DESTIN, Fla. — UGA’s Michael Adams had some advice for reporters who wanted to know what happened during the presidents’ 3 1/2-hour meeting here at the SEC Meetings on Thursday.
“I would suggest you guys go rent a beach chair and get a beer and wait until tomorrow,” Adams said with a laugh.
But while Adams and most of the other SEC presidents were very tight-lipped regarding the primary issue they were discussing — over-signing in football — at least one president was a little more forthcoming.
“I think most of the discussion was around if we go first and we do something that is viewed as restrictive and conservative, would that be a challenge to the rest of the country and the other leagues?” South Carolina President Harris Pastides said. “Or might we be left out there as the only league? We decided to do what we felt was best for the college athlete, and I think that’s how we’ll vote tomorrow.”
Pastides’ football coach, Steve Spurrier, signed 32 players in February and had to tell at least two commitments — including Atlanta’s Lorenzo Mauldin — that they would not be able to sign because the Gamecocks had over-extended their scholarship allotment. That came a year after the SEC voted to cut maximum number of signees to 28. So South Carolina is a big reason the issue is a flashpoint again this year.
“We’d love the SEC to play a lead role in doing to right thing,” Pastides said. “But we would hope the NCAA would adopt whatever we do. I think that’s what our ADs and our coaches are hung on. They don’t want us to be so far out in front that we’re the only league that clamps down on that. So we’re interested in seeing parity relative to what happens in the nation on that particular topic.”
The SEC presidents will vote on over-signing legislation and other “roster management” restrictions among several issues before them in their final meeting Friday morning.
Adams discussed the topic of over-signing a little more openly before Thursday’s meeting.
“Our position is pretty well known. I think our coach and AD can speak for themselves,” he said. “But our first concern on these issues is the student. We don’t think it’s fair to students to leave them hanging and wondering. We feel like a scholarship offer is a scholarship offer.
“Now what form if any that is going to take in legislation or even if anybody is even going to agree with us remains to be seen. But our coach, our AD and myself are all committed to the fact that when we offer a person a scholarship, we will have one available. We don’t intend to do purposeful over-signing.”
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