The Idaho State football team had its first winning season in over a decade last year. Head coach Mike Kramer told me a big reason for the turnaround was due to an increased focus on academics. The results were tangible (e.g. a recovery of lost scholarships) and immeasurable (e.g. smart players –> smart plays –> wins), and I found that improved APR correlated with victories on the field.

Here’s the link to my story, with an excerpt below:

Idaho State went 6-39 (4-28 in conference) from 2007 to 2010, Zamberlin’s four years as head coach. The ineptitude reached its peak in 2008, when the Bengals needed an overtime win over Sacramento State in the season’s final game to avoid finishing 0-12. That season, Idaho State finished last in the FCS in total defense (480 yards per game) and second to last in scoring defense (41 points per game).

The Bengals lacked depth during Zamberlin’s tenure, due in part to a poor Academic Progress Rate (APR).

In 2010-11, Idaho State’s four-year APR was 881, and its average APR over the previous two seasons was below 900. Beginning in 2012-13, NCAA teams were required to have a minimum four-year APR of 900, or a two-year average of 930. If teams don’t meet those requirements, they’re penalized.

The NCAA took away about three and a half of Idaho State’s scholarships per year until the Bengals reached the minimum APR threshold, according to athletic director Jeff Tingey.

“A senior would graduate and we wouldn’t fill anyone in,” Tingey said in a phone interview.

Tingey, Kramer and company focused on improving the football team’s APR, and avoiding penalties wasn’t the only reason. Idaho State believed the on-field product would improve if intelligent players inhabited its roster.

Improved academics would, of course, give Idaho State the scholarships it lost, and a team full of academically eligible players would increase consistency. But Kramer believes intelligence is as important to on-field performance as physical attributes.

When Kramer recruits quarterbacks, he immediately looks at their academic transcripts. If their grade point average is below 3.8, he often passes.

“If your grade point isn’t exceptional and your brain doesn’t work fast enough then you can’t play the (quarterback) position,” Kramer said. “It’s not a javelin throwing contest.”

Junior college quarterback Michael Sanders announced on Twitter Feb. 12 that he would commit to Idaho State. That day, I followed him on Twitter, and he followed back. I sent him a direct message, asking if I could interview him. He said yes, and we talked the next morning.

My Q&A, published in the Post Register on Feb. 14, was exclusive. Here’s the link.