Some of the negative talk is legitimate, says Scott Strohmeier, 11th-year head football coach at Iowa Western Community College. There are indeed some rogue junior college programs, some bad behavior among players — as is the case at any level.
"We're totally on the other end of the spectrum," Strohmeier said. "Yes, we have guys who struggle academically. Yes, we have guys who made some bad choices in high school. But the majority of our team is not here because of an academic or discipline issue. They're here because they're under-recruited, have a chip on their shoulder and want to play at a higher level than they're being recruited.