🏈 McCaffrey and Fournette skipped their bowl games-Critics said it would hurt them in the draft. Top 8

[planomateo]

But please don't gloss over the fact that these guys can always come back and get a degree. This is truly a diversion in this conversation. Leaving early or sitting out literally has no bearing on whether or not they can be a college graduate.

Agree.

Derrick Henry is still taking classes.

 

[Rolltide24]

Agree 100%. I'm happy to see when guys do that. And wasn't intending to glass over anything. Just comment on the first round busts and change in salaries 7 years ago.

You make a valid point - Some guys could run out of money, or get cut, etc.

But please don't gloss over the fact that these guys can always come back and get a degree. This is truly a diversion in this conversation. Leaving early or sitting out literally has no bearing on whether or not they can be a college graduate.

 

[TerryP]

LOL. You mean like Saban did with the Dolphins? Coaches "take the money and run" constantly, leaving the kids they recruited for "all 4 years" behind without a second thought.

Got me here, stalker. One, left wondering how these two sentences go with each other when they, literally, have nothing in common.

But, forget that for a minute. Explain something here to me because I just don't get it. In response to a "one and done" comment you make a comparison to Saban. Saban, who took a pay cut of well over a million a year to come back to college. Saban, who had his boss with the Dolphins tell him to "go with his heart." But, "like he did with the Dolphins?"

 

[alagator]

You need an Alabama degree... Jon Allen doesn't. Cam Robinson doesn't. Yes Coach Saban assisted these guys along the way.... But as a coach... I really dislike the idea of coaches taking credit for a players success. Trust me, Cam Robinson would have been drafted last week regardless of who was coaching him. Allen the same. They're just that 1% of phenomal talents in college football that doesn't NEED anything... Schools NEED them.

A bunch of "what the hell" here.

You've said you're an AAU coach. A coach, in exhibition games which are showcasing the talents of kids who've already been under development by coaches. Yeah, that would be something I wouldn't care for as well.

The suggestion Cam would have been drafted no matter who was coaching him is another "what the hell?" Put him at UGA. Richt would have likely kicked him off the team without taking the time to find out what happened in Louisiana. We've seen his knee jerk reactions for over a decade. Put him at LSU. Put him at Auburn. Or Texas.

Do you think Damien Mama would have found himself sitting on the outside, looking in, if he'd have chosen a different school?

 

[Tidestalker]

Got me here, stalker. One, left wondering how these two sentences go with each other when they, literally, have nothing in common.

But, forget that for a minute. Explain something here to me because I just don't get it. In response to a "one and done" comment you make a comparison to Saban. Saban, who took a pay cut of well over a million a year to come back to college. Saban, who had his boss with the Dolphins tell him to "go with his heart." But, "like he did with the Dolphins?"

When he left LSU for Miami (after saying he wasn't going to)... Did he take a pay cut?

 

[BamaFan334]

Agree.

Derrick Henry is still taking classes.

So, one guy came back. How many aren't coming back? I know guys come back to finish their degree, but the bigger number is in who did not. There's no glossing over the fact that maturing mentally and earning a degree can better prepare you to handle success than someone that did the bare minimum to just get through.

 

[planomateo]

Many of them continue working on their degree after they get to the NFL.

 

[Tidestalker]

A bunch of "what the hell" here.

You've said you're an AAU coach. A coach, in exhibition games which are showcasing the talents of kids who've already been under development by coaches. Yeah, that would be something I wouldn't care for as well.

The suggestion Cam would have been drafted no matter who was coaching him is another "what the hell?" Put him at UGA. Richt would have likely kicked him off the team without taking the time to find out what happened in Louisiana. We've seen his knee jerk reactions for over a decade. Put him at LSU. Put him at Auburn. Or Texas.

Do you think Damien Mama would have found himself sitting on the outside, looking in, if he'd have chosen a different school?

I'm also a high school coach BTW. I know both sides of that argument well. Still give the credit to the kids and always will.

Again, Cam Robinson and Jon Allen are 1% talent dudes. Size/Speed/Athleticism are premium. Jon Allen happens to be extremely intelligent, very confident he would have been terrific wherever he went. Cam Robinson could have gotten kicked out of UGA, went to South Alabama and still been picked. He's that freakish.

 

[Tidestalker]

So, one guy came back. How many aren't coming back? I know guys come back to finish their degree, but the bigger number is in who did not. There's no glossing over the fact that maturing mentally and earning a degree can better prepare you to handle success than someone that did the bare minimum to just get through.

The point is they have every opportunity to do so. Many of the Alabama draft picks don't, because they don't need to.

 

[BamaFan334]

I would argue "many". I don't even want to think about the basketball percentage, because with the one and done policy, there has to be an enormous amount on uneducated failures out there, simply because there are so many that do it and so few spots available. If you allow more to not even have to play at all in college, you're continuing a bad trend that is an injustice to these guys that simply don't know better.

 

[BamaFan334]

The point is they have every opportunity to do so. Many of the Alabama draft picks don't, because they don't need to.

Well anyone has the opportunity to do anything by that measure! A lot of these guys are in a position coming out of high school to use that learning momentum with studying and being on a schedule to help them succeed. We all know being a professional athletes allows for a lot of down time, nights out, and spending a lot of money to keep up with the Jones'. Just watch the 30 for 30, Broke. You think they want to go back to a more structured environment of studying and test taking after getting a taste of not having that? I sure as hell wouldn't want to go back at my age now. There are more barriers that people don't want to confront is my point, so allowing them to even think about skipping college is an injustice by a lot of people that simply know better. And back to the original point between us, skipping games falls into personal responsibility too. They paved the way for you, you own up to your end of the bargain. Not only for the school, but to your brothers you bled with for three or four years. Countless tweets and posts from guys that played it through said they would kill to go back for one more college game with their brothers.

 

[Tidestalker]

I would argue "many". I don't even want to think about the basketball percentage, because with the one and done policy, there has to be an enormous amount on uneducated failures out there, simply because there are so many that do it and so few spots available. If you allow more to not even have to play at all in college, you're continuing a bad trend that is an injustice to these guys that simply don't know better.

I'm referring to Alabama picks. Don't know if you're taking this into bball 1 and done or referring to a potential football rule... But IMO the freedom of the student athlete to chase their career should come before our perceived injustice.

 

[TerryP]

When he left LSU for Miami

... I was ahead of you in his timeline.

 

[TerryP]

Just thinking outloud here... Gottfried and Grant had some 100% graduation rate years.

FWIW, the football graduation rate has been pretty damn good the last several years as well. I remember hearing it pounded in about 30 or so players who had already graduated being on the field against Michigan State the year before last.

 

[planomateo]

Many of the Alabama draft picks don't

Where are you getting this info from?

 

[Tidestalker]

Where are you getting this info from?

Same place you got this from

Many of them continue working on their degree after they get to the NFL.

General common sense. But please use the whole quote

The point is they have every opportunity to do so. Many of the Alabama draft picks don't, because they don't need to.

FTR Lots of Alabama draft picks have already graduated. The ones that leave early are making $$$$$.

 

[Tidestalker]

... I was ahead of you in his timeline.

Sooooo... The answer to the original question is.... Yes, Nick Saban left his team to make more $. Let's not fault the kids for doing what's best for themselves either.

 

[Tidestalker]

I'm certainly not bulletproof and 100% accurate when taking on all of you at once, but still haven't seen a legitimate business argument as to why a kid shouldn't sit out a season if he thinks it's the best thing for his career. The main argument I can would make against myself is that it would be hard to "improve" your draft stock... Which is the risk you take by not risking a plummet in draft stock. Simply hedging your bet... Being on the safe side. Makes all the sense in the world. We've debunked the college graduation argument, Fournette played 7 games this year, skips his bowl game and goes #4... Writing is on the wall. It's bound to happen.

 

[TerryP]

Sooooo... The answer to the original question is.... Yes, Nick Saban left his team to make more $. Let's not fault the kids for doing what's best for themselves either.

Isn't the original question about quitting on a team in the season? Or, is it now about whether it'll impact draft status? Or, is it the Saban question about Miami?

Here's an all-encompassing answer. You can't compare a coach who left after the season to a kid who doesn't play in a bowl game, in the season, while under an agreement with the University to play football.

Now, if you want to say...compare Petrino and Atlanta to a kid sitting out the game because he had his eyes on something else besides what was required? I'd say we're closer.

I'm certainly not bulletproof and 100% accurate when taking on all of you at once, but still haven't seen a legitimate business argument as to why a kid shouldn't sit out a season if he thinks it's the best thing for his career.

As long as he's paying his own way, I'd agree. You want to sit your junior year? Sit in class, or at home. Not on the athletic departments dime.

 

[BamaFan334]

I'm referring to Alabama picks. Don't know if you're taking this into bball 1 and done or referring to a potential football rule... But IMO the freedom of the student athlete to chase their career should come before our perceived injustice.

I was simply talking about when you said any athlete should be able to go pro out of high school to professional ball. Just stating that myself and obviously many coaches, league officials, and rule making officials think that's a bad idea. They even think the one and done is a bad idea. It's like us shielding our children from bad things in life, teachers do the same and have the idea that they want to change lives for the better, and I want to believe people in power are doing what they can to push kids in the right direction instead of allowing them to fail (lord knows we've seen corruption, but the basis of everything in place is what I mean). They need to do more, but atleast something is in place. And there is nothing keeping a kid from realizing his/her dream, you just have to go through the channels to do it, like every single one of us have to. There are very few people on this planet that have the ability to take short cuts and make it to the pinnacle in life, then there are the rest of us that have to do it 100%.