Keith Heitzman to Ohio Bobcats
Sounds like he didn't want to "tryout" for his spot on the team.
Tried to search the board to see if already posted but no luck from iPhone.
or shut it
This isn't Chartsports Ace.
Chatsports is an aggregate. If you would actually click the link, the story is a mirror from the Columbus Dispatch.
Chatsports...
I almost posted something I saw on this same topic, but it was from a Buckeyes outlet...saved myself some negs.
From what I'm gathering here: Harbaugh told the fifth-year seniors, per Heitzman, that they'd essentially have to try out for the team
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) July 22, 2015
is fair everything considered....
No starting position is ever guaranteed. You have to "try out" for your position every single week.
He didn't say that. He said him and the other scholarship 5th years had to try out to stay on the team.
thank you for posting actual football information.
Could you please switch the link in the main post? Links give other sites more hits and attention, and please don't give that site any more hits or attention.
And "try out" may mean something different to Harbaugh than it does to Heitzman. Does it mean you aren't guaranteed anything in the spring? Does it mean you do not have a spot on this roster unless you perform well in the spring. This quote is too ambiguous to really gather much meaning.
5th year SRs aren't promised. But you lost almos the entire coaching staff, how is the new coaching staff going to pick which 5th year gets renewed and which doesn't? Well, they are going to see them play and then make a decision.
I've got nothing against Heitzman, but this is par for the course. They were looking at the 5th year guys and deciding who they wanted to ask back and who they didn't. It's phrased in a way to make it sound worse than it is; he wasn't cutting players left and right, just determining who to ask back for a 5th year.
I felt uncomfortable (and still do) about the Pipkins thing. But this thing here is a non-issue.
But in a year where Michigan has the scholarships available, I don't think it's so much as a question of which 5th years do we want to keep vs. nobody is guaranteed anything and even though you put in 4 years of work, a younger guy will play over you if he's better.
That true meritocracy was not there previously. I think that's why Countess also left. It's not that he wasn't going to start or play a lot, it's that he was offended by having to compete for the starting position after 4 years at Michigan (kind of understandably too).
Assuming Countess transfered for an easier path to playing time (a fairly substantial assumption), if he thinks he's got an NFL future, it doesn't make much sense to risk losing playing time when he can immediately transfer to another big football power and get guaranteed playing time.
Sentimentality and brotherhood is nice, but you have to look out for your best interests.
Direct link to Columbus dispatch story:
http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/07/22/ohio-heitzman.html
Sounds like he's gone.
He wasn't going to factor in the DL rotation anyway, right? I don't remember hearing his name much over the past couple years. I wish him luck though, hope he does well at OU.
Yea, he was filling in for Jake. In addition, now that Ty Wheatley Jr is competing for the same spot. It kind of tells you that maybe Keith thought the spot would be crowded.
I am happy for him. He graduated from Michigan and now can get his Masters for free. Wiah I could have done that...........
Coach wants crazy ass competitors. On the flip side, should there be some loyalty to a man who has been dedicated to the program for four years of his life? Doing it the right way/graduating/winning is splitting hairs and not mutually exclusive, but it sure makes you think... Good luck Keith, sounds like a fun major actually.
Are you talking to yourself?
But if you go on the HD app he is talking to a user on there who was most likely banned.
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I don't think it should have been a surprise though. Harbaugh loves competition and he wants competition every day. He tells everyone that you have to take another man's job. Nothing is given based on seniority.
There are always 5th year seniors who aren't "invited back."
"[S]hould there be some loyalty to a man who has been dedicated to the program for four years of his life?" The team lived up to their commitment to him and the current coaches have an obligation to the rest of the team.As an earlier commenter noted, the new coaches weren't familiar with the players and couldn't know who merited an invitation back.
The question isn't who wants to come back, it's who can help the team.
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It's interesting that Harbaugh gave all 5th year's the opportunity to audition in the spring, as opposed to telling some of them they would not be given a 5th year scholarship before NLI signing day. I suppose the result was more or less the same as dropping some guys individually.
Makes sense that you have to try out for a spot. In particular, these guys have already gotten their degree so they have flexibility to step down a level in order to get more playing time.
The cushy upperclassmen treatment under Hoke is no more... Harbaugh (and every fan) wants to see a winner. I see no problem having a fifth year player prove it to him that they deserve to be on the team (or even a starter...)
I could easily see a reporter leading Heitzman into those quotes.
Reporter: So why are you tranferring?
Heitzman: I wanted a chance to play offense for one more year and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do that with a new coach. He was going to change things. But I got earned my degree from UM and now I have an grad school opportunity at OU.
Reporter: Gonna change things, Huh? Like make you work out at TE against other players? [knowing that all new coaches are likely to evaluate every player on the team].
Heitzman: Yeah. He was gonna make me try out against my team mates at TE.
Reporter: That's gotta suck, trying out for a position you grew up playing after you gave everything you had to Michigan.
Heitman: I guess.
etc.
With 5th years there is always the possibility of the firm handshake.
We will always have this play.
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People also seem to forget how excited they were about how little attrition there was under Hoke. Seems like a lot of people are changing their tune or don't seem to understand the process (and the fact that you kind of want the guys who aren't going to play to leave).
Of course, the change in attitude comes a little late since we've signed just 30 players over the last two classes, something that will definitely hurt the program in the next few years.
Honestly, I think Hoke was just the type of coach who tended to stick with the dance partner that brought him to the ball, to paraphrase a really old cliche. Carr did the same, and I think there's this class of "player coaches" who identify the guys they like and stick with them.
Hoke's problem wasn't a "lazy" team as much as he jsut didn't coach them all that well/tried to run systems that didn't work with the talent available. Also, remember he was integrating RR's class with his own for a couple of years, and whenever coaches do that it can cause issues. Harbaugh is probably going to latch on to some of "his guys" that will equally drive people crazy.
I think Harbaugh is probably kind of a pain in the ass to play for after a while, but in college that's fine because you are only there for 4-5 years. He's very "intense", which can either be a positive (he's passionate about winning) or a negative (he likes to push your buttons for results) depending on your perspective. I am sure Hoke had kids compete for their spots in different ways (I mean, guys were moved in and our of the lineup semi-consistently), but this is just a different approach that would be a shock to kids perhaps unready for it.
Obviously Kieth knows more than anyone on this blog that his spot is not gauranteed. If you can't understand why this would bum a person out then you are either completely naive or do not understand human emotions. Thats not to say Harbaugh did anything wrong, this happens with transitions. That does not make Kieth entitled.
have caught him off gaurd. I call bullshit