2014 DB Ra'Shaun Croney Commits

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This class is way better then ranked. We have at least 8 game changers. Good job Kill.
 


Sun Sentinel: Pahokee ATH Ra'Shaun Croney signs late with Minnesota

Pahokee three-star athlete Ra’Shaun Croney inked a last-minute letter-of-intent with Minnesota on Tuesday, a near two months after National Signing Day.

Croney, the Sun Sentinel’s 14th-ranked player in Palm Beach County for the Class of 2014, had watched schools like South Carolina, FAU and Arkansas shy away after academic struggles, but it was Minnesota who finally gave him a chance.

The Big-10 program offered a scholarship over the weekend, and Croney faxed in his paperwork a day before the college football singing period ended on April 1st.

Croney had initially signed with Ellesworth Community College — a junior college hub for players with academic issues in Kansas — but according to Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson it was improvement in the classroom that got the Gophers involved.

“They have been talking to him for a couple of months now, but recently they decided to take a chance,” Thompson said. “I have seen greater gaps covered. ... he can do it.”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...inute-with-minnesota-20140331,0,3880875.story

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
“They have been talking to him for a couple of months now, but recently they decided to take a chance,” Thompson said. “I have seen greater gaps covered. ... he can do it.”
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Meaning we shouldn't count our chickens. Hope he qualifies, but looks like no sure thing.
 

Sparlimb said:
Meaning we shouldn't count our chickens. Hope he qualifies, but looks like no sure thing.
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Yeah, that quote makes it seem like he has a lot of work to do. If he doesn't qualify it's not the end of the world, he can just go to Ellsworth (which is in Iowa, not Kansas) for two years and possibly come to the U as a junior.
 


BleedGopher said:
Sun Sentinel: Pahokee ATH Ra'Shaun Croney signs late with Minnesota

Croney, the Sun Sentinel’s 14th-ranked player in Palm Beach County for the Class of 2014, had watched schools like South Carolina, FAU and Arkansas shy away after academic struggles, but it was Minnesota who finally gave him a chance.
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Show's you how good Florida football is, the fact that he gets a D1 offer as the 14th best player in one county.
 

I take the article to mean he has work to do to qualify.

Sparlimb said:
Meaning we shouldn't count our chickens. Hope he qualifies, but looks like no sure thing.
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I'm betting because the Gophers took a chance on him that Croney is going to work his butt off to get admitted to school and be a late qualifier. He had SEC interest from both South Carolina and Arkansas so he has the football talent.
Coach Kill and Swavel took a chance on him hopefully he get the test score and grades to get in and be up here in August.
 

In their time here, has Kill and his staff ever signed a kid that didn't end up qualifying? Was that the case with Hinojosa?
 

jaymil said:
Yeah, that quote makes it seem like he has a lot of work to do. If he doesn't qualify it's not the end of the world, he can just go to Ellsworth (which is in Iowa, not Kansas) for two years and possibly come to the U as a junior.
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It's been a week since I read his background but I believe he has the test score to get in already, it was just the GPA part & the staff has been monitoring it now for a while so I feel pretty good about it. Also, it's been rumored for years that the football program gets a "wild card" every year where admissions let's in one borderline guy. I believe that's how we got Ernie Wheelright, Gary Russell, Marquise Gray (although his test score was red flagged) & Jewahn Edwards in. Maybe we're using our "wild card" on Croney? Also, no reason he couldn't play just one season at Ellsworth & then transfer in as a Soph or even red short as a Freshman at Ellsworth, get his grades in order & come in with 4 to play 4.
 



If that's the case I hope they hand the golden ticket to Jeff Jones...although I find it hard to believe U admissions would bend the rules. It would probably need to be an administrator "friendly" to the football program. As in Oklahoma State friendly.

IF they can get Croney into school this is a great pickup. Kid has ballhawk instincts similar to Michael Carter (Sr yr).
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
It's been a week since I read his background but I believe he has the test score to get in already, it was just the GPA part & the staff has been monitoring it now for a while so I feel pretty good about it. Also, it's been rumored for years that the football program gets a "wild card" every year where admissions let's in one borderline guy. I believe that's how we got Ernie Wheelright, Gary Russell, Marquise Gray (although his test score was red flagged) & Jewahn Edwards in. Maybe we're using our "wild card" on Croney? Also, no reason he couldn't play just one season at Ellsworth & then transfer in as a Soph or even red short as a Freshman at Ellsworth, get his grades in order & come in with 4 to play 4.
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If this is true then it must mean that Jones is comfortably in. Who knows if this is true though.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
It's been a week since I read his background but I believe he has the test score to get in already, it was just the GPA part & the staff has been monitoring it now for a while so I feel pretty good about it. Also, it's been rumored for years that the football program gets a "wild card" every year where admissions let's in one borderline guy. I believe that's how we got Ernie Wheelright, Gary Russell, Marquise Gray (although his test score was red flagged) & Jewahn Edwards in. Maybe we're using our "wild card" on Croney? Also, no reason he couldn't play just one season at Ellsworth & then transfer in as a Soph or even red short as a Freshman at Ellsworth, get his grades in order & come in with 4 to play 4.
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The NCAA rules are pretty specific in regards to the GPA and ACT/SAT scores needed to qualify to play. Sincerely doubt that the program can excuse themselves from such rules on any occasion let alone every year.
 

The coaches don't want very many wildcards either. That is how you wind up with a lot of scholarship vacancies and not enough upper classmen to improve as a team. I like this kid though, it looks like he wants to succeed enough to get it done.
 



How they calculate core gpa is the big thing. You can go on the NCAA website and drill into each high school's class offerings to see what classes qualify toward a student athletes core gpa. After looking through the list for Washburn I can understand how a kid without proper guidance could end up being a nonqualifier.
 

gophmeister said:
How they calculate core gpa is the big thing. You can go on the NCAA website and drill into each high school's class offerings to see what classes qualify toward a student athletes core gpa. After looking through the list for Washburn I can understand how a kid without proper guidance could end up being a nonqualifier.
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Thread hijack: this from a school that spends $23,000 per student per year, twice the state average. Graduates less than 50%.
 

highwayman said:
Thread hijack: this from a school that spends $23,000 per student per year, twice the state average. Graduates less than 50%.
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I'm not criticizing Washburn or any high school for that matter. Just saying a student may be on track to graduate from high school, but not in a position to receive an athletic scholarship because he or she didn't get the right advice on what classes he or she needed.
 

Oregon Gopher said:
The NCAA rules are pretty specific in regards to the GPA and ACT/SAT scores needed to qualify to play. Sincerely doubt that the program can excuse themselves from such rules on any occasion let alone every year.
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I didn't read it this way. Since the U has higher admission standards than bare minimum NCAA qualifying standards, the "wild card" is taking a kid that qualified as of the NCAA but not necessarily to the U's standards for admission. But we all appreciate your snarkiness.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
I didn't read it this way. Since the U has higher admission standards than bare minimum NCAA qualifying standards, the "wild card" is taking a kid that qualified as of the NCAA but not necessarily to the U's standards for admission. But we all appreciate your snarkiness.
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Didn't mean to be snarky!
 

GopherinPhilly said:
I didn't read it this way. Since the U has higher admission standards than bare minimum NCAA qualifying standards, the "wild card" is taking a kid that qualified as of the NCAA but not necessarily to the U's standards for admission. But we all appreciate your snarkiness.
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Has this been proven to be true? If it is true, it shouldn't be unless the standards are dictated by the conference. A school of 30 000 can take academic risks on elite athletes. I would hope (and assume) admissions takes risks on other students as well.
 

Winnipegopher said:
Has this been proven to be true? If it is true, it shouldn't be unless the standards are dictated by the conference. A school of 30 000 can take academic risks on elite athletes. I would hope (and assume) admissions takes risks on other students as well.
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I doubt it is true. They used to have General College where they could send the sub-qualifiers, but it no longer exists. I doubt the U is making exceptions for athletes that it doesn't make for the general student populace. Now instead, they send those kids to MNSCU and made transferring to the U after 2 years much simpler.
 

Winnipegopher said:
If this is true then it must mean that Jones is comfortably in. Who knows if this is true though.
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I think he would have to spend 2 years at JC if he doesn't qualify. He isn't Cody Poock where he just decided to go that route just to improve his offer list and he isn't Anthony Anderson where he is enrolling early at JC so he would only have to spend one year.

Also Isn't Jeff not just trying to qualify to get into the U but also just to get a D1 scholarship. I do think that if he does become a qualifier then he ill get into the U.
 

Oregon Gopher said:
The NCAA rules are pretty specific in regards to the GPA and ACT/SAT scores needed to qualify to play. Sincerely doubt that the program can excuse themselves from such rules on any occasion let alone every year.
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Was just reading a post on GI by the Father of a former U recruit/athlete. He said they have a couple of slots every year for kids who are NCAA eligible, but wouldn't otherwise be U of M eligible.
 


And the wildcard is born. It'll be treated as fact from here on.
 

If someone can't get eligible to play college ball. Who ties their shoes?
 


Costa Rican Gopher said:
Was just reading a post on GI by the Father of a former U recruit/athlete. He said they have a couple of slots every year for kids who are NCAA eligible, but wouldn't otherwise be U of M eligible.
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I tutored some D1 football players in the 1980's. At that time the university allowed "presidential admits." As suggested the university president had to approve these individuals to be admitted to school. Its probably a similar procedure to what CRG is referring to.
 

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