[Husker] Scholarship limit question (Ridiculously Long)

Tue Feb 1 01:04:26 CST 2005

I have carefully reviewed the recruiting rules, and I can state
unequivocally that: a) the NCAA rules make IRS regs look simple; and b)
whoever wrote the fool thing needs to attend a good class in drafting
legislation.

Anyway, this is how I see it:

Bylaw 15.5 Maximum Institutional Grant-In-Aid Limitations By Sport
Bylaw 15.5.5 Football Limitations
Bylaw 15.5.5.1 Division I-A Football. There shall be an annual limit of 25
on the number of initial counters (per Bylaw 15.02.3.1) and an annual limit
of 85 on the total counters.

A "counter" (what a nice term) is any student-athlete who receives financial
aid "for which athletics participation is a major criterion." That's simple
enough. The question, though, is what the bylaws mean by an "initial
counter", because that determines the number of student-athletes who can
receive a scholarship in any given year (assuming the overall limit of 85 is
not a factor).

Bylaw 15.02.3.1 (cited above) purports to define an "initial counter". It
states:
An "initial counter" is a counter who is receiving countable financial aid
in a sport for the first time. (See Bylaw 15.5.5.3 for instances in which
the institution is permitted to defer the counting of such financial aid
until the following academic year.)

The problem with this definition is that it refers only to a counter's
receiving "countable financial aid . . . for the first time." When applying
that to a transfer who received countable financial aid from his prior
institution, it is not at all clear from the definition whether it applies
only to the financial aid received for the first time at the prior
institution, or also to the financial aid received for the first time at the
latter instituion. For example, Zach Taylor (IIRC) first enrolled at Wake
Forest in 2002; he was thus an "initial counter" at Wake in that year. He
redshirted in 2002, was a backup in 2003, and played at Butler County CC in
2004. He has now enrolled at NU. Is he an "initial counter" again at NU? The
definition is of little help in answering the quesiton.

My guess, though, is that the rule intends to apply
institution-by-institution, so that a player is an "initial counter" every
time he first receives financial aid at any institution. I say that
primarily because if the intent were otherwise, the rules would surely
address the treatment of transfer student-athletes. I can find no such
provision, so I assume they are treated by the definition in 15.02.3.1.

If I'm right on this, all 30 of NU's recruits (31 if we can land Reggie
Smith) will be "initial counters". How, then, can NU sign more than 25? The
answer lies (at least in part) in Bylaw 15.5.5.3.2, which states:
Recruited Student-Athlete Entering after Fall Term, Aided in First Year. A
student-athlete recruited by the awarding institution who enters subsequent
to the first term of the academic year and immediately receives
institutional financial aid . . . shall be an initial counter for either the
current academic year (if the institution's annual limit has not been
reached) or the next academic year.

HuskerPedia's list of recruits for 2004 has only 18 players on it. I seem to
recall that Callahan awarded scholarships to two walkons. Sam Koch was one
of them; I don't recall the other (someone else's memory may be better than
mine on this). If I am right on this, NU has five slots available for the
2004-05 school year (subject, of course, to the overall limit of 85). Five
JC transfers have signed LOIs with the intent of enrolling for the spring
semester (HI reported this week that Barry Cryer may not be academically
eligible, so maybe only four have actually enrolled). Because NU has the
five slots available for the present academic year, those five (or four) can
be considered as "initial counters" for this academic year.

So, NU has 25 or 26 (perhaps 27 if Smith signs on) initial counters for the
2005-06 academic year. If the number is 26 or 27, enter the "greyshirt". I
believe this phenomenon is addressed by Bylaw 15.5.5.3.5, Midyear
Replacement, which states:
A counter who graduates at midyear or who graduates during the previous
academic year (including summer) may be replaced by an initial counter, who
shall be counted against the initial limit for the following academic year.
A[n] . . . institution may use the midyear replacement exception only if it
previously has provided financial aid during that academic year to the
maximum number of overall counters (i.e., 85 total counters) in the sport of
football.

So, if NU has 85 total counters in the 2005-06 academic year, and some of
them graduate in December, or during the current (2004-05) academic year, NU
can award scholarships to an equivalent number of greyshirts for the spring
semester next year and count those against the "initial counter" limits for
2006-07. At least I think so.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my considered opinion. Remember, however,
that it is worth considerably less than what you paid for it. And if I ever
rendered a conflicting opinion, I was obviously misquoted.

My head hurts.

Dick Karre
dkarre at comcast.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan Siporin" <alans at efn.org>
To: <RBEVERAGE at aol.com>; <nolan at romaine.tssi.com>; <husker at romaine.tssi.com>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Husker] Scholarship limit question

> On 1/31/05 11:16 AM, "RBEVERAGE at aol.com" <RBEVERAGE at aol.com> wrote:
>
> > Zack Taylor had a year at Wake Forest and a year at JC, so he must have
begun
> > his career no later than 2003 and would be charged against that class or
> > possibly a year earlier, if he redshirted.  At any rate, he would not
appear
> > to be
> > chargeable against the 2004-05 year.  That would leave the remaining 4
JC's
> > filling the four open slots in the 2004-05 group.
> >
> > I think Alan is assuming that Taylor began his career in the fall of
2004,
> > which he clearly didn't do.
>
>
> No, I knew about his history. I'm assuming that is irrelevant.
>
> Again, when you started is important to the NCAA clock for your personal
> eligibility. But as far as a team's allotted scholarships, it only matters
> when your scholarship with them begins.
>
> The 4 JCs that count for last year's team count because they are on
> scholarship, NOW. It began for the 2004 class. (December). It was limited
to
> 4, not more, because that's the number that were still remaining on the
2004
> class. Some of the other JCs started their college careers at the same
time
> as some of the four. So, it wouldn't make sense for them to be part of the
> 2005 class, would it? But it does, because they are considered part of
> Nebraska's 2005 class - REGARDLESS of when they started their overall
> college career.
>
> I'm not sure why this is confusing. If you wait until Wednesday and read
the
> articles and coaches comments, I think it will become clear. Hopefully.
>
> Alan
>
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