SEC issues statement about 'over-signing' loopholes
The SEC issued a statement to the AJC over the weekend regarding member schools that may be looking for loopholes in the conference’s “over-signing” rules for a 25-man limit.
Tennessee has amassed 33 commitments in its 2014 recruiting class, and will likely add a few more. Volunteers coach Butch Jones told reporters “If we can find a way to sign 35, we’ll sign 35." But Jones hasn’t publicly revealed his strategy to beat the 25-man limit.
Tennessee will likely be able to “back-count” some players toward last year’s limit, along with delay the enrollment of others until next January as “grayshirt” scholarships. None of that new. Last year, UGA went over the 25-man limit to sign 33 football recruits. However, 13 enrolled early in classes, and at least 10 of those could be counted toward the previous year’s scholarship numbers.
What is new – and creating a stir in recruiting circles – are a couple of new loopholes that Tennessee is reportedly considering, according to Knoxblog.com’s Evan Woodberry that you can read HERE.
One idea involves “not counting” kids who signed financial-aid agreements with Tennessee before Dec. 1 in a sly maneuver, while another has to do with a new recruiting term called “blue-shirting.”
The AJC requested an interview with the SEC about the topic at this weekend’s SEC Championship game, but instead was issued a statement. Here it is:
“It has been, and remains, permissible for mid-year enrollees to be included in the initial counter limits for the current academic year when a football team does not use the permitted 25 initial counters for fall enrollees.
“Institutional financial aid agreements signed prior to the December 1 are not binding upon the prospective student-athlete. Thus, until the prospective student-athlete enrolls and becomes an initial counter, the individual is able to determine the institution he wishes to attend or to sign institutional financial aid agreements with multiple universities.
“The numerical limits on football signees is now an NCAA Bylaw and, should the existing policy require modification, the SEC will work cooperatively with the NCAA national office to achieve the appropriate outcome.”
In summary, the SEC is aware of member schools searching for loopholes. That’s about it, other than that it’s fair to say that the SEC can’t really issue a rule interpretation until Tennessee or another school tries the loophole (Surely it will happen at some point).
What about those two loopholes?
The first has to do with the financial-aid agreements. Under the SEC’s “over-signing” bylaw (which went into effect around two years ago), schools are limited to signing 25 prospective student-athletes (PSAs) to a National Letter of Intent and financial aid from Dec. 1 to May 31 each year. This year, a new NCAA interpretation allowed kids who have been approved to enroll early to sign financial-aid agreements beginning on Aug. 1. According to Woodberry, the first loophole could be kids who signed before Dec. 1. “They’re freebies, if you will.”
The second possible loophole has to do with “blue-shirting.” Here’s Woodberry’s explanation: “Officially, a player arrives in the summer as a walk-on. Once football practice begins, he’s awarded a scholarship. The school is allowed to count the scholarship forward — against the 2015 class — but the player can play immediately. There’s a big catch: The student-athlete may not have been recruited, as defined by NCAA bylaws. That means no official visit to campus, no in-home visits from coaches, no signed National Letter of Intent or athletic aid.”
"Over-signing" is when a college signs more football recruits than scholarships available.
Again, all of this is just speculation as Jones has not publicly revealed his strategy. If true, however, it would not be surprising as most coaches are always trying to find a competitive edges in all phases of the game, especially recruiting.
We’ll see how all of this unfolds over the next six weeks.
Link: http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-recruiting/2013/dec/09/sec-issues-statement-about-over-signing-loopholes/
The SEC issued a statement to the AJC over the weekend regarding member schools that may be looking for loopholes in the conference’s “over-signing” rules for a 25-man limit.
Tennessee has amassed 33 commitments in its 2014 recruiting class, and will likely add a few more. Volunteers coach Butch Jones told reporters “If we can find a way to sign 35, we’ll sign 35." But Jones hasn’t publicly revealed his strategy to beat the 25-man limit.
Tennessee will likely be able to “back-count” some players toward last year’s limit, along with delay the enrollment of others until next January as “grayshirt” scholarships. None of that new. Last year, UGA went over the 25-man limit to sign 33 football recruits. However, 13 enrolled early in classes, and at least 10 of those could be counted toward the previous year’s scholarship numbers.
What is new – and creating a stir in recruiting circles – are a couple of new loopholes that Tennessee is reportedly considering, according to Knoxblog.com’s Evan Woodberry that you can read HERE.
One idea involves “not counting” kids who signed financial-aid agreements with Tennessee before Dec. 1 in a sly maneuver, while another has to do with a new recruiting term called “blue-shirting.”
The AJC requested an interview with the SEC about the topic at this weekend’s SEC Championship game, but instead was issued a statement. Here it is:
“It has been, and remains, permissible for mid-year enrollees to be included in the initial counter limits for the current academic year when a football team does not use the permitted 25 initial counters for fall enrollees.
“Institutional financial aid agreements signed prior to the December 1 are not binding upon the prospective student-athlete. Thus, until the prospective student-athlete enrolls and becomes an initial counter, the individual is able to determine the institution he wishes to attend or to sign institutional financial aid agreements with multiple universities.
“The numerical limits on football signees is now an NCAA Bylaw and, should the existing policy require modification, the SEC will work cooperatively with the NCAA national office to achieve the appropriate outcome.”
In summary, the SEC is aware of member schools searching for loopholes. That’s about it, other than that it’s fair to say that the SEC can’t really issue a rule interpretation until Tennessee or another school tries the loophole (Surely it will happen at some point).
What about those two loopholes?
The first has to do with the financial-aid agreements. Under the SEC’s “over-signing” bylaw (which went into effect around two years ago), schools are limited to signing 25 prospective student-athletes (PSAs) to a National Letter of Intent and financial aid from Dec. 1 to May 31 each year. This year, a new NCAA interpretation allowed kids who have been approved to enroll early to sign financial-aid agreements beginning on Aug. 1. According to Woodberry, the first loophole could be kids who signed before Dec. 1. “They’re freebies, if you will.”
The second possible loophole has to do with “blue-shirting.” Here’s Woodberry’s explanation: “Officially, a player arrives in the summer as a walk-on. Once football practice begins, he’s awarded a scholarship. The school is allowed to count the scholarship forward — against the 2015 class — but the player can play immediately. There’s a big catch: The student-athlete may not have been recruited, as defined by NCAA bylaws. That means no official visit to campus, no in-home visits from coaches, no signed National Letter of Intent or athletic aid.”
"Over-signing" is when a college signs more football recruits than scholarships available.
Again, all of this is just speculation as Jones has not publicly revealed his strategy. If true, however, it would not be surprising as most coaches are always trying to find a competitive edges in all phases of the game, especially recruiting.
We’ll see how all of this unfolds over the next six weeks.
Link: http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-recruiting/2013/dec/09/sec-issues-statement-about-over-signing-loopholes/