OUInsider - Owen Field

It is easier to cut someone loose who has not been following the rules or doing was is asked of them.

Somewhere in the last day or so I saw a news quote attributed to one of our assistant coaches that basically said that if a player comes here and does what is expected they will have a scholarship for four years regardless of whether they play or not. I would assume that would include being positive towards team and coaches. I think that is fair.

Taking the high road is being fair to the team members who do the right thing. Carrying players who do not is not the right thing. Most scholarships, academic or otherwise, have a performance requirement, and many have a "character" requirement. Just as yours or my job is not protected if we don't perform, students are not protected if they don't perform. Most parents don't continue to fund their kids if they aren't serious students either unless they are either well off enough it doesn't really affect them, or they are more worried about being a friend than a parent. My hat's off to coaches who are strong and are character builders vs. coddlers.

You're quite right that Saban puts a lot of work into trimming their roster so they've got room for a full class.

However, you've actually underestimated the extent to which he does it. Alabama signs well in excess of 25 players most years. Over the past 5 seasons, Bama has signed roughly 20 more players than we have. The way they achieve that is by aggressively slashing the roster each year. If you aren't moving up the depth chart after a few semesters on campus in Tuscaloosa, you're toast.

A certain amount of attrition is healthy, but I think 'Bama and their SEC cohorts take it a few steps too far.

Guys,
I don't think Stoops is "cutting" anyone. I believe that other than a Ronnell Lewis class-skipping situation, these guys "cut" themselves. The deal is pretty much a 4-5 year scholarshiop renewable year by year and as the assistant said if you are a good student and show up and give effort and are a team guy you'll keep your scholly no matter what. The guys that are transferring go to practice every day, realize where they are on the depth chart or talent-wise, and decide they need to leave if they're gonna play.

The same thing happens on high school trams and middle school teams and it happens in every sport. We've all hit that point where we just don't play any more because some other guy is better or ahead of us. And we either quit or if we can we transfer.

Bottom line there is no "cutting". The transferring players are leaving by and large (B. Williams is an exception b/c of his kid) because they couldn't "cut it."

This^^^^^^^^!