As of today Bill O’Brien will enter summer training camp with 67 scholarship players on his roster. That number is only two shy of the NCAA imposed limit of 65 set to begin in 2014. While the sanctions have been advertised as a four-year plan, O’Brien knows all too well that isn’t really the case.
“This is really a six-year sanction,” O’Brien said. “We have until 2014 to get down to 65 scholarships. We’re at 65 in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and we’re already at 65, probably, in August of 2013. So it’s not just a four-year sanction.”
O’Brien is and has long been a strong supporter for keeping everyone in State College. It’s all hands on deck while Penn State looks to navigate through the toughest time in program history.
That being said roster changes happen on every college team over the summer, and with an open transfer policy still in effect until August 1, Penn State players can still leave without having to sit out a season. Sophomore quarterback Steven Bench has already taken advantage of that rule and there isn’t any reason that it couldn’t happen again.
Ironically, thanks to the NCAA, players who quit the team, like offensive guard Anthony Stanko did earlier this week, not only keep their scholarships while at Penn State, but they also count towards the scholarship total on Penn State’s roster. That means O’Brien and his staff will have to drop below 65 scholarships on the active roster in order for the NCAA’s version of counting to reach 65. That puts Penn State dangerously close to the FCS Subdivision limit of 63 scholarships.
If Penn State by chance reaches the 65 limit in the NCAA’s eyes before August 1 of 2013 it could leave a slight possibility open for an appeal. As ByLawBlog writer John Infante mentioned earlier this week:
“Penn State being at 65 scholarships for 2013-14 raises a valid question: why is the school not allowed to start the sanction early?” Infante said. “Scholarship sanctions are routinely delayed when a school has already committed itself to more scholarships than the sanctions would allow. In Penn State’s case, the NCAA built in a delay to allow the school to get down to the reduced number.”
“Penn State did not need the delay. The NCAA should allow PSU to move its overall counter sanction up by a year, ending now with the 2016-17 academic year. This is even more appropriate given the additional elements of the sanctions which contributed to the attrition, like allowing transfers with no penalty or restriction and letting athletes quit the team but keep their scholarships.”
Precedent isn’t the NCAA’s strong suit and Penn State isn’t likely going to be the one to appeal the dates of the sanctions. That means in all likelihood an outside body would have to be the one to do it.
So who is Bill O’Brien’s knight in shining armor?
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.
One of the most powerful and well-respected men in college athletics, Delany knows that a bad Penn State is bad for the Big Ten’s bottom line. As one of the nation’s most lucrative programs, every year that Penn State struggles is a bad year for more than just those in Happy Valley.
O’Brien knows this and intentionally or not, spent several stops on the first week of Penn State’s coaches’ caravan tour giving Delany glowing reviews. Using phrases like “Bright man”, “On the forefront”, “Someone I really respect”, and “Really forward thinking.”
O’Brien, a man all about controlling a situation, doesn’t say words he doesn’t mean and doesn’t have reason to say. The positive press for Delany could be a genuine review, but a nudge from the Big Ten commissioner to the NCAA offices could make Delany the advocate Penn State needs.
Of course O’Brien won’t show his hand. He’s too smart for that. Ask him if getting down to 65 early was a goal you get a simple, pointed, and glaring “No.”
Ask him if he wants the scholarship restrictions to start a year early.
“That’s something you’d have to ask the NCAA.” He says bluntly.
