Every year after the draft, I read about how OSU grads have to miss team spring coaching sessions because, under an NFL-NCAA agreement, players cannot take part in these sessions until their class is graduated. OSU does not graduate until June, so drafted players have to wait until then. See, e.g., Santonio Holmes http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/05/02/bc.fbn.steelers.holmes.ap/

So why doesn't OSU change? This seems like it would be a slight disadvantage in recruiting players who plan to play in the NFL. And, considering how competitive recruiting is, why would you want to give yourself any disadvantage?

I would say that they may have academic reasons for keeping it the way that it is, but we all know that football > academics at the football factory schools. And, even if it weren't, it seems like whatever academic reasons OSU has for having late graduation could be accomodated by adopting the schedule that the vast majority of universities use.

So what's up with that?

Actually I started a topic like this the other day. I think it's cause they are on Quarters, and that pushes their graduation so late. But it still sounds silly that they graduate that late, and that their "professional" players are hurt because of it.

Yeah, the quarter system means that the spring quarter runs until early-mid June.... if you want to blame anyone, blame the NCAA-NFL agreement. It would be pretty impossible for OSU to graduate someone who has only taken half of their required final quarter classes. But frankly, most football players who are drafted probably have either already graduated, or are coming out early, so the graduation date doesn't really affect them, except for this "rule".

Yes its because of the quarter system

It's pretty silly to ask the university to change their academic calendar for ?50,000? students just to accomodate a handful of football players.

The NFL rule is what should be changed.

Universities do silly things in the name of football all the time. I'm not saying that it is right, but it is the way things are done.

Of course, OSU would just want the NFL rule changed, but--assuming that it can't get that done--why not just drop the quarter system? What is so great about the quarter system viz a viz semesters?

Universities do silly things in the name of football all the time. I'm not saying that it is right, but it is the way things are done.

Of course, OSU would just want the NFL rule changed, but--assuming that it can't get that done--why not just drop the quarter system? What is so great about the quarter system viz a viz semesters?

It might be more about the cost involved in changing from quarters to semesters, rather than an actual preference for quarters, especially given the size of OSU.

I had quarters at Northwestern so I'm biased, but I think academically it is a superior system. it is more flexible and gives students the chance to take more varied classes. Also allows for advanced track classes that cover a semester worth of content in 10 weeks so you can,, for example do a year of chemistry in 2 quarters when it probably would be too hard to compress it down to a single semester.