[CTcard]

I doubt it, JPRI. There are undoubtedly some players at Florida State and Boise State and Kansas State and other state schools that couldn't have made it though their admissions offices, but I doubt it's a majority.

Generally speaking, this is pretty impossible to know without more information than is publically available.

My guess for FSU is that a majority (but certainly not all) of the football players would not have been accepted had they had identical records but no football. The common data set for FSU puts the 25th percentile of ACT scores at 26 and SAT at 1690. 90+% had a high school GPA of 3.5 or better.

KSU would be closer. Their 25th percentiles were 22 and 1380. 57% had GPA 3.5 or higher.

Boise is an interesting case. It is far from a state-flagship school. Their 25th percentiles are 20 and 1370; 45% above 3.5 HS GPA. Perhaps more relevant is that the four-year average graduation rate for all students is 33% but for football is 70%. Not many places with that kind of positive differential for the football team.

Most public schools are intended be broadly available to kids of their state, and their admissions standards reflect that.

Most state flagship schools are fairly elite institutions. The complaints that "my son/daughter can't get into University of XXX" are not limited to California. Those are also most, but not all, of the Big 5 conference schools.
KSU might be a pretty good choice for one of the least difficult Big 5 schools to gain entrance - though Washington State might be better (25th percentiles of 19 ACT and 1340 SAT, 35% GPA 3.5+).

[CTcard]

I doubt it, JPRI. There are undoubtedly some players at Florida State and Boise State and Kansas State and other state schools that couldn't have made it though their admissions offices, but I doubt it's a majority.

Generally speaking, this is pretty impossible to know without more information than is publically available.

My guess for FSU is that a majority (but certainly not all) of the football players would not have been accepted had they had identical records but no football. The common data set for FSU puts the 25th percentile of ACT scores at 26 and SAT at 1690. 90+% had a high school GPA of 3.5 or better.

KSU would be closer. Their 25th percentiles were 22 and 1380. 57% had GPA 3.5 or higher.

Boise is an interesting case. It is far from a state-flagship school. Their 25th percentiles are 20 and 1370; 45% above 3.5 HS GPA. Perhaps more relevant is that the four-year average graduation rate for all students is 33% but for football is 70%. Not many places with that kind of positive differential for the football team.

Most public schools are intended be broadly available to kids of their state, and their admissions standards reflect that.

Most state flagship schools are fairly elite institutions. The complaints that "my son/daughter can't get into University of XXX" are not limited to California. Those are also most, but not all, of the Big 5 conference schools.
KSU might be a pretty good choice for one of the least difficult Big 5 schools to gain entrance - though Washington State might be better (25th percentiles of 19 ACT and 1340 SAT, 35% GPA 3.5+).