In April, when the NCAA changed its policy to allow for unlimited meals, college coaches championed it as a success for student-athletes and as a potential benefit in recruiting. But for Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, it was just another reminder of what he’s up against.
“That doesn’t pertain to us,” he said of the new rules.
Calhoun isn’t bitter about the rule change. He knows it benefits athletes at most schools and that it’s necessary in a world more focused on player welfare. And he knew in 2007, when he took the Air Force Academy job, that he was signing up for one of the three toughest jobs in college football.
At no other major football schools are recruits agreeing to active military service when they sign to play football. At the academies, physical training mandatory for a degree gets in the way of physical training for football. And that’s for the players who meet the height and weight requirements for entry.
With these restrictions, among many others, it’s a shock that America’s service academies can win any games in the top subdivision of Division I. Because to win games, you have to recruit good players. And finding good players with those restrictions is improbable, at best.
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Photo: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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