Here's someone that agrees with you

[Grothe4Heisman]

I'd have to go and look up the names, but the last player profile article I read out of the Orlando Sentinel talked about FSU backing off the kid scared he wouldn't qualify.

Much like what UCF did to lure Daunte Culpepper, USF's coachin staff put together a plan for the kid to make sure he'd make the grade and the kid did

So you read about 1 situation where you can't even remember the kid's name...Did you recently have a talk with Nikki Saban?

[Economics_Nerd82]

Internet columnist (me) out of Orlando. Watched most of the game this weekend (have seen 3 1/2) USF games and was very impressed.

http://580wdbo.com/news/top25.html

feedback is welcome, but even you Bulls have to admit USF is a commuter school. Lay off Greenie

vote to ban the newbie.

uh, no. He's entitled to his opinion even though we might not like it.

Thanks for the publicity... just keep quiet on the commuter school crap.

[TheNew#1TeamInFlorida]

Compare George O'Leary's track record of recruiting kids with good grades that get into no trouble versus Jim Leavitt's strategy of recruiting the best kids in the state, especially the ones that Miami, Florida, and FSU think won't be able to qualify academically, and you can see how the final score ended up the way it did.

Let me hear some names of kids UM, UF and FSU didn't think would qualify.

Maybe Florida I can undersand but FSU is more like a community college.

[orlandotiger]

just remember I did say percerption

[USFDan]

Didn't I read somewhere that we have more beds on campus than FSU? 

[Guest]

in my mind it would be [glow=yellow,2,300]more than 50 percent of the students live outside of a 3-5 mile radius of campus[/glow]. I went to Clemson though, which is the ultimate live there just for school U

UCF - now there's a definition of a commuter school (sorry to compare you to those you own)

If that is your definition. then USF is not a commuter school.  More than 70% of USF students live within 5 miles of campus.

The university area, like many "college towns" has a lot of apartment complexes where students live.  Five miles, by the way, is a considerable distance.  I-75 and Bruce B Downs is less than 5 miles from campus... So is Dale Mabry and Fletcher... The Florida State Fairgrounds is just over five miles... and most of "Seminole Heights" falls inside that circle.

Moreover, schools like UCLA, USC, Pitt, Boston College, among many many more would also be "commuter schools"...

[Herman_Momart]

in my mind it would be [glow=yellow,2,300]more than 50 percent of the students live outside of a 3-5 mile radius of campus[/glow]. I went to Clemson though, which is the ultimate live there just for school U

UCF - now there's a definition of a commuter school (sorry to compare you to those you own)

If that is your definition. then USF is not a commuter school.  More than 70% of USF students live within 5 miles of campus.

The university area, like many "college towns" has a lot of apartment complexes where students live.  Five miles, by the way, is a considerable distance.  I-75 and Bruce B Downs is less than 5 miles from campus... So is Dale Mabry and Fletcher... The Florida State Fairgrounds is just over five miles... and most of "Seminole Heights" falls inside that circle.

Moreover, schools like UCLA, USC, Pitt, Boston College, among many many more would also be "commuter schools"...

Exactly.   I lived in Fontana Hall my freshman year and I was from out of state.  I had a commuter parking ticket because Fontana Hall is located across the street from the campus, not on the campus.  I for sure was not a commuter student and they labeled me as one.  You have to realize that about USF before labeling it a commuter school.  Sure our campus isnt like the one from PCU but all around campus is definiely a university atmosphere.

[bulldad10]

Compare George O'Leary's track record of recruiting kids with good grades that get into no trouble versus Jim Leavitt's strategy of recruiting the best kids in the state, especially the ones that Miami, Florida, and FSU think won't be able to qualify academically, and you can see how the final score ended up the way it did.

just remember I did say percerption

Please show me where in this quote that you said "perception".

[Triple B]

I'd have to go and look up the names, but the last player profile article I read out of the Orlando Sentinel talked about FSU backing off the kid scared he wouldn't qualify.

I'll save you the trouble, the player was Noel Devine.

[GarySJ]

uh, no. He's entitled to his opinion even though we might not like it.

“We are each entitled to our own opinion, but no one is entitled to his own facts.â€Â

In light of the recent criticisms of football and academics at USF, here are a few random facts:

1. USF's football graduation rates is at least 61% (see p.2], which exceeds the Division I football average of approximately 55% (see p.4). (NOTE: Because players have six years to graduate, all NCAA graduation data lags several years behind. The most recent data is through the 1999-00 academic year. However, Jim Leavitt was USF's coach at that time.)

2. USF's APR scores, which the NCAA uses to punish schools whose players are not making academic progress, have been adequate to avoid sanction. Granted, few schools are facing sanctions. But I note that Florida International is in line to lose 9 football scholarships -- the most of any football program -- and no one is accusing them of running a team full of academic risks. Why is that, I wonder?

3. When USF does accept academic risks, it has success in graduating them. Several partial qualifiers earned an extra year of eligibility after graduating on time: Hugh Smith, Emerson Morris, Clenton Crossley, and current Dallas Cowboy Anthony Henry are four examples.

4. The Big East Conference no longer allows partial qualifiers. Some other BCS conferences do.

5. As for ex-Alabama signee Mike Ford, he failed to qualify out of high school, and then chose to go to USF after he did qualify, which is his right. Yes, USF probably put some effort into convincing Ford to play for them, but that is also their right, and the sort of thing that goes on all the time in recruiting. Besides, Alabama is the only school who contacted Jim Leavitt without the courtesy of asking our AD for permission, so I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to any ethics lectures from them.

6. Other ex-Alabama signee Jamar Taylor simply chose to transfer to USF, for personal reasons. He was not an academic risk out of high school AFAIK.

One other comment worth addressing:

Let me hear some names of kids UM, UF and FSU didn't think would qualify.

Hell, I'd settle for a list of current USF players that UM/UF/FSU actually wanted. I can't recall USF ever winning a recruiting battle with any of those three. I remember the heartbreak of guys like Chris Davis, Cornelius Ingram, and of course Adrian McPherson giving USF serious consideration before going elsewhere in-state. We have also taken a handful of their refugees over the years, like Joe Bain, Julian Riley, and that FSU lineman who tried to come here over the summer.

Furthermore, USF's recruiting class rankings over the years don't bear out this idea of stealing elite players from other schools. According to Rivals.com's recruiting database, the only 4-star recruits USF has EVER signed are Andre Hall (a juco player whose two years of eligibility have expired); Antonio Searcy (ditto Hall); Carlton Hill (who can't stay eligible); Leslie Stirrups (who did not qualify and, after an arrest, may never play for USF); and the aforementioned Mike Ford (who rated 5 stars). In other words, no current USF player, other than Ford, ever rated more than three stars according to Rivals. I grant that recruiting ratings are a deeply flawed metric, but they provide no evidence to bear out this accusation.

So, Adam, I think this one's busted.