[Farm93]

Farm93, I would be very surprised if more than a handful of football players who play at state schools have 2-part SAT's anywhere close to 1200. Just curious if you have any data that says they do?

I do agree that, unlike many state schools, ND does not have a bunch of "easier" courses for football players to take to help them stay eligible. All freshmen at ND have to pass calculus; I wonder how many football players at state schools could do that.

Pick a test number, the logic still holds.  My co-worker has a son that was accepted to several highly selective schools, but wanted to be a D1 baseball starter.  So he is playing at CSUBakersfield.  He is far more academically qualified for the school than his peers.  He is there to live the starter dream.  Surely you know people in this category??  I can recall at my HS there were (non-football) athletes that were accepted to very prestigious schools with D3 sports, but they wanted to play D1 so they went to schools that were....let's say....less selective.  Not everyone has a mission to attend the most selective college they can find.  Not every football player is underqualified academically for the school they attend.

Stanford is recruiting a number of players from the Southeast that have SEC schools in their top 5.  Should they not get into Stanford they will be above average academically at those schools.

I am guessing this athletics component was not a factor for you in attending college, but there are a lot of kids that play college sports that are simply better academically than their peers at the school.  I have seen it enough to know it is not uncommon.  What IS uncommon is for that 1200 2-part SAT to also be a 3, 4 or 5 star football player, so perhaps that is our disconnect here.

A non-Power 5 program is not getting a lot of 3-5 star football players, but that non-Power 5 program can offer the glory of D1 ball.  And there are going to be kids that could go to better D3 schools that want that D1 experience even if they serve as a walk-on and never play.

[Farm93]

Farm93, I would be very surprised if more than a handful of football players who play at state schools have 2-part SAT's anywhere close to 1200. Just curious if you have any data that says they do?

I do agree that, unlike many state schools, ND does not have a bunch of "easier" courses for football players to take to help them stay eligible. All freshmen at ND have to pass calculus; I wonder how many football players at state schools could do that.

Pick a test number, the logic still holds.  My co-worker has a son that was accepted to several highly selective schools, but wanted to be a D1 baseball starter.  So he is playing at CSUBakersfield.  He is far more academically qualified for the school than his peers.  He is there to live the starter dream.  Surely you know people in this category??  I can recall at my HS there were (non-football) athletes that were accepted to very prestigious schools with D3 sports, but they wanted to play D1 so they went to schools that were....let's say....less selective.  Not everyone has a mission to attend the most selective college they can find.  Not every football player is underqualified academically for the school they attend.

Stanford is recruiting a number of players from the Southeast that have SEC schools in their top 5.  Should they not get into Stanford they will be above average academically at those schools.

I am guessing this athletics component was not a factor for you in attending college, but there are a lot of kids that play college sports that are simply better academically than their peers at the school.  I have seen it enough to know it is not uncommon.  What IS uncommon is for that 1200 2-part SAT to also be a 3, 4 or 5 star football player, so perhaps that is our disconnect here.

A non-Power 5 program is not getting a lot of 3-5 star football players, but that non-Power 5 program can offer the glory of D1 ball.  And there are going to be kids that could go to better D3 schools that want that D1 experience even if they serve as a walk-on and never play.