By Ashley Young
SouthernPigskin.com

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Morris Claiborne’s reported 4 on the Wonderlic test would give him the lowest score in history.

Before diving into this topic, let’s make one thing clear: Morris Claiborne will still be a top-10 (if not, top 5) draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He is a great defensive player with a lot to offer on the gridiron.

With that being said, it is frightening to think that someone who has graduated high school and made it through three years of college would fail the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test so impressively. Where is the public education system of America failing? As a former educator, it is shocking to know that a 22-year-old would only score a 4.

It is illegal to leak anyone’s test scores from the Wonderlic. However, we all know this has been done for years. It is believed that Vince Young originally scored a 6 (although his second attempt got him double digits), and you can be your own judge of how well the test reflects intelligence.

Wonderlic has said that a score of a 10 is considered literate. If this is the case, why in the world are student athletes scoring low to mid-single digits?
Just to give you an idea, average scores are 19 for a linebacker and 24 for a quarterback. The average football player scores around a 20, the average physicist around a 48, and an average journalist around a 24.

After the fame of Michael Lewis’s book and a subsequent movie, the regular public is familiar with the story of Michael Oher. We know that he grew up homeless for some time and missed many years of schooling. He scored a 19.

Again, the most frightening aspect of this whole ordeal is that these are grown men, thought to be role models, and about to receive some of the best contracts in the nation for a first job out of college. So, where did the system fail him?

It is scary to think that no educator along his way took the time to help Morris Claiborne in anyway. There are hundreds of educators who go to great lengths to ensure that each and every one of their students is successful at what they are doing.

Some outlets have reported that Claiborne has a learning disability, although his agent is denying these allegations.

Is this a case of an extremely talented athlete thinking he is above the system? Unfortunately, this happens more than anyone would like to admit. High school athletes are well touted in their towns and schools. If the top programs in the nation recruit them, this only gets worse.

On some occasions, high school athletes will come to games while they are still in high school, and the entire stadium will be chanting their name. If you’ve ever had 90,000+ fans chanting your name, you may have a big ego as well.

This contributes to the student athletes thinking that there is nothing that can stand in their way. Some may start to believe that they do not need to work for anything besides their sport. This also directly relates to those who are dismissed from the team due to team policy infractions because they do not think that the rules apply to them. Sometimes, the athletes are humbled too late for reconciliation.

This should never be the case. Athletic departments across the nation employ dozens of people to ensure that every athlete is doing their part. They make sure they are enrolled in the right classes, going to class, going to tutoring, and trying their best to keep them out of trouble.

Still, why has this happened and how can he score so low? Middle school students should be able to score this well. Easily. Is this a case of too many teachers passing him along over the years, or Morris Claiborne not putting effort into any outlet except football?