Kaufusi clarification
Hello all,
Sorry it has been a few days since I've posted. I've spent most of my time focusing on the Jazz and their playoff run. I did get a little clarification into the news that Cottonwood defensive tackle Keni Kaufusi, a 6-foot-2, 275-pounder, had signed with the Utes. He actually didn't sign a national letter of intent, but a financial aid agreement. The biggest difference between the two is the financial aid agreement is nonbinding, so if one of the schools that he was considering, such as Colorado, Oregon State or Oklahoma State continues to recruit him and he has a change of heart, he could switch destinations.
I have a feeling the Utes will stay on him though and will do their best to make sure he is on their campus in the fall, as long as he qualifies academically.
To me, his academic qualifying is the most interesting aspect of his recruitment. Apparently he was way behind in February, but as co-worker Jay Drew reported in his blog on April 23, he got back on track to graduate by taking some correspondence courses from BYU.
Two things about that situation. First, I'm sure all you Ute fans find it rather humorous your biggest rival might help the Utes land a big recruit and secondly, I'm not surprised to see an athlete who is in need of academic credits turn to BYU's correspondence courses.
I've been involved in several stories here at the Tribune regarding how BYU's independent study courses have a reputation for being easy to load up on a ton of credits for athletes who need to qualify.
After we did a big project on it several years ago, BYU supposedly tightened its requirements for proctors and has done a better job of overseeing its independent study program, but the school keeps popping up in news stories. The one that stands out the most was Jerrell Powe, a football player in Mississippi who was designated as 'learning disabled' but managed to take 14.5 credits in less than four months through BYU's online courses and two other schools (according to the NCAA, the average number of courses a student completes a year is four).
The NCAA was suspicious enough to deny his appeals and not allow him to play at Ole Miss.
Now, I have no knowledge of Kaufusi's academic situation. I don't know how many credits he was behind or what his study habits are.
Maybe it was merely a case of a teenager being lazy and slacking in class.
However, the fact that he was able to make up several courses so quickly after he was way behind in February throws up a red flag to me. If he does make it to Utah, his first stop probably should be at the academic advisor's office. Otherwise, he could be one of those players we never see on the field because he's always in academic trouble.
Sorry it has been a few days since I've posted. I've spent most of my time focusing on the Jazz and their playoff run. I did get a little clarification into the news that Cottonwood defensive tackle Keni Kaufusi, a 6-foot-2, 275-pounder, had signed with the Utes. He actually didn't sign a national letter of intent, but a financial aid agreement. The biggest difference between the two is the financial aid agreement is nonbinding, so if one of the schools that he was considering, such as Colorado, Oregon State or Oklahoma State continues to recruit him and he has a change of heart, he could switch destinations.
I have a feeling the Utes will stay on him though and will do their best to make sure he is on their campus in the fall, as long as he qualifies academically.
To me, his academic qualifying is the most interesting aspect of his recruitment. Apparently he was way behind in February, but as co-worker Jay Drew reported in his blog on April 23, he got back on track to graduate by taking some correspondence courses from BYU.
Two things about that situation. First, I'm sure all you Ute fans find it rather humorous your biggest rival might help the Utes land a big recruit and secondly, I'm not surprised to see an athlete who is in need of academic credits turn to BYU's correspondence courses.
I've been involved in several stories here at the Tribune regarding how BYU's independent study courses have a reputation for being easy to load up on a ton of credits for athletes who need to qualify.
After we did a big project on it several years ago, BYU supposedly tightened its requirements for proctors and has done a better job of overseeing its independent study program, but the school keeps popping up in news stories. The one that stands out the most was Jerrell Powe, a football player in Mississippi who was designated as 'learning disabled' but managed to take 14.5 credits in less than four months through BYU's online courses and two other schools (according to the NCAA, the average number of courses a student completes a year is four).
The NCAA was suspicious enough to deny his appeals and not allow him to play at Ole Miss.
Now, I have no knowledge of Kaufusi's academic situation. I don't know how many credits he was behind or what his study habits are.
Maybe it was merely a case of a teenager being lazy and slacking in class.
However, the fact that he was able to make up several courses so quickly after he was way behind in February throws up a red flag to me. If he does make it to Utah, his first stop probably should be at the academic advisor's office. Otherwise, he could be one of those players we never see on the field because he's always in academic trouble.
9:55 AM
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1 Comments:
I'm absolutely certain there could be NO wrong doing in anything related to BYU. Rather, it was surely a matter of this football player FINALLY starting to "live right", and the inevitable "magic" happening.
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