SEC - Scholarship Numbers and Transfers - four more schools
SEC - Scholarship Numbers and Transfers - four more schools
I'll conclude the SEC analysis with four teams - Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama. All have similar enrollment figures over four (five) year periods.
Georgia - Sitting at eighty-five scholarships. Georgia sat at eighty-seven after a '15 class of twenty-seven. In June, movement was, in part, triggered when Greyson Lambert transferred in, but, perhaps, by the end of the semester, too. Jacob Park transferred out. Another transferrred out. One player quit. After a five month period in '14 when players were dismissed after arrests, the Bulldogs have once again reached the stability that has marked Richt's tenure.
-- With a senior class of twenty, the expectation is that Georgia will have a '16 class of twenty-five.
Georgia has enrolled 98 players in four years (122 in five).
Tennessee - Sitting at eighty-three scholarship players with two blueshirt players from the '15 class. After enrolling fifty-nine recruits in the last two classes, would you believe Tennessee is at eighty-three?
-- Butch Jones has really trimmed his roster down, while awarding walkons scholarships in '14 and one for '15. He believes in making roster moves prior to NSD with ten transfers since the end of the season and only two transfers after NSD, which got the Vols to eighty-three. He can now give the blueshirts a scholarship, if he wants. One player was dismissed in December.
-- With a Senior class of sixteen, the '16 class is expected to be in the twenty-twenty-two area.
Tennessee has enrolled 101 recruits in four years (127 in five). Only one player signed in five years did not enroll due to academics.
Auburn - Sitting at eighty-three scholarship players. Auburn has had eight transfers since Jan 1. Two players elected early entry to the NFL. One player was dismissed. One player did not qualify. One was not on the spring roster (no reason). Two players transferred in and are counted with the '15 class.
---The secondary saw five of the transfers and is thin, but was partly addressed with the addition of Blake Countess. Jamel Dean will be eligible next year.
---Unlike Tenn and Georgia, Auburn rarely awards scholarships to P/K/LS.
-- Auburn is expected to recruit twenty to twenty-two players in the '16 class. They have fifteen seniors.
Auburn has enrolled ninety-three players in four years (117 in five), which are more in line with LSU, Mississippi State, Texas A&M than the other three schools in this post.
Alabama - Sitting at eighty-five. As sure as the sun comes up, everyone expects Alabama to max out with another full class of twenty-five.
---Saban's scholarship count would have been pressed if he had had Alabama's usual amount of EEs. In 2014, Alabama had thirteen seniors of whom nine were fifth years.
---Arrests, suspensions and dismissals dominated the Alabama football news in the offseason. He gave two walkons scholarships which Bama fans expect to be pulled prior to the fall roster coming out.
---Their '15 class is now at twenty-two with one player who did not qualify and another dismissed. It also contains a greyshirt and a walkon LS. With only three early entrants, Bama was able to reach eighty-five early.
---Alabama has a senior class of seventeen. Bama is expected to have another class of twenty-four-twenty-five. What happens if Saban is able to cut down on arrests/dismissals and there are more early entrants is problematic only to those of us outside of Alabama - and to the players.
Alabama has enrolled ninety-seven players in four years (121 in five).
To conclude, there a lots of factors involved in SEC roster movement and recruiting. Different programs and different coaching styles and recruiting behaviors affect transfers and scholarship counts in each of these.
While Tennessee (and Ohio State) are challengers for the crown, in the end, Alabama emerges above everyone else.
