COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina football coach Steve
Spurrier blasted the school's admissions process, apologizing to
two recruits who signed with the Gamecocks last winter and were
denied academic entry this summer.
"In my opinion, I still believe we made a mistake," Spurrier
said Sunday.
Spurrier had spoken with university president Andrew Sorensen
and the two agreed, the coach said, that things needed to change.
Spurrier was angered that receiver Michael Bowman of Wadesboro,
N.C., and Arkee Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., were cleared by the
NCAA to enroll, yet were turned down by the university. The rest of
the Gamecocks football team officially reported Friday for
preseason camp.
"Hopefully, I truly believe this is the last year this is going
to happen, because I can't operate like that," Spurrier said. "I
can't operate misleading young men."
Spurrier signed a contract extension, which included a raise of
nearly a half-million dollars, that ties him to South Carolina
through 2012. However, he said if things didn't change on
admissions "then I have to go somewhere else, because I can't tell
the young man that he's coming to school here," then not have him
admitted.
University spokesman Russ McKinney said Spurrier has been
involved in talks with Sorensen and other administrators about
refining the process of athletic admissions.
"I think the university administration understands his
frustration," McKinney said.