2013 College Football off-season

June 5, 2013

It does seem silly that top recruits sign NLIs which the university can get out of when they want but the player cannot.
I admit to being pretty clueless on a lot of this LOI politics stuff - under what circumstances can a university get out of an LOI?

Just ask the SEC.

Andy Staples[/url]"]Sure, the NLI contains some language about guaranteeing an athletic scholarship, but that depends on two factors. First, the student must be admitted to the school. This seems logical enough, but if a school is asking the player to sign away all his leverage, the least the school can do is guarantee a seat in the freshman class. Second, the school must have enough available scholarships under NCAA rules. In 2010, LSU had to tell lineman Elliott Porter -- who was already attending classes in Baton Rouge -- that there wasn't room for him because the school had signed too many football players. Porter wound up going to Kentucky before returning to LSU as a walk-on, which seems an awfully expensive penalty for LSU's screw-up. But the NLI offered no protection to Porter. When most contracts get broken, they provide for a penalty for the guilty party or remuneration for the aggrieved party. If a player breaks the deal, his penalty is a 25 percent reduction in eligibility. If a school breaks the deal, its penalty is ... nothing.

Tracer Bullet · June 5, 2013

I'm not sure why staples is on a rampage now. But his article seems incomplete.

The NLI isn't perfect and should be a 4-year commitment but the kids have options. They don't have to sign one and they certainly don't have to do it on the first possible day. These stories are also public info. If you don't like the way LSU treats NLIs, don't sign there. If you don't want to have an annual tryout, don't sign with Saban. But kids and their parents don't really think or care enough about that stuff so they end up in bad situations.

Also, these scholarships depend on the kid graduating and meeting certain academic requirements. Some schools may fudge those lines when they want to and stick to them strictly when there's a number crunch. Again, this is well known info. Schools can't guarantee a spot for a kid that suddenly stops going to class etc.

It's not a great system, but I don't see how staples would make it better by running recruiting until June (for schools with summer classes for freshman) or fall (for everyone else). Or maybe he thinks they should be total free agents and get to take classes at one school and play at another. Freedom!

Andy · June 5, 2013

It would figure that Staples would fix a system that's mostly being abused by his beloved SEC by screwing over the schools that aren't.

Old Style · June 5, 2013

Eddie Vanderdoes is officially a Bruin. Helps make up for the sting of losing Kyle Allen to Texas A&M.

:hello:

UK1679666180 · June 12, 2013

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/scorecard/_/class/2014

I would've never thought the day would come when UK could recruit at football.

I should note that those are not the actual rankings as Western Michigan does not have a top 10 class.

http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/classrankings?class=2014

It is good to see UK be ranked at 12 overall instead of 12th in the SEC.

Tracer Bullet · June 14, 2013

Just bc it's true doesn't mean you need to hit recruits over the head with it. I doubt he would have minded if you exercised a little editorial discretion in leaving this particular Q&A out of print. ["He" is incoming freshman Cole Luke from AZ.]

Q: As he goes into Notre Dame, have you given him a heads-up as to what he might expect? Obviously, the school is different than when you were there, but what kind of advice have you given him about Notre Dame?

Steve Belles: Don’t expect to see the same type of girls you’ve seen walking on ASU’s campus. I don’t know if that’s advice; it’s just a fact.

jersey cubs fan · June 16, 2013

http://deadspin.com/johnny-manziel-sounds-unhappy-at-texas-a-m-513662415?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

SouthSideRyan · June 16, 2013

I mean...would you be happy at College Station??

Tracer Bullet · June 16, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

Old Style · June 16, 2013

I'm getting sick of his [expletive]. He's acting like a spoiled brat. Football season can't come soon enough.

treebird · June 16, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

ohhhh, it's named for his family. i was wondering why they played at Our Son Will Be a Fourth Round Draft Pick Stadium.

CubInOK · June 16, 2013

I mean...would you be happy at College Station??

I didn't know College Station had a school.

Old Style · June 17, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

I've read this post several times and I can't figure out the joke you're trying to make.

shnsajax · June 17, 2013

In all fairness he has always been a spoiled brat. Just much more noticeable in the off season.

Tracer Bullet · June 17, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

I've read this post several times and I can't figure out the joke you're trying to make.

I'm not making a joke. His mother is related to the Kyles for whom the field is named.

Old Style · June 17, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

I've read this post several times and I can't figure out the joke you're trying to make.

I'm not making a joke. His mother is related to the Kyles for whom the field is named.

Seriously? I've never heard that before.

USSoccer · June 18, 2013

You play football on a field named for your family you spoiled brat

ohhhh, it's named for his family. i was wondering why they played at Our Son Will Be a Fourth Round Draft Pick Stadium.

This has a ring to it.

Tracer Bullet · June 19, 2013

There has been speculation that a committee could use the 2013 season as a "dry run" for the real thing in '14. But Hancock said that is unlikely for multiple reasons: the results would inevitably be leaked; the resulting tumult could overshadow this season; and the time expended on a theoretical undertaking would be counterproductive to the committee members.

This selection committee idea will be an utter disaster. Why not release the results of the dry run? If you expect it to be so bad that it overshadows the season itself, what do you think will happen in 2014?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--college-football-playoff-brass-one-step-closer-to-establishing-committee-011130457.html

CubColtPacer · June 19, 2013

There has been speculation that a committee could use the 2013 season as a "dry run" for the real thing in '14. But Hancock said that is unlikely for multiple reasons: the results would inevitably be leaked; the resulting tumult could overshadow this season; and the time expended on a theoretical undertaking would be counterproductive to the committee members.

This selection committee idea will be an utter disaster. Why not release the results of the dry run? If you expect it to be so bad that it overshadows the season itself, what do you think will happen in 2014?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--college-football-playoff-brass-one-step-closer-to-establishing-committee-011130457.html

It's not that they expect it to be bad. They expect it could possibly be different though then the results that the BCS gives. And they don't want the debate to rage for weeks on why college football is using the unpopular BCS for the extra year if the selection committee is already assembled and picking teams themselves.

I agree with you somewhat that I would rather use the BCS top 4 to seed the playoff rather than a selection committee (much more transparent), but there's so few people that understand the math involved in the BCS to make that transparency mean much, and so I understand why the NCAA is trying to placate the populace by moving the system away from the supposed influence of computers.

Tracer Bullet · June 19, 2013

If you're suggesting that a dry run would lead to controversy in cfb well, I'll believe it when I see it.

Seriously, there would be drawbacks. And yes, there would likely be controversy if different teams would have been selected. But isn't that the point? The committee is supposed to be better so try it and see what happens with no real life ramifications. There's going to be controversy about who's in the title game anyway so that's not much of a concern to me. I think the benefit of seeing how it works before it has to work outweighs the negative.

jersey cubs fan · June 19, 2013

If you're suggesting that a dry run would lead to controversy in cfb well, I'll believe it when I see it.

Seriously, there would be drawbacks. And yes, there would likely be controversy if different teams would have been selected. But isn't that the point? The committee is supposed to be better so try it and see what happens with no real life ramifications. There's going to be controversy about who's in the title game anyway so that's not much of a concern to me. I think the benefit of seeing how it works before it has to work outweighs the negative.

I think there is no doubt there would be controversy, but I think it is pointless for CFB to fear that controversy, since there is going to be controversy regardless.

June 20, 2013

Life is so rough for Johnny Manziel: http://deadspin.com/johnny-manziel-was-all-pissed-off-because-of-a-parking-514442861?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Old Style · June 20, 2013

He's a spolied brat. I can't imagine how long the line would be to "spend a day" in his shoes.

By the way, I can't find anyone that's ever heard the story that he's related to the guy Kyle Field is named for. And the "almost transferred" story is a bunch of horse [expletive].