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Tennessee's Class Size: The Loophole?
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:40 pm
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:40 pm
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The Rule
The possible Loop Hole
The Rule
quote:
13.9.1 Letter of Intent – Limitation. Each SEC member institution is limited to signing 25 football prospective student-athletes to a National Letter of Intent, Conference financial aid agreement and/or institutional offer of athletics financial aid from December 1 through May 31st of each year. [Adopted 5/29/09; effective immediately; revised 6/3/11; effective August 1, 2011]
The possible Loop Hole
quote:
The dates are critical, because the SEC bylaw collides with a new NCAA rules interpretation that impacted this recruiting cycle. Academically eligible student-athletes who plan to enroll early (in January) are now allowed to sign aid agreements with universities as early as Aug. 1.
Tennessee had a flood of players sign aid agreements last month — perhaps a half-dozen players or more. Why is this significant? By the letter of the law, those players wouldn’t count against the SEC’s signing limit. They’re freebies, if you will.
Now, make no mistake: This loophole, if it’s real, doesn’t affect the scholarship limitations. But it would give Tennessee more flexibility than teams that haven’t yet discovered the loophole.
For example, let’s say five players sign aid agreements before Dec. 1, 2013, and enroll at UT in January.
UT can count back at least five scholarships against 2013 because that year’s class was under the 25-man limit. So that’s now 10 that wouldn’t count against the SEC signing limit
Jones has said he wants to welcome 14 mid-year enrollees in January. If the Vols were able take 10 of those players “off the books” for the purposes of the SEC signing rule, they could sign another 21 players to traditional Letters of Intent in February.
Grand total? 35.
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:43 pm to Tennessee Jed
And I though it was Dooley with the law degree not Butch. Thats some fine work that folks at Tenn have done to find that loophole allowing yall to sign this monster of a class.
However I just dont see yall signing 25+ next year like some UT posters are saying.
However I just dont see yall signing 25+ next year like some UT posters are saying.
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:48 pm to Tennessee Jed
So y'all signed 15 last years class?
Because if you are going to count back ten you still can't exceed the 25 limit
Because if you are going to count back ten you still can't exceed the 25 limit
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:48 pm to Tennessee Jed
I don't know why, but this seems like it might not be the best idea.
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:50 pm to Al Bundy Bulldog
quote:Been wondering the same thing Bundy
However I just dont see yall signing 25+ next year like some UT posters are saying.
Posted on 12/5/13 at 2:53 pm to The Nino
Most of us don't either fwiw
Posted on 12/5/13 at 3:00 pm to TRUERockyTop
Exactly, no one really knows. A month or so ago, Brent Hubbs had posted that the coaches wanted to sign up to 30 next year as well. If the loophole in the OP is true, the 14 EE's won't count towards the 2014 class. Making it appear as though we only signed 21.
Now, that's just a guess on my part. Either way, I expect the SEC to change their legislation to discourage teams from doing this in the future. We're definitely signing 35, and I'm sure the AD and their legal team have done their due diligence to ensure there wouldn't be any massive repercussions.
Now, that's just a guess on my part. Either way, I expect the SEC to change their legislation to discourage teams from doing this in the future. We're definitely signing 35, and I'm sure the AD and their legal team have done their due diligence to ensure there wouldn't be any massive repercussions.
This post was edited on 12/5/13 at 3:02 pm
Posted on 12/6/13 at 9:37 am to Tennessee Jed
Putting faith in UT to do their due diligence...I'm not putting faith in anything that gave Mike Hamilton and Dooley paychecks.
Posted on 12/6/13 at 9:38 am to Tennessee Jed
Get ready for the most butthurt OSU fan ever
Posted on 12/7/13 at 7:20 am to Tennessee Jed
This is wrong. Could care less about the SEC 25 rule but the NCAA will count them as initial counters once they arrive and will count against the current class(back count) or against the next class(incoming)
15.5.6.3.2 Recruited Student-Athlete Entering after Fall Term, Aided in First Year. [FBS/FCS] A
student-athlete recruited by the awarding institution who enters after the first term of the academic year and immediately receives institutional financial aid (based in any degree on athletics ability) shall be an initial counter for either the current academic year (if the institution’s annual limit has not been reached) or the next academic year. The student-athlete shall be included in the institution’s total counter limit during the academic year in which the aid was first received.
That is per the NCAA rules and they do not care when the player signs the paperwork but when they enroll.
All the new rules does for financial paperwork being signed early is commits the college to the player no matter what happens. The player at any time can back out and go elsewhere until they enroll.
15.5.6.3.2 Recruited Student-Athlete Entering after Fall Term, Aided in First Year. [FBS/FCS] A
student-athlete recruited by the awarding institution who enters after the first term of the academic year and immediately receives institutional financial aid (based in any degree on athletics ability) shall be an initial counter for either the current academic year (if the institution’s annual limit has not been reached) or the next academic year. The student-athlete shall be included in the institution’s total counter limit during the academic year in which the aid was first received.
That is per the NCAA rules and they do not care when the player signs the paperwork but when they enroll.
All the new rules does for financial paperwork being signed early is commits the college to the player no matter what happens. The player at any time can back out and go elsewhere until they enroll.
This post was edited on 12/7/13 at 7:21 am
Posted on 12/7/13 at 8:24 am to Tennessee Jed
Still have to have room in the 85
Long story short...Butch BOUT TO DO SOME PROCESSING AND ERRBODY GETTING CUT
Long story short...Butch BOUT TO DO SOME PROCESSING AND ERRBODY GETTING CUT

Posted on 12/7/13 at 9:52 am to BuccWildBammer
Word is that TomSmith is the first victim. Look for a handful of guys to seek other opportunities.
This post was edited on 12/7/13 at 9:53 am
Posted on 12/7/13 at 9:55 am to TideWarrior
That law has also been considered. We have five or six guys that have not been "recruited." As in they've never visited with coaches off campus, and they've never taken an official visit. Todd Kelly, the berries, creamer, dews, and a couple of other guys. We're signing 35, it will be interesting to see what the official reasoning is.
Posted on 12/7/13 at 10:42 am to Tennessee Jed
quote:
Word is that TomSmith is the first victim. Look for a handful of guys to seek other opportunities.
Yep I read that yesterday. Rumor has it that Butch only gave Smith 1 strike instead of 3. :processed:
Posted on 12/7/13 at 12:30 pm to NorthGAVol
Thanks for the new hard count rule that will punish everyone for UT's selfishness.
Posted on 12/7/13 at 1:32 pm to CtotheVrzrbck
Welcome to Texas A&M's 2012 recruiting
Posted on 12/8/13 at 11:14 am to Tennessee Jed
Yes they may be counted as blue shirts but they will be counted under the blue shirt rule towards the 2015 class. Meaning up to maybe 10 spots already accounted for in that class. Now my understanding is UT is only expecting to maybe sign 15 in the 2015 class so it works out.
BTW I have no issue with just makes laugh at all the UT fans who criticized Saban for doing the same processing when he came in.
BTW I have no issue with just makes laugh at all the UT fans who criticized Saban for doing the same processing when he came in.

Posted on 12/8/13 at 12:05 pm to El Aggie
quote:
Welcome to Texas A&M's 2012 recruiting
I'm sure you mean '13 since we only signed 19 in the '12 class. However, that's not what UT is doing.
We stayed within the SEC rules last year. Of the 19 we signed in '12, 3 were EEs that counted towards the '11 class making '12 truly a class of 16. We had 9 EEs last Dec (one didn't qualify to enroll early and ended up at Auburn). Those all counted back to the '12 class because we had room. We then only signed 23 in Feb.
This is not that. UT is trying to exploit another loophole but I have no idea how it's going to work given it would exceed the initial counter rules.
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