Should there be an age limit in college football

[Snuffy Smith]

I’m guessing the UFL should be getting worried about the players sticking to college too. With the teams getting older there will be less of a pool to draw from every year.

And potentially players going back to college if they have remaining eligibility. Why would UFL be any different than G League basketball?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I've talked with HS and college coaches about the physical, mental and emotional differences between kids that are more than than three years apart, specifically college coaches. I've witnessed it myself because I coach upperclassmen summer baseball showcase teams who play teams that have kids already in college. Full disclosure, this is from college baseball coaches and not football coaches but I'm certain they still apply.

The difference between a 20 year old and a 23/24 year old is HUGE. A 20 year old male is closer to an 18/19 year old from a physical, emotional and mental standpoint. When you get to 23/24 you're basically dealing with FULL GROWN men, not kids who are still developing mentally and physically. Are there exceptions? Yes, you do run across kids who are 19/20 that are developmentally advanced and can hang with the 23/24 year olds. But for the most part, they are worlds apart and are playing on two completely different levels.

 

[Tideflyer]

Is there an age limit in the NFL ? With what “ college “ football has become, shouldn’t be any different IMHO. This is, after all , the minor leagues of the NFL, complete with paid players and free agency. Time to drop the facade of anything that in any way hints of amateurism. I say these things fully recognizing the differences that age can bring in maturity and physical and emotional development. Players and their support systems need to realize that this is no longer just a game but a full blown business , and all that that means, that involves an activity that by its nature is incompatible with the structure of the human body , and shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

 

[Windsortide]

24 is old enough. That allows for a year of reclassification in HS and 5 years to play 4 in college.

 

[KrAzY3]

I don't like age limit being the parameter because it's not really in the spirit of the sport and how it's been done. It also would create this weird thing where if you graduated early you could potentially get more years of college eligibility.

A: 5 to play 5
The limit of eligibility have been pushed to absolutely absurd levels. I think it's best to just give the 5th year, but make no other exceptions under any circumstance. You already got the bonus year, that's it.

B: No former pros in that sport, period.
This applies more to basketball but if you've played professionally in the sport, that's it. That's when your eligibility ends. The G-League and European professional leagues are allowed but not if bla bla bla nonsense is more subjective stupidity.

By upholding these two standards consistently, there's no room for confusion.

 

[mrusso]

I don't like age limit being the parameter because it's not really in the spirit of the sport and how it's been done. It also would create this weird thing where if you graduated early you could potentially get more years of college eligibility.

A: 5 to play 5
The limit of eligibility have been pushed to absolutely absurd levels. I think it's best to just give the 5th year, but make no other exceptions under any circumstance. You already got the bonus year, that's it.

B: No former pros in that sport, period.
This applies more to basketball but if you've played professionally in the sport, that's it. That's when your eligibility ends. The G-League and European professional leagues are allowed but not if bla bla bla nonsense is more subjective stupidity.

By upholding these two standards consistently, there's no room for confusion.

Define pro? They're getting paid now.

 

[KrAzY3]

Define pro? They're getting paid now.

That's why I said former, and it is a relevant delineation.

Logically, no one wants former NFL, MLB, or NBA players playing in NCAA sports. That makes no sense. But the problem is it also makes no sense to limit it to a few select pro organizations. It has to be all of them. That includes minor leagues, G-League, European leagues, etc...

Specifically if you got a paycheck to show up for work in another organization, you're a pro athlete (same distinction still exists in golf for example, there are distinct amateur and pro classifications). Now, I was anti-NIL, adamantly, I said this all would happen, I said players would sue for eligibility, we're here now, it is what it is.

But, if you don't hold the line there, then you really do just let the NCAA become another minor-league. It has to be two distinct eco-systems. The pro sports and the well you can call them former, amateur sports. Otherwise, if a guy gets cut from an NFL team he can just go back to college. But the same would apply for the CFL, the IFL, etc... and then you have utter chaos.

The age limit is one way to handle it, but it seems almost as messy as what we currently have. There just needs to be clear, unavoidable limitations. 5 to play 5, can't have been paid outside of the traditionally amateur classification to play the sport. To further that distinction you'd probably have to specify which is which. For instance, college and high school, former amateur model, IFL, CFL, ELF, NFL, UFL, professional model.

I don't think people really want Chad Kelly to leave the Toronto Argonauts and play for Ole Miss again. The age limit is a way to prevent that, but it doesn't prevent a younger player from doing something similar.

 

[lowend]

There should be, but someone would just file a lawsuit. We need to just save the time and effort and get rid of any rules.

 

[KrAzY3]

There should be, but someone would just file a lawsuit. We need to just save the time and effort and get rid of any rules.

One of the main reasons the NCAA is losing in court though is their absolutely insane inconsistency. They let some pro players play, they let some players get extra years of eligibility. I do think the age thing could be framed as discriminatory, and also they never upheld that standard before so it's harder to defend. I think 5 to play 5 and played in no traditionally pro sports leagues is much cleaner and legally defensible in court.

That begs the question of whether or not the NCAA made this mess on purpose...

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Yes, there should be an age limit.

If I were benevolent dictator, I’d say five years after your high school class, regardless of how many or how few years you’ve played college ball.

Effectively a cap of 23.

Try enforcing that in court when a 30-year-old sues.

 

[BhamToTexas]

That's why I said former, and it is a relevant delineation.

I think his point was they are getting paid now, the ncaa is basically a pro league too, what is the difference?

 

[KrAzY3]

I think his point was they are getting paid now, the ncaa is basically a pro league too, what is the difference?

If there is no difference, then kiss the notion of age limits or eligibility requirements goodbye anyway.

You can't go out there and say we're not hiring people over this age because we decided not to. You will absolutely get sued and honestly you probably should if that's your only justification.

If you say we are honoring a model that has existed for around a century, then you have much more solid ground to stand on. If you say eh we're just a minor league, then there's no age limit, there's no eligibility, limit, there are no restrictions.

That takes you down an even worse path though, because if you don't preserve the identity in some way you lose the identity entirely. No one shows up to G-League, minor league, or UFL games like they do for NCAA. You differentiate or you die, you can't be just another pro league. Even if it's a U25 pro league or what ever, it doesn't differentiate in a meaningful way.

To me this is just the evolution of the first NIL argument. Just pay them because it's fair, then it becomes oh look now they're pros, just treat them like they're pros. Then it becomes oh now they're pros, there's no difference between this and any pro leagues, oh well we tried, time to move on. At some point you have to stop making it worse.

 

[22Musso22]

 

[CB4]

I plan to check on any remaining eligibility I might have after I get my hip replacement later on this year.

 

[dtgreg]

I plan to check on any remaining eligibility I might have after I get my hip replacement later on this year.

Bo, I know you wish you had come to Bama but...

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I hate it, but we have to stop thinking in terms of what should be, and start thinking in terms of what’s legally enforceable.

Today, there is no applicable legally enforceable legislation. Therefore no rules with teeth. Therefore the current chaos.

We either change the structure to fit existing law (labor Union negotiating a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with management), or Congress passes new federally enforceable legislation.

Forever reiterating, “What should be,” vents spleens, but accomplishes nothing.

 

[KrAzY3]

I hate it, but we have to stop thinking in terms of what should be, and start thinking in terms of what’s legally enforceable.

Today, there is no applicable legally enforceable legislation. Therefore no rules with teeth. Therefore the current chaos.

We either change the structure to fit existing law (labor Union negotiating a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with management), or Congress passes new federally enforceable legislation.

Forever reiterating, “What should be,” vents spleens, but accomplishes nothing.

I've begun to believe the best path forward is just some sort of a breakaway. It doesn't necessarily have to be completely from the NCAA entirely, in fact I think it might offer a bit more legal protection to stay within that framework.

For the sake of argument, imagine the SEC, Big 10 and let's say Big 12 ( to achieve something closer to a plurality) all broke away to form their own governing body. This governing body then created rules and regulations for the three conferences at the behest of those conferences, who then competed in their own post season.

This would be entirely optional, you don't have to go to one of these schools, you don't have to subject yourself to this framework, but once you do you can be expected to follow conference rules. One of the issues is there is now an adversarial relationship. The school is basically encouraging the player to sue the NCAA so the player can play, and the conference is sitting on the sidelines because they don't want to have a competitive disadvantage. If all the top conferences agreed to the same level of additional oversight, this could deal with a lot of the issues.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

There should be, but someone would just file a lawsuit. We need to just save the time and effort and get rid of any rules.

Kind of like it already is now...

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

One of the main reasons the NCAA is losing in court though is their absolutely insane inconsistency. They let some pro players play, they let some players get extra years of eligibility. I do think the age thing could be framed as discriminatory, and also they never upheld that standard before so it's harder to defend. I think 5 to play 5 and played in no traditionally pro sports leagues is much cleaner and legally defensible in court.

That begs the question of whether or not the NCAA made this mess on purpose...

You are giving them far more credit than they deserve...

 

[lowend]

Kind of like it already is now...

There are so many that I have trouble keeping up....or caring anymore.