Counting Football Scholarships Forward

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Here, let me walk you through this, parrotnose.

You think you've found gold. You think you've figured out blueshirting. But you haven't. You don't understand the ramifications, and you don't understand what I've posted previously.

I have been clear all along. I have always referenced LOIs and FAAs as being subject to the IC rules. And I realize that you think you are some kind of genius who is proposing that Miami could thread the blueshirt needle.

I've never denied that blueshirting exists. But the reason why state schools like New Mexico and Tennessee can try to utilize the rule is because they are state schools with relatively easy admissions requirements. So let's review the impediments to blueshirting anyone (which, of course, is NOT the same as signing a guy to an LOI/FAA and "counting forward", which you cannot do).

Recruiting - Miami has recruited Walker. Miami has recruited Moise. There is no way in **** that you can ever argue that Walker or Moise could ever blueshirt. So then we move on to Williams and/or Tag-along. Clearly, Williams was not recruited by Miami 4 years ago, and it's possible that Richt never was hosted by the Tag-along family. So let's assume you could get over the "prior recruiting" hump with those two. Then you would need to make sure that you do not recruit them going forward. This is much more likely with Taulia, as his family is moving to Miami soon, and if he is dead-set on coming to Miami, then he likely won't entertain the recruiting efforts of other schools. Jarrid Williams is a different story, though, his reasons for coming to Miami would hinge on things like coaching and scheme that are the kinds of things discussed on in-person visits.

Admissions - Taulia is an undergrad transfer. However, Jarrid Williams is a grad transfer, and one of the things you have to do is to pursue a graduate degree that is not offered at his current school. Furthermore, because neither Taulia nor Jarrid would have a signed LOI/FAA, they would have to apply to UM AND BE ACCEPTED on their own academic merits. Put in another way, they can't "Aunt Becky" their way into UM, that is, get preferential academic treatment because they are recruited/scholarship-offered athletes. There is a reason why nearly every Division I-A football program has special handling for recruited football players - most of them would never be admitted to the university UNLESS they were scholarship football players. And when UM takes grad transfers, our Athletic Department works with those recruited grad transfers to find the right grad program and assist with completing the paperwork necessary to get the ELIGIBILITY of the grad transfer established. So, if you want to assume that Taulia and Jarrid are straight-A students who can get into UM on their own merits, without the promise of an athletic scholarship (which goes a looooong way to offsetting academic deficiencies), and that Jarrid can figure out the grad programs on his own without the Athletic Department assisting him, then maybe you get past another obstacle.

Summer closures - Again, UM is largely shut down for Summer 2020, including Admissions, which largely wrapped up its work for the 2020-2021 school year before Covid-19 quarantines began. Again, there is a REASON why the Athletic Department can "move an application along" when UM has already set its freshman and/or transfer and/or grad admissions classes in stone. And you undervalue the importance that the LOI/FAA has on the process. Without the written scholarship agreement, there is no rationale for Admissions to give special treatment to the applicant, either in considering a VERY late application for admission, or in applying "separate" academic vs. athletic criteria to the application. And with UM pretty much shut down (on the Admin side) for the summer, this year is probably the WORST year ever to attempt any sort of "blueshirt" ploy. When Joaquin Gonzalez applied to UM for an academic (not athletic) scholarship, he was a legitimate academic candidate, he had been admitted to an Ivy League university. That's the reason why the NCAA didn't attack Miami for an obvious attempt to evade the probation scholarship sanction limitations. At this late date, and without Athletic Department assistance, it seems very unlikely that either Taulia or Jarrid would be able to apply to UM and be accepted on their academic, not athletic, merits. Plus, Jarrid would need to take the GRE/GMAT/LSAT/MCAT for whatever program to which he applies.

Payment - Assuming Miami could prove that it did NOT recruit Taulia or Jarrid, and assuming they both got into UM on their academic merits, they would still have to begin the payment process, without the assistance of athletic financial aid. So, deposits and other payments would need to be made in advance of the reporting deadline. Clearly, this would not be a problem for Taulia.

Practical impact - Over the past several years, Miami has had a rash of transfers-out, washouts, ill-advised-early-NFL-entrants, and other forms of attrition. Miami is so far below 85 that we were able to give out FOUR walk-on scholarships and we are STILL below 85. The biggest limitation on Miami is the IC rule limitation of 25 per year. So the argument is that Miami is going to use an IC slot that could go to a recruit who could be at Miami for 5 years...on (a) a player who has 1 year to play 1, and/or (b) a player who has 3 years to play 2, and will almost certainly not play in 2020 due to transfer rules and/or D'Eriq King...and then cut your (potentially loaded) 2021 signing class to 23 (by which time Jarrid Williams would be gone)...well, if you think Manny is going to do that, then you are free to believe that.

And nothing that I've mentioned even factors in whether Jarrid or Taulia would be willing to (a) play a massive trust game and (b) forego all other opportunities for an unknown (at least on the ADMISSIONS side of UM). Of course, that calculus changes the MINUTE that a recruit signs an LOI/FAA. And maybe Taulia has the resources to navigate all of this, which is why I have always maintained that he could do it (particularly with the fallback position of Tua stroking a check for $75K, which, by the way, would take Taulia out of EVER needing to be an IC). Jarrid Williams is a different situation, though, and with Miami being a small school whose largest grad programs are Med and Law (neither of which I believe he would be applying for), I find it very unlikely that Jarrid Williams would (in such a short time period and with a summertime "Covid-19" schedule at UM) be able to take the GRE/GMAT, apply for a grad program at UM, and be admitted on his own academic merits with no athletic consideration whatsoever...

and that all of that could occur when other schools could offer Jarrid and/or Taulia (but especially Jarrid) with the kinds of assurances that would be necessary within a short time-frame, namely the security and priority afforded to athletes who sign an LOI/FAA with a university.

So, sure, let's all drink the Kool-Aid and talk about what a simple analysis it is to blueshirt Jarrid Williams and/or Taulia.

There's a reason that this is done almost exclusively at state schools, and with incoming freshmen.

There's a reason why Miami has NEVER pulled off a blueshirt.

But, yeah, let's just copy-and-paste NCAA rules and act like it could/should happen.

I could see something like this happening with Taulia. I have never cast doubt on our ability to get Taulia (though I'm not sure if it is worth it). I would FAR prefer to see Tua cut a check for $75K, then Miami puts Taulia on scholarship in 2021 AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TAULIA WOULD NEVER BE AN IC IN THAT CASE, NOT FOR 2020, NOT FOR 2021, NOT EVER.

But for Jarrid Williams? It seems next to impossible, there are so many moving parts and I'm sure he will have solid LOI/FAA offers from other universities. You would be asking a kid to trust Miami, and I'm sure the Moise family might have some opinions on that.
Can you repeat that please?
 
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I won't lie, I've never wanted someone to be so wrong on this board as I do TOC. This dude has been calling everyone idiots for weeks now like only he knows how things work. Now MANNY DIAZ is saying we're still looking to take more guys. Do you think he knows the rules, or nah?
He will still argue that Manny is wrong
 
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