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Dabo Swinney calls cost of attendance scholarships 'a nightmare'
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday that while cost of attendance scholarships are a good thing, they're also a nightmare. Why? Because of the possible discrepancies in the additional stipends from school to school.
"Oh, there's no question. I mean, it's a nightmare," Swinney said Wednesday during an ACC teleconference. "I mean, I just think that the intent is good because I think we're finally modernizing the scholarship to reflect 2015, and there's a lot of positives that are coming about, even last year, being able to actually feed our guys like we need to be able to feed them. I think that was a positive. They tried the stipend thing. It didn't go through. So basically this is the way that they're getting that done, but there's some unintended consequences, and there's no question it's not a level playing field, and it is going to be the No.1 topic at all the coaches' meetings because it's not good.
"I think, again, the intent is good, but for one school to be able to pay $3,000 or $4,000 more than another school, then at the end of the day, guys are going to make decisions for the wrong reasons, and it shouldn't be that way. I don't like where we are right now. We are where we are, but I think that there has to be a better solution somewhere down the road, and I think eventually we're going to get there. But it is where it is right now, and it's going to be a factor in the recruiting process, there's no question."
One of the first priorities after the Power Five conferences were granted the ability to make their own rules was to institute cost of attendance stipends into athletic scholarships. The extra money can help athletes with the expenses that come with being a college student.
“The way we’ve done it, where there could be tremendous difference in what we give as opposed to another school is able to give, we’ve never done anything like that in college football before,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said during the teleconference.
Need an example of the possible discrepancies? According to the Charleston Post and Courier, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich has estimated his school will need an extra $925,000 for cost of attendance stipends derived off the school's $3,608 "other expenses fee." Penn State's miscellaneous expenses figure is nearly $4,800. Over four years, it could be a difference of over $4,500.
Is it a figure enough to influence a recruit's decision? College football coaches apparently think it is. As we said back in March, we wonder if it'd be feasible for an independent agency to calculate the stipends. That way schools wouldn't have the opportunity to inflate their other expenses column to try to match or outflank other schools.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
