Alabama asks Christian Bell to greyshirt to 16'

[KerryRhodes]

Hoover senior defensive end Christian Bell committed to play football at Alabama in late April of 2014, but will not sign his national letter-of-intent on National Signing Day on Wednesday.

Bell told AL.com on Monday he has accepted a grayshirt to still continue his career in Tuscaloosa. He will enroll in January and be a part of the scholarship count for the Class of 2016.

"I have decided to stay committed to Alabama and take a grayshirt," Bell said in a telephone interview with AL.com. "I will start in January after the first semester this fall."






http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2015/02/alabama_has_asked_hoover_defen.html

 

[beakwithteeth]

Oh the horror. You mean he has to wait 4 whole months. He needs to call coach Knotts immediately and schedule a presser.

 

[CardX]

Originally posted by beakwithteeth:
Oh the horror. You mean he has to wait 4 whole months. He needs to call coach Knotts immediately and schedule a presser.

Argh, the horror! The audacity of Saban! That poor little confused child!

 

[beakwithteeth]

Somebody get that boy a juice box...and quick!! Feelings is hurt, throat is all scratchy.

Good Grief!

 

[palsutiger]

And what's the difference between paying in-state tuition to attend Alabama and out-of-state tuition costs to attend Louisville? I guess you think these kids come from families on means.
Rationalize what happened to this kid, or other kids for that matter, the fact is it's wrong.

 

[Steelers2012_rivals379029]

Originally posted by palsutiger:

And what's the difference between paying in-state tuition to attend Alabama and out-of-state tuition costs to attend Louisville? I guess you think these kids come from families on means.
Rationalize what happened to this kid, or other kids for that matter, the fact is it's wrong.

I'm not understanding your point. For Bell or Colburn, their tuition is going to be free to them. What difference does the in-state vs out-of-state cost of tuition make in these two cases? I assume Bell will wait to enroll on scholarship at Bama and Colburn also has that option at UofL. Neither will be paying in-state OR out-of-state tuition. What am I missing here?

 

[KerryRhodes]

LSU and Les Miles

In 2010, Louisiana State University (LSU) and head coach Les Miles were also the subjects of numerous oversigning allegations.[4][30] In August, with his program at the scholarship limit for the year, Miles asked two recruits, Elliot Porter and Cameron Fordham, to wait until January 2011 to receive their previously promised scholarships. (This practice is known as "grayshirting.") Fordham chose to stay with the team, but Porter decided to leave the school. A third player, Houston Bates, had previously been asked to grayshirt and decided not to attend LSU, instead signing with Illinois.[31]

Porter joined the Kentucky football team that fall, but left during the season. He transferred back to LSU the next year but had to sit out the season due to transfer rules. Porter became the full-time starting center for LSU for the 2013 football season. Despite being trashed by the national media for downgrading Porter's scholarship offer to a grayshirt offer, Miles took Porter back with open arms.[32]

In December, ESPN's Outside the Lines broadcast a report in which former LSU quarterback Chris Garrett claimed LSU and Les Miles lied about the circumstances surrounding the school's decision not to renew Garrett's scholarship and Garrett's subsequent departure from LSU.[5]

 

[beakwithteeth]

"And what's the difference between paying in-state tuition to attend Alabama and out-of-state tuition costs to attend Louisville? I guess you think these kids come from families on means.
Rationalize what happened to this kid, or other kids for that matter, the fact is it's wrong."

This makes no sense to me either. By all means, please expand your thoughts here.

 

[palsutiger]

Because the player has to pay his own first semester costs if he is a greyshirt. So for a kid from Alabama to go to a school in-state is a heck of a lot more affordable.
The fact is the practice should be stopped and could be.
Glad you brought up Porter, I didnt think it was right. He decided to go to UK then transfered back. For any family to be told a few days before signing day stinks, most schools have already used their scholarships.

 

[KerryRhodes]

Originally posted by palsutiger:

Because the player has to pay his own first semester costs if he is a greyshirt. So for a kid from Alabama to go to a school in-state is a heck of a lot more affordable.
The fact is the practice should be stopped and could be.
Glad you brought up Porter, I didnt think it was right. He decided to go to UK then transfered back. For any family to be told a few days before signing day stinks, most schools have already used their scholarships.

So what happens if a player doesnt signed where he verballed ? The player changes his mind and
signs at a different school.

A UofL commit is now entertaining going to Miami, less than 24 hours to signing day.
Happens both ways. Its called recruiting.

Coaches will never stop doing. Players will never stop committing/decommitting.

 

[beakwithteeth]

I don't think it works like that.

Gray means starting your college career a bit later and saving some eligibility. I think you could go to a local community college in your area, take 1 course and transfer it or maybe not start at all. Sooo. very little expense or none at all.

 

[Steelers2012_rivals379029]

Originally posted by palsutiger:

Because the player has to pay his own first semester costs if he is a greyshirt. So for a kid from Alabama to go to a school in-state is a heck of a lot more affordable.
The fact is the practice should be stopped and could be.
Glad you brought up Porter, I didnt think it was right. He decided to go to UK then transfered back. For any family to be told a few days before signing day stinks, most schools have already used their scholarships.

Based on the Bell case, I don't believe that is accurate. It would appear that greyshirts cannot enroll as a full-time student. Regardless, I don't believe Bell or Colburn would be enrolling until they ARE on scholarship, making tuition a moot point, IMO.


The strategy keeps the NCAA five-year eligibility window from opening. Grayshirts are not permitted to enroll as a full-time student or receive scholarship benefits or be a part of the program in any official capacity, including practices.

Bell Greyshirt

 

[I am stupid]

Louisville's cost is over $9,000 per semester for instate kids and over $16,000 for out of state. This includes Tuition, Room rates, books, and a meal plan.

If you grayshirt you can not recieve any benefits from the university. So he would have to pay for it all. Since Alabama was mentioned, they are about $12,000 instate and $20,000 out of state.


One nice thing about Louisville is they count parts of Southern Indiana as "in state". Just throwing that out there, but I think you are right Steelers, they do not actually come to school until the next year so they are not out any money.


This post was edited on 2/3 3:53 PM by I am stupid

 

[Steelers2012_rivals379029]

Here is how it would be used. If you were an athlete who signed a National Letter of Intent last week for football, you would be reporting to the school in early August to start the football season. Your eligibility clock of four playing seasons in five total years would start ticking. If you are currently 18, even if you redshirted and played the next four years, you would finish your playing career around the age of 22 or 23 (Depending on birthday and such).



If you decided to grayshirt, what you would do that first semester would be go to a local Junior College and attend classes. The reason you may go to a JC near home is to save money over another, more expensive school. What you would have to do is make sure that you are not taking a full load. If a full load of classes is considering 12 class hours, you would just need to make sure you are taking less than that. As a grayshirt, you would not get to practice with the team, workout with the team, or even eat at team meals. During the first semester, you are not a part of the team.



The reason that you cannot do that stuff is because you want your full time status to start during the second semester. Instead of just being thrown into the wolves during the summer, you can participate in spring practice, get used to classes, and then possibly be able to play in the fall. If you started in the second semester of next year, which would be 2009, you would get that season, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 to complete your four years of playing. Some prospects do go from being a grayshirt right to being a redshirt so that they would end up being 23 or 24 when they finish.


Recruiting 101

 

[EasyCard_rivals]

Is there a reason he has to enroll in college this fall? What am I missing here?

If you know that he will be thrown out on to the streets after he graduates HS then I do feel bad for him. But, if he has adults willing to care for his needs for just 4-5 months longer then what is the issue.

 

[zipp_rivals]

The kid can hold a job to offset his expenses. Financial aid is also an option.

Not feeling sorry for anyone yet...

 

[Steelers2012_rivals379029]

Originally posted by EasyCard:
Is there a reason he has to enroll in college this fall? What am I missing here?

If you know that he will be thrown out on to the streets after he graduates HS then I do feel bad for him. But, if he has adults willing to care for his needs for just 4-5 months longer then what is the issue.

I have read nothing that indicates he MUST take any college courses before he enrolls in his preferred school under his grayshirt offer. As far as I can tell, the kid can use that time to prepare for school OR football however he chooses. But if he DOES take a full semester class load, his college eligbility does start then (a few months earlier).

 

[PushupMan]

Originally posted by palsutiger:

Because the player has to pay his own first semester costs if he is a greyshirt. So for a kid from Alabama to go to a school in-state is a heck of a lot more affordable.
The fact is the practice should be stopped and could be.
Glad you brought up Porter, I didnt think it was right. He decided to go to UK then transfered back. For any family to be told a few days before signing day stinks, most schools have already used their scholarships.

You are correct that the young man COULD come to UofL, enroll as a part time or full-time student for the fall semester, and then go on scholarship in January. But that's only one possibility. He doesn't have to come to UofL this fall at all. He can stay at home for the fall and work, or he can take correspondence school courses at the local community college this fall that will transfer to UofL.

So you are making some assumptions about a grey shirt that are not true.

Assuming Colburn did choose to come to UofL for his first semester, with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, the difference between one semester of attendance at UofL versus an in-state school would be minimal. My son is a freshman at the University of Miami, so I'm very familiar with the process.

 

[WhatMeWorry]

No, he can come and take classes but keep a part time load. Or he can go anywhere he wants, including staying home and work, or play video games, or whatever. What he can't do, is come to UofL and enroll as a full time student in the fall as this would start his college career clock and he would lose a year of the five he would have to compete for four seasons.

 

[cardsfan53]

These UK fans are VERY misinformed on the grey shirt process. If he came to UofL he would only be enrolled part time so it would cost him full tuition as someone stated on the post earlier. Also he could go to a local community college and enroll and take classes that would transfer. Another option would be to take online classes for credits that would transfer. Or he could not to anything and wait until January to enroll. And the offer will still be waiting in January, or if he insisted he wanted to sign and enroll in a school in August take another offer.

 

[Cardfan1963]

Originally posted byyourself tiger:

Because the player has to pay his own first semester costs if he is a greyshirt. So for a kid from Alabama to go to a school in-state is a heck of a lot more affordable.
The fact is the practice should be stopped and could be.
Glad you brought up Porter, I didnt think it was right. He decided to go to UK then transfered back. For any family to be told a few days before signing day stinks, most schools have already used their scholarships.

Well Pals you proved yourself to be a no nothing.

 

[beakwithteeth]

And a KNOW nothing too.

 

[Steelers2012_rivals379029]

FTR...I am wearing a grey shirt today. And I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.

 

[cardsfan53]

Personally I think it's selfish and silly for a high school coach a BAN a college coach from recuriting his players. This kid didn't hold an offer from Clemson or South Carolina they 2 major in state teams. Is he going to ban those 2 schools from not giving the kid a scholarship?