Seven Bulls earn Big East academic honors

The Big East released its football All-Academic honors on Thursday, and it's a strange thing when a conference can celebrate roughly 10 percent of its football players garnering a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average or higher.

Seven Bulls made the list, including three former or current walk-ons. Two seniors -- quarterback Anthony Severino and cornerback Ryan Gilliam -- were honored, as well as junior receiver Marcus Edwards. Two sophomores -- long-snapper Eric Setser and kicker/punter Delbert Alvarado -- made the list, as well as redshirt freshman tackle Jacob Sims and freshman running back Mike Ford.

Congrats to them for representing USF among 82 Big East football players honored, especially Edwards, who has now been honored three years in a row. Severino and Setser were both honored on last year's team, which also had seven Bulls honored. USF had five make the honor roll after the 2005 season, its first in the Big East.

Seven, as you may guess, isn't a particularly high number -- only Cincinnati (6) and Connecticut (5) had fewer. West Virginia set the standard for the league with 19 players honored, and I'm impressed to see 11 different majors among their players, though three of them (honest) are Coaching, Athletic Coaching, and Athletic Coaching Education (three kids on the last one). Syracuse had 13 kids honored, Rutgers 12, Louisville 11 and Pittsburgh 9.

Comments

[Amber]

Greg, you are correct Eric was never on the roster at Toledo. He went to Toledo as a preferred walk-on. Shortly after he met with the coaches and players he realized that it wasn't the kind of atmosphere he was looking for so he began looking elsewhere and found USF.

[Stephen Blackehart]

John H,
In my experience, very little in college life has a lot of relevance to the real working world. In some fields, sure (medicine, law, etc.), but I would venture that close to 90% of what most people carry with them from their university days is not the concrete accumulated knowledge from their classes, but rather the context...the ways in which one might make something more than merely a living in life by using one's mind rather than just one's labor.

If these student-athletes can, by playing a children's game for the entertainment of others, generate funding for the university and give themselves the opportunity for a better life, I see no problem when their GPA dips below 3.0.

Sorry, I forgot this is a sports blog. What I really meant to say is, uh...Go Bulls!

[Ari Hinkelberger]

I love how all the people say "congrats" to this guy for his grade point average... blah blah blah.

Does anyone even remember the graduation cermony.. ? Do you remember when they honored all the people who had a 4.0

Do you think it was just "chance" that 95% of them were from the college of education or arts and sciences.??

Wonder why??

Because its a joke. Everyone at USF needs to take financial accounting and business calc. Its a right of passage.

I bet you didn't know that if you get an A or B in financial accounting in Dr. Stephens class they actually hold a banquet to honor you.

Ari -- a guy who doesn't think that "Introduction to the Black Experience" or AFA 2000 (for all of you guys who think I am making this up) is a hard class.

[John H]

Congratulations to Mike Ford. I suppose if the faculty academic committee had been around when he was admitted they would have excluded him from admission. So, it just shows that many of the benchmarks which are used to measure a person's future success in life are artificially created and have little or no validity.

[John H]

Congratulations to Mike Ford. I suppose if the academic committee had been around when he was admitted they would have excluded him from admission. So, it just shows that many of the benchmarks which are used to measure a person's success future success in life are artificially created and have little or no validity.

[G.A.]

If I remember right, Setser was just a student at Toledo and not on the football team. If someone knows differently, let me know ...

[Stephen Blackehart]

Reality, I'm guessing that you're an accountant or something related to financial services, based on the companies you cite. That being so, would those companies seriously care what the GPA was of a prospective CPA or Financial Planner? I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it surprises me. My buddy has a BS, a JD & an MBA, is CFO of his company, and also has never been asked his college GPA. Asking around today, nobody I know has ever been asked, except by a university when applying for grad school.

More to the point, though, I don't think any of the students we're talking about are even remotely considering a career in that field. Lee Roy (sp?) Selmon went that way after football, but he's quite the exception.

[reality]

Well, let me start with the 3.0 companies that I know of......MetLife, Deloitte, PWC, and those are only 3 of that I know of personally from working in the Tampa Area.

[Stephen Blackehart]

I don't know what job in the world asks for your college GPA, J, other than at your company. I've been in business for a long time, as both employee and employer, and I've NEVER been asked what my college GPA was, nor asked it of a potential employee. I can't see how it would be relevant. All anyone cares about are two things: what degrees you hold (and undergraduate majors aren't even important most of the time - just the degree itself), and if you can do the job.

The point with a lot of these athletes is that they graduate. They obviously have a love for sports, and can still work in the field without necessarily being NFL players - as coaches, physical therapists, whatever. How many people get to work in something they love? Most people I know don't work in the same field as their college major, anyway.

And trust me, regardless of where life takes these guys after USF, the lessons they learn on that field and in the struggle to be great players will stick with them long after the vagueries of "Research Methods I".

[Dave W]

Wow. My dorm had about an 80% 3.0 rate. It really is quite sad that so few manage to be slightly above average. I don't want to hear about "busy schedules" because I'm loaded up on extra-cirriculars and student government, and I manage to do pretty well. I'm political science and international relations, which are both relatively easy compared to engineering or biology (yea, I said it Blake. Merry Christmas). If you can't a 3.0 in Athletic Coaching, you just aren't trying very hard.

But it is nice to know that I could major in coaching people to do anything, coaching them in athletics, or teaching people how to coach people in athletics. We call that educational diversity!

So Setser played with Bruce "Padrino" Gradkowski? That's kind of cool.

[Herman Momart]

"Seminar;Life in the Big House" may have been an easy class but what an awesome class. The professor was the ex-wardon at Rahway prison in New Jersey. Which is the jail they did that show "Scared Straight", where little kids would be scared by inmates to keep them out of jail. I learned a lot in that class, and where else can you take a test where the term "shank" was a multiple choice option. But, yes, being a Criminology major is pretty much 13-16th grade. I would recommend you have some other self ambition skill or the gift of gab if you want to get a good job with a Criminology degree.

Congrats to the 7 Bulls with over a 3.0 but I am with 702JV, just as long as they are graduating.

and ari I like how you say "even" Herman. Who got better grades in the classes we took together. Thought so my pupil.

[Ari Hinkelberger]

"Crime and Justice in America"
"Seminar on the Drug War"
"Research Methods II"
"Correctional Administration"
"Private Security Systems"

If you can't get a 3.0 in Criminology you needs to rethink this education stuff.

As Criminology major myself, I concur with the phrase that "80% of success in life is just showing up."

[Jon]

Absolutely no way Mike Ford earned a 3.0, that kid is as dumb as they come. Sorry but that's just BS. Anyone who knows him will know that.

[DELdaBULL]

DERRY,

WE READ IT THE FIRST TIME.

[DERRY BECK]

I ECHO JEROME'S COMMENTS, AND AM VERY PLEASED TO SEE MIKE FORD'S NAME MENTIONED WITH ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. DON'T KNOW HIM AT ALL, BUT I WAS VERY PLEASED WHEN HE BECAME A BULL, AND HAVE BEEN EVEN HAPPIER WITH HIS PROGRESS. I'M ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBER OF POSTERS THAT HAVE RECOGNIZED HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE ON AND OFF THE FIELD-WE ARE ALL PROUD OF MIKE FORD, AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

[DERRY BECK]

I ECHO JEROME'S COMMENTS, AND AM VERY PLEASED TO SEE MIKE FORD'S NAME MENTIONED WITH ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. DON'T KNOW HIM AT ALL, BUT I WAS VERY PLEASED WHEN HE BECAME A BULL, AND HAVE BEEN EVEN HAPPIER WITH HIS PROGRESS. I'M ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBER OF POSTERS THAT HAVE RECOGNIZED HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE ON AND OFF THE FIELD-WE ARE ALL PROUD OF MIKE FORD, AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

[DERRY BECK]

I ECHO JEROME'S COMMENTS, AND AM VERY PLEASED TO SEE MIKE FORD'S NAME MENTIONED WITH ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. DON'T KNOW HIM AT ALL, BUT I WAS VERY PLEASED WHEN HE BECAME A BULL, AND HAVE BEEN EVEN HAPPIER WITH HIS PROGRESS. I'M ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBER OF POSTERS THAT HAVE RECOGNIZED HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE ON AND OFF THE FIELD-WE ARE ALL PROUD OF MIKE FORD, AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

[JoeB]

Way to go Mike Ford, stick it to Nick Saban! Where is all the OL guys? Normally these are the smartest guys on the field, but we don't have any that made besides FR Ryan Sims. C'mon big guys, get it together.

[KC]

It would be nice if this improved. I've seen some big time schools with lower numbers than us but we need to be better than that. I know they are obviously eligible but it owuld be great to see more kids balancing both at a high level.

Texas had at least 23 on their list and UF had 26 players on its list.

[J]

"Is filled with a bunch of idiots, not just their football players. I was didn't know Ben Moffitt's wife was so stupid!"

You must be one of those idiots you refer to. Those are a couple of the most incoherent excuses for sentences I've ever seen.

[Windbane]

Yeah, I work for a company that looks at GPA as well. So what? The point remains that a high GPA is not a requirement to be successful in life.

[G.A.]

Thanks, Amber. I'd completely forgotten that. Went and checked the blog archive, and I wrote about that back in '06 ...

http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2006/03/chat_with_me_th.html

[Amber]

I am Eric Setser's sister and in fact the last poster is correct. Eric transferred after his freshman year from Toledo he is currently a senior and this coming football season he will use his final year of eligibility and will most likely be graduating in Dec.

[Tad]

What types of jobs required a 3.0 for employment? No one expects these guys to be the head of microsoft. Get over it.

Kudos to Ford though!

[Reality]

How many Bulls are in the NFL? I guess that tells you that we should be focusing on the academic side of the house. These guys have to be productive the rest of their lives, and they are getting a free education, maybe they should take advantage of it.

According to the USF website Setser has been a sophmore for the past three years how is that possible? Wouldn't that make him a senior?

[J]

Jerome, I echo your comments about Ford. Great job on his part turning it around.

[J]

"Being successful outside of sports doesn't require a high GPA, either."

Incorrect, my company won't even consider a potential candidate with less than a 3.0. You are correct that the GPAs don't really matter for those going into the NFL, but that's maybe 3-5 each year.

[Jerome]

Mike Ford's name should have been in the headline. For all the trouble that guy went through to get into school it is absolutely outstanding that he has shown he knows how to work hard and take advantage of his educational opportunities. I am really proud of that guy and I have never met him. He should be the shining example to that stupid admissions committee that you have to give these guys a chance.

[Windbane]

Reality, give me a break. A lot of those guys are only in college to play sports. Those that make it to the NFL are training for a job. Education is important but not many people care what the specific GPAs are as long as they succeed in sports. Being successful outside of sports doesn't require a high GPA, either.

[sv]

How about we release the fricken football schedule now. How hard could it be there is only 8 teams.

[Al]

Nice to see Mike Ford's name on the list.

Congrats!

[Reality]

Nothing says low class like saying that GPA's don't matter. Remember these are colleges first and athletic factories second.......

[Sanjay]

Nothing says "trader" more than a rant about low GPAs.

[702JV]

I was a Criminology major too, did you look around the Crime and Justice in America class LOL under 3.0 .....that would be the average for non-athletes way before we had a football program!!! As long as the athletes are graduating...that is all that counts in my book!

[Ari Hinkelberger]

112 guys on the football team and freakin 7!! had a 3.0...

come on guy. Even Herman managed a 3.0 in Criminology. I remember the criminology classes -- what was it Herman "Life in the Big House" - "Research Methods I" - "Criminal Law"

112 guys on the footbal team and damn 7 have a 3.0.

Pathetic. I don't care how big of a trader you call me. Just Pathetic

[702JV]

Congrats Bulls !!!