Academics

[Sluggo52]

I am curious about wrestling or, for that matter, any college sport. Has academics gone completely out the window? We see 6 and 7 year athletes. We see big money spent on NIL. We see transfers by the bucketful. There is never a mention of a student’s major or grad school. Is academics irrelevant now?

 

[BeerLion]

Yeah Sluggo, I wonder about that myself. For me anyway, I don't get up for college sports the way I used to. It is not even close. Football and Basketball are just minor leaguers and move around like free agents. But this year with wrestling and Gable Steveson, I really started thinking about academics. Does he go to class? I mean he has been out with the WWE and trying out for pro football and then he magically can come back. I wonder, does he really go to class? Is there any academic standard they have to meet, like at least 2.0 average. I hate it but I still love to watch wrestling.

 

[Sluggo52]

I am right there with you BeerLion. Actually had Stevenson in mind when I wrote this. If these athletes don’t go to class I have to seriously doubt the integrity of college sports.

 

[SleepyLion]

 

[Sluggo52]

Well that's one guy who thinks it's totally corrupt.

 

[lionlover]

I am curious about wrestling or, for that matter, any college sport. Has academics gone completely out the window? We see 6 and 7 year athletes. We see big money spent on NIL. We see transfers by the bucketful. There is never a mention of a student’s major or grad school. Is academics irrelevant now?

Pretty much.

 

[lionlover]

I am right there with you BeerLion. Actually had Stevenson in mind when I wrote this. If these athletes don’t go to class I have to seriously doubt the integrity of college sports.

The Ivy league schools still have some academic integrity.

 

[Sluggo52]

The Ivy league schools still have some academic integrity.

Yes. I would say schools like Stanford, Northwestern and Cornell probably still have standards. But you look at Iowa and half of their starting lineup is Rent-A-Wrestler.

 

[KJB32812]

From my personal experience, wrestling would be the least of an athletic department's concern. For the majority of wrestlers, the dedication and focus translates to other areas of their life.

 

[manatree]

From my personal experience, wrestling would be the least of an athletic department's concern. For the majority of wrestlers, the dedication and focus translates to other areas of their life.

Dedication and focus is required for every sport at the college level. I think personal finances plays a larger role. If an athlete is getting a partial or no scholarship money has more skin in their academic game than those on a full ride or a considerable NIL deal. Parental finances also play a role.

 

[Sluggo52]

Yeah, the focus is on those who command big NIL money. The rest are not likely to go pro after college so they need to get that diploma.

 

[SleepyLion]

There were more and a few reports of illiterate student-athlete college graduates 30+ years ago. Dexter Manley comes to mind.

https://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/us/ncaa-athlete-literacy-whistle-blowers/index.html

 

[J.E.B]

I am curious about wrestling or, for that matter, any college sport. Has academics gone completely out the window? We see 6 and 7 year athletes. We see big money spent on NIL. We see transfers by the bucketful. There is never a mention of a student’s major or grad school. Is academics irrelevant now?

So it seems.

Don’t let those 6-7 yrs fool you. I’ve talked/met with three student athletes very recently and one will finish his grad work and two others will be completing their masters so it’s not a free ride or an academic issue. These kids have to be enrolled and full time students to compete but it’s usually post graduate work.

 

[LB99]

There have been several PSU wrestlers recognized for their academic achievements since Coach Sanderson took over. Terrell Barraclough was a multiple time Academic All B1G recipient while majoring in engineering. I think(don’t hold me too it) he graduated early before transferring to Utah Valley this year for a chance to get a starting spot.

I know these articles are a few years old, but I have a feeling that Coach Sanderson isn’t one to undervalue an education:

Four Nittany Lion Wrestlers Earn First Team National All-Academic Honors

Four members of head coach Cael Sanderson's 2022 NCAA Championship team have earned first team national All-Academic honors. The four Nittany Lions, three of whom won NCAA individual titles and the fourth an NCAA qualifier, were named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) First...

gopsusports.com

Academic Achievement - Issuu

Penn State has been ranked among the top 25 teams in the NWCA All-Academic list in 26 of the last 31 years, including 10 of 12 under head coach Cael Sanderson.

issuu.com

 

[LB99]

Beau Bartlett is a three time Academic All B1G recipient and also a three time Academic All American.

Big Ten Honors Penn State Sportsmanship Award Recipients

Penn State wrestler Beau Bartlett and ice hockey player Julie Gough are the Nittany Lions' 2023-24 recipients of the Big Ten's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.

www.si.com

Here is the roster. If you click on their BIO it gives you their major and any awards they received. I didn’t get very far down the list but Bartlett, Borden, and Cochran all received academic awards. As did Dunbar. Academic All B1G three times majoring in Kinesiology.

2023-24 Wrestling

2023-24 Wrestling

gopsusports.com

 

[LB99]

I am curious about wrestling or, for that matter, any college sport. Has academics gone completely out the window? We see 6 and 7 year athletes. We see big money spent on NIL. We see transfers by the bucketful. There is never a mention of a student’s major or grad school. Is academics irrelevant now?

I know it is easy to be cynical in today’s environment, but we have to break that tendency. We can’t speak for other programs. That’s their prerogatives, but we should be very proud of our PSU program. Cael and Co seem to have the house in order both on the mat and off, developing these guys into young men. We all applaud Coach Paterno’s track record of promoting good athletic performance, while being a good student and upstanding citizen. Is it time we start applauding Coach Sanderson in the same way?

 

[Sluggo52]

I would be surprised if Sanderson didn't make sure his guys went to class and did their classwork. I don't know him but he doesn't seem the kind to let these things slide. On the other side, what is Gable Stevenson doing back in college? What is his story?

 

[GregPickel]

 

[El_Jefe]

I am curious about wrestling or, for that matter, any college sport. Has academics gone completely out the window? We see 6 and 7 year athletes. We see big money spent on NIL. We see transfers by the bucketful. There is never a mention of a student’s major or grad school. Is academics irrelevant now?

PSU regularly blares out the academic achievements of its athletes in every sport.

So this appears to be an issue of what you want to see, as opposed to what's available to be seen.

 

[manatree]

On the other side, what is Gable Stevenson doing back in college? What is his story?

Academically, we know as much about Steveson as we do Starocci. They’re both enrolled in graduate courses. Whether or not they are attending during this second semester is anyone’s guess. Unless things have changed dramatically since I looked into it several years ago, the NCAA’s requirements for their Academic Progression Rate are not rigorous.

 

[Tom McAndrew]