Digging into OSU’s graduation rates from latest NCAA report
On the surface, the numbers of the Oklahoma State football team in the NCAA’s latest Graduation Success Rate released Wednesday are startling.
OSU football had the lowest score of any program at the school, with 51 points on the 100-point scale. No other OSU athletic program came in below 67.
The GSR, essentially, measures athletes who graduate from college within six years of enrollment. That means the numbers in Wednesday’s report are based on the athletes who entered college in the 2010-11 academic year.
The 2010 class for Cowboy football included a small percentage of players who stayed with the program, and multiple players who did not conclude their playing careers at OSU or any other school. On the GSR report, schools do not get punished for athletes who transfer in good academic standing.
In the years since 2010, OSU has improved its academic performance, based on the Academic Progress Rate, which measures athletes’ progress toward graduation over the previous four years.
Last May, the OSU football team had its best single-year (974) and multiyear (953) rates since the APR system was introduced in 2003. A score of 930 is required for teams to be eligible to compete for championships.
OSU has shown improvement in the APR over each of the past four yearly reports, and GSR numbers will begin to reflect that improvement in the coming years.
In the current GSR cycle, OSU’s overall score across all sports was 70, which represents a two-point increase from last year’s cycle.
The men’s basketball program had an 18-point gain, climbing from 57 points to 75, and men’s tennis had a 17-point improvement in going from 50 to 67.
Health making all the difference for Brailford
Asked what has enabled redshirt sophomore defensive end Jordan Brailford to become the impact player he’s been for the Cowboys this season, defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer kept his answer brief.
“He’s healthy,” Spencer said.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Brailford leads the team in sacks with four, and tackles for loss with 7.5. His 38 tackles are fifth on the team overall, and best among defensive linemen.
The Tulsa Washington product was held out much of the preseason because the OSU coaches didn’t want to press his health as he concluded his rehab from last season’s injuries.
“As a freshman, he showed some of that speed, then he had all the injuries,” Spencer said. “Now he’s healthy and strong.”
Mike Yurcich among candidates for Broyles Award
Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is among the 56 nominees for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football.
Also among the nominees are Florida International defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach Brent Guy and TCU defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow, both Oklahoma State alums.
The list will be narrowed to 15 semifinalists and then five finalists before the winner is announced Dec. 5 in Little Rock, Ark.