Ole Miss To Lose Three Football Scholarships for 2010

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss football program will lose three scholarships for the 2010 signing class, due to its APR for the 2007-2008 year falling below the required 925 cut score, it was announced here Wednesday. The scholarship loss is a result of the squad not retaining three players that were academically ineligible. While institutions may fall below the 925 cut score, the scholarship penalties are only levied if a player is not retained and academically ineligible. "It is important to note that coaching changes have a negative impact on retention points at all institutions," said Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone. "Academic eligibility is the responsibility of the athletics department, coaches and the students while they are members of our teams. Our Student-Athlete Academic Support staff is one of the best in the country. Having said that, the NCAA admission standards are liberal and the degree programs at Ole Miss are demanding. "There is good news. We expect the APR for the football team to be above the 925 cut score for the 2008-2009 academic year and we do not anticipate any further penalties. For the past two years the Athletics Director's office has been more engaged in the analysis of the prospective student-athlete's academic preparedness prior to scholarship approval. Going forward we will consult with our Faculty Athletics Representative, Ron Rychlak, to further enhance and streamline our entire academic program." "The academic success of our players is a priority for our staff and we are committed to having a good academic program," said Head Football Coach Houston Nutt. "We work very closely with and support the Office of Student-Athlete Academic Support in its efforts to provide academic needs for our young men in their progress toward their college degrees. The penalties being accessed occurred prior to the time of our arrival. Our team's APR number for this year is predicted to be over 925 and that shows our commitment and we look forward to continuing our academic success." "With this type of commitment from our head football coach, we will see continued academic progress over the next several years," Boone added. As a department, all Ole Miss teams excel academically. Examples of recent success include the following: * Student-athletes' graduation rates have exceeded those of the general student population for the past few years. * Over 50 percent of the student-athletes during the 2007-08 academic year were named to the UMAA honor roll, which requires a GPA of 3.0. * The Ole Miss women's golf team was recently named a top performing team for the 2007-08 APR year. * Ten teams have a perfect single year APR rate of 1000 for the 2007-08 report. * Men's tennis, currently the No. 2 ranked team in the country, has received the prestigious ITA All-Academic Team award in 1997, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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