College football programs open arms to former players
The Alabama Crimson Tide has ridden years of high-end recruiting to the brink of another national title, with blue-chip players at every position fueling a team that is ranked №1 in every major college football poll.
But Alabama coach Nick Saban has decided that deep well of talent isn’t enough, using former players in practice to help the Tide prepare for upcoming opponents.
The Crimson Tide have taken advantage of an NCAA rule that, until several weeks ago, few coaches seemed to know of. Alabama brought back former quarterback Blake Sims to help prepare for its Oct. 22 matchup against Texas A&M, hoping that Sims could simulate the dual-threat ability of Aggie quarterback Trevor Knight.
The response from around the country has been mixed, with Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly calling the practice “absolutely ludicrous,” according to Blue and Gold.
But Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was far more open to the idea.
“I’m all for it,” Stoops said. “If I’ve got any of my guys out there listening that are still in good shape and want to come back and practice a little bit, or stay in shape until their next tryout, I’m all for it.”
Former Sooners fullback J.D. Runnels seemed to enjoy the idea, joking on twitter that “I want the Dimitri/Iowa State playcalls and I’m in there!!!! #ScoutTeamHeisman,” referring to the big game current Oklahoma fullback Dimitri Flowers had against the Cyclones. Runnels last played for the Florida Tuskers of the now-defunct United Football league in 2010.
Stoops said it would be a good way to help younger players develop, singling out the possibility of bringing former linebacker Eric Striker in to practice against sophomore offensive tackle Orlando Brown.
“We get Striker out there and pass rush against Orlando, that would be pretty good competition,” Stoops said. “It’d make Orlando better for sure. Sure did the last couple of years in practice. But anyways, yeah, I think it’d be great. Can’t have enough bodies to practice with.”
FBS football programs like Alabama and Oklahoma are allowed to have 85 scholarship players and some additional walk-ons. The Sooners have been decimated by attrition this season, with three players retiring due to concussions, three more leaving the team, voluntarily or otherwise, and injuries ravaging every position group.
As the season progresses and bumps-and-bruises pile up, the reinforcements can come from the professional ranks.
The rule, NCAA bylaw 14.2.1.6, states: “A former student at the certifying institution (e.g., former student-athlete) may participate in an organized practice session on an occasional basis, provided the institution does not publicize the participation of the former student at any time before the practice session.”
Even though it has only made headlines this season, the rule is not new. The bylaw was implemented in 2011, and the interpretation has actually been in effect since 1992, NCAA associate director of public and media relations Christopher Radford said in an email.
The NFL sees a constant churn of players. 253 players got their shot at the league last year through the NFL Draft, and they immediately began fighting for a roster spot with veterans and undrafted free agents. There are just under 1700 roster spots available in the NFL, and with a minimum salary of $450,000, players can’t afford to be rusty when the call for a tryout comes.
The rule helps players like Sims, who was on two national title teams for Alabama before bouncing around between the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, stay in shape while waiting for his next shot.
“Blake got released, so he was looking for some place to work so he had a chance to get better,” Saban said. “And based on our situation at quarterback and the kind of guy we were playing against, it was really convenient to have him here to help us last week.”
Radford defined the “occasional” clause in the bylaw as “once in while, not regular, certainly not every day.” Having Sims run the scout team apparently qualified.
“We try to stay on top of the rules,” Saban said. “We have people in the administration who do a good job of letting us know what we can and can’t do. And we would never do something like that unless we got it approved by the SEC office, which we did, and the NCAA. It was helpful to Blake.”
The rule seems tailor-made for Alabama, which has won four national titles since 2009 and produced quite the crop of high level players still in playing shape.
Using Sims seemed to work pretty well. The Tide stymied the Texas A&M offense on the way to a 33–14 victory, and Saban decided to use alumni at practice again.
He used former Heisman Trophy winner Trent Richardson and another former quarterback, John Parker Wilson, in the week before the Tide’s Nov. 5 contest against LSU, which Alabama won 10–0. The Tide is currently 13–0 and bound for a Peach Bowl matchup with Washington in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
For current college players, like the 6-foot-8, 340 pound Brown, it’s a chance to play against a higher level of competition than they might usually see at practice, sharpening their own skills for when their NFL shot comes.
And Brown’s shot will almost certainly come. He has started 25 games for the Sooners already as just a redshirt sophomore, and his late father, known as Zeus Brown, spent more than a decade in the league with the Browns and Ravens.
However, he won’t be turning pro just yet. His mentor, former Sooner and NFL offensive lineman Jammal Brown (no relation), tweeted on Dec. 6 that the younger Brown would be back for his junior season.
Orlando Brown will now have more opportunities to prepare for the NFL — and maybe even a chance to see some old friends in practice.
“Yeah, man. Strike’s a great guy. He’s a really good rusher too,” Brown said. “He helped me out a bunch last year getting ready for a lot of guys — him and (former Oklahoma defensive lineman) Charles (Tapper) — yeah, I’d be open to it. I’m always open to compete.”
