‘The full cost of attendance supplement’ at Clemson University

The electricity in Dorian O’Daniel’s apartment was cut off when he failed to pay the bill.

“A lot of times there would be too much month at the end of my money,” said O’Daniel, a redshirt sophomore linebacker on the Clemson football team.

When classes begin Wednesday each student-athlete on full scholarship at Clemson will receive a check for $390.51 – the first of 10 monthly checks to assist with expenses beyond the traditional fees for tuition, room, board and supplies.

O’Daniel hopes the additional $3,906 coming with his scholarship this school year will bridge the gap.

“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s comforting knowing I can pay my rent on time, have my utilities on, food in the refrigerator.”

While there are no limitations on how the money is spent, the NCAA legislation passed in January designated the “full cost of attendance” supplement “for academic-related supplies, and transportation and other similar items.”

How to help student-athletes who struggle to afford essentials beyond school expenses has been a point of debate among NCAA members for years and probably hasn’t ended, principally because of the disparity from school to school with some offering up to $2,000 a year more.

Until then many Clemson athletes welcome the windfall.

“It’s going to be big,” said senior defensive tackle D.J. Reader. “Guys don’t have a lot of money. Guys aren’t as fortunate as others. I think that’s going to be great for those players.

“It’s tough life, and I’m glad they finally realized how tough it was,” he said. “It’s truly a blessing for a lot of players.”

Because stipends differ from campus to campus, coach Dabo Swinney anticipated it becoming a recruiting tool for better funded programs, read “SEC.”

For example, after coach Nick Saban whined about the inequities among SEC schools during a May meeting Alabama bumped its stipend to $5,386, placing it among the highest in the country.

Clemson’s stipend is second in the ACC to Louisville ($5,202), according to an April survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Boston College was the lowest ($1,400).

“This is the first time where cash has been a part of recruiting,” Swinney said, “legally.”

Once upon a time, some of the gap was covered by part-time jobs for student-athletes either through the athletic department or a generous booster. Abuses were frequent. Ohio State football players hoped for an invitation during summer to lucrative jobs painting the white fence at a booster’s thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky.

“For some it’s better to be at school than at home,” said Reader. “That’s a shame to say, but that’s the life we live and why we’re here trying to better our situations.”

Junior safety Jayron Kearse, who became a father July 15, said he intended to send some home to Florida to help with the expenses for daughter Ja’riah.

“It’s going to do wonders for me,” Kearse said. “This extra money coming at this time is big. Everybody in college football feels we don’t get enough. I’m not being greedy. They give us what they give us. I can’t really complain.”

At Clemson an additional $975,000 was budgeted for the 2015-16 academic year. Historically all scholarships are fully funded by Clemson’s athletic fundraising arm IPTAY, but the NCAA kicked in $55,000 this year as part of the $18 million it distributed to members in an attempt to allay the new expense.

Another concern is how young people manage money, so Clemson will try to educate its athletes on budgeting. O’Daniel insisted he wasn’t extravagant and needs every cent.

“I don’t buy anything for myself at this point,” he said. “All the money I have goes toward things I have to pay for or I’ll have to ask family for money they don’t necessarily have.”

Swinney, though he has never favored paying athletes, embraced the cost of attendance concept.

“I think it is a great thing for our players, and is really a good step in the right direction,” he said in July. “It kind of modernizes the scholarships, if you will, and kind of bridges that gap.

“But I think there are some problems with it, and as we get into it those things will become more evident,” he said. “Hopefully we will get to a different spot somewhere down the road.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 12:15 AM with the headline "‘The full cost of attendance supplement’ at Clemson University."