We need to do better’: Georgia football ranks last in FBS is…

The University of Georgia professes to be a dominant force in both academics and sports.

The Georgia football team, which won back-to-back national crowns in 2021 and 2022 and peaked at No. 3 this season, is undoubtedly a consistent challenger for championships.

 

 

However, according to the most recent NCAA graduation rate measure, the team is ranked the worst out of over 130 FBS programs.

 

For what reason is that the case?

Only three years prior, the university boasted that UGA athletics broke all previous records with an 87 percent graduation success rate (GSR) for every team and that their Student Services department at the Rankin Smith Academic Center employed 25 full-time staff members in addition to more than 100 mentors and tutors.

 

It stated in a press release from 2015 that one of its teams, Georgia Football, was ranked in the top seven in the SEC with a GSR rate of 73 percent.

UGA President Jere Morehead stated at the time, “At the University of Georgia, we are committed to supporting our student-athletes’ success not only on the playing field but also—and more importantly—in the classroom and in life after graduation.”

 

Georgia football scored a 41 GSR rating in the most recent GSR rating that was made public in December, well below the average of other teams in the conference. With 69, LSU was the next-closest team in the SEC.

 

“It hits hard, and we know we need to do better,” David Shipley, Georgia’s faculty athletic representative since 2010, said last week in an interview. We kind of saw this coming with that specific cohort. You had a new head coach.

 

For those who enrolled in the school between 2013 and 2016, which included the first season under Kirby Smart and the final three seasons under coach Mark Richt, the current data shows six-year graduation rates.

Football powerhouses Alabama and Florida scored 93 and 92, respectively, to trail behind Vanderbilt’s 95.

Kirby Smart’s remarks regarding the GSR rate for Georgia football

 

UCLA had the second-lowest GSR among Power Five Conference schools, trailing only Georgia at 64.

According to Shipley, Georgia compares itself to other SEC colleges and its state rival, Georgia Tech, which scored an 88.

Bottom line: Shipley stated, “We have to do better.” “Perhaps in the next few years, it will start to show up better.”

 

Among NCAA colleges, only Texas A&M Commerce, an FCS member, ranked lower, at 39.

 

Through an athletics representative, Smart gave a statement to the Athens Banner-Herald that read, “There are a lot of elements that effect those figures; some are in our control and some are not.”

“Our academic staff members work really well with our players. The fact that 19 of our student-athletes were qualified to wear the graduation patch on their chests during the Orange Bowl makes us extremely pleased.

 

Unlike the federal statistics mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, the NCAA graduation success rate takes transfers into its calculations and does not punish institutions whose athletes depart as transfers in good academic standing.

 

“Four former players are enrolled in classes this spring, and since I became the head coach, we have had five players return to the university and complete their degrees,” Smart said. “We know we need to keep doing better in this area, and we will.”

 

After three years as a starting center, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, who joined the program in 2020 and is an early-round NFL draft possibility this year, is just one semester away from graduating.

 

He declared, “I think everyone in that building pushes guys to acquire degrees. I can definitely say that.” “Coach Smart has stated numerous times that football is a fleeting sport. Of course, the fact that you’re playing right now could make some guys not take that seriously. There is undoubtedly a focus on men earning their degrees.

It’s ultimately up to you to make that decision. It doesn’t make you a bad person to want to start your own business and accept the money for football instead of getting a degree.

 

How the GSR rate is being improved by Georgia athletics

 

The Georgia Athletic Association increased its ongoing monitoring of athletes’ academic progress and increased its level of intervention in 2019 to help athletes stay on course. Instead of a minimal credit concept, frontloading credits became the main focus.

 

According to Shipley, Magdi El Shahawy, the former deputy director for academics, stressed the importance of players completing 15 credits each semester. If a player finds it difficult, he may drop a class and still be at 12.

 

“I believe that the previous mindset focused on improving GPAs, but it’s possible that we’ve changed our minds and concluded that increasing graduation rates and emphasizing credit hours per term are more important,” Shipley said.

 

34 players from Georgia’s 4-year cohort did not graduate; 13 of them joined after Smart was appointed in December 2015.

 

Josh Brooks, athletic director, stated in a statement, “We have worked hard to be thoughtful and intentional about applying practices that will hopefully lead to improved GSR outcomes.” However, it should be noted that while our efforts are not restricted to a six-year period, GSR is not the most trustworthy measure of our student-athletes’ academic achievement.

The objective remains to graduate and to support our student-athletes with focused, individualized, and knowledgeable care. Although we recognize that more work has to be done to guarantee that our goal is achieved, we have made tremendous progress in this area.

 

Ten years ago, Rice, Stanford, Tulane, and Georgia were all recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for having a 100% graduation rate for freshmen in 2006.

Why does graduation matter to certain Georgia Bulldogs who want to play in the NFL?

 

The Orange Bowl MVP, running back Kendall Milton, spent four seasons as a Bulldog and earned a consumer economics degree in December.

He claimed, “I kind of set that before I even committed to a school.” Since I know that my time playing football will come to an end and that I have ambitions, things I want to accomplish in business, and certain things I want to achieve in my career, education is a very essential factor for me. I believe that earning my degree from a university would be a significant first step in achieving that.

 

Milton stated that he “sort of just felt that was required” because both of his parents and a brother are college graduates. There was nothing else to do,” he declared. “Even if I had to leave school for three years, I would have 100% returned and earned my degree.”

Milton stated that his mother likely valued his graduation more than anything else he did while attending Georgia.

 

Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, a wide receiver who entered Georgia in 2020 and is currently a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft, stated that he would be the first person in his family to attend college. There is still one semester left, he said.

 

For me, it has always been really important. “To do something my family has never done.”

According to Shipley, Georgia players are receiving counseling from seasoned professionals, and he believes that the GSR rates might rise gradually.

 

Georgia reported that their best fall GPA in 2022 was 2.83 for nine teams, including football.

“Our goal is to detect those experiencing issues at an early phase,” Shipley stated. “We meet in person for tutoring and counseling sessions. I believe that doing it in person is preferable to doing it online, and we didn’t do that for a few years (during the pandemic).

 

He acknowledged that there is a national impact when players leave college early to join the NFL, but Georgia is not an exception.

That’s not specific to us, he stated. “A lot of kids in Alabama and LSU are drafted. That’s not an excuse because we’re not the only school that’s had outstanding success in the NFL draft.

 

Van Pran-Granger stated that he wants to finish college since his mother values it, even if he has a lengthy NFL career.

 

He remarked, “I really want to honor her and make sure I get it for her.”

 

Shipley claimed to have spoken with Morehead about certain teams’ poor performance in the classroom.

Shipley, a professor at the University of Georgia’s law department since 1998, stated, “He’s aware of it, and he wants us to do better.” “There’s no denying it. He highlights and advertises our outstanding first- to second-year retention rate, four-year graduation rate, six-year graduation rate, and other areas of pride across the campus. President Morehead is adamant that our athletic department’s current numbers be significantly closer to those figures. We’re performing well in the majority of sports.

 

Milton reported that Dell McGee, the running backs coach, remarked to the players, “It would be incredibly foolish to attend a school and allow them to exploit you without doing anything in return.” He has been saying that since my first year of college.