thoughts on young players/transfers

Submitted by newfoundhbomb on

Hey this is just my take on college athletes and transferring. what is the deal with college football players and basketball players so quick to transfer these days, 5 or so years ago you hardly ever heard of a player transferring.  Do they really think they will make it to the NFL or NBA.  I think players are smart enough these days or have honest people around them to let them know if they have what it takes to go pro.  Take Tate for example with the latest rumors about him wanting to leave, does he really think he can make it to the NFL and is willing to transfer and sit out a year to do that.  I believe he can be a really good college football QB, but thats it.  If he is pissed about not playing then suck it up and show the coaches that they can't keep you off the field.  I remember years ago Tom Brady fought tooth and nail to get on the field, some games he started and some games he didn't.  did he cry about it no he kept trying and look at what he has become today.  thanks for listening to my rant.

bronxblue

September 4th, 2010 at 10:44 PM ^

Rant away, but the only "rumor" of Tate leaving was thrown out by a writer for the Ann Arbor newspaper with a history of starting said rumors, all the while Tate and his Dad are saying the opposite.  

We act like transferring is something wrong in the world, but if you were at a job where there was no chance to progress forward, where you perceive some slights against you, you would probably leave.  Nobody would post away on message boards about how you are a coward, a quitter, etc. - they would say that is a smart business decision.  I knew of a couple of kids in law school who transferred to better schools after their first years because they knew it would help them in their careers going forward.  So while I highly doubt Tate is going to transfer, I wouldn't blame him if he thought it was the right move for his career.  Threet did it twice, and now he finally seems to be in a place where he can succeed; same with Mallet.  

MgoMatt

September 4th, 2010 at 10:45 PM ^

Brady had the success he did because he fought tooth and nail for the starting job.  I think you are more likely to make to the next level by fighting your way to the top rather than taking the job by default at a lesser school.

Ziff72

September 4th, 2010 at 10:57 PM ^

He was pretty pissed off about it and if Twitter was around he might have cried about it.  He looked like such a sour puss John Falk had to take him to the side.  It was a different age 10 years ago and Michigan was sure covered differently.  You never knew that, but he was pissed.

bronxblue

September 4th, 2010 at 10:58 PM ^

As Magnus noted, Brady was the starter for most of the year.  And if memory serves me right, Brady was none to happy when Henson was taking some snaps.  He might have hid it better, but that was also a time before massive football message boards, twitter, and reporters with an ax to grind could apparently publish whatever they wanted in order to grab some eyeballs.  

Magnus

September 4th, 2010 at 10:45 PM ^

Once Tom Brady became the starter, he was pretty much the starter.

But anyway, kids want instant gratification.  They're minor celebrities by the time they're sophomores or juniors in high school, and everyone tells them they're awesome and they'll be in the NFL someday.  They think they'll play in the NFL but the coaches just don't appreciate them/can't get them there, so they try to go elsewhere.

I really don't have a huge problem with the number of kids transferring (why should they be forced to stay somewhere?), but some of them go about it poorly and the institution ends up getting penalized if their APR gets too low (and Michigan is hovering dangerously close to that line).  I think that's something the NCAA should revisit.

uminks

September 4th, 2010 at 11:01 PM ^

that a UM degree is worth a lot and you should work hard because one day you may be a starter.  I saw Tate sitting there alone on the bench at the end of the game. I was wishing he would be more involved by standing on the sideline routing for his teammates.  Tate may be needed for some games. DROB is a great player but he could hit  a rough patch during the season and we need Tate to be ready to come in and take the reigns of this team. He needs to be a leader even though he may not be the starter at this juncture of his career.