NCAA Football: Family
Affair
“Because we don't know when we will
die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything
happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number
really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of
your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being
that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four,
five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you
watch the full moon rise? Perhaps 20. And yet it all seems
limitless.” (Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky)
This weekend when the Oregon football
team plays host to the California Golden Bears, the coaches will be
hosting several recruits as well. One of those recruits, [db]Tony
James[/db], will be traveling across country from the state of
Florida to check out everything the Ducks have to offer.
With the breadth of talent available in
places like Florida and Texas, the Ducks made the important decision
to go outside of their traditional recruiting grounds to look for the
right type of talent to fit their schemes. Oregon had traditionally
been heavily influenced by players from southern California. Despite
the fact that California is loaded with Division I talent of their
own, there simply was more talent around the nation Oregon was
missing out on each year.
That had to change. And it did.
In their rise to national prominence
the Ducks have increased their national visibility and have become
more reliant on national recruiting to find the best talent for their
warp speed high flying offense. The fact that the Ducks have been
able to build their national brand is made more impressive by their
relatively remote location.
Being in a small town might not present
much of a problem if that university was close to big population
centers and deep high school talent. Eugene really has neither of
those advantages. Facilities certainly draw interest from recruits
and their parents; but getting the decision makers to see Eugene as
the right place is easier said than done. Especially given the
somewhat arcane rules of the NCAA and its guidelines for recruiting.
Last year it was learned that an
assistant coach at Tennessee had secretly paid for a parent to make a
trip to Knoxville with her son. This is an NCAA violation. The
question, though, is whether this rule has seen its better days.
The NCAA does not permit the athlete to
make the decision alone, however, requiring a parent or guardian
signature on their National Letter of Intent. The catch? The parent
cannot see the institution unless they pay their own way.
While many young men take up to five
trips to see their college options, parents are not afforded the same
opportunity. How is a young man supposed to make an informed decision
if at least one of his parents has not had the opportunity to visit
with the athlete? Honestly, they cannot.
That issue came to light this past
season when a running back from the state of Florida (seem familiar?)
decided he wanted to play football for Brett Bielema. At the time
Bielema was the coach at the University of Wisconsin. After leaving
Wisconsin to take over the head coaching position at the University
of Arkansas, Bielema continued recruiting the talented running back.
The problem? Mom had never been to
campus and refused to sign his NLI.
This wasn't an overprotective parent or
“nut-job” as had been speculated in February. She was simply a
mother who wanted to make sure her son was making his decision for
the right reason. After all, he wouldn't have been the first 17 year
old to make a bad decision for the wrong reasons.
After learning of the reasons her son
chose to play for Bielema, she acquiesced and signed allowing him to
attend. The reality is that he just wanted to get out of Florida and
be somewhere he could truly grow into a man. That is an incredibly
mature and intelligent thought process that should have been
rewarded. It came close to not happening because his mother had not
seen Arkansas and had no understanding of this process.
Sure, there were clearly some
communication issues between mother and son. It took a drastic act on
the part of the mother to get the young man to speak openly and
honestly about his decision.
Nonetheless, the NCAA requires a
signature from someone whom they do not permit to be hosted. There is
something a bit off about that rule.
This rule needs changed.
Youth is a time of learning and
exploration. What happens on the football field pales in comparison
to what happens in the classroom of life. As these young men travel
through the morass of life, he has a choice to accept his own without
question or compare it with others. Comparison is a great guide to
decision making.
The problem is that the athlete's
decision is only a ruse. Because a parent signature is required, it
is really the parent making the decision. And, if the NCAA expects
the parent to make informed decisions in the best interests of the
student-athlete, what would be wrong with allowing universities to
pay for a parent to visit along with the student-athlete? In a word;
nothing.
Oregon is fortunate in the case of Tony
James. His mother father and sister are able to afford the
cross-country trip. Whether James chooses the Ducks or another
university, we know tht his choice will have been truly informed with
accurate input from his family.
Not everyone is so lucky.
The decision should be a family affair.
It is time for the NCAA to allow the family to help make the
decision.
Recruiting Update
During their bye week, Oregon coaches
took full advantage of revamped rules which allow all assistant
coaches to be recruiting at the same time. As head coach Mark
Helfrich stayed behind to run practices, every assistant coach
scattered to all four corners of the country to recruit.
Though the Ducks have just 8 commitments heading into their Pac-12 opener, Oregon is still looking to close strong this recruiting class. That begins this weekend with three very big official visitors as well as the possibility of some unofficial visitors.
Will there be any surprise visitors
this weekend?
Stay tuned to Duck Sports Authority for all the latest recruiting news to find out.
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