Not sure exactly where WSU's APR is right now, but problems with your APR can be a very big deal! You guys sound like you might be going through a little of what Montana State has been through. Coach Mike Kramer had the program rolling along with a couple of conference titles and a few trips to the playoffs. Unfortunately, he was building the program primarily with transfers/dropdowns, most of whom don't give a rat's ass about your program. They play, leave right after the season is over, and never graduate. Combine that with some of the shady characters he was bringing in as well, and the whole thing exploded.
Our APR dropped like a rock. The NCAA looks at a school's APR over a four-year period. Because they look at the most recent four years, it's what's called a "rolling" APR average, since you always have kids coming and going. Near the end of Kramer's tenure, our APR had dropped to levels where the NCAA finally took action. While there were no playoff sanctions, there might as well have been, since the result has been we haven't even sniffed the playoffs the last two years. The NCAA took away scholarships (six) and practice time (2 hours/week). The result of losing scholarships has been huge, as we are not on a level playing field with our conference foes, especially UM in terms of recruiting local Montana talent.
Coach Rob Ash has taken over the last two seasons, and our academic success has improved dramatically. Our team on the field has dipped a little, but at least we have been able to maintain winning seasons. We were still down scholarships for this signing season, and probably lost a couple of key in-state recruits because of it. But we should have most of those back in place in the next year or two if our rolling APR continues to climb. Coach Ash has even petitioned the NCAA to get some or all of the schollies back, on the basis that we are improving rapidly and that this mess was made of a prior coaching staff. No word yet on how that is going, but the NCAA is a pretty strict body, so I am guessing there won't be any leniency.
Good luck with your current situation. It's tough to watch as your football program grows into a fierce competitor, but then falls when your current administration isn't taking care of business when it comes to athletes in the classroom. That being said, I would much rather cheer for a group of young men with high moral standards, that excel in the classroom, and play their guts out on the field than the quick fix of having a winning team comprised of athletes that do not have any respect for the program or the school.
