officials at all three academies said that roughly 70 to 80 percent of all three prep schools' students usually receive academy appointments and that the percentage of recruited athletes going from the prep schools to the academies is in the same range. At the Naval Academy prep school, some students also go on to attend the Coast Guard Academy.

The Naval Academy football coaches lament the 20 to 30 percent of athletes who have gotten away.

"We've lost a lot of good players that came through the prep school," Navy Coach Paul Johnson said. "Sometimes they didn't get their grades up, and sometimes they just didn't like the military or academy lifestyle."

Academy officials defend a prep school system in which federal tax dollars are used to educate students, including athletes, for an extra year, even though a portion of the students do not attend a service academy or serve in the armed forces.

"Without the prep school, not only would the football program suffer, but the United States Air Force would suffer and the nation would suffer," Dr. Hans Mueh, the Air Force athletic director, said. "We don't just want kids with 800 on their SAT's in the academy. The prep school helps us broaden the spectrum of kids we can later teach to be leaders. It gives them an extra year to be ready."

Gladchuk, the Navy athletic director, said: "They are first and foremost potential commissioned officers. They may be an athlete from 4 to 6 in the afternoon, but every other minute from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. they are being groomed to serve their country. The kids that leave the prep school aren't doing so to play big-time college football. They just don't see the military in their future."

The prep schools, however, remain established feeder programs for the service academies' football teams, a relationship the academy coaches do their best to maximize. They watch film of the prep schools' games, write their prep school recruits frequent letters and make phone calls as allowed under National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. The entire Navy prep school will attend the Navy-Notre Dame game at Giants Stadium. Bobby Ross, the new Army coach, has had the football team at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, which is in Fort Monmouth, N.J., play some of its games at West Point.

"We want them to feel part of this place," Ross said. "I've stayed in very close touch with their coaches. I must have been down there 10 times since I've been hired. I do believe that it is a very important part of what could lead to our success."

There are specific N.C.A.A. regulations about how the academy coaches can interact with the prep school players. In essence, the players must be treated like recruits at any other high school, although given the unusual connections between the institutions, there are obvious gray areas.

Clayton Kendrick-Holmes, the Navy prep school football coach, said he gives his players, "as much propaganda as I can," in hopes that they will want to play football at Navy, where Kendrick-Holmes played.

Since Air Force is the only academy to have its prep school on campus, and since Air Force's football team has been significantly more successful in recent years - 12 bowl game appearances in 20 years - administrators at Army and Navy have considered moving their prep schools to their campuses.

"Back in the mid-1990's Air Force was just cleaning everyone's clock," Gladchuk said. "That's when moving the prep school from Newport was looked at. But we've proven with Paul Johnson that we can still win with the prep school nine hours away."

Ross was noncommittal on the subject of bringing the Army prep school to West Point, saying that he had heard arguments on both sides. Army certainly has the room at West Point's vast parcel of reserved land. "Either way, I want the prep school to know where we are and that we're interested in them," Ross said.

Mueh, the Air Force athletic director, denied that the prep school's location had played a role in Air Force's football success. Instead, he pointed to the continuity of the academy coaching staff: DeBerry has been the Falcons' head coach for more than two decades.

But the notion that Air Force has an advantage persists, because the Air Force prep school players can use the Air Force Academy's weight room, some practice fields and other facilities without violating N.C.A.A. rules - so long as the Air Force football coaches are not around.

"I'm sure there is an advantage," Johnson, the Navy coach, said. "I know the coaches are not supposed to be around, but their players can go to all your games and regularly see your facilities. They can feel the excitement of your fans on campus."

Mueh said he has told his football coaches to treat the prep school as if it were 100 miles away.

"Having the prep school close by makes me nervous," he said. "I worry that an assistant coach, not deliberately, could commit a minor N.C.A.A. violation. All sorts of things can happen. I'd like to reduce the time the preppies are around us."

Inside the armed gates at Navy Station Newport, where the prep school takes up just a small portion of the 1,500 acres dedicated to more than 40 naval commands and the Naval War College, 18-year-old Drexel King, a cornerback on the football team, is happy with his decision to attend the Navy prep school.

King, who is from Raleigh, N.C., said he had turned down an offer to attend Georgetown to come to Newport, even though he had wanted to go directly to the Naval Academy.

"But I figure I'll get bigger and stronger," King said, "and my English grades should be better."

Asked what he would do if a top Bowl Championship Series football team tried to entice him away from Navy next year, King shook his head.

"That would not influence my decision to go to the academy," he said. "I'm already a part of the Navy team. I feel like we're the freshmen up here and they're the varsity down there."



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[SMU Football Blog]

Their academic standards are still higher.

Without the Prep School, they only get to be there four years.

They have other physical requirements, including height and weight requirements. Without looking, I assume academies have among the smallest lines in Division IA.

Oh, and they have to go into the friggin' military when they graduate.

Stallion, we had this argument last year. Academies still have tons of disadvantanges. Yes, letting your what amounts to your redshirting freshman/scout team play actual games in your system is an advantage, but it doesn't outweigh everything else.

Edit: to add to the weight requirements, I just looked and Navy doesn't have a single player pushing 300 lbs.

[Stallion]

So you are disregarding the opinions of the Academy Head Coaches and Athletic Director's who each stated that these Academies are essential, that Air Force was wiping the floor when it was the only Academy with a Prep School and that now once Navy got their Prep School they are annually going to Bowl Games. Its a fact-these Academies are a huge advantage. Does it overcome the disadvantages the Academies face? I'd say the facts speak for themselves as the Academies have been to over 20 bowls in the last 25 years or so years(from 1982-2002 Air Force went to 15 bowls in 20 years in the period of dominance mentioned in the article and I believe Navy is attempting to qualify for its 6th straight bowl)-how many has SMU gone to?

[SMU Football Blog]

Army: Since SMU returned from the death penalty in 1989, Army has been to one bowl, which is one more than SMU has been to during that same timeframe.

Navy: Before Paul Johnson got there, how many bowl games did they go to from 1982 on? The answer: One.

Air force: Air force had success under its last coach for some time. But is this the same school whose last coach publicly complained about his ability to recruit and was accused of being racist for it? Yes. Is this the same Air Force that hasn't had a winning record since 2003? Yes.

The facts speak for themselves. Paul Johnson can coach. Coaching matters.

[Stallion]

....and that article explains thouroughly why Air Force went to 15 bowls in 20 years and why Navy and Army didn't-they are now using the Air Force strategy to great success at the Naval Academy. Exact same thing happened about 5 years ago when Air Force decided to incorporate the same strategy in Basketball. I've admitted that the Academies have disadvantage but you don't want to admit these this a huge advantage to the Academies and one that when implemented has been wildly successful in returning the Academies to success. The Facts simply speak for themselves

[SMU Football Blog]

Then why hasn't Air Force been to a bowl since 2003?

[mrydel]

Then why hasn't Air Force been to a bowl since 2003?

They dropped SMU from their schedule.

[Stallion]

probably because there is now three times the competition for these types of players who are interested in a military career. You doubting that Fisher DeBerry can coach-I'd say he's close to Hall of Fame Coach. Its a HUGE advantage-everybody involved in those programs admits it-it is the reason they are competitive otherwise Beart Bryant couldn't win 3 games there if they didn't have the Prep Schools or unlimited scholarships(the other side of the coin). They don't play by NCAA rules on scholarship restrictions. They could not beat Ball St. if they had to.

[Stallion]

also, SMU has one starter over 300 pounds. Kenard Burley.

[SMU Football Blog]

also, SMU has one starter over 300 pounds. Kenard Burley.

Navy has no Players, starters or otherwise, highest is 290.

And at the end of the day, THE PLAYERS HAVE TO GO INTO THE MILITARY.

[Cadillac]

Hang on here, I'm confused as to what the question is. Are we asking:

Is it better to have a Prep school than to not have a prep school for interservice games?

Or are we asking:

Does having a prep school make up for the PRT/PFT requirements at the academies?

Or are we asking:
Does having a prep school make the academies competitive in D1a?

Or is there something else altogether being looked at?

I mean, if you want to know why Navy goes to bowl games all the time, I'll certainly sign on with the notion that the Prep school has helped, but I'd say a unique offence based around the tiny guys they have to play, coupled with absolute cup-cake scheduling (thanks in part to being an Indy) has had more to do with it.

-CoS

[Stallion]

We could probably pound them our group of super star mega-athletes with our 5-10 Safety, 205 pound LB, 6-0 LB, 5-11 LB, 5-10 LB, 6-0 DLM, 272 pound LM, 6-1 LM, 235 pound DE, 6-2 DE, 225 pound DEs, 5-10 WIDE Receiver and 5-11.5 QB. Does a Phil Bennett recruited team have a physical advantage over these boys? Do we really enjoy such a huge advantage when about half our starters were essentially high school All-District types. If you have a bunch of leftovers to work with-give me a whole bunch of leftovers so you can weed out the quality. If SMU was signing quality football players if might be a different story but in reality we have trouble beating Sun Belt teams. Not that big a difference in quality considering that they get upwards of 75 in their programS a year and we get 20-22. I've seen reports posted on this website (a different article) that Air Force has 70-75 players in its Prep School alone PLUS unlimited scholarships or appointments to the Academy. Again over 20 Bowls in 25 years makes a pretty strong statement when we can all agree they are essentially taking leftovers.

[EastStang]

Different schools used to have prep school pipelines. USMA used to have a pipeline from Valley Forge Military Academy and Massanutten Military Academy. Ohio State from Fork Union Military Academy. Notre Dame from any Catholic school in America. I think those alliances have stopped for the most part. Boston College has made inroads in the Jesuit schools for example. Unfortunately, there are not many Methodist High Schools out there. There are some Baptist ones beginning to crop up. Watch out for Baylor.

[SMU Football Blog]

Again over 20 Bowls in 25 years makes a pretty strong statement when we can all agree they are essentially taking leftovers.

I guess, like Cadillac, I don't really understand the argumetn being made here.

20 bowls in 25 years by 3 teams is 26.67% of the time. The vast majority of those bowls are from one school. That record at most schools gets you canned. Is that really a strong statement?

What is the point? Should we restart the ROTC?

[Bergermeister]

This is a story from the New York Times