MarkInAustin

Really? My twin granddaughters are top students and not athletes and they are enjoying visiting colleges that have invited them to visit - on their mother's dime. If "ordinary" top students being wooed love visits enough to get family to pay for them why shouldn't great athletes enjoy the process even more - with all expenses paid, and steak dinners, and promises of lucrative employment. At one flagship university's business school in the midwest the granddaughter who wants desperately to go to McCombs but knows how competitive it is to get in was greeted with a giant TV screen in the lobby displaying a banner of personal welcome to her. That was great for her but athletes get an order of magnitude more attention. Would you deny your kid that satisfaction? I would be suspicious of the manipulations that kept a student - athlete from loving the one chance in life to visit major universities around the country that actually wanted him or her to play there so badly that they would spring for the visit.

This Vandy pitcher is crafty, with control and good movement on his stuff.

About the OL: When Goosby and Cojoe both return, and considering the apparent rapid maturation of the prized freshman LT, is it possible that Jordan Coleman would be placed in a contest for the LG position? I am thinking ahead to 2027 when it is likely that both Turntine and JC will start on the OL. I think there are enough talented pieces to fashion a solid pass blocking offensive line, but melding them into a unit will be a challenge, as so many are either new to their position or to the program.

I liked Robertson against OU when he was an emergency fill in and I liked him last season as the bandaid that helped stop the bleeding. I still like him. But if the much larger Sikorski provides better interior pass protection without loss of leadership [not that I am claiming that as a fact] then he can start this season. I think summer will actually bring a contest for the position. However that competition resolves the depth will become much less of a concern.

Funny, I almost added that if Swain got stronger he might approximate a Pippen.

While I doubt he was the "best" I completely agree with you that Swain has an excellent all around game. There is nothing he cannot do acceptably well. He should be a valuable sub for any team even as a rookie. Some guys, Dybantsa for example, are going to start as rookies.

Aside from having the largest endowment of any public university by a wide margin Texas has had the benefit of wonderful wealthy donors. There are generally considered to be eight elite state flagships plus one elite public tech, and Texas is one of the elite flagships. It is one of two flagships in which all departments are ranked in the top thirty in America. And Forbes just called out Texas as one of 20 institutions, public or private, that are properly preparing graduating talent for the changing job market (The New Ivies, April 8). The resulting flip side is how competitive the school has become since my day. While the overall admit rate is about 27%, Cockrell is at 11%, McCombs is at 9%, and the architecture and honors programs are comparably squeezed. I have twin granddaughters who are both in the top 5% of their junior classes in HS - one is number 1 - who legitimately fear they will be accepted into UT but not into business and engineering, respectively. And God forbid one should fall down to top 6% and be looking down the road to The College That Got One Per Cent Smarter when Texas changed auto admits from the top 6% to the top 5% last year.

WRONG THREAD - APOLOGY OFFERED BON says Jurian Dixon is visiting from UC Irvine and Texas likes him. [hoops]

Re: Ivy League I researched this on line. The Ivies permit neither grad student eligibility nor red shirting. Thus there are annually Ivy Leaguers available to continue as students and as athletes - in the real world.

I don't think the Ivy League permits a graduate school player. There should be occasional top FCS picks available as graduate transfers from Ivy League schools. I could be wrong but someone here suggested this as a fact last year, IIRC.

The personal finance decisions for a 21 YO star athlete are not simple. First, it would be smart to delete his "wants" from the decision tree and concentrate on his "needs." ---------- Second, there is the valuation issue, which turns on net rather than gross numbers. For example, income in Texas is worth much more than in states with significant income taxation. Cost of living in metro NYC or LA or SF or DC is a six figure differential over having room and board provided in Austin. Offsetting endorsement deals in LA or NYC might be unlikely for most. --------- Third, there are longer term considerations. Residual benefits of a degree now vs. a degree later, or no degree at all, are measurable to an analyst and of greater or lesser meaning to a future pro depending on his long term name value; e.g., KD and VY have extraordinary long term name value that makes a degree have virtually no long term income value in comparison. Weigh the depth of the current draft and one a year later against the likelihood of reaching a lucrative second contract a year earlier. I think the chance of a career ending injury would not be weighed because it may have the same long term effect whether sustained under a lucrative NIL deal or under a first year professional contract - but insurance issues and CBA health care provisions may make weighing injury potential another variable. ---------- Two and three are tricky issues for most, but standard fare for a financial advisor. The first issue is the most pressing: does the player NEED the most dollars today? Is his family comfortable or living paycheck to paycheck? If the current need is there the third issue, long term consequences, falls out of the matrix. Only net current value need be considered.

On the other hand it makes no sense to burn bridges gratuitously. Leaving one job for another is more often a business choice than not. On the occasions when it is the result of combat or torture or sexual predation a polite response is hypocritical, but they are few and far between.

I think Preston can be the answer. Understand, there probably isn't another Rori anywhere. But I have seen Preston run the team and do so at speed, and do it well. Surround Preston with a good team and she will make it go. Vic will surround her with a good team.

Does BVB count in the Directors Cup race?

I just got to it at the half. How are the UT commits doing?