Mike Sutton - Panther Creek - Commits to Air Force
Just heard that Mike Sutton from Panther Creek accepted a full ride to Air Force. Glad to see another area football player get an opportunity to play FBS football. Congrats Mike!
RE: Mike Sutton - Panther Creek - Commits to Air Force
The Air Force academy may recruit athletes but they still have to go through the nomination process and qualify academically - a very competitive and rigorous ordeal. For those athletes just short of being academically qualified - there are 1 year academy prep schools.
The academies don't actually offer football scholarships - a prospective student accepts an appointment after being nominated and passing entrance requirements. All students/cadets at the academies have full 4 year rides - full scholarships, followed by commissioning as an officer upon graduation.
I would certainly say that an academy appointment is much more prestigous than a football scholarship and I congratulate this young man for his choice.
50 years ago when colleges did not offer athletic scholarships - the academies were dominant in college football...now not no much.
RE: Mike Sutton - Panther Creek - Commits to Air Force
Yeah I heard that Air Force dont really do full rides but the kid has great combine stats.
RE: Mike Sutton - Panther Creek - Commits to Air Force
Don't get caught up in the semantics. The service academies, including Air Force, offer kids. Whether you chose to call it a scholarship or an appointment, it is essentially the same. It is really a full ride. They recruit kids, they call kids and say, we are offering you. If a student decides to leave the academy after completing 3 years, they have to repay the cost of attending the academy(can transfer after 2nd with no penalty). I don't like hearing or thinking that I'm hearing that a Div 1, FBS kid is not going to a "full" ride school. It almost sounds as though people are devaluing the accomplishment. It is hard as you know what to get into these academies and to be a top athlete and to be asked to play on this level while doing it, is even more special.
Congrats Mike Sutton!!
Rank: Rookie 
