http://www.tidesports.com/article/200806.../1067/NEWS

Jerrell Powe. Brandon Jennings.Neither is a household name among University of Alabama sports fans.

Powe's name, at least, might ring a bell since he has been a fairly well-publicized Ole Miss football recruit. Jennings, a basketball prospect who has signed with Arizona, is noteworthy in prep recruiting circles but wouldn't register at all with the average SEC sports fan.

However, both young men — and Powe in particular — are part of scenarios that could signal a profound change in the way certain athletes are recruited in the future by many schools, including the University of Alabama.

Powe's case is particularly relevant to Southeastern Conference football programs. His story has been a long one and will require some summarization here, with much of the information derived from the work of my friends Rusty Hampton and Kyle Veazey in the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.

In a nutshell, here is the Powe lowdown. He was the No. 1 rated defensive line prospect in the country out of Waynesboro, Miss., in the 2004 prep football season. The 6-foot-3, 345-pound Powe signed with Ole Miss He didn't qualify and went to Hargrave Military Academy where he played football in 2005, the last time he has done so, to this point. In February 2006, Ole Miss signed him again.

Since then, Powe's eligibility has been an ongoing soap opera marked by court injuctions, correspondence courses from BYU Online and at least one quote from Powe's mother, Shirley, that made him infamous among guardians of academia.

'He's a nice child, he just can't read,' Mrs. Powe was reported as saying. (She has subsequently denied that she said it.)

Attorneys got involved, including Montgomery's Donald Jackson, who has jousted with the NCAA before. Finally, the NCAA, wary of litigation and more enamoured of special dispensations than a 15th-century pope, made a 'special ruling' in Powe's case. It declared him a partial qualifier, allowing him to enroll in Ole Miss and receive financial aid, although he couldn't play (or practice) football.

That didn't necessarily end Powe's problems, since the Southeastern Conference doesn't allow partial qualifiers.

Make that 'didn't' allow them. Now, let's zoom into the present to get up to speed.

At its most recent meetings in Destin, Fla., the SEC apparently relaxed its rules concerning non-qualifiers. I was in Destin but missed that development, as did most of the other reporters there, none of whom (at least as far as I have seen in extensive on-line searching) mentioned it at the time. It's only been referenced in stories about Powe. But here is what Ole Miss athletics director Pete Boone had to say about the change.

'Basically, the SEC's initial eligibility rules will generally mirror the NCAA's, which allow some non-qualifiers to attend school and try to get their grades up before competing,' Boone told the Clarion-Ledger. 'The one caveat is that any non-qualifier still has to be approved by the (SEC) commissioner.'

Now, as large as Jerrell Powe is, let's set him aside for a moment. This is big news. It is a huge change in the way the conference approaches this issue. In the past, the SEC — unlike other leagues — didn't allow non-qualifiers on campus at all, at least as prospective athletes. A non-qualifier either had to get qualified in prep school or graduate from junior college. Otherwise, they didn't get on the field, ever.

Perhaps this new rule could be called 'Saban Rule II.' You might remember the mini-controversy that some people attempted to stir last fall when Saban, in response to a direct question about the University of South Florida, raised just this point. (I know it is hard to keep up with all the media-generated Saban mini-controversies.) The Alabama coach correctly referred to the differences in what a Big East school could do and what an SEC school could do, and this is exactly the difference he was talking about.

Suddenly, it's not a difference any more. It's a matter for the commissioner to decide. If he decides favorably in Powe's case — and a lot of Ole Miss people seem optimistic that he will — then what will the precedent be for the other schools in the league? For instance, what would it mean for Alabama signee Kerry Murphy, another promising defensive lineman who has had similar admissions issues? Could he enroll at Alabama? He would still have to pay his own way, but he could earn his eligibility in Tuscaloosa, with readily available tutoring like Powe is receiving at Ole Miss. In fact, thanks to an NCAA waiver that goes into effect in August, he might even be able to regain a fourth year of eligibility.

I think Mike Slive is an honorable man, but he's going to be in a tough position regarding these rulings. What if Ole Miss gets a favorable ruling on Powe and Mississippi State, for instance, gets turned down on a similar application? The end result, I think, is that most of the requests for non-qualifier admission will stand a pretty fair chance of being approved. Time will tell.

Now, what does Brandon Jennings' story have to do with all this?

Jennings, who also played at a Virginia prep school last season, is waiting on the results of an SAT test that will determine whether he'll be eligible at Arizona next year. If he doesn't pass the SAT, he's probably going to Europe to play for one year. Even if he does pass the test, he still might go to Europe and start his professional career. That's what the shoe companies, among others, want him to do anyway. Regardless, Jennings has already made it clear that he only wants to play basketball next season so he can head to the NBA once he meets the age requirement.

So is skipping college basketball for a year in Europe really a bad thing? It would be a first for an American-grown basketball star. Baseball players, of course, skip college all the time and go straight to a minor league career. Football players don't have the option, since there is no viable developmental league in which they could play. If they want to get into the NFL, they have to play in college. That's part of the Powe saga, and I am not being judgmental about Ole Miss when I say that. It goes on at a lot of schools, including a lot of SEC schools. And, if the new attitude to non-qualifiers is any indication, it might be more prevalent, not less, in the future.

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Didn't the BE approve a rule in 2006 that says that member institutions could NOT accept athletes that didn't meet NCAA admission standards? I think all the BCS conferences have this same rule. Also, wasn't Saban call out about his comments on the BE by Levitt soon saying that Saban was wrong?

Also, didn't the SEC used to allow two non-qualifers (or partial qualifers?) prior to these new standards?

This is not newsworthy. The reporter is mistaken in what the SEC rules were. And a reporter not doing there research is hardly newsworthy.

This whole mess was researched back when Saban made his allegations about USF.

The SEC has always had a rule that allowed non-qualifiers to be allowed on campus. This is what was found by competent research:

Entering freshmen - No aid, comp, practice at any time unless minimum 2.25 core GPA. May not receive aid, and must count in team financial aid limits.

Numerical limits on freshmen or 4-4 Transfer – Maximum limit of 4 Sports Athletes (SA's) Non-Qualifier (NQ) in men’s sports (limit 2 in FB and not more than 1 annually in any other sport). Maximum limit of 4 SA’s classified as NQ in women’s sports (limit 1 per sport annually). Limits do not apply to Learning Disabled SA who is otherwise eligible for enrollment.

NQ 4-yr transfer: Transfer at least 48S/72Q units with 2.00 GPA, attended 4-yr inst. 3S/4Q as full-time student, and have at least 2 seasons of competition remaining. Then eligible for aid, practice, and
comp after completing 1 yr in residence at SEC school. If minimum transfer requirements are not met, may not be eligible for aid, comp, or practice at any time.

NQ 2-year and 4-2-4: Must have AA and 48S/72Q units w/ 2.00 & attended 3S at JC; earn 6 credits of transferable non-remedial English with 2.00 and earn 6 credits of transferable Math with 2.00.


Transfer rule for SEC and other leagues stricter than Big East (which allows for NCAA minima - most leagues have higher requirement than NCAA minima), but NQ rule is stricter for Big East than SEC. The league now allows no NQs, it used to allow 4 per year, like the SEC, but no more. Please note that the NQs who have no waiver from the NCAAs for all BCS leagues where it is allowed, cannot compete on the field, even in practice until they achieve certain academic requirements at the school. Which is when "grey-shirting" is often employed.

Cheers,
Neil

omnicarrier Wrote:This is not newsworthy. The reporter is mistaken in what the SEC rules were. And a reporter not doing there research is hardly newsworthy.

This whole mess was researched back when Saban made his allegations about USF.

The SEC has always had a rule that allowed non-qualifiers to be allowed on campus. This is what was found by competent research:

Entering freshmen - No aid, comp, practice at any time unless minimum 2.25 core GPA. May not receive aid, and must count in team financial aid limits.

Numerical limits on freshmen or 4-4 Transfer – Maximum limit of 4 Sports Athletes (SA's) Non-Qualifier (NQ) in men’s sports (limit 2 in FB and not more than 1 annually in any other sport). Maximum limit of 4 SA’s classified as NQ in women’s sports (limit 1 per sport annually). Limits do not apply to Learning Disabled SA who is otherwise eligible for enrollment.

NQ 4-yr transfer: Transfer at least 48S/72Q units with 2.00 GPA, attended 4-yr inst. 3S/4Q as full-time student, and have at least 2 seasons of competition remaining. Then eligible for aid, practice, and
comp after completing 1 yr in residence at SEC school. If minimum transfer requirements are not met, may not be eligible for aid, comp, or practice at any time.

NQ 2-year and 4-2-4: Must have AA and 48S/72Q units w/ 2.00 & attended 3S at JC; earn 6 credits of transferable non-remedial English with 2.00 and earn 6 credits of transferable Math with 2.00.


Transfer rule for SEC and other leagues stricter than Big East (which allows for NCAA minima - most leagues have higher requirement than NCAA minima), but NQ rule is stricter for Big East than SEC. The league now allows no NQs, it used to allow 4 per year, like the SEC, but no more. Please note that the NQs who have no waiver from the NCAAs for all BCS leagues where it is allowed, cannot compete on the field, even in practice until they achieve certain academic requirements at the school. Which is when "grey-shirting" is often employed.

Cheers,
Neil

Thanks Omni for the info. Do you know what the transfer rules differences are?

Hoquista Wrote:

omnicarrier Wrote:This is not newsworthy. The reporter is mistaken in what the SEC rules were. And a reporter not doing there research is hardly newsworthy.

This whole mess was researched back when Saban made his allegations about USF.

The SEC has always had a rule that allowed non-qualifiers to be allowed on campus. This is what was found by competent research:

Entering freshmen - No aid, comp, practice at any time unless minimum 2.25 core GPA. May not receive aid, and must count in team financial aid limits.

Numerical limits on freshmen or 4-4 Transfer – Maximum limit of 4 Sports Athletes (SA's) Non-Qualifier (NQ) in men’s sports (limit 2 in FB and not more than 1 annually in any other sport). Maximum limit of 4 SA’s classified as NQ in women’s sports (limit 1 per sport annually). Limits do not apply to Learning Disabled SA who is otherwise eligible for enrollment.

NQ 4-yr transfer: Transfer at least 48S/72Q units with 2.00 GPA, attended 4-yr inst. 3S/4Q as full-time student, and have at least 2 seasons of competition remaining. Then eligible for aid, practice, and
comp after completing 1 yr in residence at SEC school. If minimum transfer requirements are not met, may not be eligible for aid, comp, or practice at any time.

NQ 2-year and 4-2-4: Must have AA and 48S/72Q units w/ 2.00 & attended 3S at JC; earn 6 credits of transferable non-remedial English with 2.00 and earn 6 credits of transferable Math with 2.00.


Transfer rule for SEC and other leagues stricter than Big East (which allows for NCAA minima - most leagues have higher requirement than NCAA minima), but NQ rule is stricter for Big East than SEC. The league now allows no NQs, it used to allow 4 per year, like the SEC, but no more. Please note that the NQs who have no waiver from the NCAAs for all BCS leagues where it is allowed, cannot compete on the field, even in practice until they achieve certain academic requirements at the school. Which is when "grey-shirting" is often employed.

Cheers,
Neil

Thanks Omni for the info. Do you know what the transfer rules differences are?

No. All I could find was basically that the Big East transfer rule says must meet NCAA minima. So, I assume, if other conferences are detailing the transfer criteria that it is different from the NCAA minimas. Since it can't be 'lower' than the NCAA minima, I assume those that clearly delineate transfer criteria are doing so because it establishes criteria greater than the NCAA minima.

Of course, we all know what happens, when one assumes...

Cheers,
Neil