GeauxTo
08-19-2006, 01:45 PM
BATON ROUGE -- Keiland Williams is somewhere between the Grave and Tiger Stadium.
Williams was a highly recruited tailback from Northside High in Lafayette and more recently from Hargrave Military Academy -- a nose-to-the-grindstone school nicknamed the Grave -- in Chatham, Va., when he chose LSU over USC last February.
Williams woke up this morning on the 13th day of his limbo, awaiting the go-ahead from the NCAA Clearinghouse in Iowa City, Iowa, that checks grade transcripts and ACT or SAT test scores for incoming collegiate athletes.
"I can't even explain how ready I am to get out there," Williams said from his home in Lafayette, where he has been running regularly to stay in shape. "I'll be walking down the street, and somebody will make a comment about how I'm going to do or when I'll join the team and I just get so excited."
Williams is one of three remaining LSU football players awaiting the OK from the Clearinghouse so they can start practicing and then enroll in school. Al Woods, a Parade All-American defensive tackle from Elton, was cleared on Thursday and is expected to practice today. Tailback Richard Murphy of Rayville, offensive guard Steven Singleton of Buford, Ga., and Williams are still waiting.
"I can't wait to get out there so I can make the best of my opportunity to get on the field," Williams said.
Williams' SAT score was red flagged by the NCAA in March for an inordinately high improvement over his previous test and he had to take it again in June, which is late in the NCAA Clearinghouse process. The NCAA also tends to look more closely at prospective student-athletes who switch high schools.
"They look at thousands and thousands of students in all sports," said Miriam Seger, an assistant athletic director at LSU who works in NCAA compliance.
"And it's not just the Clearinghouse. The NCAA checks some of the same things the Clearinghouse does. We're in constant contact with them."
Most of the prospective student-athletes the NCAA Clearinghouse reviews did not complete their course work or take the SAT or ACT until the summer, but sometimes there is a delay with the school sending the transcript to the NCAA, Seger said.
Williams graduated from Hargrave in May, but Hargrave did not mail his transcript to the NCAA until only recently because Williams' tuition was not paid until Aug. 4, according to Hargrave records.
"It's not a class," Williams said. "I graduated. I took all the right courses. It's not an academic issue. My transcript just got released by Hargrave about a week ago."
William Wiebking, Hargrave's director of communications, said Hargrave in recent years started not releasing transcripts until graduating students' accounts were paid up.
"It's the school's policy," Wiebking said. "We've had various sponsors volunteer to pay an athlete's tuition over the years. Then they're late in the payment or we don't hear from them after the athlete goes off to a big college. Sometimes the family is unable to pay us."
Tuition is $25,500 a year at Hargrave, a school of more than 400 students approaching its 100th birthday that takes academics very seriously with mandatory study hall for all athletes and stringent course requirements.
"They're up at 6 a.m. and meeting academic advisors at 7:30," Hargrave football coach Robert Prunty said. "And lights out at 11 p.m. They learn what it takes to succeed here."
Athletes like Williams can have a percentage of that tuition removed. There are also many flexible payment plans as many students at Hargrave come from low-income, one-parent families.
"I promise you, if I could've given Keiland a full ride I would have, because he's that good," Prunty said, but he said he has only 11 scholarships to distribute among 40 or so athletes.
Williams, who is 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, gained 1,325 yards on 160 carries last season for Hargrave. He gained 2,500 yards his junior year at Northside.
"Keiland plays with great leverage," Prunty said. "With his size, he's a threat outside or inside. He reminds me of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown of Auburn."
Williams was also impressive off the field.
"Keiland Williams was a diligent student and worked very hard while he was at Hargrave and to get where he is," Wiebking said. "It's unfortunate he has been flagged by the NCAA."
Williams ended up at Hargrave because he turned 19 on Aug. 14, 2005, and Louisiana High School Athletic Association rules prohibit 19-year-old seniors to combat the practice of parents holding back their children to get bigger for football.
"I failed a grade before I got to Northside," Williams said. "I didn't know about that rule, but I'm glad I went to Hargrave because the competition was much better and it has prepared me to play college ball."
On the night before signing day last February, Williams decided he was going to USC.
"But the next morning, I just didn't feel right," he said. "I didn't feel comfortable. I took my time with the decision, waited a few days and decided LSU was the best situation."
Now, Williams just wants to wake up at LSU.
"This delay all came as a surprise,' he said. "I didn't think it was going to take this long. But it's out of my hands now. I can't do anything about it. I just have to wait."
He doesn't plan on waiting long once he gets to LSU, though.
"I would be really disappointed if I have to redshirt, without a doubt" he said. "Once I'm there, if I put out 100 percent all the time, before I know it I think I should be on the field."
http://cmsimg.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D9&Date=20060818&Category=SPORTS0202&ArtNo=608180308&Ref=AR&MaxW=375
Williams was a highly recruited tailback from Northside High in Lafayette and more recently from Hargrave Military Academy -- a nose-to-the-grindstone school nicknamed the Grave -- in Chatham, Va., when he chose LSU over USC last February.
Williams woke up this morning on the 13th day of his limbo, awaiting the go-ahead from the NCAA Clearinghouse in Iowa City, Iowa, that checks grade transcripts and ACT or SAT test scores for incoming collegiate athletes.
"I can't even explain how ready I am to get out there," Williams said from his home in Lafayette, where he has been running regularly to stay in shape. "I'll be walking down the street, and somebody will make a comment about how I'm going to do or when I'll join the team and I just get so excited."
Williams is one of three remaining LSU football players awaiting the OK from the Clearinghouse so they can start practicing and then enroll in school. Al Woods, a Parade All-American defensive tackle from Elton, was cleared on Thursday and is expected to practice today. Tailback Richard Murphy of Rayville, offensive guard Steven Singleton of Buford, Ga., and Williams are still waiting.
"I can't wait to get out there so I can make the best of my opportunity to get on the field," Williams said.
Williams' SAT score was red flagged by the NCAA in March for an inordinately high improvement over his previous test and he had to take it again in June, which is late in the NCAA Clearinghouse process. The NCAA also tends to look more closely at prospective student-athletes who switch high schools.
"They look at thousands and thousands of students in all sports," said Miriam Seger, an assistant athletic director at LSU who works in NCAA compliance.
"And it's not just the Clearinghouse. The NCAA checks some of the same things the Clearinghouse does. We're in constant contact with them."
Most of the prospective student-athletes the NCAA Clearinghouse reviews did not complete their course work or take the SAT or ACT until the summer, but sometimes there is a delay with the school sending the transcript to the NCAA, Seger said.
Williams graduated from Hargrave in May, but Hargrave did not mail his transcript to the NCAA until only recently because Williams' tuition was not paid until Aug. 4, according to Hargrave records.
"It's not a class," Williams said. "I graduated. I took all the right courses. It's not an academic issue. My transcript just got released by Hargrave about a week ago."
William Wiebking, Hargrave's director of communications, said Hargrave in recent years started not releasing transcripts until graduating students' accounts were paid up.
"It's the school's policy," Wiebking said. "We've had various sponsors volunteer to pay an athlete's tuition over the years. Then they're late in the payment or we don't hear from them after the athlete goes off to a big college. Sometimes the family is unable to pay us."
Tuition is $25,500 a year at Hargrave, a school of more than 400 students approaching its 100th birthday that takes academics very seriously with mandatory study hall for all athletes and stringent course requirements.
"They're up at 6 a.m. and meeting academic advisors at 7:30," Hargrave football coach Robert Prunty said. "And lights out at 11 p.m. They learn what it takes to succeed here."
Athletes like Williams can have a percentage of that tuition removed. There are also many flexible payment plans as many students at Hargrave come from low-income, one-parent families.
"I promise you, if I could've given Keiland a full ride I would have, because he's that good," Prunty said, but he said he has only 11 scholarships to distribute among 40 or so athletes.
Williams, who is 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, gained 1,325 yards on 160 carries last season for Hargrave. He gained 2,500 yards his junior year at Northside.
"Keiland plays with great leverage," Prunty said. "With his size, he's a threat outside or inside. He reminds me of Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown of Auburn."
Williams was also impressive off the field.
"Keiland Williams was a diligent student and worked very hard while he was at Hargrave and to get where he is," Wiebking said. "It's unfortunate he has been flagged by the NCAA."
Williams ended up at Hargrave because he turned 19 on Aug. 14, 2005, and Louisiana High School Athletic Association rules prohibit 19-year-old seniors to combat the practice of parents holding back their children to get bigger for football.
"I failed a grade before I got to Northside," Williams said. "I didn't know about that rule, but I'm glad I went to Hargrave because the competition was much better and it has prepared me to play college ball."
On the night before signing day last February, Williams decided he was going to USC.
"But the next morning, I just didn't feel right," he said. "I didn't feel comfortable. I took my time with the decision, waited a few days and decided LSU was the best situation."
Now, Williams just wants to wake up at LSU.
"This delay all came as a surprise,' he said. "I didn't think it was going to take this long. But it's out of my hands now. I can't do anything about it. I just have to wait."
He doesn't plan on waiting long once he gets to LSU, though.
"I would be really disappointed if I have to redshirt, without a doubt" he said. "Once I'm there, if I put out 100 percent all the time, before I know it I think I should be on the field."
http://cmsimg.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D9&Date=20060818&Category=SPORTS0202&ArtNo=608180308&Ref=AR&MaxW=375