Why can't ND take JUCO players?

[JoeyGetherall]

Not that I am complaining (well maybe I am a little) but I have just never received a legit answer to that question. I am assuming it involves admission requirements?

 

[IrishLax]

They have to have the realistic ability to graduate in 4 years and most JUCO players are in JUCO because they didn't take academics seriously to begin with.

 

[JoeyGetherall]

They have to have the realistic ability to graduate in 4 years and most JUCO players are in JUCO because they didn't take academics seriously to begin with.

Is that the real reason?

While I understand that's the perception, and in a lot of cases perception = reality, there are exceptions. Kids that just haven't fully developed physically (or academically). Aaron Rogers always comes to mind. He's obviously no dummy. If you can go to school at Cal you can go to school at ND.

 

[IrishLax]

Is that the real reason?

While I understand that's the perception, and in a lot of cases perception = reality, there are exceptions. Kids that just haven't fully developed physically (or academically). Aaron Rogers always comes to mind. He's obviously no dummy. If you can go to school at Cal you can go to school at ND.

Aaron Rodgers is a great example of an exception. But he's one in a hundred (literally). And ND can and does take JUCOs... it's just incredibly rare. You see prep school/JUCO player far more commonly in other sports at ND because they are the kinds of kids without issues as compared to football players.

The vast majority of highly rated football players at the JUCO level are there because they didn't qualify the first time around OR got kicked out of their first DI school.

 

[JoeyGetherall]

Aaron Rodgers is a great example of an exception. But he's one in a hundred (literally). And ND can and does take JUCOs... it's just incredibly rare. You see prep school/JUCO player far more commonly in other sports at ND because they are the kinds of kids without issues as compared to football players.

The vast majority of highly rated football players at the JUCO level are there because they didn't qualify the first time around OR got kicked out of their first DI school.

I see. I was always under the impression that for some reason they weren't allowed to take them. Some sort of quirk like no redshirting.

I always thought JUCOs would be such a big help especially when filling out interior lineman. It's probably hard to find kids like that want to go to a school like ND and recruiting efforts are better spent on HS kids.

 

[chicago51]

We did not lose the nationally championship because we didn't have any JUCO transfers on the team if that is where anybody is going.

 

[JoeyGetherall]

We did not lose the nationally championship because we didn't have any JUCO transfers on the team if that is where anybody is going.

Well there were only two of us in this thread and I don't think either of us mentioned that. I was just asking because I know Bama has a couple of trougheaters up front that are JUCO kids and other teams use them to back fill poor recruiting classes like Oregon and Boise St.

 

[BobD]

Is that the real reason?

While I understand that's the perception, and in a lot of cases perception = reality, there are exceptions. Kids that just haven't fully developed physically (or academically). Aaron Rogers always comes to mind. He's obviously no dummy. If you can go to school at Cal you can go to school at ND.

Cal does not hold their players to the same standards we do and they have a terrible graduation rate.

 

[JoeyGetherall]

Cal does not hold their players to the same standards we do and they have a terrible graduation rate.

Well right or wrong I've always said I would take a national championship over toping the list in graduation rates. More kids leaving early is generally a good thing when it comes to sports. That being said I wouldn't want to see us fall to 20th but top 5 would be ok haha.

 

[IrishLax]

I see. I was always under the impression that for some reason they weren't allowed to take them. Some sort of quirk like no redshirting.

I always thought JUCOs would be such a big help especially when filling out interior lineman. It's probably hard to find kids like that want to go to a school like ND and recruiting efforts are better spent on HS kids.

JUCOs are insanely valuable. For starters, you can recruit talented non-qualifiers... and when they don't qualify you stick them in your JUCO farm system and can revisit them as needed. This allows you to get around roster limits and ensure no "holes" on your team. Teams like Alabama literally have NFL caliber players at every position not because they don't recruit busts but because when they recruit a bust or two or lose a player for whatever reason they can go get a very good ready-to-play guy to fill his spot.

Secondly, they're incredibly useful for OL, DL, CB, S where late bloomers pop up on the regular. OL is arguably the single hardest position to project players at coming out of HS (CB is a close second IMO) and at the JUCO level you can look at a kid and say "he's 300 lbs and dominates high level competition" and sign him up with far less margin for error.

Want to know how Kansas State somehow is decent at football? They take almost half their kids from the JUCO ranks.

 

[JoeyGetherall]

JUCOs are insanely valuable. For starters, you can recruit talented non-qualifiers... and when they don't qualify you stick them in your JUCO farm system and can revisit them as needed. This allows you to get around roster limits and ensure no "holes" on your team. Teams like Alabama literally have NFL caliber players at every position not because they don't recruit busts but because when they recruit a bust or two or lose a player for whatever reason they can go get a very good ready-to-play guy to fill his spot.

Secondly, they're incredibly useful for OL, DL, CB, S where late bloomers pop up on the regular. OL is arguably the single hardest position to project players at coming out of HS (CB is a close second IMO) and at the JUCO level you can look at a kid and say "he's 300 lbs and dominates high level competition" and sign him up with far less margin for error.

Want to know how Kansas State somehow is decent at football? They take almost half their kids from the JUCO ranks.

Yeah I have heard that before. If I remember right I think TAMU has a lot too. Bama of course has a few (that start btw) but they seem to be more about over signing a cutting kids. Oh well, let's just hope BK can keep these kinda top 10 recruiting classes coming and filling them up with big, strong, fast lineman.

 

[vmgsf]

If I were a Notre Dame recruiter I would compile a list of JUCO transfers who are starting and who have started at top 25 programs over the past 5/10 years and the percentage rate of these players who graduated from these schools. I would make this list available to high school football players who are being recruited. Notre Dame should and must win with football players who have the ability to handle the academic workload successfully and graduate. High school players should be made aware that there may be a player or two or three at a JUCO right now who will come to the school next year and they will not really have any chance of seeing any real playing time. The coaches at these schools can "honestly" say we are not recruiting any else at your position (but fingers crossed behind our back we do have one or two or three at JUCOs now who we will pick from to come here as mercenaries and play for our great university and you will have a nice warm spot on the bench). The fact that Notre Dame will not recruit a JUCO to play over a high school player should be a huge selling point to high school players who are academically qualified. Recruits wanting a chance to play and looking at a school's depth chart should also carefully study the school's recruitment of JUCOs or they may be in for a nasty surprise as they sit on the bench watching the latest JUCO sensation on the field.