Exactly. College kids would be "free agents," and it would negatively affect the game we all love so much. Mid-season, for instance, there were rumors that Joe McKnight wasn't happy @ USC. Still, he stuck it out and was a star in the Rose Bowl. What if he knew he could transfer and not lose a year? Would he have stuck it out? I go back to my Matt Flynn example as well. Things didn't always go his way @ LSU, but he stuck it out and won a NC. What if that one-year penalty wasn't in place? How would we have felt if Les Miles had actually left LSU and then half of our great talent decided to jump ship to USC or Florida or Auburn or ALABAMA?
Flynn has always been very confident in himself and not afraid to compete; I remember one year he almost beat out JR until he got some ailment in the late summer that set him back. Mallet was a victim of the changing circumstances. Things would have alright for him had they gotten Miles:milesmic:! :dis: I agree that most, if not all, would agree that the NCAA should not make an exception for him; overwise all hell would break loose. (Except that I would make the exception for McKnight though:hihi. You made a good point about Flynn; if the rules were altered, Flynn might have transferred in his junior year.
heaven forbid anyone consider the rights of the athlete-student. despite what it seems, they really arent cattle.
It's a two way street. They are transferring SCHOOLS because of the FOOTBALL TEAM. They aren't exactly innocent in this whole thing. It's become a business on both ends and the student athletes don't suffer. For example, lady quinn hasn't barely played a down in the NFL but because of college reputation, I see him in commercials already.
Question to ponder: If Mallet would have performed well in his relief of Chad Henne last year (a la RP), do you think we would be having this discussion? First of all, even though he may not fit into RR's system, would he have been more willing to give Mallet a vote of confidence, considering his freaky physical skills and 5 star rating?
I know very well that "they" aren't cattle. My own father was a college football player, one of "them." He transferred schools, too, during his college career, mainly because he was homesick. Things like that happen. It was his right to transfer, as it was Mallet's. My dad still received a free college education in the process, as will Ryan Mallet.
Hmmm. I see this as a potential situation if/when Mustain starts over Sanchez except for Mark has already sat for 2 seasons. Could get ugly. The NCAA does allow incoming recruits to change their mind if they've signed an LOI but the HC leaves and that makes sense. In this case, I feel bad for Mallet but I don't think he should be allowed to xfer. He had a choice of several schools when he was recruited and he turned them all down for Michigan. So be it. He's not being forced to stay just to make a decision that will have trade offs.
This isn't going to be the only case this year where someone approaches the NCAA about this. You'll see another one soon. It just hasn't hit the "wires" yet.
