It hurts your program. People around the world say 85 scholarships, we've got to cut football, we've got to cut football. They don't know what they're saying right there. Because of the quality of football, it's tough to have depth. So when you take away from those initials, you're just cutting the program right in the heart.
Every scholarship is so precious.
The most severe penalty is losing two overall scholarships in 2001 and one in 2002, Nutt said. Arkansas has maintained its full 85 allotment since Nutt took over the program in December 1997. Last year, the fit was so tight that Nutt had to ask two recruits to defer their scholarships one semester. That means the players who potentially will miss out on scholarships the next two years could be deserving walk-ons. If Arkansas had restrictions this season, then Nutt would not have been able to put walk-on tight end Cameron Glenn on scholarship last week.