What is lost in all this is that almost no one but the very well off can afford to send their kids to Lehigh, or to Dr. Self Important in Easton, without financial aid. A substantial portion of the football team already gets need base aid, some studies show at least as much as if we were awarding the full compliment of FCS scholarships. But during the recruitment process, when we offer our "A" prospect, he is also being courted by Delaware, or New Hampshire and they can guarantee him money on the spot. Meanwhile our financial need process takes 60 days or so to confirm we can give him money, and Delaware & New Hampshire are telling him they can’t wait or they’ll pull the offer & offer someone else. The kid & his parents can’t afford to wait for us for fear of losing the guaranteed dollars. We then have to hope our "B" prospect is still available.
I have to think we often lose the most academically qualified recruits because of this. It’s just beyond stupid.
We’ve already waited an appropriate amount of time to make this decision. Two years is not going to enlighten Dr. Self Important in Easton. We went through this in wrestling in the 80’s & it cost us a decade or so and I believe a portion of our local fan base. We should either go scholarship and leave Dr. Self Important behind (to answer to his alumni) or stop pretending to be Division One in football . NOW!
