Can someone explain?

[MinnwiscowaSker]

Texas A&M just added its 34th verbal commitment, with Seals-Jones.

 

I thought the limit was 25. I can see going one or two over, but F-in-A, nine?!?!?

[PaulCrewe]

They can count early enrollees towards last years class and I believe they have a bunch of those coming in January. Also look for attrition ass Sumlin tries to fill his roster with "his guys".

 

Also expect the chorus of, "its the $EC"

[BigRedBuster]

I don't understand it either. But, every year there are schools that do it. I think it was Miami last year that took 33. I'm sure someone will explain that a certain number won't qualify and the rest will do something like gray shirt. BUT, let's say the gray shirt 6 players from the class. Doesn't that then mean that the next year they have 6 fewer scholarships to give? That's probably when they start pulling scholarships from guys who are injured or just not going to make the two deep.

 

FYI...Last year Miami took 33. So far this year, they only have 11.

[RockyMountainOySker]

Georgia has 30 so far this year.

[AgMarauder04]

quote:

They can take 34 commits as long as 9 are early enrollees per an ESPN Insider article.

All within current SEC rules. Here is the article (apparently at least 3 of their current commits will not qualify):

 

With the Aggies having a chance to land some of their remaining targets, some wonder how the Aggies' haul can be so large. Didn't the Southeastern Conference adopt a rule preventing schools from signing such a large number of recruits, or, what often was called "oversigning?"

 

The SEC did adopt a rule in that spirit. The SEC constitution and bylaws state that a limit of 25 prospective football student-athletes can be signed between Dec. 1 and May 31 each year. That rule was adopted, revised and went into effect in its current state on Aug. 1, 2011.

 

In article 13.9.1.1 of the bylaws there is an exception to the signing limit, stating that a recruit who signs and is included in the school's counter limits for the current academic year, that recruit is not subject to the 25-member signing limit. Basically, it means the school can count that recruit to the previous class rather than the upcoming class, because he enrolled in school for the current academic year.

 

Texas A&M has room for a few more prospects in its 2013 class, starting with top athlete Ricky Seals-Jones.

So in the 2013 recruiting class, any recruit that is a mid-year enrollee who begins taking classes in January (which is the 2012-13 academic year), can count toward the 2012 recruiting class.

 

Now the 25-member limit still exists for each year, so while a school can count recruits back to 2012, the number of players that signed letters of intent in February of 2012 and the number of mid-year enrollees that are "December graduates" who join for the spring 2013 semester still must equal no more than 25.

 

Texas A&M signed 19 players to letters of intent in February 2012 but had four early enrollees in the class, three of which can be counted back to 2011, when the Aggies signed 22 players.

 

So taking that into consideration, that leaves spots for up to nine mid-term enrollees in the current recruiting class, meaning the Aggies conceivably could take 34 signees.

 

Taking it a step further, the Aggies had five early enrollees in the 2011 class. One of those could be counted back toward 2010, leaving room for one more spot in the 2011 class that the fourth 2012 early enrollee could fit in and give the Aggies a possibility of taking 35 signees in the class.

 

Currently, the Aggies have seven players committed that are expected to be early enrollees: Reggie Chevis, Cameron Clear, Kenny Flowers, Jordan Points, Alex Sezer, Jeremiah Stuckey and Brett Wade.

 

As for whether the Aggies will have the scholarship room for all the signees, it appears they will.

 

Sumlin doesn't disclose how many scholarships he has available in a given year, a policy he had going back to his days as the head coach at Houston. But taking a quick glance at the current roster and the Aggies' last four signing classes shows that an estimated 72 scholarship players remain from the 92 signed in that span, with attrition from the original signing classes coming in various forms known well to avid college football fans across the country: some non-qualifiers that never made it to campus, some medical exemptions, graduates and some that simply left the team for one reason or another.

 

Add in two transfers that the Aggies took in over the offseason and you have 74 players remaining.

 

Texas A&M has 17 scholarship seniors who will be out of eligibility after this season, meaning 57 scholarship players would remain. There's also the potential that a trio of juniors -- offensive tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews and defensive end Damontre Moore -- could declare for early entry in the NFL draft. None of those three have stated that they've decided on their future one way or the other, but if all three were to happen to leave, that would leave the Aggies with 54 scholarship players -- 31 under the 85-scholarship limit.

 

The Aggies parted ways with one 2013 commit, Rob Zimmerman, on Wednesday. There's always the possibility of non-qualifiers and decommitments for any college program's recruiting class as national signing day approaches. That also doesn't take into account any team attrition that may come, should there be any other medical exemptions, transfers, players who stop playing or leave the team or if a scholarship isn't renewed.

 

Also, there isn't anything in the SEC bylaws preventing a team from signing recruits that take the program over the 85-scholarship limit (the Big Ten, for instance, won't allow schools to sign more than three over the limit). But the Aggies would have to still get down to 85 at the annual August deadline if they were to happen to go over for any reason.

[BigRedBuster]

Wow...that is clear as mud.

 

So...why doesn't this happen in the big ten or more specifically....at Nebraska?

[AgMarauder04]

You'll have to ask someone more plugged in to B1G policies than me . I'm busy watching A&M tear it up and land top 5 classes

[EZ-E]

You'll have to ask someone more plugged in to B1G policies than me . I'm busy watching A&M tear it up and land top 5 classes

 

The SEC is a meat market that doesn't give a sh#t about the kids. That is all.

[strigori]

Wow...that is clear as mud.

 

So...why doesn't this happen in the big ten or more specifically....at Nebraska?

The B1G has a more ethical angle on things. They expect most players a school signs to remain for the duration of the 4 or 5 years. Attrition does happen, but the 25 per year allows for that. As in a five year cycle thats 125 kids and you can only carry 85 at a time. It's more of an attempt to keep the original idea of scholarships being there to get kids educations, not make money for the football factory. The SEC schools will be much more prone to pulling a scholarship from a guy that is never going to play, and wishing him the best of luck on the way out the door. That happens much less often in the B1G.

[AgMarauder04]

Evidence? Or just throwing crap out? Nothing A&M is doing is unethical. There are rules against over signing for a reason.

[EZ-E]

Evidence? Or just throwing crap out? Nothing A&M is doing is unethical. There are rules against over signing for a reason.

 

Just like there are rules in every aspect of recruiting that get broken. You guys fit in very well with the dirtiest conference in the nation. It's right up there with the old SouthWest.

[Atbone95]

Evidence? Or just throwing crap out? Nothing A&M is doing is unethical. There are rules against over signing for a reason.

As you so kindly explained. However, as you went on to explain in the next 13 paragraphs, there is definitely some abusing of an "exception" that many of the teams in your conference like to use. A loop-hole, if you will.

[strigori]

Evidence? Or just throwing crap out? Nothing A&M is doing is unethical. There are rules against over signing for a reason.

Signing classes are supposed to be 25. They have over 30 commits right now. What they are doing is permitted within the SEC rules, but I don't know as I would call it ethical. The only way they get to ethical is if they had some sort of exodus when Sumlin came in.

[AgMarauder04]

We are still within the 85 scholly limit. No one is losing their offer, so I'm ok with it.

[StPaulHusker]

Lets also remember that none of these kids have signed anything. They can have 100 verbals right now but come February they can only sign 25 for 2013 (not including early enrolments) and 85 for the team.