Pat Forde: Robert Nkemdiche ineligible for award (academics)

[BeastMan]

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/forde-...291-ncaaf.html

[PassInterference]

...due to academics

What's it take to stay academically qualified during the football season? Any chance this guy has even been to class this semester?

Forde brings up a good point about the bowl game. Fall grades come out before bowl games and RN stands a good chance to be ineligible for the postseason.




http://sports.yahoo.com/news/forde-y...291-ncaaf.html

ACADEMIC FOCUS APPARENTLY LACKING FOR OLE MISS STAR NKEMDICHE

"When the Lott Impact Trophy folks sent out the lengthy ballot of quarterfinalists for the award for the nation?s top defensive player, there was a surprising footnote at the bottom: ?ROBERT NKEMDICHE, DE, Ole Miss ? School does not feel he meets academic standards.?

Two other players ? Joey Bosa of Ohio State and Shawn Oakman of Baylor ? were omitted from the quarterfinal ballot after being suspended for a game. But the exclusion of Robert Nkemdiche (31) ? a potential high draft pick after this, his junior season ? wasn?t tied to a specific incident or situation.


Ole Miss simply felt he wasn?t doing the job in the classroom in order to push him for an award that takes that into consideration.

The Dash asked Lott Trophy spokesman Pete Donovan for further explanation. He emailed back: ?We do not have a specific academic criteria, such as a minimum grade point average. We ask the Sports Information Directors if their student-athlete is attending and passing classes. In the case of Nkemdiche, Ole Miss notified us after the season began that they felt he did not qualify academically for our award.?

The Dash sought comment from Mississippi on Monday and did not receive a response. However, the school got in touch with the Lott people Monday in response to the Yahoo inquiry, according to an email that was forwarded to The Dash. They forwarded an email chain from earlier in October that included the following between Lott Award officers, from Oct. 6:

?After several attempts, I finally connected w/ my guys at Ole Miss re; Robert Nkemdiche. They were very apologetic for not getting back to me sooner, however they stated that unfortunately they don?t feel that Robert is suitable for consideration. While stellar on the field, they don?t believe that he has the academics nor the community service that would be suitable for consideration.?

If Nkemdiche?s academics are that suspect, you wonder whether he?d be eligible for a bowl game. Those are almost universally played after fall-semester grades are in, and several players in past years have missed bowls after a bad semester.

Between that and star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil missing seven games due to NCAA violations regarding impermissible benefits from agents, it?s clear that there can be a price to pay for recruiting players with eyes fixed on the NFL."

[ScottH]

Any chance this guy has even been to class this semester?

Zero chance.

Along with several others.

It's like spring semester in Lexington.

[Political Hack]

Be interesting to see who does and doesn't play if the Confederate Rebels make a January bowl game.

[mic]

Be interesting to see who does and doesn't play if the Confederate Rebels make a January bowl game.

+100000...

[HSVDawg]

Be interesting to see who does and doesn't play if the Confederate Rebels make a January bowl game.

I don't think it even has to be a January bowl game. Should be any bowl game played after final grades are released. Smoot was ineligible for the Indy Bowl his senior year and it was played in December.