UNT should survive APR hit

Yes, North Texas has a bit of a mess to clean up after this week's latest Academic Progress Reports released by the NCAA. This fall, the football team can't carry more than 80 scholarship players, a penalty of five from the usual limit of 85. UNT football has a four-year average APR score of 917. To avoid penalties, a program must average 925 or better.

While UNT appears more serious about player retention and academic progress, graduation rates of those athletes who remain in a program don't factor into the APR formula. UNT is getting the job done in this area, but a spate of player departures in waning years under former coach Darrell Dickey, and in the transition period to Todd Dodge, took a toll.

So, what now? Five scholarships is a hefty penalty, but maybe it sounds worse than it is. Immediately, it affects the walk-on program, where each August a few worthy hopefuls are rewarded for their progress.

UNT won't be completely without rides to offer for 2008. In 2007, the program was two or three short of the 85-scholarship limit. Also, five scholarship players with remaining eligibility -- Tye Rexrode, Korey Washington, Kevin Ealey, Desmon Chatman and Dominique Green -- won't be returning. Absorb the hit with those five absences, and UNT can give at least two scholarships to get to 80, or hold them for another recruiting class.

It should be noted that the NCAA's APR waiver process is counterintuitive and counterproductive, if you consider schools aren't rewarded for maintaining higher graduation rates in the general student body.

Basically, if you adequately fund (everyone should, no excuses) student-athlete academics and graduate all students with reasonable regularity, don't hope for much of a waiver shake. The NCAA is glad to hand out waivers like candy for schools that cry mea culpa loud enough when it comes to funding or overall academic quality. Hmm...we don't graduate college students, so don't penalize us.

It's true when people say Division I athletics includes too many schools, that BCS and non-BCS suffer a too-wide disconnect. But the problem isn't on the field, and schools like UNT aren't the ones that need to go.

--Troy Phillips