Subtle Criticism of SMU Admission Policies?

[Stallion]

the other day, I think jtstang and I were discussing how SMU loses out on recruits because they are not willing to wait on a kid to see if he projects as a full qualifier until after signing date. Apparently, Bennett or someone in the football offices has provided the perfect example. In the DMN it states that Bennett wanted Moats but Moats qualified late academically. "SMU officials weren't sure if he was going to get the test scores to meet the school's academic standards by signing date in February." This happens to a surprising number of recruits each year and the majority of schools simply require that the recruit meet NCAA freshmen eligibility requirements by August. That's how NTSU got a 4 star recruit in Jemario Thomas. For those of you that don't know-a recruit can sign a NCAA Letter of Intent without being fully qualied(actually most recruits are not fully qualified until they pass their spring semester). Also, they can sign an NCAA LOI subject to being a full qualifier(or more precisely meeting the school's admission standards by August). Was this a subtle hint-as Bennett periodically provides to the press-that there are still obstacles placed in his way to competing on an even basis with other schools. Remember there are generally about 5-6 scholarships that open up between February signing date and August.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Good point! If Moats would have been able to sign with his original team of choice, he would be wearing SMU red and blue.

[PonySnob]

So far Moats definately looks like much more of a player than who Bennett put his faith in at RB this year.

[NavyCrimson]

like i said - the administration is not serious about returning SMU football to the top 25 or even breaking up the bcs-bs -

if money was a real issue (or lack of for our athletic programs), they would have taken on both fights in the first place, so why worry?

their actions have proven that money is not a real issue in the first place!

in other words, go find another hobby other than college football -

i have -

it took me several yrs but life is much better & more enjoyable with no worries on saturday!

that's why i don't read this forum as much anymore -

ponyfans.com - you have done a fantastic job with this site! its still the best source for smu news!

"why worry when you don't have control or influence in the first place?"

[Stallion]

Freshman Jemario Thomas runs for 258 yards on 33 carries and has now run for 997 yards while starting only 5 games. This is how programs cut corners around SMU's standards to build competitive football teams.

[Charleston Pony]

well, it wouldn't hurt to have that Kinesiology program among the undergraduate degrees offered...but the bottom line is that not enough SMU people really care.

[jtstang]

It's really rolling the dice on some of these kids, I'm sure. The key would have to be the ability to handicap which ones are truly going to qualify after the signing date. Not sure how you handle that problem.

[huntnfish]

There are plenty of talented high-school seniors who do pass their test before signing date. I am so sick of hearing this tired excuse. It may means you have to search a little harder, but let's remember, the most important objective is an education. There is no reason to accept a kid unless you fully believe he will walk out with a degree. If a couch wants to vouch for a few kids a year who do not qualify, fine let them in, but let the coaches know they will be held accountable for them getting their degree.

[Stallion]

yeah why bother to let the facts get in the way of the truth. The great HuntnFish has spoken-he is sick and tired and too damn lazy to check the facts.

[EastStang]

If a couch wants to vouch

Gee, he rhymed. Hey have you considered a career in rap?

[huntnfish]

Stallion, I am sure you are big Nolan Richardson fan as well, even though he graduated 0% of his players at Arkansas. Or Ohio State when they won the National Championship, I believe they were around a 30% graduation rate. You can keep your National Championship if that's what it comes with. Any coach should be ashamed if he graduates less than half of the players he brings in. Maybe we differ in philosophy.

I never claimed to know-it-all like you Stallion, I am just stating my opinion; however, you seem to think that your opinions qualify as fact. I am not that conceited. But we all know you have a rather large ego.

[jtstang]

yeah why bother to let the facts get in the way of the truth. The great HuntnFish has spoken-he is sick and tired and too damn lazy to check the facts.

Seriously, Stallion, explain yourself. You have said forever that you do not advocate the recruitment of partial qualifiers or non-qualifiers by SMU. But if you recruit a guy who has not yet qualified, are you not recruiting a non-qualifier? Or is there another category of player I am missing, the "yet-to-qualifier"? And if you are going for those guys, how do you figure out which ones to go after, so as not to have wasted your efforts in the event they do not qualify? I mean with only so many spots available, don't you effectively have to forego recruiting other known commodities if you are waiting for a guy to get his test scores after signing day?

I started wondering about this stuff when you brought up the UNT guy, and now Moats. Seems to me these are issues which need to be addressed before wholesale changes to the recruiting strategy. Although I am all for changing the current recruiting strategy to going after players that can actually function as a Div 1 team.

[Stallion]

this has been explained at least 50 times on this board. The NCAA doesn't label a recruit a "qualifier" or "non-qualifier" until August 1 prior to a recruit's year of enrollment. A player's qualification status on signing date is irrelevant to the NCAA. Jemario Thomas for example did not predict to be a qualifier on signing date but in fact by the official enrollment date. It is routine at most schools to use that date as the date a player is required to qualify. So I am correct in saying that I don't believe SMU should accept partial or non-qualifiers based on the NCAA's definition and still think SMU should recruit players like Thomas on the condition that he does qualify..

[jtstang]

Right, but don't you lose out on filling a need with a player if the guy you're going after fails to qualify or only partially qualifies? And if you go after too many of those that drop off at the last minute, don't you risk hurting the overall quality of your program (assuming you have some)?

[huntnfish]

or you risk signing someone who can't graduate and meet the academic standards of the university? then you have failed the kid and the university