Urban Meyer and Nick Saban agree on more things than you might think.
The Ohio State and Alabama football coaches are at the top of their sport, having won the last two national championships. Their programs export talent to the NFL without even thinking twice about it and each man is considered as good a recruiter you can find in the country.
As it turns out, Meyer and Saban ride the same wavelength to the idea of an underclassmen skills combine too. Neither is pleased with the amount of information the NFL receives as it evaluates a college football player.
"Coach Saban and I have had many conversations. We had a conference call with a bunch of coaches on the line and no it's not," Meyer said Wednesday in Geneva, Ohio, shortly after his annual youth camp with Dean Hood. "It's not a process that is well done right now."
Nine underclassmen from Ohio State's 2015 team declared for the 2016 NFL Draft by Jan. 5, four days after the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl. A total of 12 players became draft picks including five in the first round (four underclassmen), but two players — Jalin Marshall and Tyvis Powell — did not hear their names called in Chicago. Marshall had two years of eligibility remaining and Powell one, and both signed free agent contracts in the hours following the end of the draft — Marshall with the New York Jets and Powell with the Seattle Seahawks.
Still, players cannot elect to return to school once they file the paperwork to leave early. The NBA adopted a rule change for this past season which gave college players more time to weigh their options, participate in a pre-draft combine and see how they stack up against the other talent in the draft pool.
All that happened before the deadline passed where guys could not return to school, a process well received by coaches and players alike and one that really just makes sense.
Meyer, Saban and even Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema want something like that in place for their sport.
"If you ask the NFL, how can we maintain trust with our players when you're giving us inaccurate information? Their response is 'We don't know enough about the guys to really give you the information because all we can really go on is film evaluation,'" Saban said at the SEC's annual meetings in May. "That's why we have a combine and all these other things. We want accurate information when that's all said and done in December."
Added Bielema: "If (an underclassman) could sit down with NFL people or personnel people that are making the decisions firsthand, I think it could be a great resource. And you know what? It works out better for everybody. Graduation rates to go up. Success rates go up. Failure rates go down. Kids are in school longer. Kids are in preparation to be in the NFL to play longer."
Meyer wants the same thing and recognizes how difficult it is to get an accurate judgment on a potential pro prospect.
"Information is good, so (players are) going to get it from someone. Why not get it from the experts?" Meyer said Wednesday. "The NFL scouts and general managers and all that, they're getting it from agents or they're getting from wannabes and that's not the proper information."
Meyer added he speaks with AFCA executive director Todd Berry about somehow putting on an event to allow underclassmen the chance to work out for and speak with NFL scouts and general managers. Time could be the issue with doing so however, because players must declare their intentions to turn pro by Jan. 18. This past college football season did not end until Jan. 11 when Alabama beat Clemson for the national title.
The Buckeyes hosted 38 NFL scouts (at least one from each team) in early February for an informational session on their underclassmen.
Meyer and Saban will surely take more steps and push for more changes to further assist their players in their process to turn pro. Priority No. 1 is another combine-type event.
"There is a rule that says the NFL cannot look at juniors," Meyer said. "Of course you're going to look at a junior and you should look at a junior. We're going to try to get something where they actually come in and there is a time where they could work out the juniors."
