Clemson QB Kelly Bryant to transfer
Following up the trend from Monday of true seniors redshirting after 4 games and transferring, Clemson QB Kelly Bryant just announced he's redshirting and transferring out of the program.
Bryant started the first 4 games this year but split time with true freshman Trevor Lawrence each game. Lawrence outplayed Bryant statistically and was announced to be the started for the upcoming game earlier this week. This is a big blow to Clemson as Bryant probably would have played moving forward in the same split-time system and now Clemson only has one other scholarship QB on roster.
Bryant will probably be the hottest transfer commodity out there. He started for Clemson all last year as they made the playoffs and he will be immediately eligible next year.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
Nebraska would be a nice fit
September 26th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
.....only if he wants to get pummeled and likes running away from defenders in pursuit on most every play. And oh yeah, if he doesn't mind losing.
September 27th, 2018 at 2:24 PM ^
True but it would suck going from Clemson to a team that isn't even going to qualify for a shitty bowl game this season. I'd be shocked if nebraska wins more than 4 games this season.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
This is getting excessive.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^
Yeah, screw all these athletes wanting to improve their chances of playing! Let's not give them any options!
September 26th, 2018 at 11:01 AM ^
... those athletes who play for no pay...
September 26th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
...Because they are not professionals.
September 26th, 2018 at 11:51 AM ^
And because they already have their degree from the university... which is why these amateurs when to their original school to begin with, right?
September 26th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
... because there is literally no path for them to be despite a massive demand for the entertainment they provide
September 26th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Definition of the word "professional" is basically "the thing you get paid to do."
Ie. They aren't professional because they don't get paid. Not the other way around.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^
Well said
September 26th, 2018 at 1:42 PM ^
Furthermore, in this context, they aren't paid, therefore not "professionals", therefore not EMPLOYEES!, so they have no protection under these new fangled "labor laws" and will never be able to sue the college team when they are paralyzed.
Which is EXACTLY why the NCAA was created. Wish karma could transfer all the CTE to those Fucks.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:41 PM ^
I would love to know what qualifies as "professional" in this context, but my guess that part never mattered to people who can't stand the idea of athletes they don't know and have no relationship with beyond idolatry want to have a modicum of control over their life.
September 26th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^
Their play generates billions of dollars. Their sport is the second highest revenue sport in America. The sport is professional, somebody else just gets all the benefit from it
September 26th, 2018 at 2:35 PM ^
I don't think people with crippling student loans and little to no professional network after college would think that someone else gets all the benefit. Right now, college football actually provides an absolutely invaluable benefit to football players: personalized job training and career preparation that can be found literally nowhere else.
September 26th, 2018 at 4:24 PM ^
Those people don't have skill sets as students that millions of people will drop money to see. The black market is there because the top players are worth money that the regulations do not allow them to receive.
That is all the proof that you need that they are grossly undercompensated. Bagmen are not charities.
September 26th, 2018 at 4:52 PM ^
"Regular" students are not barred from generating useful professional networks, and my guess is that the average college football player doesn't have a single usable connection to the NFL beyond maybe a courtesy call from a position coach who knows a guy on the staff. As for "personalized job training", that's what school is for everyone else as well. Yes, football players learn how to play football at a higher level in college. My Comp Eng. courses exposed me to a wealth of technologies and skills that have helped me over the years.
I don't understand this issue people have with someone they don't know and won't affect them in any meaningful way trying to better his life when put in a sub-optimal position.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:28 PM ^
They receive no compensation?
September 26th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
The compensation they receive is pennies on the dollar for the value they provide their non-employers.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
So is basically everyone's compensation. Nobody gets a dollar-for-dollar match, ever. If I as a finance analyst figure out a way for the company to save $2 million this year, I don't get the $2 million.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
I'd change employers...... :-P
September 26th, 2018 at 1:48 PM ^
But, being in a position to save a company 2 million a year generally means you are well compensated for your position. Now if the company "Hired" you and said they'll compensate you with free lunch and use of the employee bathroom, then we're in the same ball park atleast :D.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:13 PM ^
add in 3 full meals a day, snacks, gym membership, oh and also free rent and free education/degree, all while doing a job you love. sounds like a pretty good gig to me
September 26th, 2018 at 4:29 PM ^
You mean a college needs money to be able to build up into being a top 2 public university?
Those who want athletes paid more than the free 100k-plus tuition/degree ignore that a college is more than its sports teams; its sports teams are revenue stream for a college tonsupplrt college growth; they ignore the value of a degreee; they ignore the college has bills and also has employees that don’t make enough (administrative aides; advisors; etc.); they have this faulty premise that athletes don’t learn their degrees because some knuckleheads exist and some program’s rotted curriculum for a few athletes; they have this faulty premise that student athletes are not given connections and opportunities for what they’ve done (example, Furbush’s path to being a Pilot isn’t easier for what he’s done for UM, right?); they ignore that NFL is a football focused league that doesn’t have synchronized swimming to keep flowt, too, or an outdated practice facility; they ignore that some sports have partial athletic scholarships because those sports have no revenue streams or future pro sports paths; they forget that big programs pay for the small ones, even the partial scholarships; they forget that professors are not all paid well and that it is hard to teach extra students in a class—so why give a football player a scholarship and add a seat for him in a class if his scholarship isn’t akin to tuition?; they act like student athletes have no say in whether they actually learn in a classroom; they conveniently forget that smaller schools cannot compete; they don’t think about how in the hell would it be fair for the star players to be paid the same as a walk-on scholarship? They forget that it must mean something to play football at UM if even a Glasgow has to walk-on first before he gets a scholarship because 1) those morherfuckers can play and proved they’ve earned scholarships , but 2) their father can afford the tuition and knows a UM degree matters, so 3) Why should we pay them when the ROI is dependent on the degree earned?
What good is 10k going to do for a kid long term if he does not get a degree or turn pro?
The myopic and simplistic notion that revenue means they should all get paid not taking into account much of the argument made here. We feel for the athletes, but what is wrong with the colleges making money to reinvest in the college? Should we raise tuition for those that have to pay it and get loans to do so?
I’m all for capping and slimming down administrative costs, but how about we worry more about making sure the inventment goes into the college and not just a few administrators’ retirement plans?
September 26th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^
It isn't about whether they receive compensation or not, in the form of a scholarship. An organization that contributes zero to the generating of billions of dollars receives all of the benefit, and forces the people who are 100% responsible for the creation of said billions to receive zero of it. Not to mention they sacrifice their bodies, brain damage, and their lives in the process. The disparity is astronomical.
September 26th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
I get your point, but you're going too far. "An organization that generates zero. . . "
The field, facilities, university, alumni association, coaches, uniforms, travel, etc.
Those all zero?
September 26th, 2018 at 6:42 PM ^
Except their tuition. And their housing. And their meals. And their books. And the coaching, strength and conditioning, competitive experience and media exposure. Other than that, they get nothing at all for playing.
September 26th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^
So uniformed. This is a trend that is not good for college football. The forst sign of adversity and kids are leaving, it already has trickled it’s way down to California High school football and had ruined teams overnight. I hate this rule when it’s because you just “didn’t get to play” ruins team sports.
September 26th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
Of course they are "uniformed".
September 26th, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
At "forst" I didn't understand the joke, but now I am "iformed"...
September 26th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
Yeah, screw kids trying to get a shot at a college scholarship. Serving as a backup on their high school football team should be more important than the next 60 years of their lives.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
Some people forget that Russell Wilson was pushed out of NC state and grad transferred (helped start this trend) to Wisconsin where he led them to the Rose bowl and became an elite NFL QB. Sometimes these are good decisions.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
The vast majority of these are good decisions. It's rare for a grad transfer who was in line for playing time at his previous school to transfer to another school - it's almost exclusively players who weren't going to be contributors.
September 26th, 2018 at 3:57 PM ^
That's not true. There are a fair number of grad transfers who are looking to play for a better, higher profile program. They are probably fewer of them because they were less likely to redshirt.
In basketball, we had Jaaron Simmons last season, who was a star in the MAC.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^
It's not just all about the kids that leave, there's a team of other kids that have to deal with the loss. I think student athletes should have choices that fit their goals but at the cost of their teammates goals?
What if this were McCaffrey we're talking about?
September 26th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Have you ever left a job? If so, did you base your decision to leave on how it would impact the company and coworkers that you were leaving, or did you just do what was best for you and your family?
September 27th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
My workplace isn't a team no matter how many times management tries to call it that. We don't bleed for one another.
It's easy for players to leave but very difficult for teams to replace midseason.
September 27th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
As a sidebar:
I will say I don't have a problem with student athletes making money off their name. I don't think that violates their amateur status just as it doesn't for Olympic athletes.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
Yes, this senior QB just folded at the first sign of adversity. Wrecked his team so much that *checks notes* he went 16-2 as a starter and led his team to a conference championship and a spot in the playoffs.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^
This has nothing to do with running from adversity. Bryant is a JR and only has 1-2 more years of eligibility left and after leading his team to the CFP last year, Dabo sat him over a freshman. So his choices are either sit on the bench the rest of his career or go somewhere and play.
If coaches can bail whenever they want, why can't the players?
September 26th, 2018 at 2:34 PM ^
Bryant is a senior, he will have one year of eligibility left.
September 26th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^
It's not the transferring I have a problem with--it's that a guy can make it to week 4 and bail on his team because he's not playing enough. Same as the guy who bails after fall camp. Once your season starts and you're participating in team activities, you're locked in. Want to transfer? Get through the season and then we'll talk.
And what does this mean from an academic standpoint? Most schools are on semesters and are already past enrollment deadlines and a few weeks into class. What does this kid do now? What school is taking him? Even if he already has his BA in hand.
I'll add that this has nothing to do with "coaches can go whenever with no penalty." No coach is saying "well, I'd rather go coach somewhere else, this 0-3 team sucks" and waltzes out the door to a new job by October 1st.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
It's a lot of movement, but it's good for the kids who want to play, as they aim at the NFL. You get better at football by playing football. They need game reps.
What it does is highlight that, for many of these student athletes, the "athlete" part is a much higher priority than the "student" part. And I would rather that we just admit it to be the case and move forward. It doesn't mean that the education is worthless.
Ultimately, more options and flexibility for the kids is better for them.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:37 AM ^
This is exactly right - these kids are trying to get to the NFL. If you get passed by someone younger than you, will not get the tape you need to maximize your draft value. We are talking millions of dollars at stake for a kid like Bryant, don't blame in the least.
If a kid like Brandon Peters wants to do an early grad transfer next year, I wouldn't blame him either (although I would love for him to stay).
I would also point out that a high percentage of all college students transfer from one school to another for all sorts of reasons. I would say that number is at least 20% and probably higher. So I don't think the % for athletes is higher than the overall student population.
September 26th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
From a Washington Post article dated Jan 29, 2017:
For many college students, the transition on their minds is to a different college. A 2015 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that 37.2 percent of college students changed schools at least once within six years, and of these, 45 percent changed their institution more than once.
Even with the new RS rules I doubt we’ll see anywhere close to 37% of football players transfer.
September 26th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
Steven Threet says hi.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
Threet was a completely different situation. He was a pocket passer who committed to GT, which afterwards went out and hired a triple option coach. You can't blame a player when a coaching change brings with it a scheme change that essentially makes that player obsolete.
September 26th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^
Thank you! I was too lazy to look it up but great to see actual statistics validate my empirically based guestimates.
I would think the transfer rate for D1 Football teams is around 10-15%, so less than half of the total student population.
September 26th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^
I get the point, but I have to wonder if those stats include people going to community colleges with absolutely every intent to transfer credits to a four-year college. You don't see a lot of regular students transferring from Michigan to Central.
September 26th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^
Not frequently but it does happen. Larry Bird started at Indiana (when they were perhaps the best or second-best basketball school in the country) before transferring to Indiana St.
In a similar vein, Elena Delle Donne committed to UConn before transferring to Delaware St.
Closer to home, there's Kyle Bosch.
Athletes have non-sport concerns and issues with "fit" just like anyone else.