BYU player losses could be costly

PROVO — An exodus of BYU football players out of the program the past year for breaking the school's honor code could cost the program future scholarships when an NCAA graduation rate reform report card is released publicly Feb. 28.

On the other hand, BYU might weather through just fine, even though at least 10 football players have left the program due to suspensions, expulsions, alleged criminal activity or just personal preferences since 2004.

"What happened last year with players is so abnormal, a once-in-a-while kind of thing, I'm not sure it will impact the future of scholarships in this reform," BYU athletic compliance chief Jim Kimmel said.

The reform, called the Academic Progress Rate (APR), grades how athletes on scholarship progress toward graduation. When athletes drop out for any reason and don't return, it detracts negatively from a formula. If any school rates below a 92.5, which equates to 50 percent graduation, scholarships could be taken away from programs.

"If indications from a preliminary report we've received so far are a sign, we should be OK, even with the number of players who've left school," Kimmel said.

BYU already has data from the NCAA from a study done in 2003-04. Once information is calculated from the fall of 2004, a two-year statistical grade will be assigned to every program in every university athletic department. If schools don't meet the minimum grade of 92.5, they will be penalized.

Since winter semester a year ago, BYU has had at least the following athletes leave the football program: Ofa Mohetau, Antwaun Harris, Greg Lovely, Karland Bennett, B.J. Mathis, William Turner, Billy Skinner, Ibrahim Rashada, C.J. Ah You, Marcus Whalen, Ray Brathwaite, Shannon Benton and James Allen.

"With those who've lost, it gets balanced out with those who return and are graduating. There are also cases where a waiver can be granted," Kimmel said. "Those who leave the program for LDS missions, like Austin Collie did in January, are exempt from this accounting."

Kimmel's assistant, Chad Gwilliam, has been the front man to report to the NCAA on BYU's compliance. Gwilliam believes BYU's defections in football could be a bump in the road in the short term,

but when accounted for in a four-year period or beyond, it will not be a problem.

"Right now, we aren't worried," Gwilliam said. "But it is something that figures in and it can't help."

Gwilliam said the NCAA also allows for a statistical "upper confidence" boundary that will give some programs a little wiggle room with the math.