BOL Round Table

No one really knows for sure who is on scholarship or who has been offered and what type of offer they have. We have some guys from families that are paying their own way, but are considered "scholarship" players in the public domain. These would be people from well to do families that choose to forgo a scholarship to help the team. I suspect the Love boys from Mt Brook, and the Jones boys from Memphis fall in that category along with some others. The school is required to demonstrate this to the NCAA but under no obligation to report it to the media.

So the real number is purely up for speculation.

That said, we will be at the 85 limit come fall practice and that will be due to some attrition. Some guys will graduate and move on if they aren't playing regularly. Some guys will probably transfer, and we have some guys that may be on scholarship but have injuries that prevent them from playing. They will have the option to complete their college career and get their degree with a medical hardship or transfer elsewhere.

There is only one case that I am aware of under Saban where the player felt that he was mislead regarding his scholarship status and was asked to take a grey shirt. I forget his name, but he was a recruit from Mobile I believe and ended up going to Arky. I believe that was a case where the staff did not do enough to communicate properly with the recruit. Other than that incident, Saban and staff keep players fully informed of their opportunities their offer status and what they have to do on the field and in the classroom to remain eligible both to play and maintain their scholarship. We have had a number of players that have washed out because they did not follow the rules. If you guys read Saban's book and his playbook it details his point system that players have to maintain. They get good points for doing the right things and bad points for doing the wrong things. If a player can't make it in Saban's system, he helps that player transfer to a better situation for the player or let's them walk away. No player to my knowledge has ever claimed to have been kicked off the team for not being good enough to play. The reason for that is it just doesn't happen.

Saban has addressed this very issue many times on or around National Signing Day. If people are still trying to portray this as something that is not above board, they are being willfully ignorant of the facts, and simply can't be reasoned with and you are wasting your time.

RE: Bama4Ever1 and Oldie Olderson conversation.

I'm pretty sure we were tight on the 85 limit last Fall (2012) before Bowman, Carswell, and Carter transferred.

Then, B. Hill delayed (presumably) due to grades. Then Travell Dixon transferred abruptly during Fall camp.

There was then some noise of some walk-ons being awarded scholarships. It is assumed these were upper-classmen,
as has been the case through the years when CNS awards scholarships to walk-ons.
K. Johnson; J. Shelley; & C. Tinker may have been awarded scholarships, and C. Mandell may have as well.

It is my belief that this is how it played out, and those 4 former walk-ons brought us to the 85 limit.

If this is accurate, the departure of the 8 known Sr's (Dial; Jones; Johnson; Lester; Square; Warmack; Williams;
and Williams); plus 3 former walk-ons (Johnson; Shelley; and Tinker); plus 3 Jr's (Lacy; Fluker; and Milliner
leaving early for the NFL) equals 14 scholarship players completing or forgoing college eligibility.

85 - 14 = 71 (scenario where Mandell WAS and IS on Scholarship)

or

84 - 14 = 70 (scenario where Mandell was not on Scholarship)

Then add in the 7 Early Enrollees in January, 2013. (Bateman; Brown; Falkins; Henry; Hill; Howard; and McLeod)

... brings the number to 77 or 78, arguably dependent upon the status of Mandell.

If we sign the full 26 slots that are believed in play, minus the 7 EE's, means 19 signees for 7 or 8 slots.

Here is where it gets fuzzy, but I am sold on the perspective that CNS is fair and reasonable in his management
of these situations, and I agree with what Oldie said above.