re: Question about Army Football and Recruiting

You don't get a scholarship instead you get an appointment as many on the board have said. So it's like playing for your high school team. You attend the school and it's essentially an extra curricular activity.

They also have open tryouts for anyone in the corps of cadets that wants to try out for the team during "Beast Barracks". This holds true for for all of the corps squad sports (NCAA).

I had a beast squad mate go out for the team who didn't know West Point had a team. He ended up starting our Senior year as a DB.

West Point also has a prep school so this number of 61 probably includes several football players that are going to the prep school. This is West Point's version of red shirting b/c once you enter the academy you essentially have four years to graduate. Those that go to prep school are not guaranteed a spot at WP the following year and they can and often do get recruited by other programs.

Unlike universities in the southern part of the U.S. many schools in the NE still have JV teams. The games would be played Friday evenings before home football games.

Any cadet can leave the academy either voluntarily or kicked out during their first two years without having to pay Uncle Sam back money or time of service. Once you attend the first class of your Cow (junior) year you are comitted to Uncle Sam and will owe him time if you fail to graduate for any reason other than medical discharge.

Football team will carry many more players than it should but has to due to high turnover rate. Several ball players will leave the Academy in the first couple of years. Others like myself will quit the team and stay at the academy for a variety of reasons. I chose an engineering major that required 21 credit hrs the fall semester of my Junior year. Instead of starting on the O-line I decided to concentrate on graduating.

Even though there are several "extra" players committed they are still governed by the other NCAA recruiting rules in terms of number of official visits, coaches visits/contact, etc.