Just when it looked like the recruitment of Jadeveon Clowney couldn't get any more boring and predictable, we finally might have an interesting twist. Per Pete Thamel of the New York Times:
But the buzz surrounding Clowney’s decision could be undercut by his poor academic record. Two people with knowledge of his classroom performance while attending South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C., have raised questions about whether Clowney will be able meet the N.C.A.A.’s minimum academic standard if he wants to play next season.
Troy Davis, the coach at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., said he had reviewed Clowney’s transcript and described it as consistent with those of other prospects who had failed to meet the N.C.A.A.’s standards. In those cases, the prospects needed to enroll in postgraduate programs like the one at Hargrave. The standards are a formula using high school grades and standardized test scores.
Perhaps nothing comes of this, but based on this article it seems like this one will be fairly close. Given the "lot of D's" that apparently appear on his transcripts, you have to imagine his core GPA is relatively low, so Clowney will probably need to do well on the ACT / SAT to pass muster under the NCAA Sliding Scale.
Clowney will commit to either Clemson or South Carolina on Monday morning, so it's not like this one really affects 'Bama in any meaningful way. Nevertheless, nothing like the distinct possibility of academic casualty to spice up an otherwise boring and needlessly melodramatic recruitment of a supposed once-in-a-generation prospect, right?