Drew Kerekes

Josh Rosen, UCLA’s starting quarterback and projected first-round NFL Draft talent, made waves this past week in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Matt Hayes.

The quote heard ’round the college football world was a quote that, unless you read Hayes’ full story, lacked context when it was presented on social media: “Raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have.”

Out of context, it appeared Rosen was taking a shot at Alabama’s academics. If the two teams ever meet in the postseason, his comments will certainly be bulletin board material for the Crimson Tide defense. Even I rolled my eyes when I initially read the quote and tweeted the following: “Unless you play for (Vanderbilt), Northwestern, Stanford, Duke or (Notre Dame), you don’t get to make this argument.”

What I meant, of course, is those schools listed have higher academic requirements than most other Football Championship Subdivision teams do and, thus, it is reasonable to argue their talent pool is more limited than what you would generally find available to most Power 5 schools. College football fans like to rag on SEC schools by implying they’re “football factories” that will just let in any kid if they can catch a pass or tote the rock. While it’s likely true the Big 10, for example, has better overall academic prowess than the SEC, the fact is a five-star recruit who meets the NCAA minimum isn’t going to be turned away by the Ohio States, Michigans, Penn States or Michigan States of the world.

As it turns out, though, Rosen wasn’t taking a shot at Alabama or the SEC at all. The full quote, in context, was in response to a question about balancing football and school: “Look, football and school don’t go together. They just don’t. Trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs. There are guys who have no business being in school, but they’re here because this is the path to the NFL. There’s no other way. Then there’s the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.”

All of a sudden, that quote takes on an entirely different meaning. 

Here’s the thing: Rosen is bluntly explaining what a lot of us know — in many senses, these teams are indeed “football factories.” That’s not to suggest academics aren’t taken seriously by teams, but I suspect a significant number of these athletes would otherwise not have gone to school where that not the only way they could hone their skills for a possible NFL career. 

Yes, teams have academic requirements to play, and yes, these athletes have tutors and other resources at their disposal the general student population doesn’t have. The way Rosen puts it in that same interview, though, it seems that the interest isn’t always with the student-athletes’ academic health in mind: “You have a bunch of people at the universities who are supposed to help you out, and they’re more interested in helping you stay eligible,” Rosen said. “At some point, universities have to do more to prepare players for university life and help them succeed beyond football.”

The economic reality of college football is simple. Fans want a good product on the field, period. That’s why a decade ago, Alabama went and plucked Nick Saban from the Miami Dolphins for $4 million a year. He is now making $11.125 million this season according to USA Today, and frankly, given what he’s done for Tuscaloosa and the state of Alabama in an economic sense, he’s still underpaid. The SEC in general is now paying head coaches what Saban first got when he came back to coach college. Going into the 2016 season, nine of the league’s 14 member institutions were paying their head coach at least $4 million annually.

Since fans want that product, teams will do everything in their power to make sure their players remain academically eligible, because the bottom line is affected if they aren’t eligible. Rosen’s point is a good one. While I never had the resources when I attended Alabama that the football players had, I also didn’t have their insane schedule that demanded practices and games on top of trying to study and do well in classes. I’m not sure I could have handled it if I wanted to.

What’s the solution? I’m not sure. I certainly don’t want minor league football, as that would indeed hurt the college football product I enjoy. I also think athletic scholarships are a good thing, as they provide an avenue for an education for kids who may not otherwise have had college as an option. At the same time, are there ways to help “prepare players for university life and help them succeed beyond football,” as Rosen would put it, instead of simply “helping (them) stay eligible”?

Right now, I would like to hear more players’ honest opinions on the matter. It’s certainly a discussion worth having, and I’m glad Rosen at least was brave enough to speak on it.

Drew Kerekes is the sports editor at The Meridian Star. He can be reached at dkerekes@themeridianstar.com.