Special Admits - A detailed look at another way around admission requirements

by kleph on Sep 13, 2008 5:29 AM CDT

Having marked up a heaping helping of righteous indignation for slapdash journalism this week I felt it important to highlight a fantastic piece of investigative and explanatory reporting courtesy the Indianapolis Star.

Earlier this week Mark Alesia authored a thoroughly researched piece examining the issue of "special admits" in NCAA athletics. These are the students admitted under exceptions to normal admission standards for reasons including "special talent." Often these are students whose academic eligibility is in question.

The University of California topped the list with 95 percent of its freshman football players on scholarship were special admits, compared with 2 percent of the student body. In their defense, officials with the institution defended the figures saying they are the result of a strict in accounting for special admits.

And as hazy as the numbers are for this practice, the info for the graduation rates for these athletes is even more difficult to discern.

Because there are no national statistics on graduation rates for special admits, it's difficult to judge the degree to which schools are educating these athletes.

The numbers for football players at SEC schools involved in the report are as follows…

Georgia – 94%
LSU – 82%
Kentucky – 64%
Alabama – 21%
Florida – 18%
Auburn – 12%
Mississippi – no special admits
Mississippi State – no special admits
Arkansas – did not respond

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Comments

well shit

we gotta get us some (more) special admits with a quickness then!!!!

P.S. was reading about more of the reggie bush/steve smith stuff lately and i’m feeling like there is no justice in this world….

PPS g.w. bush rigged two elections, see what i mean? no freakin justice… still more pissed about USC getting to do whatever the hell they want though….

by tempebamafan on Sep 13, 2008 6:00 AM CDT reply actions

That's funny-

Half the country thinks GWB can’t tie his own shoes. If he rigged 2 elections and got away with it, then he’s a f’n genius.

There is no justice concerning USC, though.

by yellowhammer on Sep 13, 2008 6:59 AM CDT up reply actions

Great Article

Kleph,

I read that article, and I always knew that there were special admissions made to football teams, so in some ways I was not surprised. You would expect to see a university, like Cal at the top with some of the hardest requirements to get into school. I really do not think there is any problem with special admissions, as long as the University is allowing players in that they actually think can graduate. After all, it should be a decision made by each individual university. I think it would be interesting to see a follow up piece on how many of these special admissions graduated.

by Kenny483 on Sep 13, 2008 8:34 AM CDT reply actions

well, like the scholarship brouhaha from the off-season, it’s clearly an area where the possibility of abuse exists. thus, it would seem, complete transparency would be the best recourse.

in my opinion this is another area where universities pay the price for the way our football system is structured. an elite athlete who has the physical skills to compete at the professional level is required to participate in a good college program or he sacrifices a significant amount of his earning potential (if not all).

but universities are then forced to balance the need to accommodate these athletes while meeting the institutional academic standards as well. it’s a system designed to fail at some point.

by kleph on Sep 13, 2008 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions