Military Academy Recruiting?

Redwood Forrest

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Sep 19, 2003
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Recruiting numbers for the past 5 years:

Army: 45, 38, 39, 25 & 13
USAF: 48, 37, 28, 24 & 43
Navy: 49, 37, 29, 22 & 23

Do the Military Academies have special rules to sign so many players? I wonder what gives with this?
 

FitToBeTide

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Aug 19, 2001
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Not sure about the big difference in recruiting numbers, Red, not finding an explanation online. However I did find this really interesting article on some of the challenges military academy coaches have to face in signing quality athletes. For instance, I had never heard of the weight limit, 221 lbs (!) max, for a signee to the ** Academy. They have to graduate at that weight also. It went on to say that consequently, lots of the guys have to do some major shedding of poundage in order to meet graduate requirements. It's an interesting read.

CLICK
 

Redwood Forrest

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Sep 19, 2003
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Not sure about the big difference in recruiting numbers, Red, not finding an explanation online. However I did find this really interesting article on some of the challenges military academy coaches have to face in signing quality athletes. For instance, I had never heard of the weight limit, 221 lbs (!) max, for a signee to the ** Academy. They have to graduate at that weight also. It went on to say that consequently, lots of the guys have to do some major shedding of poundage in order to meet graduate requirements. It's an interesting read.

CLICK
To be sure the military schools face a rough road to travel. I have often wondered why they don't relax their standard for athletes or drop down to division II. Navy and Air Force seem to be playing around mid-level in FBS but poor Army has lost to Division II often in the past few seasons. Navy and Air Force could probably be playing for championships in Div II.

The best players want to go pro, not go enlistment. So if you can't recruit the best players, why not drop down?

Being able to recruit extra two stars doesn't seem to help them much.
 

B1GTide

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Apr 13, 2012
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Remember, everyone at a military academy is on a full scholarship, if you want to call it that - no one pays to attend. So anyone who participates in football counts following standard NCAA rules. They have to have special rules of some sort or they would be at an even greater disadvantage.
 

Bamamax1

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Jan 10, 2017
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Technically all players for them are under a scholarship. Even walk ons


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JDCrimson

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Feb 12, 2006
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Recruiting numbers for the past 5 years:

Army: 45, 38, 39, 25 & 13
USAF: 48, 37, 28, 24 & 43
Navy: 49, 37, 29, 22 & 23

Do the Military Academies have special rules to sign so many players? I wonder what gives with this?
Is it fair to say 5 years ago a lot of those you men were deployed somewhere? I don't know just asking. If so, they ought to be allowed to replenish their roster.

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Redwood Forrest

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Remember, everyone at a military academy is on a full scholarship, if you want to call it that - no one pays to attend. So anyone who participates in football counts following standard NCAA rules. They have to have special rules of some sort or they would be at an even greater disadvantage.
I am confused. Do you mean they have no walk-ons and this is how they get some?
 

B1GTide

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From another point of view they have no sports scholarships at all, since there is no tuition to remit. You could say their players are all walk-ons I suppose, the recruited ones like preferred walk-ons.
Doesn't matter. If you are under scholarship and you play football, it counts. Otherwise schools would just give out limitless academic scholarships to get around the rules. These kids pay nothing. They are all under scholarship.
 

WPtider

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Jan 10, 2006
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The rules for the academies are a little different. Everyone there gets full tuition, room, board and a small monthly stipend. The numbers are also skewed because of the prep schools. Candidates that are academically marginal (primarily athletes and prior service) go to USMA prep school for a year and if they make the grade enroll the following year as plebes to complete the four year academic program (this is a defacto redshirt year). Because your scholarship is not tied to athletic participation there is also a higher attrition rate than at normal schools where kids will quit sports to focus on academics or leave the academy entirely before starting their junior year (historically as high as 1/3 of the student body).
 

LA4Bama

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Jan 5, 2015
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Doesn't matter. If you are under scholarship and you play football, it counts. Otherwise schools would just give out limitless academic scholarships to get around the rules. These kids pay nothing. They are all under scholarship.
That was my point, but since they don't have to play the sport to have the scholarship, I emphasized the de facto absence of sports scholarships.
 

dayhiker

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Dec 8, 2000
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To be sure the military schools face a rough road to travel. I have often wondered why they don't relax their standard for athletes or drop down to division II. Navy and Air Force seem to be playing around mid-level in FBS but poor Army has lost to Division II often in the past few seasons. Navy and Air Force could probably be playing for championships in Div II.

The best players want to go pro, not go enlistment. So if you can't recruit the best players, why not drop down?

Being able to recruit extra two stars doesn't seem to help them much.
They don't go on enlistment, as you put it. When you graduate from a service academy, you are commissioned as an officer. My understanding is that a service academy diploma is looked on as an elite diploma. I know your point is that top players don't want to go in the military, but I wanted to clarify the point.
 

4Q Basket Case

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The academies are just different, and I'm willing to think that even as obtuse a body as the NCAA has some special rules for them.

Every student in the entire institution is on full scholarship, plus a stipend. That stipend thing doesn't run afoul of NCAA rules because it isn't an extra benefit...everybody, whether they play sports or not, gets it.

I don't know how they handle the walk-on / scholarshipped athlete / limitation on signees and rosters. And as another poster pointed out, they lose a bunch of the class between the sophomore and junior years, when the military obligation kicks in. So how they handle the APR thing, I don't know either. But I have to believe there is special dispensation on both of these fronts, specifically applicable to only them.

Here's a fun thing -- if you come back for your junior year, but for whatever long story reason, you don't graduate with your class, you still owe the military obligation....only you'll serve it as an enlisted man. The officer's commission comes only with your diploma.

And the diploma is recognized as an elite one. The ranks of corporate America are chock full with academy graduates. The combination of smarts, education, focus, self-discipline, leadership, and ability to navigate political waters, translates exceptionally well to large corporations.

Like many of you, I've often wondered why Army is so far behind the other two. They have the same requirements and same demands as Air Force and Navy. Why they're not better, I don't know.
 

day-day

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At the Naval Academy, midshipmen get paid half the pay of an ensign. Money is held back for savings and costs for books, uniforms, haircuts, etc. are deducted. The actual spending money paid out to a midshipmen is increased from year to year; 1st classmen (seniors) get pretty much all of each month's remainder after deductions with little going into savings. There is no charge for tuition or room and board. At least that is the way it was 40 years ago.
 

Braveheart

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Feb 12, 2006
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GI bill pays for their education, they then go into active service after graduation
It's not the "GI Bill". GI Bill is applicable to guys who are still active duty military or have been discharged and had some of their pay while they were in service deducted that went toward their GI Bill benefits.

These guys at the service academies are out little or nothing for their education other than their obligation to serve in active duty after they graduate.
 

capnfrog

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Doesn't matter. If you are under scholarship and you play football, it counts. Otherwise schools would just give out limitless academic scholarships to get around the rules. These kids pay nothing. They are all under scholarship.
And they all get a pay check every month, as well as 3 hots and a cot and free medical and a clothing allowance.
 

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