No, Dave Johnson, the NCAA doesn't hate you.
Yes, they may slightly dislike your players.
Don't blame Johnson, though, if he is looking over his shoulder every now and then. After all, West Virginia's offensive line coach has likely had a monthlong headache since the Mountaineers' fall camp started Aug. 7.
Not only has he had to deal with trying to plug in two starters on the right side of his offensive line, but the off-the-field issues with his two standout freshmen have seemed like a never ending process.
That was, however, until the NCAA ruled 6-foot-5, 290-pound Marquis Wallace academically ineligible to play at West Virginia last week. Sure, these types of verdicts are usually common, but tomorrow is Sept. 1 – nearly one month since WVU's fall camp began.
Wallace practiced with West Virginia for most of fall camp, minus the three days midway through, which he missed because the NCAA was reviewing his case. He was later cleared and even played in the Mountaineers' final scrimmage of fall camp.
Then, the NCAA changed its mind.
Less than a week later,
Wallace is gone.
And as fate would have it, he transferred to WVU's in-state rival, Marshall. The Thundering Herd, of course, plays West Virginia in two weeks in one of the rivalry's most anticipated games.
Wallace won't be playing, though. Because of the NCAA's late ruling, he now has to sit out an entire season, which could count toward a redshirt only if he graduates in four years.
Now, Wallace is at a school he didn't want to be at, playing for a coach and team he didn't want to play for.
He has to be wondering if playing college football is even worth the pain anymore.
It wasn't just Wallace that the NCAA fooled with this preseason. Fellow offensive lineman Quinton Spain missed the entire first week of fall camp due to eligibility issues.
It was just one week, but it may have cost him his freshman season.
Because Johnson had already spent a week with the players who were in camp, he said it would have been hard to get Wallace caught up without cutting corners, which Johnson said he is completely opposed to. He cited there's no point in skipping steps now when he'd have to go back and teach them later.
The result: Spain is listed with the third-string on WVU's depth chart. A redshirt likely awaits him.
Maybe he wouldn't have played as a freshman. We'll never know now.
All of this could have been prevented if the NCAA would have handled both of these cases quickly and efficiently. Whether it means staffing more employees or starting on cases earlier, the NCAA must find a way to make a decision on an athlete's eligibility before the first day of his team's practice.
The aforementioned cases have only made the NCAA look like a joke. More importantly, the association is treating its players like a joke.
There's no excuse for the amount of times Wallace was ruled eligible and ineligible.
These cases happen way too often. In the NCAA's defense, tracking down the proper academic credentials and double-checking test scores can be a prolonged process. But there's surely a better and quicker way of completing the process.
If there isn't, players should at least be allowed to practice with their team while their case is under review. If the player is ruled ineligible, as in Wallace's case, the player is done and transfers to another school, if possible.
If the player makes the academic qualifications, he hasn't missed any time and hasn't been punished for doing nothing wrong.
The NCAA took two WVU offensive linemen, who had an outside shot of playing minutes this season and ruined their freshman seasons.
He also ruined Johnson's depth chart.