Limit Player Transfers

...at least for Division I Schools.

Quarterback Jake Heaps is now headed for his third Division I school. Remember the 5-star recruit who signed with BYU where he started and was beaten out. Then transferred to Kansas where he started last season and was beaten out in the spring. Well, now he's transferring again where he will be eligible to play this season (he will graduate later this month). Gardenpeas, when is enough...enough for heaven's sake.

Leaving out Junior College, my take is a kid shouldn't be allowed to play for more than two Division I teams. My opinion and welcome yours.......

He should have just signed with UW where he was from in the first place. Everyone expected that from him, but instead he became the wanderer and bolted for BYU. Sounds like he may have had domestic issues judging from his flightiness. I don't think a rule limiting him is necessary though. Either his years of eligibility will run out and put an end to his hopping around from college to college or he'll be too old for anymore college football to make sense. I've heard of 25 year-old QBs and IMHO that's stretching it.

Conan, ole Heaps has certainly covered the country. BYU, Kansas and now Miami.

The Hurricanes need a quarterback with Stephen Morris gone.....

....enter Jake Heaps.

cloverleaf said:

Conan, ole Heaps has certainly covered the country. BYU, Kansas and now Miami.

The Hurricanes need a quarterback with Stephen Morris gone.....

....enter Jake Heaps.

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It's awfully hard to punish a kid when his coach can transfer (...aka take another job) at any time he wants even when under contract. There are some conferences that have rules that prohibit a transfer within conference unless the kid has been completely released and the coaches have agreed upon it. But like you, I would limit the transfer and allow them to go to the FCS level or make them sit for a year. There's not even a guarantee that he beats out the freshman kid at Miami.

WinOne said:

It's awfully hard to punish a kid when his coach can transfer (...aka take another job) at any time he wants even when under contract. There are some conferences that have rules that prohibit a transfer within conference unless the kid has been completely released and the coaches have agreed upon it. But like you, I would limit the transfer and allow them to go to the FCS level or make them sit for a year. There's not even a guarantee that he beats out the freshman kid at Miami.

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WinOne..I agree, it's hard to punish a kid for wanting a transfer. Especially if it's for legitimate reasons, and if he wants to better his situation. Or at least be given a chance to. From everything that I've heard about Heaps, he is a very good and humble kid that just wants to be given a chance. The bottom line with Kansas was in the offseason Weis hired a new OC that runs an offense that Heaps isn't suited for. And except for one running back, he had no surrounding cast to protect him, and some WR's with bricks for hands. So this transfer makes perfect sense to me.

I guess it worked out ok for Russell Wilson? Ok, maybe Kansas vs Wisconsin is not a good comparison. Hopefully the kid gets his degree for free, have you seen the prices for that lately?

Players should be allowed to transfer...I think we all agree with that. But seems to me their should be a limit... at least at the Division I level.

On the flipside, I don't like the fact that a school can place other schools off limits. Former Oklahoma State quarterback Wes Lunt, now at Illinois, was initially restricted from transferring to an SEC school or Southern Mississippi, where former OSU assistant Todd Monken is head coach. I don't think institutions ought to have the opportunity to restrict where athletes can go. After all, in the majority of moves the player has to sit out a year.

If that's the case for athletes, why not make the same rule for a coach. Coach leaves and institution should have the right to limit where that coach goes. Why not? Seems like a double standard to me.

There has to be restrictions on transfers. Imagine a new DC comes in and he's a disciplinarian (oh, the horror!). Well, a few of the players get their panties in a wad or get their feelings hurt and they gain momentum among several of the players.....then 8, 9, 10 (or more) players walk into the HC's office and say, "Coach, we're all leaving the program. Coach Smith is a dick and we're not going to play for him!" Say they do this in August, after a tough spring practice and early fall camp. The 10 of them transfer to another school before the start of the season in September and they're eligible the very next season (after sitting out that current season).

If the NCAA allows kids to just up and leave and there are NO "sit out" rules in place it could be even worse.

The "well, a coach can leave whenever he wants" argument doesn't hold water. Coaches are allowed to explore the free market. This is the United States of America and Capitalism is what makes this country a great place.

Where I do agree is if a coach leaves then players should be given some sort of option...however, it should also be explained that when a kid signs a LOI he is signing with THE SCHOOL....not THE COACH.