Tee Shepard (sorry, I have to post this)

[Domina Nostra]

I'm a Tee fan too. I wish there were some way it could all work out.

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

Interesting question to me is could the same problem have popped up with he-who-went-to-houston?

 

[PANDFAN]

Interesting question to me is could the same problem have popped up with he-who-went-to-houston?

he didn't switch schools unless the issues w/ courses/transcripts where/are w/ the same school they attended

 

[ND NYC]

this whole saga is so damn frustrating...had a 5 star CB (our biggest position of need), from CA, recruited by everyone, hes living on ND campus, loving ND, was solid in his commitment for close to 10 months and this damn convoluted issue(s) kills it all...serenity now!!!

 

[irishfanjho15]

Let's get back to talking about Tee on his thread. The facts:

1. Tee early enrolled and stuck with his commitment even after a not to be named relative of his defected to Houston.
2. Tee had to leave Notre Dame for some reason that has been kept private.
3. Tee has remained silent on the reason for his leaving.
4. Tee does not bad-mouth Notre Dame, nor does he try to undercut the recruitment of other players from his high school.
5. Tee has hinted that he would like to return to Notre Dame.
6. Tee has acted with class throughout this ordeal.
7. Brian Kelly respectfully remains silent on the reason for Tee's leaving.

BK said during a presser, when asked about the possibility of Tee's return that that ship had sailed.

 

[AvesEvo]

Let's get back to talking about Tee on his thread. The facts:

1. Tee early enrolled and stuck with his commitment even after a not to be named relative of his defected to Houston.
2. Tee had to leave Notre Dame for some reason that has been kept private.
3. Tee has remained silent on the reason for his leaving.
4. Tee does not bad-mouth Notre Dame, nor does he try to undercut the recruitment of other players from his high school.
5. Tee has hinted that he would like to return to Notre Dame.
6. Tee has acted with class throughout this ordeal.
7. Brian Kelly respectfully remains silent on the reason for Tee's leaving.

In my mind, Tee has acted with a great deal of class throughout the past six months. He deserves our continued respect, and I for one am rooting for his return to Notre Dame as a student. If he is able to play football, that would be great. But he appears to have a kind of "Rudy-Like" love for the university, and if there is a way to clear a path for his return I wish him all the success in the world.

Speculation regarding the reason he left Notre Dame is just that, Speculation.

Hear, hear.

 

[NDinFL]

Psst, NDinFL, he was mocking the obvious inability of the troll to articulate in the American dialectic of English. (I think it was a thunking problem.)

Ah, forgive me, I'm a slow starter

 

[stlnd01]

I agree that Tee seems like a good kid, and i hope something works out for him somewhere. But I persist in being confused about all this.
Maybe I'm dense, but I don't quite get how Tee could have been admitted to ND but not meet NCAA Clearinghouse requirements. And then, even if he didn't, be so far away from requirements that whatever he lacked couldn't be made up in the spring semester and/or summer school. And still be so far off that he apparently can't even go to a junior college this fall.
I realize that he bounced through a few high schools. But did he not graduate from one? And, given that he was such an early commit, did we not see this coming?

 

[ND NYC]

I agree that Tee seems like a good kid, and i hope something works out for him somewhere. But I persist in being confused about all this.
Maybe I'm dense, but I don't quite get how Tee could have been admitted to ND but not meet NCAA Clearinghouse requirements. And then, even if he didn't, be so far away from requirements that whatever he lacked couldn't be made up in the spring semester and/or summer school. And still be so far off that he apparently can't even go to a junior college this fall.
I realize that he bounced through a few high schools. But did he not graduate from one? And, given that he was such an early commit, did we not see this coming?

my thoughts exactly

especially the last sentence

well said

 

[D-BOE34]

I still wonder if "ship has sailed" was in regards to this year. I don't think any coach in the country would ever count a kid out, especially of his caliber, unless it was a thing of character. Example being Crowell. As far as what we have been told about the Tee situation, maybe it is possible, just very unlikely given the amount of hoops he has to jump through.

Still, just hope the best for the kid.

 

[BGIF]

I agree that Tee seems like a good kid, and i hope something works out for him somewhere. But I persist in being confused about all this.
Maybe I'm dense, but I don't quite get how Tee could have been admitted to ND but not meet NCAA Clearinghouse requirements. And then, even if he didn't, be so far away from requirements that whatever he lacked couldn't be made up in the spring semester and/or summer school. And still be so far off that he apparently can't even go to a junior college this fall.
I realize that he bounced through a few high schools. But did he not graduate from one? And, given that he was such an early commit, did we not see this coming?

There have been a couple of ND football players (Andy Wisne is one) that I'm familiar with that were into their Fall Semester at ND, more than 3 months after HS graduation, and hadn't received Clearinghouse Approval. They were held out of football at ND per NCAA Regs while the Clearinghouse did their evaluation and approval process. They continued to attend class at ND while the evaluation was in progress. In each case in the past at ND the Clearinghouse eventually certified the student eligible for an NCAA Athletic Scholarship.

The Clearinghouse has thousands of transcripts to evaluate and they have a very small staff. As noted in a prior post, most problems seem to be vague course decriptions. Sometimes a school overstates a course and when that is found the course is denied applicable credit. For example, "Introduction to the Hand Held Calculator" isn't going to get you credit even if the high school calls it a computer course. That did actually happen some years ago.

When a recruit has more than one high school transcript the Clearinghouse checks to see that there is no duplication of courses. "Introduction to Algebra" may be considered "Algebra I", a valid math course, at one high school but not another (or by the NCAA). After a transfer to a new school, the second HS may deem it unacceptable and require the student to retake Algebra I. The NCAA does NOT give credit for two, Algebra I courses. If the student was counting on that to meet the required NCAA math core courses he might end up a course short, especially when graduating a semester early.

For a HS student who "graduates" in December right before the Christmas Holidays think about how much time is avaiable for the Clearinghouse with a handful of staffers to receive the transcripts from two high schools (whose employees also take time off for the holidays), compare them to see that all core course requirements were met, and then notify the college, "Approved for Scholarship".

How long did his final transcript take to reach UND? When it arrived were the grades as he reported they would be? It's not unusual for HS seniors to slack off their last semester, is it? "Senioritis" has cost some Academic Scholarships students their scholarships, hasn't it?

His GPA could have fallen below a line unacceptable to ND. But, if that was the case he could still get in all but a handful of Div 1 schools, couldn't he?

More significantly his GPA could have fallen enough to require a HIGHER Test Score on the NCAA's Sliding GPA/Test Score Curve rendering him uncertified until he either raised the GPA or the Test Score correspondingly. But he would still be eligible as a high school graduate to get into a JUCO, wouldn't he.

LAX also touched on another scenario concerning the transcript, let's call it a discrepancy. IF that situation occurred one might have trouble into college anywhere. George O'Leary got fired from ND for a "discrepancy" on his resume. If it was an inadverent error such as a clerical typo, thinks get worked out. IF there was an unauthorized grade change, credit given for courses not taken, or anything else of that nature like a recent situation with an Auburn recruit, the recruit isn't going to be certified.


It's apparent you want a black and white explanation. That's not going to happen unless Tee is forthcoming. He's the only one who can discuss his academic situation and he's not doing that.

Have you read a tweet from him noting he received Clearinghouse Approval? Not some glittering generality "everything's ok" but the specific answer you expect from a message board. Did he let people know "there's a technical issue with my 10th grade science class" or "The NCAA won't transfer all my credits from my first high school". Did he give any kind of progress update, such as, "I'm taking a course at my old HS this summer to keep my academic skills sharp while I await resolution of an issue," ? Nothing.

IF Tee doesn't have Approval, calling the ND coaches isn't going to make it happen. The ND Administration isn't going to make it happen. They can't. The student would need to go to his high schools and the NCAA to get the situation resolved.

Meanwhile the semester started at ND, classes moved ahead. "The ship sailed." Tee was at the dock but apparently without a valid ticket.


Whatever happened, it was a sufficient impediment to preclude his admission elsewhere.

stlnd01, you tell me, why wouldn't any other college take him if he was certifiable for a NCAA Athletic Scholarshp?

There are schools that only graduate 30 or 40% of their athletes. They don't care if you can read just as long as the NCAA Clearinghouse certifies you.

Also stlnd01, tell me why he's not at a even at a JUCO? Don't they take anybody with a HS diploma?

It's got nothing to do with whether he's a good kid or how many stars he has. Everybody agrees it's a shame adn wishes him the best. But the ball's in his court. He has to take the steps to make things happen.

Were it a medical issue blocking clearance to play, which he implied, he'd be on non-athletic scholarship right now, like Carrico. But he's not, is he? In the 80's ND offered a full ride to a HS senior who broke his neck diving into a shallow pool.

The NCAA sets the rules for issuance of college athletic scholarships and certifies who is eligible for one. ND can be more restrictive than the NCAA minimum requirements but they can't be more lenient.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Without quoting a GREAT post (just above), wasn't there a problem with, Justin Utupo's transcript? And didn't it affect about a half dozen athletes from his highschool at various colleges and universities?

I also know of an athlete that attended a top prep school, (top 200 in America) and had a clearinghouse problem, with plenty of credits and supposedly core satisfied, all because of a clerical error affecting an elective or two. It ended up getting resolved in a timely fashon. But that is how it works. Until it is resolved nothing moves forward. And sometimes this comes up where nobody would anticipate a probem. I am sure other times it is more basic.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

To the original post. I am guessing that is from Tee's side with his recent tweets. That is only about half the story, theres another half to it. Like I have said before, Tee is a good kid, has a lack of guidance which cost him a shot at staying at ND with certain things, and then there is also a point of where Tee himself has to do things needed to stay and be apart of ND. I wish him nothing but the best because like you said its not all his fault.

 

[PANDFAN]

Without quoting a GREAT post (just above), wasn't there a problem with, Justin Utupo's transcript? And didn't it affect about a half dozen athletes from his highschool at various colleges and universities?

I also know of an athlete that attended a top prep school, (top 200 in America) and had a clearinghouse problem, with plenty of credits and supposedly core satisfied, all because of a clerical error affecting an elective or two. It ended up getting resolved in a timely fashon. But that is how it works. Until it is resolved nothing moves forward. And sometimes this comes up where nobody would anticipate a probem. I am sure other times it is more basic.

yes

 

[RDU Irish]

I can sum up this thread pretty quickly - crappy deal for all parties involved.

Between the lines, I don't see how bad grades would be the disqualifier, has to be something with messed up courses not qualifying. It is baffling that Tee can't have this cleaned up over the summer with some coursework to fill in whatever gaps may be there and get in to a program somewhere.

Thanks for the extra insight on this one. Interesting and I hold out hope that Tee can recover and succeed in a situation that would see plenty of HS kids fold it up.

 

[rikkitikki08]

Yeah this sounds like every side is being screwed especially tee. Sad story hopefully he gets everything worked out and can play college ball somewhere

 

[stlnd01]

It's apparent you want a black and white explanation. That's not going to happen unless Tee is forthcoming. He's the only one who can discuss his academic situation and he's not doing that.

Have you read a tweet from him noting he received Clearinghouse Approval? Not some glittering generality "everything's ok" but the specific answer you expect from a message board. Did he let people know "there's a technical issue with my 10th grade science class" or "The NCAA won't transfer all my credits from my first high school". Did he give any kind of progress update, such as, "I'm taking a course at my old HS this summer to keep my academic skills sharp while I await resolution of an issue," ? Nothing.

IF Tee doesn't have Approval, calling the ND coaches isn't going to make it happen. The ND Administration isn't going to make it happen. They can't. The student would need to go to his high schools and the NCAA to get the situation resolved.

Meanwhile the semester started at ND, classes moved ahead. "The ship sailed." Tee was at the dock but apparently without a valid ticket.


Whatever happened, it was a sufficient impediment to preclude his admission elsewhere.

stlnd01, you tell me, why wouldn't any other college take him if he was certifiable for a NCAA Athletic Scholarshp?

There are schools that only graduate 30 or 40% of their athletes. They don't care if you can read just as long as the NCAA Clearinghouse certifies you.

Also stlnd01, tell me why he's not at a even at a JUCO? Don't they take anybody with a HS diploma?

It's got nothing to do with whether he's a good kid or how many stars he has. Everybody agrees it's a shame adn wishes him the best. But the ball's in his court. He has to take the steps to make things happen.

Were it a medical issue blocking clearance to play, which he implied, he'd be on non-athletic scholarship right now, like Carrico. But he's not, is he? In the 80's ND offered a full ride to a HS senior who broke his neck diving into a shallow pool.

The NCAA sets the rules for issuance of college athletic scholarships and certifies who is eligible for one. ND can be more restrictive than the NCAA minimum requirements but they can't be more lenient.

Hey, settle down there, bub. Obviously I'm not as versed in the intricacies of the Clearinghouse process as you. My apologies. And I completely agree that, like they say, it takes two to make a thing go right. It certainly appears at this point the ball's in Tee's court.
I just hope he can find someone to help him sort through all this, because it sounds like that's what he needs. And I wonder a little bit how/why nobody saw this coming a year ago, when he still had a senior year of high school to fix stuff. Because he could be on a plane to Dublin as our starting cornerback next week, instead of hanging around Fresno getting all hyper on Twitter. Just a shame all around.

 

[irishog77]

Hey, settle down there, bub. Obviously I'm not as versed in the intricacies of the Clearinghouse process as you. My apologies. And I completely agree that, like they say, it takes two to make a thing go right. It certainly appears at this point the ball's in Tee's court.
I just hope he can find someone to help him sort through all this, because it sounds like that's what he needs. And I wonder a little bit how/why nobody saw this coming a year ago, when he still had a senior year of high school to fix stuff. Because he could be on a plane to Dublin as our starting cornerback next week, instead of hanging around Fresno getting all hyper on Twitter. Just a shame all around.

"They???" No sir, "they" don't say that...Rob "Butt-Kickin" Base says that.

Somebody gif me.

 

[IrishBlood81]

Well, I know this subject has been over talked already but I'm apart of a ND group on Facebook and someone just posted this...directly by the request of Tee Shepard himself.
Maybe its already been posted on here? Not sure but heres the full post and its an interesting read:

Willy Frazier
Tee asked me to clear up all the rumors of why he didn't go to ND, so here it is, straight from the man himself.

Tee Shepard When i arrived on campus, everything was good...until the coaches found out that i wasn't clear...i was short some credits. 2 in alg. and 2 credits in history! the coaches tried to apply a waiver, but the NCAA didn't accept it...So therefore i wasn't suppose to be on campus because i didn't reach my 16 core....but before i left everything was cleared with THE NCAA which my highschool and coach denbrock had said....but the whole time my highschool was talking to Notre Dame compliance peoples in stead of the NCAA..."didn't find out until after the fact i was sent home" Then a couple more weeks later when i was out there at ND....The coaches lied and said that the NCAA had red flaged my ACT test but its was the people at notre dame that red flaged my test...."i passed the ACT test back in 2011 of oct." i knew there was a problem...~they had to find a way of getting rid of me~ so, my mother didn't want me to take the ACT test because she said that it wasn't right....so my mother sent me some papers for me to sign....and my mother never did recieve the papers i sign back......"come to find out that they had FORWARD my papers" so i ended up taking the ACT test somehow....and the coaches told me i had to reach a certein number...but they never told....so i ended up taking the test late in feb 2012.....and when its was spring break, i was sent home....never heard from the coaches again until this day! 33 minutes ago · Sent from Mobile

Willy Frazier Man, excuse my language, but that's ****ed up!! Any possibility you can still go to ND? I will be praying for you nightly, brother. I hope you get your dream!! Man, and your Cuz, he made a mistake, he could be balling with ND right now, but I guess he had to follow his heart! Thanks for being real, bro. I will keep this between us, you have my word! 20 minutes ago

Tee Shepard I'm trying....I was trying to go back this sememster because i now have my 16 core classes....but BK shut the door in my face, i wondering would he shut it twice! but its all good...you may share it, i ain't tripping... 16 minutes ago · Sent from Mobile

Willy Frazier I'll share it if you want. People were saying all kids of stuff, I'll clear it up if you want. You're a great person and I think people should know what BK did, I've lost some respect for him. I mean you could have gone to any school in the country and I saw someone post that you're even telling future recruits to go there. It's a shame! Man, I really really hope you make it, its just wrong what they did. 11 minutes ago

Tee Shepard Yeah thanks man...I thought i had it made at Notre Dame until all that Junk went down...I'm a trying to get back in the school tho If he shuts the door on me again...then i believe another school will be a better choice...but yeah, please share it...Its so many rumors out there..."i didn't leave because of my attitude, minor heart surgery, academic, smoking weed.....etc...." none of above....lol 4 minutes ago · Sent from Mobile

Tee Shepard and the crazy part about it, i'm still trying to get kids to go to ND....like LJ Moore for a perfect example! I just love Notre Dame Period!!!! 2 minutes ago · Sent from Mobile

Willy Frazier Will do, I will clear your name! 2 minutes ago

Tee Shepard Thanks my man!

 

[Chamellion]

I literally couldn't care less about this topic anymore, just so everyone knows.

 

[FLDomer]

and it begins....again.

 

[irishfanjho15]

and it begins....again.

Did it really ever f*cking end? Cheese and rice.

 

[irishknight35]

some people just can't handle a bye week...

 

[CHIDomer9]

I literally couldn't care less about this topic anymore, just so everyone knows.

Well then its a good thing you clicked here, typed that and posted it. Whew!

 

[Sherm Sticky]

some people just can't handle a bye week...

Now that was really funny.

 

[yankeeND]

Yeah... I got nothing. On the bright side I'm enjoying the Navy game for the third time right now!

 

[Emcee77]

I have no idea what to make of that incoherent babble.

But I do sincerely hope that somehow Tee and ND are able to work out whatever the issue is so that Tee can come to ND. I want it for Tee: it's his dream and he seems like a great kid. And I want it for us: he could definitely help us out at a position where we have some capable guys but lack star power. I mean imagine Russell and Shepard as our starting corners in a couple years. Exciting.

I've heard that the staff cut off contact with Tee because they fear that they have committed NCAA violations regarding him? Maybe; I don't know. That doesn't seem quite right to me. It seems there was some kind of academic snafu, but I don't see why there's anything that prevents him from ever attending ND, assuming he gets his academic house in order.

 

[Chamellion]

Well then its a good thing you clicked here, typed that and posted it. Whew!

I read the post first, thank you.

Decided i din't care after

 

[Buster Bluth]

Obviously Tee doesn't know the full story from the coaches' perspective, and neither do we. Something isn't being mentioned.

But I think it would be awesome if he did somehow get back into Notre Dame and onto the team. He seems like a great kid, honestly.

 

[phgreek]

..and I've seen nothing today that makes me stop scratching my head...I did raise an eyebrow today in addition to scratching my head...

I like Tee...wish him well...but this entire situation is an outlier to what I know of this staff in almost every way...