Books as important as blocks to Knights
UCF 9th among bowl teams in graduation success report
UCF football players are state champions in the classroom.
The Knights ranked No. 1 among in-state bowl-bound teams in a graduation success report released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport based at UCF.
The report released annually after bowl selections are made listed the Knights as No. 9 among 78 teams competing in bowl games and just ahead of Florida among state schools.
UCF coach Josh Heupel celebrated the news, posting on Twitter, “Top-10 & No. 1 in the state for all bowl eligible teams!
Proud of our guys for continuing to deliver in the classroom and finishing their degree from this incredible university!”
Air Force ranked No. 1 nationally with a Graduation Success Rate of 997. Clemson was No. 2 (992), followed by No. 3 Navy (991), No. 3 Washington (991), No. 5 Boston College (989), No. 5 Nevada (989) and No. 5 Wake Forest (989).
UCF tied with Ohio State with a 987 score.
Among in-state schools, UF was No. 2 with a score of 975. The Gators were followed by No. 3 FAU (971), No. 4 Miami (970), No. 5 FIU (959) and No. 6 FSU (936).
The Seminoles’ academic marks plummeted near the end of coach Jimbo Fisher’s tenure,
with players transferring, leaving early and skipping classes. Former coach Willie Taggart stressed the importance of academics and helped the Seminoles improve before he was fired last month.
The report included bowlbound teams’ Graduation Success Rate, which measures graduation rates, and Academic Progress Rate, which evaluates academic success and progress toward graduation during an athlete’s career.
All of the 2019 bowl-bound schools had an APR of the NCAA minimum 930 or higher. The average APR for the schools increased by one to 971 in 2019.
While College Football Playoff semifinalists Clemson and Ohio State were among the top 10 programs, LSU had an APR score of 951 and Oklahoma had a score of 966, falling below the bowl-bound average.
Late game: The UCF-versusWisconsin-Green Bay basketball game was not completed in time for this edition. Read the late game story in our e-edition at OrlandoSentinel.com/late or on our website.