4 Kickers on Skolly??????????

[TXBOOMER]

If I heard right in Stoops presser we are going to have 4 kickers on skolly after this semester. Tress is a great punter, I have no problem with him. But I can't believe OU is wasting the other 3 skollies. We get what 85 and 4 are on kickers. I don't get that.

[OU_Sooners75]

If I heard right in Stoops presser we are going to have 4 kickers on skolly after this semester. Tress is a great punter, I have no problem with him. But I can't believe OU is wasting the other 3 skollies. We get what 85 and 4 are on kickers. I don't get that.


I dont see much of a problem with it, but will if they keep them on scholarship after the spring semester.

I can see 2 punters and 2 place kickers, but not 1 punter and 3 place kickers.

[Tigeman]

It's time to pull some scholly's! They aren't earning it...Period!

[OU_Sooners75]

It's time to pull some scholly's! They aren't earning it...Period!


I would say Way is earning his.

And you can say that about some of the non-kickers as well.

[TXBOOMER]

I dont see much of a problem with it, but will if they keep them on scholarship after the spring semester.

I can see 2 punters and 2 place kickers, but not 1 punter and 3 place kickers.

Really??????????I'll bet there is not another D1 program in the Country with 4 (kickers, punters) on Skolly.

[SicEmBaylor]

It's time to pull some scholly's! They aren't earning it...Period!

You can't just pull a scholarship on a kid. If he isn't showing up to practice, flunks out academically, or is breaking team rules then that's one thing. But you can't just pull his scholarship because you don't think he's playing well enough. This is their future and education you're talking about...it's college not the damned NFL. You can't just fire them.

[WA. Sooner]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Agreed!

[SoonerLB]

Wish we could trade a couple of 'em for a couple big, fast, strong defensive linemen. Or offensive linemen, or even one of each, just so they are capable of playing. They gotta be a player, there ain't no room on the bench with all them kickers settin' there. ;)

[Soonermagik]

They actually need a few more, I have never seen such bad kicking. Stevens is really inconsistent at best. I think they may go after a junior college kid after this season.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Can any of them play DT?

[TXBOOMER]

Can any of them play DT?

That might be the way to yank their skolly. Tell them they are no longer a kicker. Let them do the Oklahoma drill with the Hammer or play bull in the ring with all the LB's.

[TXBOOMER]

They actually need a few more, I have never seen such bad kicking. Stevens is really inconsistent at best. I think they may go after a junior college kid after this season.

We need to go after some JUCO D players. Pasha Jackson, Lance Mitchell, CJ Ahyou etc....We have had success with that. Hell offense for that matter...Josh, Loadholt, Kenney is a contributor I am sure I am missing several.

[royalfan5]

You can't just pull a scholarship on a kid. If he isn't showing up to practice, flunks out academically, or is breaking team rules then that's one thing. But you can't just pull his scholarship because you don't think he's playing well enough. This is their future and education you're talking about...it's college not the damned NFL. You can't just fire them.

The hell you can't. All scholarships are one year renewable contracts at the coaches discretion. If you can't perform at the expected level, why should you get to keep the scholarship? There are other ways to pay for school if you really want to stay, or you can transfer. It happens all the time at all levels of athletics.

[bmjlr]

The hell you can't. All scholarships are one year renewable contracts at the coaches discretion. If you can't perform at the expected level, why should you get to keep the scholarship? There are other ways to pay for school if you really want to stay, or you can transfer. It happens all the time at all levels of athletics.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[tcrb]

I'd have no problem with it if one of 'em could hit consistently from the 35-45 yd range. And put a KO in the end zone 50% of the time, or even inside the 10.

[MarylandSooner]

"Let Cameron Kenny Kick" He was a heck of a good field Goal kicker in JC.

[SoonerPr8r]

"Let Cameron Kenny Kick" He was a heck of a good field Goal kicker in JC.

I have been wondering if this would come up. I was thinking the same thing a few games ago. Hell how could he be worse? Kick it through the wrong uprights?

[boomersooner28]

Ratterree can't get a scholarship but 3 crappy kickers can?!?!?!?

[Landthief 1972]

"Let Cameron Kenny Kick" He was a heck of a good field Goal kicker in JC.

Judging by his propensity for the drops in big game moments, I don't think I want him handling FGs.

[sooner518]

If we really wanted to pull schollies, we could ask Saban. He does it to freshmen all the time.

[SoonerAtKU]

The hell you can't. All scholarships are one year renewable contracts at the coaches discretion. If you can't perform at the expected level, why should you get to keep the scholarship? There are other ways to pay for school if you really want to stay, or you can transfer. It happens all the time at all levels of athletics.

Sure you "can" pull a scholarship. It's just a really bad idea to do it. You get a reputation as a coach if you do that stuff, and it becomes far too easy to negatively recruit against a coach that will sell out his players like that. The proper thing to do is to talk to the player about transferring somewhere. The Mack Brown/Nick Saban way to do it is to do what was recommended earlier in the thread. You beat them or berate them until they quit on their own. Some might argue that it's happened here, too, but I tend to believe that it's just coaching styles or the S&C coach pushing too hard in the wrong place. Could be that's just my crimson tinted glasses, though.

[royalfan5]

Sure you "can" pull a scholarship. It's just a really bad idea to do it. You get a reputation as a coach if you do that stuff, and it becomes far too easy to negatively recruit against a coach that will sell out his players like that. The proper thing to do is to talk to the player about transferring somewhere. The Mack Brown/Nick Saban way to do it is to do what was recommended earlier in the thread. You beat them or berate them until they quit on their own. Some might argue that it's happened here, too, but I tend to believe that it's just coaching styles or the S&C coach pushing too hard in the wrong place. Could be that's just my crimson tinted glasses, though.

Most coaches aren't going to pull a scholarship without helping them find a lower division school. At the end of the day, it accomplishes the same thing.

[texaspokieokie]

how many players are walk-ons ??

roster on game-day program has many more than 85 players listed.

[misplacedsooner]

"Let Cameron Kenny Kick" He was a heck of a good field Goal kicker in JC.

not a terrible idea. it would open up different possibilities such as a key made field goal or even your token trick play. id rather kenney be running with it, throwing it or even catching it than any of our other kickers.

[badger]

Um... I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we actually will have five kickers on scholly after this semester, not four. I posted a link in another thread to the effect, not sure where it is and who all of the kickers are, but pretty much everyone plus someone who is a walk-on right now will be on scholarship. 5 out of 85, not four, FIVE.

[badger]

All right you effing hillbillies, here's your REAL scholarship crap:


Stoops said former walk-on kickers Patrick O’Hara and Bryce Easley now have scholarships. Jimmy Stevens and Tress Way already were on scholarship. And current freshman walk-on Michael Hunnicutt has been promised a scholarship after the semester.

Read more: http://newsok.com/ou-coach-bob-stoops-frustrating-to-invest-in-kickers-without-good-results/article/3508250#ixzz13Zklbw00

As for yanking schollys, I don't see a coach doing that for bad performance on-field. Off-field, yeah, but not on-field.

[texaspokieokie]

if all the kickers (4 out of 5 anyway), are on scholarship, who are all the
walk-ons ???


does anybody know ??

[agoo758]

You can't just pull a scholarship on a kid. If he isn't showing up to practice, flunks out academically, or is breaking team rules then that's one thing. But you can't just pull his scholarship because you don't think he's playing well enough. This is their future and education you're talking about...it's college not the damned NFL. You can't just fire them.

I have to pay to go to college, why is it the worst thing in the world to ask someone else to do the same? :confused:

[85sooners]

:eek:

[badger]

if all the kickers (4 out of 5 anyway), are on scholarship, who are all the
walk-ons ???


does anybody know ??

I'm sure if we went down the roster we could figure it out... if anyone really wanted to do it.

Trent Ratterree is the only one that really sticks out to me. I thought some of those kickers were still walk-ons, but apparently not.

[StoopTroup]

Is it impossible to find and to give 2 schollys to a couple of guys who can kick FGs and punt?

[tcrb]

Is it impossible to find and to give 2 schollys to a couple of guys who can kick FGs and punt?

Apparently it's easier to find the schollys than it is to find the guys who can consistently kick FG's.

[StoopTroup]

Apparently it's easier to find the schollys than it is to find the guys who can consistently kick FG's.

Apparently.

[badger]

In that article I linked, Stoops said it is frustrating, but at the same time, knows these guys are working extremely hard in practice and doing their best. It would be one thing if the guys were like "nother botched kick, meh" and stood around the sidelines till it was time to botch another. It seems to absolutely be destroying them inside to miss these.

They deserve the rest of the season to make this right. If not, well, probably time to give more walk-ons shots at making the team.

[Hotrod3157]

As for the whole yanking scholarships from players deal. I dont see any problem with it at all. I went to college on full academic scholarship for 3 years then guess what happened the first semester I didn't meet the GPA requirement to keep the scholarship. Yep it was yanked and I was taking out loans and working to finish school. It didn't matter that I had started my professional program and the classes were a lot harder and I barely missed the goal GPA it was yanked and I was on my own to finish the program. Why should scholarship athletes be any different? Scholarships are a privilege not a guaranteed thing. Just my two cents.

[badger]

Yanking schollys and screwing kids out of promised scholarships is something Lester Leslie Mad Hatter Miles does, not a class act like Stoops.

[ThinMan]

I say no scholarships for kickers. Make them all walk on.

Then at least it will be a walk-on missing the 19 yard field goals.

[SoonerAtKU]

As for the whole yanking scholarships from players deal. I dont see any problem with it at all. I went to college on full academic scholarship for 3 years then guess what happened the first semester I didn't meet the GPA requirement to keep the scholarship. Yep it was yanked and I was taking out loans and working to finish school. It didn't matter that I had started my professional program and the classes were a lot harder and I barely missed the goal GPA it was yanked and I was on my own to finish the program. Why should scholarship athletes be any different? Scholarships are a privilege not a guaranteed thing. Just my two cents.

What if your school was the only school that would pull a scholarship for not meeting GPA requirements? What if every other school would promise that you keep that scholarship for 4 years, even if you changed majors 3 times and couldn't get above a B average? If you were at all on the fence about going to that school, do you think you might have been talked out of it by another school?

[badger]

I know we're all angry at the kickers now, but I repeat - Bob Stoops is NOT Les Miles when it comes to scholarships!


I coach the team that I get here... Scholarship is certainly a great inducement. I don’t mean to minimize that. But I don’t know that it’s my responsibility to determine publicly who is and who isn’t on scholarship. It’s my responsibility to be within the 25 number, which we are.

He said that after all 27 of his new signees qualified, so he had to un-scholarship two of them, two who had worked hard, enrolled early, were big LSU fans and had many other offers to other schools, but chose LSU because they offered a scholarship.

That's :les: and I never want to be :les:

[TXBOOMER]

Simply put this is a mistake by Bob. OU shouldn't give a kicker a football skolly until they've earned it or at least not more than one and two at the max after it is earned. Plenty of schools are that way. Kickers, Punters and long snappers are generally walk-on players and don't get a skolly until they have earned it on the field. I was shocked to hear him say they had 4 given or promised to kickers/punters. What really gets me is if we have 4 on skolly we won't be getting any new ones next year either.

[TXBOOMER]

As far as yanking football scholarships. I have no problem with it. If you are not meeting performance expectations you are not earning the skolly. EARN the scholarship. It is not an ENTITLEMENT.

[texaspokieokie]

so if you had a bad team, for instance,North Texas, you just jerk all schollies & start over.

probly 1st, as coasch you'd be fired & wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Rickety_Syd]

Whatever happended to Bryce Easley? He was supposed to be really good at Norman North. Seems like they've trotted out everyone else to try and make a field goal. Is Easley that bad in practice?
Surely he can't miss as bad as Stevens.

[StoopTroup]

As far as yanking football scholarships. I have no problem with it. If you are not meeting performance expectations you are not earning the skolly. EARN the scholarship. It is not an ENTITLEMENT.

Which should take more precedence? Grades or on-field performance?

[TXBOOMER]

so if you had a bad team, for instance,North Texas, you just jerk all schollies & start over.

probly 1st, as coasch you'd be fired & wouldn't have to worry about it.

F**K NO! You yank skollies by telling them it didn't work out here. The improvement is just not there and you won't get any more opportunities here. At that point they will transfer or walk-on elsewhere. Or they can stay on the team with no hope of getting on the field or coaching in practice etc. Do you think that it is good program management to sacrifice depth at critical positions to keep kickers that can't kick on scholarship?

[badger]

As far as yanking football scholarships. I have no problem with it. If you are not meeting performance expectations you are not earning the skolly. EARN the scholarship. It is not an ENTITLEMENT.

I'm not talking entitlement, I'm talking commitment. We've made a commitment to these athletes that if they work hard in practice, in the classroom and represent the university well that they've earned their scholarship.

Do I need to start quoting the [hairGel] rant? Even though he was full of crap when he yelled it, the words have merit - they're good kids that just might not perform as well as we'd like them to on Saturdays.

[sooner KB]

Whatever happended to Bryce Easley? He was supposed to be really good at Norman North. Seems like they've trotted out everyone else to try and make a field goal. Is Easley that bad in practice?
Surely he can't miss as bad as Stevens.

Listen to the part of yesterday's press conference where Stoops talks about kickers. He basically says Hunnicut is doing worse than O'Hara and Stevens, and that Easley is doing even worse than Hunnicut. So yeah, he's probably doing pretty awful. How so many people on this board can think a 4th string kicker who is doing horrible should be entitled for a scholarship for 4 years, while kids who make a 28 on the ACT can't even get close to a full ride scholarship is just absolutely mind-numbing.

And the thing is, there is probably some kid out there that could be our starting kicker, but he won't come here because he won't be offered because we don't have any more scholarships to give to kickers, all because too many people think it would just be a crying shame to pull the guy's scholarship when he can't even beat out the guy that is worse than O'Hara and Stevens.

[sooner KB]

so if you had a bad team, for instance,North Texas, you just jerk all schollies & start over.

probly 1st, as coasch you'd be fired & wouldn't have to worry about it.

Yep, going to North Texas and jerking all of the players' scholarships is just totally comparable to jerking your 4th string kicker's scholarship. Totally the same thing.

[cvsooner]

All this angst...O'Hara is 3 of 4; Stevens is 4 of 6. Percentage wise that's pretty good. The worst part is timing....we seem to not be able to hit one in the clutch.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Ratterree can't get a scholarship but 3 crappy kickers can?!?!?!?

No **** :mad:

[TXBOOMER]

Which should take more precedence? Grades or on-field performance?

If you are on an athletic scholarship and are not meeting your academic requirements you are not gonna keep your skolly. So that kinda takes care of itself.

If you are on an academic scholarship and you don't perform you lose your skolly. Universities don't entitle academic scholarships, they are performance based. Why not the same with football?

[sooner KB]

I'm not talking entitlement, I'm talking commitment. We've made a commitment to these athletes that if they work hard in practice, in the classroom and represent the university well that they've earned their scholarship.

Do I need to start quoting the [hairGel] rant? Even though he was full of crap when he yelled it, the words have merit - they're good kids that just might not perform as well as we'd like them to on Saturdays.

It's not a charity. We DON'T give scholarships to players who "just work hard." There are thousands of kids that would probably play their butts off in practice for OU, but that doesn't mean they all deserve scholarships. We only have so many scholarships to give. This isn't grade school ball where you don't want to hurt a kid's feelings. I think a full grown adult can understand that if you are a 4th string kicker that will never see the field, you do not deserve a scholarship.

[texaspokieokie]

F**K NO! You yank skollies by telling them it didn't work out here. The improvement is just not there and you won't get any more opportunities here. At that point they will transfer or walk-on elsewhere. Or they can stay on the team with no hope of getting on the field or coaching in practice etc. Do you think that it is good program management to sacrifice depth at critical positions to keep kickers that can't kick on scholarship?

but, they're pretty much all performing quite poorly.

[texaspokieokie]

but, they're pretty much all performing quite poorly.

north texas, not the OU kickers.

[texaspokieokie]

i'm sure glad Bob is handling this, cause i don't think anybody on this thread could do it.

[SoonerLB]

KW must not know there are four kickers sitting on the bench, there have not been any flare passes to the kicker called that I remember. ;)

[sooner KB]

north texas, not the OU kickers.

Once again, you can't see the difference between pulling all scholarships from a North Texas football team and pulling a scholarship from a 4th string kicker at OU?

Seriously? :confused:

[badger]

It's not a charity. We DON'T give scholarships to players who "just work hard." There are thousands of kids that would probably play their butts off in practice for OU, but that doesn't mean they all deserve scholarships. We only have so many scholarships to give. This isn't grade school ball where you don't want to hurt a kid's feelings. I think a full grown adult can understand that if you are a 4th string kicker that will never see the field, you do not deserve a scholarship.

It's not about charity, it's about keeping your word. These kids who were walk-ons but were promised scholarships (apparently). I know schollys are only one-year renewable each year, but I don't see Stoops yanking an underperforming athlete's scholly.

The difference between grade school hurt feelers and college football is that we aren't just throwing scholarships to whoever. These are kids we have sought out and recruited ourselves and who have committed to our program after said recruitment.

But hey, like someone said, it's Stoops decision... but I guarantee you that Stoops is going to side with me and already has. He's not yanking schollys no matter what reasons you've all given on here, no matter that it means five kickers get schollys, no matter how many kicks they miss in games. Commitment and character are important to Stoops.

[Mississippi Sooner]

We need somebody who'll do it just for the love of the game and the university.

Where's our Ruuuudy?

[texaspokieokie]

Once again, you can't see the difference between pulling all scholarships from a North Texas football team and pulling a scholarship from a 4th string kicker at OU?

Seriously? :confused:

of course i can see the difference, but the inference was that those who underperform should lose their schollies.

if you offer a schollie & the kid comes in & does his best (works hard) he
shouldn't have it taken away. when he accepts, he doesn't promise to be a "super star". i bet if you go down the complete roster, there are many guys that won't even "letter", but will be allowed to continue in school.
that's as long as they keep coming to practice & working hard.

[badger]

Why are we bad mouthing our beloved Sooner athletes? :(:(:(:(:(:(

[SicEmBaylor]

I say no scholarships for kickers. Make them all walk on.

Then at least it will be a walk-on missing the 19 yard field goals.

We had a walkon linebacker who became a punter and earned a full scholarship. It worked well for him and us.

[texaspokieokie]

Why are we bad mouthing our beloved Sooner athletes? :(:(:(:(:(:(

don't understand ??

anyway, on this thread you & i seem to agree.

[badger]

We had a walkon linebacker who became a punter and earned a full scholarship. It worked well for him and us.

Oh man... I still remember that kid winning the Ray Guy Award and the ESPN guy interviewing him afterward is all like "I bet you get a lot of opportunities to punt at Baylor."

I bet you and your Baylor buddies watching broke the TV set after that ;)

EDIT: That "badmouthing" comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular, just the tone of this thread in general. It's disheartening that with so many quality athletes on our team, the few that might not always perform up to our highest of standards on Saturday are suddenly not good enough to be scholarship Sooners.

[texaspokieokie]

we still agree.

[goingoneight]

Our kickers missed the uprights about as bad as OUr D-Line missed the quarterback Saturday night.

O.

fer.

[goingoneight]

Does this mean we should yank the DTs schollies? I don't like the missed FG anymore than the average fan, but the game should never hinge on a guy kicking a football in retrospect. It just so happens to do so at times. Without that damn kickoff return for a touchdown, we're not having a "go for two" argument, and no way Stoops sends the punt team out on 4th and 8.

[OU_Sooners75]

Really??????????I'll bet there is not another D1 program in the Country with 4 (kickers, punters) on Skolly.


When have we been every program?

But to answer your question:

Texas has 3 PKs and 1 Punter
Nebraska has 6 PKs and Punters (5 and 1, not sure if all are schollys).
Florida State has 3 PKs and 1 Punter.
Alabama has 2 Punters and 3 PKs.

And these are just the first four programs that I have looked at.

Nebraska's I am sure are not all scholly players, but the rest they were all recruited of signed with the team.

[royalfan5]

When have we been every program?

But to answer your question:

Texas has 3 PKs and 1 Punter
Nebraska has 6 PKs and Punters (5 and 1, not sure if all are schollys).
Florida State has 3 PKs and 1 Punter.
Alabama has 2 Punters and 3 PKs.

And these are just the first four programs that I have looked at.

Nebraska's I am sure are not all scholly players, but the rest they were all recruited of signed with the team.

2 are scholarshipped at NU. Kunalic the Kick-off specialist was the only one signed out high school. Henery turned down a soccer scholarship at Creighton to walk-on at NU. I think he got a scholarship last year. The remainder are walk-ons. It should be noted that Pelini hasn't signed any scholarship kickers.

[OU_Sooners75]

Ratterree can't get a scholarship but 3 crappy kickers can?!?!?!?

Is Ohara on scholarship? I dont really know if he is. He was pulled out of the stands basically, and I heard he was a walk on.

Stevens and Way are on scholly, O'Hara and who else?



Why should we have 2 or 3 long snappers on scholly?

Ratterree, I am sure he wil get his scholarship in the future. Until then, he seems content as a glorified walk-on.

[jkjsooner]

You can't just pull a scholarship on a kid. If he isn't showing up to practice, flunks out academically, or is breaking team rules then that's one thing. But you can't just pull his scholarship because you don't think he's playing well enough. This is their future and education you're talking about...it's college not the damned NFL. You can't just fire them.

I used to think that that was the rule - other than disciplinary reasons a scholarship was a guarantee and was never revoked due to athletic performance. Then I heard stories of SEC coaches doing just that.

Not only do I find it unethical, I also think it sets a bad precedent. What are you telling potential recruits when they see you do that? What are you telling their parents? That you view them as an object to be used and discarded and don't really care about their well being. That won't get you very far with most parents.

There's little of financial value we can offer kids other than scholarships. When trying to land top players, I sure wouldn't want to start putting caveats on the one thing I can give them.


Rival coach: "You know, mom, I truly care about my player's well being. I guarantee you that if your child works hard in the classroom and and practice we will make sure that his degree is completely paid for. Unfortunately at OU, they'll discard you like an old sock if things don't work out on the field."

[SicEmBaylor]

I used to think that that was the rule - other than disciplinary reasons a scholarship was a guarantee and was never revoked due to athletic performance. Then I heard stories of SEC coaches doing just that.

Not only do I find it unethical, I also think it sets a bad precedent. What are you telling potential recruits when they see you do that? What are you telling their parents? That you view them as an object to be used and discarded and don't really care about their well being. That won't get you very far with most parents.

There's little of financial value we can offer kids other than scholarships. When trying to land top players, I sure wouldn't want to start putting caveats on the one thing I can give them.


Rival coach: "You know, mom, I truly care about my player's well being. I guarantee you that if your child works hard in the classroom and and practice we will make sure that his degree is completely paid for. Unfortunately at OU, they'll discard you like an old sock if things don't work out on the field."

Yep, I agree. I just don't think these kids should be toyed around like that. If they're doing everything they're supposed to do in the classroom, they're at practice, they follow team rules, and they're busting their *** then they shouldn't have to worry about having their scholarship pulled.

It sets a horrible precedent and if it became common practice then the fallout would simply be unimaginable.