By Teddy GreensteinThey say the NFL is a copycat league, and college football is much the same (See: spread offense).
But in at least one respect, Northwestern dares to be different. It's the only Big Ten school without an early enrollee from its recruiting class.
"I'm still perplexed by the NCAA rule that says it's OK for kids to graduate early from high school and skip Turnabout and prom and winter sports and spring sports," coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "I believe young men need to be 17 before they can be 18 and 18 before they can be 21."
Photo: Pat Fitzgerald has no early enrollees in his recruiting class. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
If Fitzgerald's coaching colleagues share that refreshing viewpoint, they don't show it.
Florida, which boasts the nation's top-rated class, has 11 players who already have enrolled. Here's a Big Ten breakdown: Michigan (7), Penn State (6), Michigan State (4), Indiana (4), Illinois (3), Purdue (3), Minnesota (3), Iowa (2), Ohio State (1), Wisconsin (1).
"I would never say never," Fitzgerald said about having a player enroll early. "There are obviously pros to being in winter workouts and spring practice. But academically, our young men who show up here in the fall will be on track to graduate in four years. So academically, there's no advantage to coming up early. And a lot of our young men come up after the Fourth of July anyway and work out for a couple of weeks with our strength coaches and with our team.
"I'm more concerned with the burnout, with 18 months down the road when a young man was not able to be a senior in high school, wasn't able to go to graduation parties, wasn't able to participate in the things I really enjoyed as a senior in high school, like baseball. It was a good time. And going to prom. There's nothing wrong with being a kid, being a young man and growing up."
Florida, which boasts the nation's top-rated class, has 11 players who already have enrolled. Here's a Big Ten breakdown: Michigan (7), Penn State (6), Michigan State (4), Indiana (4), Illinois (3), Purdue (3), Minnesota (3), Iowa (2), Ohio State (1), Wisconsin (1).
"I would never say never," Fitzgerald said about having a player enroll early. "There are obviously pros to being in winter workouts and spring practice. But academically, our young men who show up here in the fall will be on track to graduate in four years. So academically, there's no advantage to coming up early. And a lot of our young men come up after the Fourth of July anyway and work out for a couple of weeks with our strength coaches and with our team.
"I'm more concerned with the burnout, with 18 months down the road when a young man was not able to be a senior in high school, wasn't able to go to graduation parties, wasn't able to participate in the things I really enjoyed as a senior in high school, like baseball. It was a good time. And going to prom. There's nothing wrong with being a kid, being a young man and growing up."
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Who cares about scholarship "college" football anyway? It's not really college at all, but rather a professional minor league, what with the compensation players get in the form of free education, housing, and meals, not to mention other campus perks.
Sorry to say, but real college football isn't played in I-A.
The character, perspective and wisdom on display by Coach Fitzgerald makes me so proud to be an NU alumnus.
Coach Fitz, What a blessing you are to the youth who are lucky enough to attend and play football under your direction. There are VERY few football coaches, college or high school who empower their athletes to enjoy their youth. Life is tough and stressful, why rush them into it? As a parent of a football player, I have hope for the profession as this is the kind of coach that all young men need!
As a former NCAA football player, what a breath of fresh air. Wish he was my coach.
And this is why, God willing, any of my players and any of my sons, if they have the chance to play Big 10 football, they will go to NU and Coach Fitz.
Clearly, young Coach Fitz learned a lot from the late Randy Walker, and it is a very good ting!