Oher was still staying with several different families (including the Tuohys) through his First Team Tennessee All-State season and during the next spring practice, where Lemming called Oher the next great left tackle and coaches were flying in from all over the country to see him(see the timeline in the 2009 Oher thread linked above).
But OM alums have been doing this a long time. Back in the 1950's (under Vaught)they even were adopting high school athletes after their senior seasons in football. From the NCAA infractions database:
https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/ex...mp;publicTerms=
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><p align="left"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">
University of Mississippi, Oxford<span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman"></span></span></span></p><p align="left">
whereas, the university<span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman; FONT-SIZE: xx-small"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman; FONT-SIZE: xx-small">'</span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">s representative in this case, an alumnus, apparently did not provide</span></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">any assistance to the prospective student-athlete until after he (the alumnus) had been legally</p><p align="left">established as the prospective student-athlete's guardian,
the guardianship decree being granted</p>
december 24, 1957, following conclusion of the prospect's senior football season;</p>
</p><p align="left">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">WHEREAS, it is the Council</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman; FONT-SIZE: xx-small"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman; FONT-SIZE: xx-small">'</span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman">s conclusion that
the principal reason that the alumnus decided to
</span></p><p align="left">
establish the guardianship was because his future ward was an outstanding football player and</p>
one whom he (the alumnus) earnestly hoped would attend the university of mississippi;</p></span>