Ahaha. A burgeoning educational institution? Wow. You keep on letting in half of the dim wits from one of the worst education systems in the country and yeah, you’ll definitely become the next Yale.

God, idiots are just flocking to hang out with each other. Circle jerk of idiots.

I do like pushing people’s buttons. And I’ve gone after oversigning largely because I don’t believe those on a crusade against it know what they are talking about.

My HONEST view is that limited oversigning is fine. It is common to sign a recruit and the recruit KNOW that he will grayshirt. John Parker Wilson was signed that way back before Saban ever thought of coming to UA.

I also think limited oversigning is fine because I know coaches tell borderline recruits they can sign even if the chances are low they will qualify. When this happens, it is my experience in talking with coaches and recruits, that the players are told how things will unfold if they qualify or if they don’t. There is much more disclosure with at-risk students than most people know. It isn’t always perfect, but that doesn’t mean oversigning is bad.

One other thing about oversigning, attrition is common, and signing a handful of extra players to replace the ones you expect to go on medical scholarship isn’t a bad thing. It is a sound business decision.

I do like your mention of APR. I think retention and graduation should be important goals for college athletics. I was told the retention element of APR is one of the biggest reasons a coach can’t just purge his roster of troublemakers when a coaching regime changes. I think that is a legitimate requirement for teams to get players to earn a degree.

Semantic point: Matriculate is to be enrolled at a college, not to graduate from college.

However, your assertion that Alabama is in APR trouble is wrong. Alabama’s APR is 955, which isn’t too far away from the SEC’s best score in football-Georgia with a 965.

Also, the cutting players thing is one of the things that irritates me. Players aren’t being cut. When an injured player who can’t play is put on a MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP, that is fair to the player and the football team. This is one of the reasons I’ve asked for specific names of players who weren’t treated fairly. It would lend credibility to arguments to further restrict teams who abuse this method of dealing with scholarships.

One last thing as I’ve rambled tons. Why should student-athletes be entitled to four years of scholarships when other merit scholarships are reviewed every year? The NCAA wants student-athletes treated like every other student. Why should these football players who don’t perform get to keep their scholarships?

Oversigning isn’t immoral because nobody is hurt by it.

If you believe someone is hurt by it, prove it. Show us an example. Show us more than one example. Until we know someone has been hurt by it, it is speculation, conjecture and wishful thinking.

I don’t have on crimson goggles. I’m simply demanding proof that this injures people before I rant about it. That is a completely reasonable thing to do.

I’m not the only one who believes the one year scholarship. Just because fans (like you) are ignorant of the rules doesn’t mean people involved with college football are ignorant too. Players know much more than you give them credit for knowing. And the data is there in the NCAA’s own handout to players. Sorry you don’t like facts.

As for players being cut after injury, you do know players placed on MEDICAL scholarship don’t count against the 85 limit and still get to finish their education at the school? That is one way players who can’t play again are taken care of by institutions.

Are transfers always the coach’s fault? Why is it when a player on Saban’s team transfers that it is imputed to be his fault? I know oversigning critics will say the oversigning encouraged it. But, transfers happen without oversigning and aren’t a problem–why then must we impute a problem when oversigning is present, and absent any additional fact to prove the assumption?

And unlike you, I’ll close with a sincere wish for you to enjoy your football season.

If you have such amazing foresight, I guess you should be thankful that RR didn’t end up going to Alabama after your school offered him a position as HC. I mean, I figured that Alabama was headed straight for the shitter after losing to ULM and going 7-6 in 2007. I almost couldn’t blame Nick Saban for cutting corners just to please the impatient rednecks.

Saban oversigned. He has to count on having players cut. If it’s by 1 or 2 players, then it’s not too outlandish to expect a few players to leave, but it’s still wrong. Football was part of the arrangement for these student-athletes. And at least for some of these kids, it’s the path to the NFL. It’s simply wrong to cut a sophomore–or even someone who hasn’t even started school–to make room for others.

I would rather be the “Mississippi of the North” than Alabama in the South any day. And just so you know, “the median household income in Ohio, the poorest state represented by the Big Ten, was $4,500 higher than the average median income for all the SEC states last year.”

Anyway, the July 1 deadline is important. Why do you think we heard about some players moving to medical scholarships close to that date?

My best guess (based on conversations I had with a person familiar with coaching in the SEC) is that the numbers were worked out between the end of spring practice and the start of the first summer term. We don’t know what Saban has in mind because he is secretive. That isn’t good or bad, but it does make it more difficult to judge what is happening behind the scenes.

Your assumption is that kids are CUT; however, that isn’t verified by players actually being CUT. What we know is players have moved to medical scholarships, transferred or left the program in the past. Now, that could change this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if it did or didn’t. However, I’d like to KNOW something is happening before I get outraged about it.

BTW, I don’t have to show anyone proof. I’m not the one screaming something is IMMORAL. When you offer an opinion that conduct is bad, the burden of proof is on you to verify your position. That is how civilized society works. If you argue for a position to change the status quo, you get the burden of proof. So far, you are failing.

Again, show me players truly cut, and then we can judge the ethics of oversigning. I’ll be waiting…

However, I do know enough to research before I spew stuff on the Internet or in print.

From the NCAA:
Is an athletic scholarship guaranteed for four years?
No.Athletic scholarships, like most merit-based scholarships, are limited to one academic year. Athletic scholarships may be renewed and the school must notify the student-athlete in writing by July 1 whether the athletic scholarship will be renewed for the next aca-
demic year. Individual schools have appeal policies for scholarships that are reduced or not renewed. In most cases, the coach decides who gets a scholarship, what it covers and
whether it will be renewed