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You'll have to trust me, I'm not writing this to pile onto the Texas football program. Every college team signs prospects that ultimately won't make it academically. That's what happened with Longhorns defensive tackle prospect Quincy Russell. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Sam Houston high schooler will head to one of three possible junior colleges instead of Texas this fall.
↵As I said, this happens a lot in college football now. I was talking with a high school coach a few months ago, and he was talking about his time playing for a junior college. This coach had gone on to play for a bigger program, but wasn't there yet when he enrolled in a JC. He had loved his time in junior college, but said things have changed in recent years.
↵He said when JC coaches approach him now, they don't ask about his best players. They ask him which players aren't going to make it academically. To survive, many junior colleges have focused on getting Division I talents who can't make the grades, rather than developing players who aren't quite ready for college football. It's why Blinn took a chance on Cam Newton when he transferred from Florida.
↵I don't know how I feel about that change. I do know it's the reason so many junior college programs are successful now, but there are still plenty of JC players who just take some time to develop. Look at Texas A&M cornerbackCoryell Judie. He had very little experience as a defensive back until he went to Fort Scott Community College for two years and became one of the top JC recruits in the country. The system still works like it used to, but it's quickly moving in the wrong direction.
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