You're right, Duke's decision is Duke's decision. That is precisely the point I was making (or tried to). You're probably also right that without acceding to the "one and done" rule, Duke wouldn't get any of the top HS players. And so they made their bed and let Coach K roll with it.
I am not privy to what ND's Admin and Fr. Jenkins have told Brey, but I strongly suspect they have told him he isn't going to be allowed to accept one and done recruits, assuming for the moment that he could find a player of that caliber willing to consider ND. (FWIW, Brey has previously said he thinks the "one and done" rule will be gone soon, with HS players who want to enter the NBA going into a "G" League, instead of the charade under the current system of them being admitted to college as student athletes:
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/mike-brey-one-and-done-to-be-gone-by-2020)
I don't see the NFL changing their eligibility requirements anytime soon, if for no other reason that a kid one year out of high school isn't physically developed enough to play in the NFL. That is just human physiology.
Yes, ND has had a few FB players leave after their junior years; Jaylon Smith and Josh Adams readily come to mind, but both of them returned to ND to complete their degrees. How many Duke "one and done" BB players do you think have returned to finish their degrees? I have no information on that, but I suspect "very few" or "none" is the answer. While ND admits FB players with the knowledge that they may leave after their junior years (assuming the NFL grants the player's request to enter the draft), the expectation is that they will complete their degree program. That is not the expectation with one and done players. In addition, ND has never had "jock" majors and requires FB players to satisfy the same core curriculum requirements that all freshman must meet. So I stand by my contention that, for better or worse, ND has made a principled decision to adhere to the concept of the student athlete. Duke cannot say that anymore.
Does ND get the one and done BASKETBALL player? I mean when it really comes down to it we aren't in the running for that type of basketnall athlete.
Having said that let's hypothetically say ND did get that type of player. Once in a blue moon type of player.
There is nothing whatsoever the university can do to stop said player. It's not a fortress or a prison.
Now they can go into the recruiting process with the intention of getting a player who w8ll stay more than one year but again they've no control over ultimately what the player chooses to do.
We are not a basketball school so this particular subject wouldn't come up regardless....but we are in fact a football school....
I echo again this is apples and oranges.
The NFL doesn't allow one and done players. They just make that policy because more than half aren't ready to play a physical sport against grown men.
The NFL has no age minimum but it's based on 3 years removed from high school.
When appropriate or receiving bad advice we have football players who leave early looking for the day check.
If the NFL ever went to a one and done in football... You can be thankful they never will due to player saftey.... At that point we'd know what ND would do with such a decision.
We've players leave early now so I'd bet we'd have players that leave early then too. Again, you can't keep them under lock and key. You can't see the future with what said player will want to do if he's eligible to play professionally.
Brey doesn't really have to deal with the one and done because he's not getting that kid anyways.
Let me ask you a question.
If Zion had said to Brey...Mr. Brey I only want to play basketball for Notre Dame. Every school has offered me but I'd like to play for you. I'm not sure if I'll leave early or stay all 4 years.
For the sake of argument let's say he'd have no trouble getting into ND. Would Brey actually say to the kid, I'm sorry, but I think you will leave after 1 season so no thanks.
He can't predict a future unless the future is already decided for him. As in the players interested in ND basketball which is a secondary basketball school wouldn't be one and done talent.
Football on the other hand is already decided by the NFL but even with that decision we still have players leave early for a pay check.
Do most return for a degree? Sure, but that's the nature of it that extends way beyond ND. A lot if players at many upon many schools return at some point for their degree. That's not just a ND thing.
It's a common sense thing because most students by year three have already completed well over 75 percent of their requirement for graduation.
One and done players are still miles from returning for a degree.
I've no idea how many one and done players return for a degree or keep working on it to actually graduate and you don't either.
The main point to all this is the dark cloud this puts on the school or not.
Does Zion place some dark cloud over Duke and really make Duke look like a basketball school or was that cemented in place by Coach K success long before the one and done existed?
Do the football players that leave early present day make ND look like a football school as a whole...or the countless titles and success of yesteryear did that?
Did admitting Chris Zorich and Tony Rice hurt the reputation of ND as a whole?
Bullshit !!!
Actually the school should be kissing their ass because they helped ND get the NBC home game contract that the school dearly enjoys the benefits, no?!?
Without ND what does Chris Zorich do with his life?
That's a tremendous story and we all know ND loves it's hallmark stories.