It’s looking like Signing Day might be a little slow for the Crimson Tide this year. Although I think I said the same thing last year, and look how that turned out. However, there are a few storylines that I think will be worth paying attention to next Wednesday, and I’m aiming to highlight them over the next few days. Today, we kick things off with a piece that might get a little inflammatory…
Before we even get started, let me say this: I’m thoroughly acquainted with the myriad injustices that have resulted from the practice of “oversigning.” I’m well-read on the subject (as every fan of Alabama should be, since that’s where most of the shots get taken). I completely understand that the SEC felt an immense amount of pressure to respond to what was being categorized as “it’s” issue. And I fully acknowledge that several of the reforms that they passed in response to oversigning will have overwhelmingly positive outcomes. (I especially like the rule that puts an end to the unofficial summer evaluation period for freshmen). But this business of limiting schools to only 25 LOI’s each signing period…I don’t get it.
For one thing, it doesn’t even stop oversigning because it only addresses the issue of a team’s 25 initial counters per year while doing nothing about the 85-man roster limit…which is where all the “cutting” takes place (allegedly). So what good is it actually doing, really? Does it, in some way, curb the fallout from oversigning by at least limiting exactly how far over a team can oversign and thus how many current roster members a team will have to “cut” in order to get to 85 (allegedly)? Sure. But that barely qualifies as a half-measure in protecting enrolled student athletes. And did anyone at the SEC stop to consider how this was going to negatively impact prospective student athletes (aka the young men who will be dominating the airwaves next Wednesday)?
Make no mistake about it, the SEC’s self-imposed limit of 25 signees per class will hurt some of these kids. Some kids, it already has. Most pertinently to this article, there will be recruits on next Wednesday who’s first choice will be to attend Alabama this fall but will denied that opportunity because of this new signing cap.
The first casualty for the Tide appears to have been Atlanta (GA) running back Justin Thomas, who will be required to delay his enrollment until January of next year if he chooses to stick with his commitment to Alabama. You may recall someone in the Atlanta media stirring up a brouhaha over it last week, but it was much ado about nothing, in my opinion. I don’t want to sound like I’m completely absolving Bama of anything here, since it’s quite possible they could have done a better job of managing their numbers prior to this situation arising, BUT the bottom line is this: without the 25 cap in place, this would have been a non-issue. Thomas could have signed in February and then would have had the choice to rehab on campus while redshirting the 2012 season or delaying his enrollment, as is the current plan. As it stands now, he has no choice. It’s grayshirt, or go elsewhere. How is that a good thing for him?
Next up could be Columbia (SC) wide receiver Casey Gladney, who has some well-known academic concerns. Any other year, Gladney would be free to sign with Bama and then work his tail off to get eligible for the 2012 season. But now, thanks to the new rule, Gladney could have a hard choice to make next week: look elsewhere or wait until next January to enroll, regardless of if he gets his grades in order.
Not that “grayshirting” is some terrible thing in and of itself, it’s not like these kids lose time off their eligibility clock when they delay enrollment. But I just hate to see high school kids lose options, many of whom come from backgrounds that don’t provide them a lot of options in life besides football to begin with. And it’s not only the committed kids who could be suffering. Take, for instance, the case of Oxford (AL) linebacker Kwon Alexander (CFBZ #55):
It’s not a big secret that Alabama is where he wants to be. And any other year, a highly-rated in-state recruit who wanted to be at Bama would have been welcomed into the fold months ago. But, again, thanks to the new SEC rule, Alexander is sitting here a week from Signing Day waiting to see what happens. Will the Tide end up having a last-minute opening for him, or will he have to sign with one of his fall-back choices, Auburn or LSU? Okay, I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, how terrible to get a free education playing football at Auburn or LSU.” And, true, either one of those would still be a pretty good “Plan B” for anybody. I just don’t understand why the SEC is suddenly in the business of limiting high school kids’ horizons, telling them that they can not, in fact, follow their dreams.
And what’s it all for? Really? It doesn’t really address the problems of oversigning in any significant way. Is it to placate a bunch of bored journalists just mining a controversial topic to make the offseason pass? Maybe to get a few less negative headlines? Or maybe it was to appease some of the more vociferous Big Ten crybabies, make them feel special and appreciated and not like it’s just that their brand of football has grown inferior to that of elsewhere in the country and that maybe, just maybe, this cracks the door for their team to win a meaningful trophy again, if only for a moment?
Whatever the reason, it’s not worth it. For however many kids this rule helps, it will hurt just as many. And the hurting starts next Wednesday. Not just at Alabama, but all around the SEC.
If you are a fan of recruiting check out our Top 100 Recruits and a look at some of the more intriguing un-declared prospects.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
