Admitting they were wrong? Apparently, the great admissions controversy of 2007 (remember that) has been resolved. Maybe.
The University of South Carolina has come up with a policy on special admits designed to streamline a process that head football coach Steve Spurrier lashed out at in early August after two recruits weren't admitted despite meeting NCAA standards.
The changes were approved last week by USC President Andrew Sorensen, Provost Mark Becker said today. ...
The changes in the special admissions process include:
-- An academic floor. All special admit candidates must have at least a 2.0 final high school grade point average and a minimum SAT score of 710 or ACT of 15. Becker said Spurrier hasn't been recruiting below this level. ...
-- To be admitted as a special admit, a student must meet three of five criteria to be admitted. Those five are final high school GPA of 2.5, rank in top 50 percent of his high school graduating class, SAT of at least 830 (or ACT of 17), SAT critical reading of at least 420 (or ACT English sub-score of 17) and SAT math score of at least 420 (or ACT math sub-score of 17).
-- Students not meeting the "3 of 5 rule" can request a "contract review." That request would go forward to the special admission committee for admission as a "contract admit." If the student were admitted, he would be required to comply with more intense academic monitoring. ...
-- Athletes must apply for admission to USC within two weeks of signing national letters of intent.
Well, if that makes Spurrier happy, more power to the university. But I'm not sure what's "really" changing here.
Now, if only the other ten defenders were that good. In case you haven't heard, Norwood and Smelley had pretty good weeks. Good enough to earn one SEC Defensive Player of the Week and the other SEC Freshman of the Week.
Spurrier a Legend. But you already knew that. He's set to receive the O'Brien Legends Award. Not so much for what he did at South Carolina, but no publicity is bad publicity.
A Texas-based foundation has named third-year USC head football coach Steve Spurrier the recipient of its annual award for former college or professional quarterbacks who have made significant contributions to the sport. ...
Spurrier was a two-time All-American and the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner as a player at Florida. He led the San Francisco 49ers to their third consecutive NFC West title in a nine-year NFL career. ...
Spurrier has coached a national championship team, won seven SEC titles and more than 75 percent of the college games that he has coached. He is one of only three coaches in major college history, and the only one in SEC history, to lead a school to an appearance in the weekly polls for 200 consecutive weeks and lead a school to 12 consecutive seasons (1990-2001) of nine or more wins. He is a member of the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame, Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
So you can't get too drunk at tailgating. Noon + 30 minutes is kickoff time for the Vandy game, but don't go looking for it on LFS. Or anywhere if you're a transplant.
The game will be offered on a pay-per-view basis throughout the state of South Carolina. Gamecock fans throughout the Palmetto State are encouraged to contact their local cable provider for more information.
The telecast will feature Mike Morgan as the play-by-play voice with Brad Muller handling the color commentary. Former Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers will once again be the sideline reporter.
George Rogers: Because when you have no team tradition, a Heisman winner is all you have to lean on.