<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012501957.html[/url]”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012501957.html</a></p>
<p>The life of an in-coming freshman who is also a football player.</p>
<p>Wow, I really feel for this kid. But it sounds like he is very highly motivated. I respect his work ethic and his decision-making and really wish him well. The support he’s getting from the football team and staff, along with the structure, will likely get him through this transition. Question: do any of you think it’s unreasonable that the intro. sociology professor demanded the students have a novel read in two days? As a former English major, even I think that is just wrong.</p>
<p>Thank you for posting this article. One of my son’s former HS teammates is doing the same, graduated early and is now a new freshman/recruit at Wisconsin-Madison. So many times here on CC, I read nasty (ignorant) posts about athletes and the “full rides” they’re given and apparently don’t deserve. These guys will earn every last penny of their scholarships, while they participate in one of the biggest revenue producing activities for their universities. America loves its sports and football tops the list. These players are working two full-time jobs simultaneously at the elite D-1 level as both students and athletes…very, very demanding.</p>
<p>What a great kid.</p>
<p>A great kid and a great story. You gotta root for him, think of the obstacles he has already overcome.</p>
<p>It’s good to hear stories like this. I don’t think the posts on CC are misguided though. Sure, there are kids like this out there, but the facts remain that many athletes, especially at the big schools in the revenue sports, never graduate, even after 5 or 6 years. I have a very high level of respect though for the kids that play varsity sports and do well in the classroom.</p>
<p>… and I like the “mandatory informal practice”. Obviously the NCAA mandated limited practice time in the spring doesn’t matter. I’m sure this is the case at any big school.</p>
<p>Most athletes only collect on their scholarships as long as they’re a member of the team and meet the requirements. Four, maybe five years if red-shirted, and then funding ends. Sure, graduation rates are dismal, but that wasn’t the point. Some posters resent the fact that these guys were awarded the full ride in the first place. They don’t seem to understand what the student-athlete must give to the university, the demands placed on them as this article describes, in return for that monetary support.</p>
<p>Maurice Clarett also graduated high school early to get a jump on spring. Not a wise move.</p>
<p>A kid in our neck of the woods, Jimmy Clausen, did the same this month and is now at Notre Dame training for QB position.</p>
<p>It’s a great article, which I’m going to print out for my D. She’ll be playing for
Bucknell next year, which has one of the highest student athlete graduation rates in the country.</p>
<p>Hmmm…seems this is a bit controversial at the moment! Will be interesting story to follow…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/sports/ncaafootball/07illinois.html?ref=sports[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/sports/ncaafootball/07illinois.html?ref=sports</a></p>
<p>Zook can recruit, no doubt about it, witness Florida’s national championship with lots of his players. But can he coach? That remains to be seen.</p>
<p>I posted the original link because of my experience in working on Title IX athletics issues at the postsecondary level. I was stunned by the demands that colleges make on their scholarship athletes, especially those in sports like football and basketball. It’s a wonder that any of them ever graduate.</p>
<p>“but the facts remain that many athletes, especially at the big schools in the revenue sports, never graduate, even after 5 or 6 years”</p>
<p>And if they don’t graduate? Many would not have gone to college at all with the athletics. The income and life potential of college non-graduates far exceeds that of high school-only grads, and many, many of them will go on to finish their degrees later - remember, the average age of an undergraduate in the United States is 24.5 years. It’s those 18-22 college students who are the outlyers.</p>
<p>And be careful with comparison groups: compare the athletes only with students from the same racial/income status who are not athletes and you quickly find that, even with low graduation rates, the athletes are often doing better than their counterparts.</p>
<p>“But during his first few days in Champaign, Benn hardly could imagine a more overwhelming transition. On Jan. 16, his first day of class, his schedule demanded 90 minutes of weightlifting, an hour of informal football practice, three academic classes, an appointment with an academic adviser, a mandatory team dinner, a team meeting, two hours of study hall and an introduction to the team playbook. The beginning of his Division I football career meant the end of just about everything else.”</p>
<p>My d’s current schedule as a gymnast is significantly more demanding than this, and she isn’t even in college yet.</p>
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<p>is that really true? I would never have thought that.</p>
<p>Yup, it really is true. Consider the enrollment, for example, of the University of Phoenix, the nation’s largest private university - by itself, it is like 50 LACs, give or take, with most students over 25. Consider the evening and weekend programs at most of the major state universities, flagships and others. Enrollments at community colleges, etc.</p>