Oversigning - Is It Finally Sinking In?

Oversigning has been on fire on all the blogs recently. Well, I shouldn't say recently as Brian over at mgoblog.com first brought it out in the open several years ago. At least that's when it came to my attention. However, I'm not sure the practice was even given that much of a thought by the NCAA and the university's that were doing it the most until it took on an "evil" mantra on the blog network. The mainstream press just more or less stated that schools were "working inside the guidelines as set by the NCAA" and the NCAA's position never waivered from the statement of, "You can only sign a maximum of 28 between February and May and the total roster of Scholarship players has to be at 85." But the rule is toothless as it's undertsood that you have to be at 85 when the season starts. That doesn't mean you can't bring in a bunch of JUCO transfers in January...hence you are automatically over the limit.

It's total BS....

Finally, it seems, there's some light at the end of the tunnel. OR I should say that the proverbial heat is getting turned up in the SEC and schools are being warned that they need to curb the practice. Andy Staples wrote a great article that is worth the read. Satan, the most overzealous oversigner that exists currently, is now going on record and stating that the players that get signed are signed to a 1 year scholarship and you have to play for your scholarship every year.

Give Saban credit. At least he tells recruits they might get cut to clear space for newer signees. When the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun-News interviewed seven participants in the Offense-Defense Bowl about the topic of the one-year, renewable scholarship, only one, Alabama commitment Christion Jones, knew his scholarship had to be renewed annually. "Coach Saban told me it's a one-year scholarship you have to work for," Jones told the paper. "Some coaches don't tell some kids. Some kids have to find out the hard way."

WAIT A FRIGGIN' MINUTE! SOMEONE IS GIVING SATAN CREDIT FOR DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY????

Andy does go on to remedy his statement by stating that The Big 10 is doing this the right way. Yes, there aren't any "4 year" scholarships, but the Big 10 commits to that recruit for 4 years unless they are injured or leave the program voluntarily. Hence the reason that there are no "real" 4 year scholarships. You just have to be at 85 to be legit.

If I was an 18 year old kid that wanted to play at Alabama, I guess my mind would be thinking that this team recruited me, they want me, and I have been head and shoulders above my competition in high school. There's no way I don't make it every year.

But ever year, a bunch of "superstar" high-school talent gets booted off a lot of SEC teams.

So, in the end, is it the education or the experience that's more important? I'm sure a bunch of those kids, if you asked them, will tell you that the experience they enjoyed was far better than the education that they received. After all, you can always get an education at any point in time...Right?

That's what the SEC and the schools that are committing these infractions are getting these kids to believe.