Harbaugh Proposes Eligibility Changes

[Mavric]

Quote

“The individual could choose to declare for the professional draft after any season he chooses,” Harbaugh wrote. “If he is drafted within the first 224 picks of the NFL Draft, or chooses to sign a free agent contract, he would forego remaining college eligibility. However, if the individual is not drafted within the first 224 picks of the NFL Draft, he would be able to return to college football if he chooses without penalty, provided he remains in academic compliance and does not receive payment from an agent.”

 

Harbaugh also proposes allowing players to consult with agents and/or lawyers about their decision to enter the draft without losing their eligibility, which is allowed in some other collegiate sports but not in football. He also proposes eliminating the redshirt, giving all players five years of eligibility and lifting the cap of 25 scholarships for incoming freshmen and transfers.

 

Link

[Loebarth]

I'd be ok with this. Especially if it is an alternative to paying players.  

edit: and now with the turnover via transfer portal the excuse of depth holds less meaning. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[teachercd]

Yep.

 

It is just a matter of time until this happens.  

[NUance]

I agree with the second part.  Players should be able to consult with agents about their draft potential.  Then again, I'm not too confident that agents would be truthful about their advice.   

[Toe]

[Nebfanatic]

3 hours ago, NUance said:

I agree with the second part.  Players should be able to consult with agents about their draft potential.  Then again, I'm not too confident that agents would be truthful about their advice.   

Thats the great thing about the first part imo. If an agent gives them bad advice and they fall in the draft they can still go back to school 

[84HuskerLaw]

Why not just eliminate the draft and let teams just negotiate with college or even high school athletes any time - period.  Let the market work freely.  Period.  Job market works that way everywhere else except for few licensed professionals Dr, Atty, DDS, Archetechts, etc. 

[NUance]

1 hour ago, 84HuskerLaw said:

Why not just eliminate the draft and let teams just negotiate with college or even high school athletes any time - period.  Let the market work freely.  Period.  Job market works that way everywhere else except for few licensed professionals Dr, Atty, DDS, Archetechts, etc. 

 

I see what your intent is, but I think you mean to open the draft up to everyone rather than eliminate it.  The main point of the draft is to allocate talent across the league rather than letting the wealthy markets accumulate all the talent and dominate. 

[84HuskerLaw]

4 hours ago, NUance said:

 

I see what your intent is, but I think you mean to open the draft up to everyone rather than eliminate it.  The main point of the draft is to allocate talent across the league rather than letting the wealthy markets accumulate all the talent and dominate. 

I would say the draft was an attempt to avoid the auction like price war / bidding of teams vying for given players. The owners “fixed” the hiring market so that teams wouldnt compete for the best players with $$.  

If college athletes were free to seek monetary gain by whatever lawful means available (jobs, marketing, pro sports, etc same as non athlete students) wouldn’t be a discussion at all. 

[grandpasknee]

I'm not entirely clear on the annual recruiting calendar, but would this create some issues?  A decent player (not a superstar) declares for the draft.  Based on that declaration an offer is made to a recruit for the same position.  The player falls out of the draft and wants to come back, but we've committed a scholly to another player to fill his spot.  Also, would the University have the option to say "thanks, no thank" to that undrafted player?  That player would still be free to go to another school that wants him, but I think that option should be an open door for both the player and the University at that time.

[Husker03]

My biggest concern is that it needs to be fair for both sides. If a player declares then a school should be able to move on w/o them and not be locked into that scholarship.  I am all for it, but players can't have their cake and eat it too. Outside of that, I think it may actually help even competition more. If Bama and OSU were dealing w/ turnover every 1-2 years instead of 4, it allows those schools with kids that aren't quite pro ready to continue to develop them longer. Who knows, though.

 

 

[Mavric]

 

[Husker in WI]

14 hours ago, Nebfanatic said:

Thats the great thing about the first part imo. If an agent gives them bad advice and they fall in the draft they can still go back to school 

 

Unless they fall out of the draft, at least with this wording. Nothing stopping an agent from telling a guy "I've got teams with a third round grade on you," and then if they get picked in the 7th they're screwed. Getting paid less, definitely not a guaranteed roster spot, etc.

 

By all accounts I've read teams were assuring Daniels and Jackson they would pick them in the later rounds, and just didn't. Obviously they're not able to go back to school, but there's no accountability on what players are told about when they'll be drafted, and I don't think there's a way to legislate it. And many guys picked late would probably be better off not being picked at all.

 

I like the idea and it's definitely an improvement over the current state, but I could see teams picking raw underclassmen late just to have a shot at developing them. More seniors would go undrafted, because they would still be there after the draft - they have nowhere else to go. Maybe I'm overstating the potential issue there - teams aren't going to take guys to screw them over. But they might take a guy in the 7th to make sure they get him, and avoid having to spend a future 4th if he goes back to school and develops. They're not out much if they were wrong about him, doesn't cost anything to cut a 7th rounder. And they guy they might've taken with their 7th is more likely to be there as a UDFA.