(01-31-2013 02:14 PM)NIU8484 Wrote: Spot on....and that attitude is not going to change, hence get on the ship or get left behind.
Ultimate question, you have 2 buttons...
Button A will provide you with athletes that are strong academic performers, with football abilities described as ok-good, your 65-75 rated players on a 100 scale.
Button B will provide you with athletes that are able to just get by in the classroom, but are faster, stronger, bigger and more taleneted on the football field, your 75-85 rated players....
Which button are you pushing to fill the better part of your NIU team?
OK. I'm fine with button B. You specifically said that they are just "able" to get by in the classroom. As long as that is the case, I am fine with NIU having those types of guys in the program. That's still putting guys in a position to succeed both academically and athletically. If they're getting by because of limited academic ability, whether it be from a subpar primary education, an unstable home environment, or a late-diagnosed learning disability, etc, then I am fine with giving a willing student an opportunity.
Case in point: Jordan Delegal. JD made a mistake and got in some trouble as a freshman at Marshall. He's always been the first to admit he put himself in a position he shouldn't have. He went to Joliet Junior College and then ended up playing here three years, graduating, and being a team leader. There's a guy whom Jerry Kill took a chance on, but recognized he was a good kid who needed a second chance. On the other hand, Frank Boenzi came in here as a 4 star guy, but was available to us because his attitude scared everyone who might normally recruit someone of his ability. We took a chance on him, and he never really showed much of anything other than he was exactly the pudwhack everyone always thought he was. He was launched before signing day last year.
Now, I am fine with guys like Delegal coming here. I am not fine with guys like Frank Boenzi. Talking to the two, it was obvious after a couple of minutes who was a good guy who made a mistake and who was a clown who didn't deserve the chance he got.
It was also obvious which was the better football player, though you wouldn't know that from their ratings on Rivals.
Now, academically, those same judgement calls need to be made. It's up to the coaches to be educators and determine the real reasons a guy is just barely getting by.
If he's a willing student who struggles, then I'm absolutely for him going here. If he takes that challenge and succeeds, then I'm proud to have his diploma come from the same place mine does.
If he's got plenty of academic ability, but couldn't give a crap because he thinks he's going to The League and doesn't need to be bothered with holding up his end of the responsibilities, then let Akron have that guy. In my experience teaching and coaching, guys like that inevitably let you down on the field as well as in the classroom.