If you saw my post about it yesterday, apparently Houston’s starting quarterback, along with another starter, has made a decision to take a redshirt for the rest of the 2019 season and come back to play next year.
Now, step around the possibility that nothing would stop King from changing his mind in December and jumping into the transfer portal to find a grass is greener spot for his talent. Let’s assume this decision is a real thing. Where does that have the potential to take things?
Well, it takes us to the college football equivalent of tanking. And if you’re a head coach with leverage who can get his star players to buy in, why not? You’re being paid to win championships and if you do that on occasion, the fan base is likely to forgive you for the dips in between. (I’m looking at you, Auburn.)
Too bad if you’re a fan buying season tickets, but, then again, we live in an age when taking a bullet for the team is becoming expected behavior for the fan base at big programs.
All I can say is that it sure is a good thing we don’t yet live in a world of professionalized college sports.
Get The Picture 
I hope we never decide to tank a season for this. It only works if you don’t redshirt your freshmen.
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Fisher’s problem is that he is in the SEC, not the ACC. He is overrated imo, still can’t believe the contract he got to move over.
Wonder if Bowden would have left FSU (A&M) for that amount back in the day. Bowden certainly did not want FSU to join the SEC, guess he had that going for him…
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You must not know many Aggies. Ha ha.
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Living in Texas for the last 15 years, I know a lot of Aggies, and they are a lot like the 404 NERDS. When it comes to football, they have the same inferiority complex with the Longhorns that the North Avenue Nerds have with us. That is where the similarities end. Unlike the NERDS, the Aggies are more than willing to put their money (and a whole lot of it) where their mouth is to try and rectify the situation. For what ever reason, they can not get over the hump. They have facilities, a recruiting base second to none, and a rabid fan base. Sooner or later they will get it right and will be a power. Right now, they are 4th best in the west and paying a second rate coach a fortune. Before people start pointing out that Jimbo has a NC ring, remember, so does Gene Chizik
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If all of the facts here are true … probably not.
He didn’t leave FSU for Bama.
https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2017/2/8/12218662/how-bobby-bowden-almost-became-alabamas-head-coach-twice-do-not
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This is really an awful development, IMO, and I am deciedly not an amateurism romantic. I can certainly see a situation where a coach on the hot seat does indeed encourage this.
I also can see where the rules get changed going into next year. In fact, I rather expect it. This is really a bad look for CFB.
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Not being snarky here: how would you change the rules?
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Put the redshirt rules back to the way they were, maybe?
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Screw the players because the coaches found a way to game the system? That seems fair.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if they look at that.
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Who/what is harmed by the 4 game redshirt rule? The myth of amateurism is all I can think of, and I’m not underestimating the value of that myth to the NCAA.
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Is D’Eric King an NFL prospect? If so, why would he let himself be manipulated by his coach into waiting another year to come out?
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“Who/what is harmed by the 4 game redshirt rule?”–Can I modify that to “who/what is harmed by the 4 game redshirt rule if players decide to opt out and transfer”? (Don’t answer– I will go ahead and modify that, thanks.) I think it’s kind of a “duh” response, no? What would you be saying if Jake Fromm did this next year? How should the rest of the players on the team feel about this?
As to the Senator’s question about changing the rules, yeah, I don’t have a good suggestion at this point.
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You mean to tell me a coach that’s worried about getting fired is going to have the stones to say, “we’re giving up on this year”? They aren’t even that bold in the pros. Color me skeptical.
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Obviously they won’t say it that way, just as King is claiming at the moment that he’s returning. “They” find ways to call “it” (i.e., whatever isn’t so popular to say out loud) something else all the time.
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It is far from being an amateur romantic. But there is a deal about being a team. There are a bunch of seniors who must be saying, what the f….? I am sorry, but I hope there comes a time when someone says enough is enough. I too am a member of this TEAM. I too spilled blood for these past years and now my teammates have QUIT on me and my teammates. Sorry, screw them.
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Nah. I wonder what Dana Holgerson’s bunch of rising seniors at WVU thought when he quit on them and their teammates with years left on his contract? Maybe “what the f??”
You may claim to not be an amateur romantic, but you’re certainly not a college athlete in their locker room, and you have no idea what their teammates are thinking. All this TEAM > ME bullshit is just that when the the coaches and institutions put themselves over the actual TEAM day after day.
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Maybe, but don’t act like the “pay the players now! crowd” around here hasn’t gotten on their high horse, with a wink and a nod, giving us all the babe in the woods routine…..”what could possibly go wrong, mother !?” “what unintended consequences ?!” Yep, I never thought of this one either.
As he stated, welcome to the age of tanking. If you think this is an OK development, we’ll just have to disagree, assuming you’re being genuine. Otherwise, don’t piss on our shoes and tell us it’s raining. (for the record, I was never opposed to the 4 game redshirt, just making an example of the law of unintended consequences)
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I wish I could say that someone, somewhere actually cares about the fans buying tickets but I don’t think that’s true. Perhaps Division three schools still have to care?
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Last night I posted about this from the players’ perspective. Since you raised the question from the schools’ perspective Senator, Auburn is the perfect place to use this systematically because in odd years the War Tigers play both Georgia and Bama at Auburn. In fact I’m not so sure they aren’t doing it already.
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What possible motivation would Mond, et al at Texas A&M have for going along with such a plan? Why would they put off potential pro careers for another year just because they tripped over their shoelaces in a couple of early games this year? Players get drafted off of losing teams, too….
I also really don’t understand what the Houston quarterback’s motivation is in this whole thing, either.
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I read his O-Line is so bad he is concerned about injury.
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I think what keeps this scenario from happening is recruiting. Teams have to keep a steady flow of fresh players. Redshirting en masse will make recruits look elsewhere and unbalances numbers. One or two players? Sure. But not the core of a team. Plus, those guys want to get paid.
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Excellent, excellent point.
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Fisher is sort of the Jim Harbaugh of the SEC. He is really not that great of a coach but he has convinced A&M that he is, for now. I don’t think it will be much longer before the Aggies realize what they really have. The only reason I can see for players to go along with such an idiotic plan is that the coach sells them on the idea. I cannot imagine a player who wants to play thinking sitting out a year and the team tanking a season to set up for the next season is a good plan.
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Better question, which qb can Kirby poach via transfer assuming this year is Jake’s last.
Don’t have a problem with redshirts and immediate transfers. For all the fans belly aching about loyalty, team above me are you telling me that you wish cager, Jr Reed, Jarvis Jones or Maurice Smith had stayed loyal to their teams because I sure as hell am glad they sought out what they determined was the best situation for themselves and oh look the player and their team both benefitted, funny thing about voluntary exchange and free markets and all. Also please spare me the technicality of well he was a graduate, blah blah blah, regular students don’t have to wait until graduation to transfer but student athletes should? It’s almost like student athletes are employees that help the schools make money hence why the schools want to control them. Nah that can’t be it, the schools and coaches are putting these restrictions in place and limiting the choices of SAs for these kids own good!
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The last time we took a grad transfer QB didn’t work out well. I don’t think there’s going to be a Jalen Hurts type of player out there every year. By the way, I believe Jake is staying, and that’s why Fields left. On your question with your list of names:
Cager & Smith – graduate transfers … had completed their academic commitment to their prior school (like Hurts)
Reed – traditional transfer … sat out a year under the rules and didn’t/couldn’t game the system as others have done
Jones – medical disqualification by USCw due to a neck injury … sat out as a regular transfer
I’m of the opinion each S-A should get one free transfer with immediate eligibility … every subsequent transfer prior to graduation requires the S-A to sit.
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I think if he has a solid 1st round grade at the end of this year, he needs to enter the draft. Time value of $.
At best (barring injuries), Jake is going to be the 3rd rated QB this year. He might be the 2nd rated QB next year.
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Team chemistry and recruiting momentum is huge in college football. Purposefully tanking a season can destroy a program for years. Roster numbers would also require Jimbo to gut his year three recruiting class.
It would definitely be a Hail-Mary desperation move.
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Sooooo……. throwaway seasons could actually become a thing in cfb? Somewhere, Jeff Dantzler smiles in approval of this.
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“All I can say is that it sure is a good thing we don’t yet live in a world of professionalized college sports.”
Zing!
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epl does it right with relegation to eliminate this type of BS. problem is that they have years of experience / part of their sporting culture.
It is done with 20 teams. I do not know how you do that for 120+ teams.
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Personally, after your sophomore season then a medical redshirt is probably the only one that should be allowed.
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SC DB Jamyest Williams is also quitting on the Lamecocks to enter the portal. Check those participation charts in game 5 to see who else has bailed out on their team without fanfare.
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That’s a whole lot that has to go right for it to work in your favor.
But yes texas AM should totally tank this season. Maybe dont even show up in Athens.
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King just may want to enter a draft without Tua, Burrows, and Hurts (possibly Fromm, Eason,etc.) ahead of him.
Not sure about next year other than J. Fields.
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