Warren's effect....

[I-CUP Insider]

Our 2009 class was 22. James Green didn't make it in, which reduces the class to 21. We back-counted 2 guys to 2008, so then 21 becomes 19...the max you can take in during a single calendar year is 25. If our 2009 class was 19 after the back-counts, then the maximum we could back-count would be 6. You always want to back-count the maximum, so that you have room in future classes.

Add Lamaison and Hughes to the 2009 class to get 24, subtract Green for a total of 23. Assuming we didn't back-count any of those players to the 2008 class, that leaves two players to back-count this year.

But I still only count 83/85 scholarship athletes on the 2008 squad, which would have left room for 2 players from the 2009 class to be back-counted into those 2 open slots/to the 2008 class (Hughes and Walls) – and, if that were the case, it would mean 4 of this year's early enrollees can count towards last year's class.

Perhaps someone can please tell me which of the following 2 players I've falsely excluded from receiving athletic aid in 2008.

{Cody Ayers; Brett Barnes; Tyler Beaudoin; Bram Cannon; Britton Colquitt (lost scholarship; noncounter); Stephen Darville; Vince Faison; Brent Freeman; Nick Guess; Ryan Hill; Ethan Ingham; C.J. Jackson; Devin Mathis; Shane Reveiz; Tanner Shamblin; Cory Sullins; Brett Thomason; Phillip Tritapoe}

I know Cory Sullins was just recently placed on some type of scholarship, and I'm somewhat certain Shane Reveiz hasn't yet been granted one.

 

[Tennessee Jack]

Add Lamaison and Hughes to the 2009 class to get 24, subtract Green for a total of 23. Assuming we didn't back-count any of those players to the 2008 class, that leaves two players to back-count this year.

Rivals.com lists 18 for our 2008 class. Let's take your number of 23 (in 2009) and back-count 3 players to 2008, that would reduce the number to 20 for our 2009 class according to the NCAA.

That would leave room for 5 to be back-counted for the 2010 class to 2009.

If 4 players from the 2009 class were dated back to the 2008 class through early enrollment, then that would mean 19 entered school in the calendar year of 2009.

That would mean we could still back-count 6 new enrollees from the 2010 recruiting class to the 2009 calendar year. It remains to be seen how many players will quit or transfer, so there's no way to know what our final number will be until next year.

 

[I-CUP Insider]

“Back-counted” players also count towards a team's 85 total scholarship limit for the academic year in which they enroll. You cannot back-count a player after the team has reached its 85 limit, even if you've only handed out 20/25 new scholarships during that same academic year.

So even though there was room under the 25 “initial counter” rule to back-count up to 7 mid-year enrollees to the 2008-2009 academic year, doing so would have put us over our 85 annual scholarship limit. So would have 4.

That's why I raised the question of how many players were on scholarship last year. I count 83/85 on the 2008 roster, which would have left room to back-count 2 mid-year enrollees. Again, if that were true, it would leave us with 21 out of 25 (+4) new scholarships being used right now. IF I am also correct in counting 81/85scholarships in current use, we would then have room to offer those 4 new scholarships to the 2010 mid-year enrollees without exceeded either (85-25) limitation.