Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is proposing a plan that would eliminate redshirts and extend a college football player's eligibility by one year. While not a new idea, in the new age of college football where teams are held accountable for graduation rates this plan is starting to gain momentum.
"This idea makes so much sense," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "It would eliminate all kinds of appeals and legislation about injuries. And it typically takes most people five years to graduate, and I think this would help the graduation rates."
The arguments for:
-Players currently have four seasons of eligibility during a five-year window anyway why not just let them play those five years
-do away with "redshirt blues" or the melancholy many young players feel during their redshirt freshman season while practicing and working out just like all the other players but not having the reward of getting playing time in games.
-coaches would have the full complement of their roster to use on game day which would alleviate some of the pain of the 85 scholarship limit.
The arguments against:
-"The argument against it is you do it for football you have to do it for every other sport."
-"The biggest obstacle has been opposition from faculty representatives for sanctioning an extra season of eligibility when many of their classmates finish much sooner."
I'm in total agreement with this idea; it does make a lot of sense. It's funny, just yesterday I was having a discussion with a recent graduate of Penn State and several parents of PSU alum and we were all in agreement that it's nearly impossible to graduate from college (especially Penn State) in four years with the course load expected in most majors. So to say that football players' classmates are graduating much sooner is a bit of a stretch in my mind, sure it can be done but it's not the norm. Also, the extra year would allow players who fall behind academically to catch up without overloading them. On the negative side, I believe you would see a lot less players graduate who leave early for the NFL simply because they would still have another year or two of course work left.
In other sports the same idea might not apply but football is unique. If you recruit a star cornerback in the same year that you have two senior starters in that position you could find another position for him to play, like wide receiver or special teams. In a sport like wrestling if you recruit a star heavyweight but you have a senior starter at that weight class that recruit is screwed, he can't move to a different weight class so his year would be wasted. I'm sure Joe Paterno would disagree with me because freshmen should never be allowed on the field in his mind, but I love the idea. Hopefully it gets some serious consideration.
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2 comments:
"Just yesterday I was having a discussion with a recent graduate of Penn State and several parents of PSU alum and we were all in agreement that it's nearly impossible to graduate from college (especially Penn State) in four years with the course load expected in most majors."
That remark is total B.S. I graduated in 4 years and was on the football team. I was able to study, workout, and party and graduated with ease in 4 years with my Major and a Minor.
I didn't say it couldn't be done and I congratulate you especially if you were able to party, that wasn't an option for me. My brother had to go five years for forestry, the girl I was talking to had to go four and a half and during several summers. The other two people were parents of kids that had to go at least four and a half years. I also work with many graduates of Penn State (I only live 30 miles away) and to the best of my knowledge none of them were able to graduate in just four years without going to school during summer.
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