Riley Not Sold on Recruits Enrolling Early

Mavric

Mavric

Yoda
Staff member
Don't get it twisted. Mike Riley's glad to have quarterback Patrick O'Brien and receiver Derrion Grim taking practice reps and getting acclimated this spring. The two true freshmen are benefiting, certainly.

The four freshmen who enrolled in January one year ago are all better for it, too — they're essentially "veterans" on the team now, Riley said. Two of them, linebacker Dedrick Young and safety Aaron Williams, had key roles last year. The two others, defensive backs Avery Anderson and Eric Lee, are set to contribute this fall.

But the idea of recruits leaving high school a few months ahead of time just to get a jump start on their college football career?

It may not be good for the game.

"Philosophically, in the big picture of things, I'm not sure that it's something that we should in college football continue to do," Riley said on the Big Ten's spring teleconference. "I'm not necessarily a major fan of it."
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OWH

 
Riley's old school, which I agree with, like maybe gets players to stay for the duration and graduate, have a full college career. Unfortunately, the trend seems to be they get here early and leave early.

 
Kids know the sooner they can get to the NFL the sooner they can get paid. They know their bodies only hold out so long.

 
Obviously the player is looking at getting more time with the team. But I think as a freshman, going early will help you get established academically before all of the chaos of the start of the season begins.

 
StPaulHusker said:
Obviously the player is looking at getting more time with the team. But I think as a freshman, going early will help you get established academically before all of the chaos of the start of the season begins.
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agree, and i think the spring semester is a little easier to begin academically in. you aren't smothered in a flood of freshman all trying to find the showers, find their flip flops, find the cafeteria, find a fake ID, find their first piece of a*@...

 
Mavric said:
1995 Redux said:
Kids know the sooner they can get to the NFL the sooner they can get paid. They know their bodies only hold out so long.
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Enrolling early has no bearing on how soon you get to the NFL.
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Not usually I'm sure. But say a kid enrolls early, gets a better understanding of the system, could start playing a full season ahead of schedule and in turn leaves for the draft a year earlier.

 
I guess I am with MR on this point. I think they can be a kid for a little longer. They can get going on college and FB in a few months. If they truly are that good it really won't matter, they will bet on the field in the fall.

 
It seems to me like kids are getting out of HS a semester early now more than ever, it was rare when I was in school but now when many of my sons friends graduated early and got going on college or work, most already had college credit. Riley may be looking at the kids missing out on a few more months of time to grow up but I really can't see how it hurts the game of football, the kids get some more practice time and they are able to be eased into the football/college life as they get to start off with a slate of spring practices followed by summer before they get the fall practice and season grind.

 
I cannot think of a player that enrolled early and had a substantial impact on the team during their college tenure. I'm sure there is someone though

 
Frankly, I think we should add another year, maybe even two, to high school requirements and rather than let them out early, they could not graduate before age 19 or so and would need 15 years of public elementary and secondary ed. I know how unpopular that might be for kids but far too many are 'graduates' but are not nearly ready for post HS life (college or work or otherwise). Most 17 year olds today, in my view, are not nearly as mature and grown up as a generation or two ago were. Just my opinion. Work ethic is not nearly as well developed and the education of many today is nothing short of awful. We all see the reports of majorities of high school grads don't even know basics about reading, writing and math and history.

 
Or they just know that college partying is way better than high school partying and so they want to start it sooner
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...and then wait until they leave college early because they just know that NFL partying is way better than college partying...just ask Johnny Manziel and Randy Gregory on how that mindset has worked out for them!
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