Whether it's debt or out of pocket, it's 100 grand that would be better spent about any other way. If his parents are covering it and he wouldn't see the money anyway, then his parents are idiots. I'm sure at no point in their retirement they'll wish they didn't push him a little harder to take the full ride.

Yes, the best case scenario is that he a. wins the kicking battle and b. is awarded a scholarship after this year. If this happens, granted it's 30 grand that would be better spent about any other way.

Re: financial aid, it wouldn't be the first time a school found a creative way to assist a player and his family. You know, UI wasn't allowed to have a slush fund in the 1960s either.

Re: the engineering department holding a spot for the athletic department. The UI law school had a practice of admitting kids because certain state legislators asked them to. There was a big scandal over it last year, and that was far more shocking than this (UI engineering admitting kids because Zook and Guenther asked them to) would turn out to be.

I'd be crazy Karma if he didn't get accepted into UI engineering, but I'm sure he will eventually. The door mysteriously opens for a lot more people come the second round and UI is no different in taking special care of their student athletes as the biggest programs do.

Choosing a college is a difficult decision and it sounds to me like he thought things through and made a decision based on his academic goals. Passing up a full ride scholarship must have made the decison much tougher for him.

I do not know the relative merits of an engineering degree from U of I vs NIU but I wish him nothing but the best and I hope that he enjoys his college experience.

Now lets hope that Dave Doren and co beat the bushes and find a kicker or lets hope that with some good coaching they can turn Michael Cs back up into a reliable kicker. We need help at that position.

(02-04-2011 09:05 PM)niu79 Wrote:  The kid chose academics over athletics, what's wrong with that?

No, he chose (academics minus $120,000) over academics.

(02-04-2011 10:03 PM)Max Power Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 09:05 PM)niu79 Wrote:  The kid chose academics over athletics, what's wrong with that?

No, he chose (academics minus $120,000) over academics.

An engineering degree from UI is no joke. If that's his motivation I understand, just wish he wasn't so Brett Favre about it. If it's any other reason, he's a moron and I hope he has a slow and painful death!

(02-04-2011 09:52 PM)Max Power Wrote:  Whether it's debt or out of pocket, it's 100 grand that would be better spent about any other way. If his parents are covering it and he wouldn't see the money anyway, then his parents are idiots. I'm sure at no point in their retirement they'll wish they didn't push him a little harder to take the full ride.

Yes, the best case scenario is that he a. wins the kicking battle and b. is awarded a scholarship after this year. If this happens, granted it's 30 grand that would be better spent about any other way.

Re: financial aid, it wouldn't be the first time a school found a creative way to assist a player and his family. You know, UI wasn't allowed to have a slush fund in the 1960s either.

Re: the engineering department holding a spot for the athletic department. The UI law school had a practice of admitting kids because certain state legislators asked them to. There was a big scandal over it last year, and that was far more shocking than this (UI engineering admitting kids because Zook and Guenther asked them to) would turn out to be.

Your entire first paragraph is entirely your own opinion. Obviously his family would vehemently disagree that that money would be "better spent about any other way". If that's your opinion, that's fine, but you're really in no position to tell a family you don't know how they should and shouldn't spend their money, especially as it relates to education. I have no idea how you can conclude what they will or won't miss in their retirement, either. They see significant additional value in the UI degree, you don't. That doesn't make them "idiots", it just means they'd disagree with you.

Anyway, I don't know what the slush fund from 40-50 years ago or the UI law school have to do with a walk-on kicker getting into the engineering program. I'm not sure why you think he'd need help anyway, while it's tough to be admitted into the College of Engineering, it's not impossible. It's not unthinkable that a kid from a good school district would have the academics to get in on his own merits.

I mean, be serious, he's a walk-on kicker.

This boy has to be a brat. He wants the name and perhaps glory. Nice punk job on niu kid.

OK, let's move on. There's a 40+ response thread over a kicker that's not going to school here. Listen, the kid obviously isn't that bright to make the decision he made. We're better off without him.

Having earned an engineering degree from NIU, i do know that U of I is nationally top ranked engineering school. the kid made his choice. we should move on...he did

Of course it's my opinion. I'd rather drive a Lexus than a Mustang, but if the Mustang's free I'd be stupid to pass it up for a sticker price Lexus. The value of a UI engineering degree is not six figures higher than that of NIU, and it's even more preposterous when you consider his chances of graduating with honors or higher honors is better at NIU, if the admissions disparity is as great as some here seem to be implying.

I mentioned the slush fund to illustrate my point that UI has violated NCAA rules in the past. You said it's not "possible" for him to get any financial aid if he's walking on. Of course it's possible they're breaking the rules. Wasn't the football team on probation 5 years ago for something?

I mentioned the UI Law scandal to show that UI has a history of admitting kids on non-academic merit bases in the past. Again, you said it's not "possible" for the walk on to get helped through admissions. Other colleges have been doing it, as recently as a couple years ago.

And yes I know we're just talking about a walk on kicker. I'm happy to let the thread die.

(02-04-2011 06:40 PM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 06:16 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  It's a message these "tweener" kids need to hear. If a BCS program does not offer you a scholarship and you decide to walk on, chances are you will transfer out later when they recruit someone better at your position. Take the scholarship at the mid major - or walk on at a BCS school and transfer to Div 1AA in 3 years?

And what does this say about Zook's class, let alone, Kill's, when they are getting mid major recruits to de-commit?

Sorry - off topic question - KillZone, weren't you going to change your user name a while back? Or am I remembering wrong?

I sent a 2 messages to GeorgiaTechSwagger about how to go about doing this, but I haven't received a reply. I'm at a loss on how to change my name.

(02-05-2011 12:24 PM)Max Power Wrote:  Of course it's my opinion. I'd rather drive a Lexus than a Mustang, but if the Mustang's free I'd be stupid to pass it up for a sticker price Lexus. The value of a UI engineering degree is not six figures higher than that of NIU, and it's even more preposterous when you consider his chances of graduating with honors or higher honors is better at NIU, if the admissions disparity is as great as some here seem to be implying.

I mentioned the slush fund to illustrate my point that UI has violated NCAA rules in the past. You said it's not "possible" for him to get any financial aid if he's walking on. Of course it's possible they're breaking the rules. Wasn't the football team on probation 5 years ago for something?

I mentioned the UI Law scandal to show that UI has a history of admitting kids on non-academic merit bases in the past. Again, you said it's not "possible" for the walk on to get helped through admissions. Other colleges have been doing it, as recently as a couple years ago.

And yes I know we're just talking about a walk on kicker. I'm happy to let the thread die.

I don't have a problem with your opinion on what decision you think you'd make, I took issue with you concluding he and his family are stupid and the choice preposterous. They obviously value things differently than you do and made what they feel was the best decision. Again, that doesn't make them stupid or the decision preposterous, it just makes it different than the one you would have made. Just as somebody could very well buy the Lexus because that's what they want and they find additional value in owning it, whereas you wouldn't. Neither decision is wrong or stupid, both are perfectly reasonable.

Regarding the Slush Fund/sanctions, I understand all of that, but I suspect if Illinois were to cheat or at least go out of their way to get a kid in, they wouldn't do it for a walk-on kicker. It's not impossible they're doing any of those things, but there's no evidence that they have in this instance. It's not unreasonable that the kid can get in on his own merits and his family willing to bear the full cost of doing so.

Anyway, neither one of us will change the other's mind so I agree to disagee.

(02-05-2011 12:28 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 06:40 PM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 06:16 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  It's a message these "tweener" kids need to hear. If a BCS program does not offer you a scholarship and you decide to walk on, chances are you will transfer out later when they recruit someone better at your position. Take the scholarship at the mid major - or walk on at a BCS school and transfer to Div 1AA in 3 years?

And what does this say about Zook's class, let alone, Kill's, when they are getting mid major recruits to de-commit?

Sorry - off topic question - KillZone, weren't you going to change your user name a while back? Or am I remembering wrong?

I sent a 2 messages to GeorgiaTechSwagger about how to go about doing this, but I haven't received a reply. I'm at a loss on how to change my name.

Try sending a PM to HMM. He may be able to help you. Or keep nagging GeorgiaTech Swagger on a daily basis.
On the other hand - I wonder if you can just "abandon" your current name and re-sign up with a whole new name? Just let us all know it's you in your "new uniform" if that re-signing up works!

(02-05-2011 01:17 PM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  

(02-05-2011 12:28 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 06:40 PM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  

(02-04-2011 06:16 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  It's a message these "tweener" kids need to hear. If a BCS program does not offer you a scholarship and you decide to walk on, chances are you will transfer out later when they recruit someone better at your position. Take the scholarship at the mid major - or walk on at a BCS school and transfer to Div 1AA in 3 years?

And what does this say about Zook's class, let alone, Kill's, when they are getting mid major recruits to de-commit?

Sorry - off topic question - KillZone, weren't you going to change your user name a while back? Or am I remembering wrong?

I sent a 2 messages to GeorgiaTechSwagger about how to go about doing this, but I haven't received a reply. I'm at a loss on how to change my name.

Try sending a PM to HMM. He may be able to help you. Or keep nagging GeorgiaTech Swagger on a daily basis.
On the other hand - I wonder if you can just "abandon" your current name and re-sign up with a whole new name? Just let us all know it's you in your "new uniform" if that re-signing up works!

Yes, send me a PM telling me what you want your name to be. I am not able to do it myself, but I will post the request in the moderator forum where several of the Admins will see it and hopefully get it changed quickly.

Here is an idea for Zelewsky... Get your undergrad for free at NIU, kick for 4 years, hope to get to the NFL. If not, go to grad school at Screw Of I.

(02-05-2011 12:28 PM)TheKillZone Wrote:  I sent a 2 messages to GeorgiaTechSwagger about how to go about doing this, but I haven't received a reply. I'm at a loss on how to change my name.

It was Bart's fault.

I sent a reply.

Never fault a kid for his collegiate choice to earn an education and play football if so blessed to have that option in life. With all due respect to the rampant hatred of Illinois around here, fact is it is a preeminent national university with a wonderful engineering school that happens also to play Big 10 football.

I wish Zelewsky all the best in the classroom and on the football field. Sounds like to me he made a solid choice given all factors considered. Some of you don't get it into your heads that most of these recruits think education first, and playing football second.