'13 FL OLB Matthew Thomas (Offer)

IrishLax

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He wouldn't. The basic penalty for breaking a LOI is the loss of one season of competition in all sports and a year in residence at the next NLI institution.

NLI Frequently Asked Questions*

(Note that this is different from the one-year-in-residence NCAA penalty under section 14.5 for transferring to another school once you've already completed one year at the institution with which you signed ... that penalty, unlike the NLI Basic Penalty, the institution has no power to release you from. FSU does have the power to grant Thomas a complete release from his NLI before he actually enrolls, or he can serve the two-year basic penalty ... it seems to me a school would have to really want him bad to put him on scholarship while he is ineligible for two years)

So you CAN be on scholarship for the 1 year non-compete period? Huh. Didn't know that. I thought you had to sit on your butt at home for a year OR enroll as a general student paying your own way as a non-counter during that time.

Very interesting, thanks for the info.
 

GoldenIsThyFame

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Loy laid out the options for Thomas on BGI. Interestingly, his mom has been out of the country while all of this has been going on. He thinks FSU won't release him and he ends up staying at FSU.

1. Attend FSU as scheduled: Will be on scholarship. If he doesn't like it, he can transfer and sit a year. BUT, he needs a release to transfer and receive aid. So, it doesn't work for him to show up to FSU for one day, then request a transfer, because we still aren't going to grant it and he will be in the same position as if he hadn't showed up at all. If he comes for the year, and Jimbo believes he is giving it an honest shot, is actually participating, trying to make the best of it, I'm sure Jimbo would grant the release next spring if he still wants it. If he comes here and has a bad attitude, Jimbo may still grant the release just to keep him off the team, but he isn't going to do it this summer.

2. FSU grants release and just ends the drama: 'Free' release, play at USC right away, let him out of his LOI and just move on with things. This won't happen.

2. FSU grants his release, but he's not eligible immediatley: He will have to sit a year, but can enroll at his new school and be on scholarship while he takes a RS. Would be able to play starting '14-'15.

3. He chooses not to attend FSU at all: He can go JUCO and be on scholarship at a JUCO, receive aid, play right away, etc. No requirement to sit a year, but once he enrolls in JUCO he will have to earn his AA before he can transfer to a university. He could possibly take a RS one of his years in JUCO, so he could have 3 years to play, but that would be a mistake.

4. He goes the Prep School route: I'm not 100% sure this is an option or not, but if possible, I'd assume he can still play football and is free to sign a new LOI with any team the following year. So maybe he can go Prep, still play, receive aid, and then be at X school in a year with three years to play. Similar to JUCO, without the major qualification issue.

4. FSU doesn't grant release, but he pays his way to USC: He wouldn't be eligible to play this year in any capacity or contribute. He simply can use the facilities on his own time (although I know he'd end up working out with the team somehow). The official cost of attendance for a year at USC is $62K. That includes room, board, etc. Tuition alone is $45K. That will be tough to handle. That is a lot of money when he can get it for free right now by attending FSU.
 

Emcee77

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I'm curious about some of these, especially the prep school option. The "Basic Penalty" for breaking an LOI is "the loss of one season of competition in all sports and a required one year in residence at the next NLI institution." I think, but am not sure, that that means you have to wait two years before you can play. Now, it may be that the one year of lost eligibility and the one year in residence can run concurrently; I don't think so, but I can't be certain. I wish I had time to look into it more deeply, because I am curious, but I couldn't find anything that spells it out more clearly. I did find this, but I don't know how authoritative it is:

Varsityedge.com: College Athletic Recruiting - Signing a National Letter of Intent

Loy doesn't give his sources; I wish he did. I'm kind of worried that, in spelling out these options, Loy might be mixing up the Basic Penalty for breaching the LOI before or within a year of enrolling with the one-year-in-residence NCAA penalty for transferring out of the signing institution. They are separate penalties governed by different rules -- one comes from your breach of the LOI you signed; the other is not really a penalty at all but just an NCAA rule designed to help athletes adjust to a new learning environment.
 
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IrishInFl

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Local sports talk radio here is saying that his opinion is that Thomas will think about it and stay at FSU. They were also making fun of ANY recruit that wants to go to SC with Lame Kitten as their HC.
 

NOLAIrish

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I'm curious about some of these, especially the prep school option. The "Basic Penalty" for breaking an LOI is "the loss of one season of competition in all sports and a required one year in residence at the next NLI institution." I think, but am not sure, that that means you have to wait two years before you can play. Now, it may be that the one year of lost eligibility and the one year in residence can run concurrently; I don't think so, but I can't be certain. I wish I had time to look into it more deeply, because I am curious, but I couldn't find anything that spells it out more clearly.

Loy doesn't give his sources; I wish he did. I'm kind of worried that, in spelling out these options, Loy might be mixing up the Basic Penalty for breaching the LOI with the one-year-in-residence NCAA penalty for transferring out of the signing institution. They are totally separate penalties -- one comes from your breach of the LOI you signed; the other is not really a penalty at all but just an NCAA rule designed to help athletes adjust to a new learning environment.

They basically run concurrently -- really, they're just accomplishing separate goals. The "one year in residence" requirement ensures that the student will not be eligible to play until the year after he completes his transfer. The "one year of lost eligibility" simply clarifies that his eligibility continues to run during that probationary year (rather than counting as a "second redshirt" year).
 

Emcee77

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They basically run concurrently -- really, they're just accomplishing separate goals. The "one year in residence" requirement ensures that the student will not be eligible to play until the year after he completes his transfer. The "one year of lost eligibility" simply clarifies that his eligibility continues to run during that probationary year (rather than counting as a "second redshirt" year).

I think you are right.

Basic Penalty

The phrasing there makes the meaning clearer.
 

GoldenIsThyFame

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Trojan fans are not going to be happy.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23FSU">#FSU</a> has no plans to release wavering LB Matthew Thomas from his Letter of Intent: <a href="http://t.co/ANowtpJI6a" title="http://on.tdo.com/YTmd5v">on.tdo.com/YTmd5v</a></p>— NoleSports.com (@NoleSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoleSports/status/334332210880585730">May 14, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Kaneyoufeelit

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>Vanderdoes-esque situation. RT: <a href="https://twitter.com/schadjoe">@schadjoe</a> He made a decision for himself. “It's USC," Matthew Thomas' father said.</p>— Jake Brown (@Jake_Brown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jake_Brown/statuses/344288933028433920">June 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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ChiRish

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Wonder if the Doyel troll tools of the world will rip Florida State apart for this. Methinks not.
 

clashmore_mike

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Wonder if the Doyel troll tools of the world will rip Florida State apart for this. Methinks not.

definitely not. he was asked about it and he responded he didn't write about FSU because Jimbo Fisher didn't leave Cincinnati before its bowl game or flirt with the NFL in January.
 

ChiRish

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definitely not. he was asked about it and he responded he didn't write about FSU because Jimbo Fisher didn't leave Cincinnati before its bowl game or flirt with the NFL in January.

Hahaha the best part about this is that it's 100% true.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/therealkev">therealkev</a> it's as bad, but jimbo fisher isn't the hypocrite kelly is. fisher didn't leave a school before its bowl game, then refuse a kid</p>— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/GreggDoyelCBS/status/342340139919491072">June 5, 2013</a></blockquote>
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ChiRish

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And the rest from this article:

Nothing golden about Kelly playing hard ball with waffling recruit - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com News, Scores, Stats, Schedule and BCS Rankings

I'll give the best quote so he doesn't get the clicks.

"Kelly's a self-serving phony, is one way of saying it. He flirted with the Philadelphia Eagles after the BCS title game, which was his right. A person should have the freedom to pursue his options, and Brian Kelly exercised that freedom. He pursued the NFL. Then backed off.

But Eddie Vanderdoes cannot flirt with UCLA. Cannot pursue that option. Cannot decide to go to school there -- not if he expects to play football this season, or for the four years entitled to college athletes.

And this is where Brian Kelly is a complete phony. How can I say that? You wouldn't believe how easy it is for me to say that."


tyrion-slapping-joffrey-o.gif
 

NDinL.A.

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This isn't a surprise...I've never seen a sadder kid at a college announcement than Thomas. He gave the weakest tomahawk chop I've ever seen. If his mom had been at his OV,,when he fell in love with SC, he would have been a Trogan long ago.

Also not a surprise that Doyle is still a complete douche...
 

GoldenIsThyFame

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What a jackass that Doyel is. Quick name me another "journalist" that has a mohawk. So much douchery.
 

NDWorld247

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I really hope ND coaches never let ESPN inside the War Room on NSD...Unfortunately for us, Thomas is going to be a beast at USC...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rAKcTZ0UXW4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

NDWorld247

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Staying at FSU...Warchant.com - LB Matthew Thomas will report to Florida State Saturday

"After meeting with coach Fisher and his staff and gathering all the information I have decided to honor my commitment to Florida State," Thomas said in a statement released to Warchant.com. "I also want to be close to my family and I want be part of what they are building at Florida State. I'm looking forward to winning games at Florida State and building towards my future."
 

Voltaire

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Staying at FSU...Warchant.com - LB Matthew Thomas will report to Florida State Saturday

"After meeting with coach Fisher and his staff and gathering all the information I have decided to honor my commitment to Florida State," Thomas said in a statement released to Warchant.com. "I also want to be close to my family and I want be part of what they are building at Florida State. I'm looking forward to winning games at Florida State and building towards my future."

Well that must be nice.
 

ResLife Hero

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Joe Schad had a tweet today about how Thomas and EV made the same decision, "to stay home". What he left out was the big element of integrity with honoring a signed commitment. Not a fan of FSU, but glad they didn't have to deal with the BS we did.
 

dublinirish

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Staying at FSU...Warchant.com - LB Matthew Thomas will report to Florida State Saturday

"After meeting with coach Fisher and his staff and gathering all the information I have decided to honor my commitment to Florida State," Thomas said in a statement released to Warchant.com. "I also want to be close to my family and I want be part of what they are building at Florida State. I'm looking forward to winning games at Florida State and building towards my future."

I'm f'n outta here the 1st chance i get.
 

PANDFAN

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"I wouldnt be surprised if LB Matthew Thomas never takes another snap for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Noles?src=hash">#Noles</a>" <a href="https://twitter.com/joshnewberg247">@joshnewberg247</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/Noles247">@Noles247</a> w/<a href="https://twitter.com/BillisKing">@BillisKing</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FSU?src=hash">#FSU</a></p>— WNSR (@NashSportsRadio) <a href="https://twitter.com/NashSportsRadio/status/631444764219478016">August 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
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PANDFAN

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guess his mom passed away--according to posters on the usc site, she was the one that wanted him at fsu
 
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