McTailGator
August 2nd, 2007, 12:24 PM
McNeese's offseason has been success academically (8/2)
http://www.americanpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1446&Itemid=96
By GARY LANEY
AMERICAN PRESS
When McNeese State's players report for August camp today, it will be notable to see the players who are included on the roster.
There's Vaalyn Jackson, Neely Hubbard, John Vigers and Garren Jim, all players who were academically ineligible a season ago but have worked their way back into good standing academic.
There's also Corday Clark, Jordan Page, Damion Aultman and Geremy Pilate, guys who not were not academically qualified coming out of high school in the recruiting class of 2006, gained eligibility for this season.
And there's the 14 true freshmen who signed in February, head coach Matt Viator's first signing class, all of whom are eligible to play as true freshmen. A year after seven of 19 signees were academic non-qualifiers, McNeese went 14-for-14 this season.
Regardless of what happens on the field this fall, the offseason has been a success academically. McNeese lost one player who was eligible last season while all the players who were ineligible last season made it back into the fold.
It bucked the trend at McNeese, which typically loses at least a few players to subpar grades at the start of every fall camp, an attrition rate that's not unusual in college football.
But this year McNeese almost avoided any academic losses.
"It really came down to the kids worked hard," Viator said. "It wasn't really anything I did."
McNeese not only bucked the trend with players already in the program, but also with players trying to gain initial eligibility. Typically, McNeese is fortunate to get half of its high school recruits who are non-qualifiers out of high school eligible for their second year.
This year, everyone who stayed in school got eligible for this season. With new rules that make it easier for initial non-qualifiers to have four-year playing careers, the "props" will be treated like freshmen instead of sophomores in eligibility.
The exceptions from the class are players who did not enroll at McNeese after signing and one player who left school to pursue a professionally career, starting with the Louisiana Swashbucklers, an indoor football team.
Viator said the good summer in the classroom had a lot to do with the work of athletic academic counselor Deb Kingrey, who is the mother of former Cowboys outfielder Charlie Kingrey.
"She deserves a lot of credit," Viator said. "She's done a really good help helping the players understand what they need to do. She is the mother of a student-athlete, so she really has a good way of communicating with athletes on what they need to hear."
Viator also said a new academic center initiated by Dr. Jeanne Daboval, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, was a key tool.
Just because McNeese has an all-eligible recruiting class, it doesn't mean McNeese is trying to becoming a Southland Conference version of Vanderbilt, Viator said.
"We'll still take some (non-qualifiers)," Viator said. "But with APRs becoming so big and so much of it having to do with the first year, you really have to watch it."
The academic progress rate is a tool the NCAA uses to monitor the academic progress of athletic programs. If APR scores drop too low, schools can lose athletic scholarships.
NOTES: McNeese will welcome 90 players to the start of August camp today with a 3 p.m. meeting for newcomers and a 6 p.m. meeting for veterans. The Cowboys' first practice will be at 8:45 a.m. Friday in shorts and helmets. ... The first full-pads practice will be Tuesday morning. ... The roster will be expanded to 105 when the fall semester begins Aug. 20.
http://www.americanpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1446&Itemid=96
By GARY LANEY
AMERICAN PRESS
When McNeese State's players report for August camp today, it will be notable to see the players who are included on the roster.
There's Vaalyn Jackson, Neely Hubbard, John Vigers and Garren Jim, all players who were academically ineligible a season ago but have worked their way back into good standing academic.
There's also Corday Clark, Jordan Page, Damion Aultman and Geremy Pilate, guys who not were not academically qualified coming out of high school in the recruiting class of 2006, gained eligibility for this season.
And there's the 14 true freshmen who signed in February, head coach Matt Viator's first signing class, all of whom are eligible to play as true freshmen. A year after seven of 19 signees were academic non-qualifiers, McNeese went 14-for-14 this season.
Regardless of what happens on the field this fall, the offseason has been a success academically. McNeese lost one player who was eligible last season while all the players who were ineligible last season made it back into the fold.
It bucked the trend at McNeese, which typically loses at least a few players to subpar grades at the start of every fall camp, an attrition rate that's not unusual in college football.
But this year McNeese almost avoided any academic losses.
"It really came down to the kids worked hard," Viator said. "It wasn't really anything I did."
McNeese not only bucked the trend with players already in the program, but also with players trying to gain initial eligibility. Typically, McNeese is fortunate to get half of its high school recruits who are non-qualifiers out of high school eligible for their second year.
This year, everyone who stayed in school got eligible for this season. With new rules that make it easier for initial non-qualifiers to have four-year playing careers, the "props" will be treated like freshmen instead of sophomores in eligibility.
The exceptions from the class are players who did not enroll at McNeese after signing and one player who left school to pursue a professionally career, starting with the Louisiana Swashbucklers, an indoor football team.
Viator said the good summer in the classroom had a lot to do with the work of athletic academic counselor Deb Kingrey, who is the mother of former Cowboys outfielder Charlie Kingrey.
"She deserves a lot of credit," Viator said. "She's done a really good help helping the players understand what they need to do. She is the mother of a student-athlete, so she really has a good way of communicating with athletes on what they need to hear."
Viator also said a new academic center initiated by Dr. Jeanne Daboval, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, was a key tool.
Just because McNeese has an all-eligible recruiting class, it doesn't mean McNeese is trying to becoming a Southland Conference version of Vanderbilt, Viator said.
"We'll still take some (non-qualifiers)," Viator said. "But with APRs becoming so big and so much of it having to do with the first year, you really have to watch it."
The academic progress rate is a tool the NCAA uses to monitor the academic progress of athletic programs. If APR scores drop too low, schools can lose athletic scholarships.
NOTES: McNeese will welcome 90 players to the start of August camp today with a 3 p.m. meeting for newcomers and a 6 p.m. meeting for veterans. The Cowboys' first practice will be at 8:45 a.m. Friday in shorts and helmets. ... The first full-pads practice will be Tuesday morning. ... The roster will be expanded to 105 when the fall semester begins Aug. 20.