academic casualties

[smuuth]

D1 football should not be an entitlement program when it comes to the academic side. To only sign one player within 100 miles of your college campus in your 2010 class in one of the great recruiting hotbeds in the country is pretty unbelievable. It seems the SLC athletes are being prepared both ways. Allen? Aledo? Fossil Ridge? Irving? Arlington? Denton? Wichita Falls? Sherman? Denison? Plano? Richardson? Highland Park? Rockwall?Private schools? Are our coaches not in their enviroment when recruiting these high schools with students with good academic and athletic backgrounds? Are they more comfortable talking about the nfl? SMU and this area have so much to offer the right kid and their family who can appreciate it. If you are going after kids who are athletic but only wanting to play football and be on tv and thinking they are going to make a living in the NFL then they are missing out on the right kids to recruit. Oh, the smart kids can make the NFL too but they also prepare if that doesn't happen.

[MustangDad]

Duke can do both in basketball but not football. I graduated from Vanderbilt and this kind of thing happens there all the time. Its frustrating, I want wins but don't want to compromise academics.

[couch 'em]

D1 football should not be an entitlement program when it comes to the academic side. To only sign one player within 100 miles of your college campus in your 2010 class in one of the great recruiting hotbeds in the country is pretty unbelievable. It seems the SLC athletes are being prepared both ways. Allen? Aledo? Fossil Ridge? Irving? Arlington? Denton? Wichita Falls? Sherman? Denison? Plano? Richardson? Highland Park? Rockwall?Private schools? Are our coaches not in their enviroment when recruiting these high schools with students with good academic and athletic backgrounds? Are they more comfortable talking about the nfl? SMU and this area have so much to offer the right kid and their family who can appreciate it. If you are going after kids who are athletic but only wanting to play football and be on tv and thinking they are going to make a living in the NFL then they are missing out on the right kids to recruit. Oh, the smart kids can make the NFL too but they also prepare if that doesn't happen.

Listen professor, everyone would love to have great academics with great athletics. But to BUILD a program that is garbage into one that is decent, you have to take some less desireable prospects.

If you want to sit there and only go after athletes that could get into SMU anyway, we need to go back to the Bennett era and enjoy losing, or we need to join up with Rice and Tulane and drop to a lower division or drop football.

[couch 'em]

Duke can do both in basketball but not football. I graduated from Vanderbilt and this kind of thing happens there all the time. Its frustrating, I want wins but don't want to compromise academics.

Go look at USC's student SAT/ACT scores and compare them to SMU. Then answer that question.

[MustangDad]

Duke can do both in basketball but not football. I graduated from Vanderbilt and this kind of thing happens there all the time. Its frustrating, I want wins but don't want to compromise academics.

Go look at USC's student SAT/ACT scores and compare them to SMU. Then answer that question.

Good point. But I'm interested in the athletes scores not the general student population. It seems that compromising academics is a trend throughout the country.

[couch 'em]

Good point. But I'm interested in the athletes scores not the general student population. It seems that compromising academics is a trend throughout the country.

You missed the 'good point'. Let me elaborate. USC plays big-time football, and will take anyone necessary to win. I promise you they take academic cases that wouldn't normally qualify for admission as a normal student, and they have the right professors/classes/majors to stash them to keep them eligable. It doesn't seem to have hurt their degree reputation nor their admission statistics.

[MustangDad]

Good point. But I'm interested in the athletes scores not the general student population. It seems that compromising academics is a trend throughout the country.

You missed the 'good point'. Let me elaborate. USC plays big-time football, and will take anyone necessary to win. I promise you they take academic cases that wouldn't normally qualify for admission as a normal student, and they have the right professors/classes/majors to stash them to keep them eligable. It doesn't seem to have hurt their degree reputation nor their admission statistics.

Ok I see. So you don't think that SMU could offer someone like Hall a chance even though he doesn't qualify right away? I'm not saying SMU should stash athletes in bad majors, but it seems like they could have worked something out to where it would not have been made a huge deal. I'm not arguing I just would like to understand why SMU won't do this when most other programs who want to win will.

[PonyDoh]

I can't take holier than thou academic discussion w/o interjecting. Simply, nobody would field revenue sports teams, if the players had to even sniff the requirements of the general student body. You either play to win, or you're wasting a buttload of cash, cause most of these kids aren't college-ready academically, by anyone's estimation.

[NickSMU17]

I can't take holier than thou academic discussion w/o interjecting. Simply, nobody would field revenue sports teams, if the players had to even sniff the requirements of the general student body. You either play to win, or you're wasting a buttload of cash, cause most of these kids aren't college-ready academically, by anyone's estimation.

Best Statement you have ever made

[couch 'em]

Ok I see. So you don't think that SMU could offer someone like Hall a chance even though he doesn't qualify right away?

I'm saying that we COULD and SHOULD, at least if we want to play football. SMU simply chooses not to do so because certain elements of the university do not want to do what is necessary to win for any number of reasons.

The outrage on this board right now is because when June Jones was hired, Turner assured us this BS was over, and we WOULD admid these kinds of guys and give them a chance. Now it is clear that we were lied to, and our increased financial donations were obtained fraudulantly.

[PoconoPony]

Dutch, if these kids are special admissions and then cannot compete in the classroom it is a set back to the football program. We must remember that these kids are theoretically being recruited as students who are interested in actually getting an education and any NFL aspirations are a side benefit with a very low odds of success. It is further complicated with many marginal high schools providing inadequate academic preparation for their students. Just listen to any interview with many new recruits and most have little clue how to speak English, form a sentence, use proper verbs or tenses. It is a huge challenge for the football staff to not only recruit talent, but find kids who have the ability, academic interest and preparation to stay eligible and graduate. SMU is first and formost a high quality college and not be merely a remedial high school or the minor league franchise for the NFL. As fans we should be more interested in the academic success of the kids than viewing them as mere hired mercenaries that we use then spit out after football. Better that those kids who should not be at SMU be denied admission at the beginning rather than failing out and tying up a scholarship for a year with no results. We clearly saw that situation earlier last month. My complaint is that this admission denial process comes TOO late in the overall process. It is unfair that these kids be left hanging out after it is too late to accept a scholarship at a diploma mill or make other plans. I am not defending the Admissions Committee; however, I am fairly certain they were well aware of the impact of their decisions and the situation with the kids involved. They feel the pressure. I think we need to reserve some judgment until there is perspective on what the academic issues might be as there many possible scenarios that could be at play. I too am very upset at the these late denials and view them as unfair.

[ponydawg]

I'm upset that:

1) We were misled that we were on an even playing field with our competitors when it came to admissions.
2) The kids found out a few days before moving to Dallas.
3) That Cop Rock wasn't given a fair chance.

[HB Pony Dad]

Just listen to any interview with many new recruits and most have little clue how to speak English, form a sentence, use proper verbs or tenses.

However their French is impeccable...

[Bergermeister]

Dutch, if these kids are special admissions and then cannot compete in the classroom it is a set back to the football program. We must remember that these kids are theoretically being recruited as students who are interested in actually getting an education and any NFL aspirations are a side benefit with a very low odds of success. It is further complicated with many marginal high schools providing inadequate academic preparation for their students. Just listen to any interview with many new recruits and most have little clue how to speak English, form a sentence, use proper verbs or tenses. It is a huge challenge for the football staff to not only recruit talent, but find kids who have the ability, academic interest and preparation to stay eligible and graduate. SMU is first and formost a high quality college and not be merely a remedial high school or the minor league franchise for the NFL. As fans we should be more interested in the academic success of the kids than viewing them as mere hired mercenaries that we use then spit out after football. Better that those kids who should not be at SMU be denied admission at the beginning rather than failing out and tying up a scholarship for a year with no results. We clearly saw that situation earlier last month. My complaint is that this admission denial process comes TOO late in the overall process. It is unfair that these kids be left hanging out after it is too late to accept a scholarship at a diploma mill or make other plans. I am not defending the Admissions Committee; however, I am fairly certain they were well aware of the impact of their decisions and the situation with the kids involved. They feel the pressure. I think we need to reserve some judgment until there is perspective on what the academic issues might be as there many possible scenarios that could be at play. I too am very upset at the these late denials and view them as unfair.

I'm upset that:

1) We were misled that we were on an even playing field with our competitors when it came to admissions.
2) The kids found out a few days before moving to Dallas.
3) That Cop Rock wasn't given a fair chance.

Many of us have survived devastating disappointments in our lives. I would not wish mine on anyone BUT it is not the end of the world. I have learned that things happen for the best and that you never give up. Those who sincerely care about this situation will continue to work through the proper channels to correct any injustices. I, too, look forward to further explanation and an interpretation of our previously stated policy regarding admission of NCAA qualifiers. However, I am not going to let this controversy detract from my enthusiasm for the upcoming season and the opportunity to support our team. They have put in a lot of hard work since the victorious return from Hawai'i and we have a terrific opportunity to improve on last year's record. I'm not gonna turn my back on these guys.

[Stallion]

The issue is so abstract because we don't know the facts but would you guys admit say:

Recruit A: 3.2 GPA 540 SAT
Recruit B 3.0 GPA 620 SAT

I can think of SOME scenarios where SMU MIGHT be justified-