Post by MizzouTiger on Feb 23, 2008 17:00:12 GMT -5
collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=777709
NCAA has no reason to grant Mallett waiver
At the College Football Roundtable each week, we ask each member of the college football coverage staff for their opinion about a specific topic from the past week in college football.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Should the NCAA grant Ryan Mallett's transfer petition and allow him to play this season at Arkansas?
Ryan Mallett decided to leave Michigan in search of a program that better suited him.
Ryan Mallett definitely isn't the first college football player to transfer away from the program with which he signed a letter-of-intent, and the NCAA shouldn't change its rules and let him play next season.
Mallett's drop-back passing style doesn't figure to be a good fit in new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, so Mallett – as is his right – opted to transfer to Arkansas to play for Bobby Petrino.
But Mallett knew – or should have known – when he signed with Michigan that Lloyd Carr's future in Ann Arbor was uncertain. He also should know that NCAA rules would require he sit out a year if he went to another Division I program. A rule like that needs to be in place to ensure players aren't bouncing around like free agents to a different program every season.
It's a tough break when a player decides to join a program because of the coach or the system the coach uses, then the coach retires, leaves for another job or is fired. That's why – as unrealistic as it may be – recruits should look for what the university can offer them as students before making a decision.
And if that's asking too much, the player and his parents should at least take into consideration the coach's job security or his track record. After all, Petrino has a history of changing of jobs. If he leaves Arkansas, is Mallett going to transfer again?
David Fox
In these cases, it's hard not to side with the player. Mallett's coach at Michigan resigned, replaced by one who appeared to be more interested in landing high school quarterback Terrelle Pryor rather than keeping the quarterback already on the roster.
But if Mallett is allowed to transfer without penalty, why not every other player at every other position when there is a head-coaching change? A universal new coach transfer waiver may make programs think twice before rushing into a coaching change, but it would create chaos at best and lawlessness at worst.
When coaches change jobs, they have to re-recruit recruits, attempt to retain assistants and convince players to stay instead of going to the draft. Now, add in having to convince 65-plus players to stay? No question that scenario would be a just consequence for the coaches who preach about commitment while bolting from job to job. But where would the precedent end? A change in coordinators, position coaches and coaching philosophy could be even more detrimental to a player's success than the departure of the head coach.
It's not fair to Mallett that he may not play in 2008 because of factors outside his control. And we only care to this degree because Mallett was a five-star recruit, and Michigan and Arkansas are in the news because of coaching changes.
Making an exception for one quarterback might sound like a good idea, but what would happen in the big picture would be a disaster.
Mike Huguenin
No way.
While I feel for Mallett, the NCAA absolutely cannot grant his waiver request.
We all know that the dictum that says, "Recruits choose a school, not a coach" is a lot of hokum. In a lot of cases, a coach is the only reason a recruit chooses a school. At the same time, if Mallett's petition is granted and he is allowed immediate eligibility at Arkansas, the NCAA will have established a precedent it doesn't want to establish.
What the NCAA would be saying: "If the coach who signed you leaves or is fired, you can leave, too – no problem."
Yikes. Can you imagine the flood of requests each year when a coach is canned? Heck, the next logical step would be a player requesting immediate eligibility if his position coach leaves or is fired.
Players already have a remedy in these cases: They can transfer. They also have to sit out a season. It's the rule, and it's a good one.
Steve Megargee
I can't see how the NCAA can grant a waiver to Mallett without opening up a giant can of worms.
If Mallett is able to begin his Arkansas career without sitting out a year, what's going to stop every other disgruntled player from assuming he also can switch schools without any sort of penalty?
Mallett's mother, Debbie Mallett, reportedly has indicated her son's case is a little different from most because the offseason arrival of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was going to result in a new offensive scheme that didn't necessarily fit her son's talents. It's certainly understandable why a classic drop-back passer such as Mallett decided to head elsewhere when Rodriguez came aboard.
But if this waiver is approved, you could see plenty more transfers coming every time a coaching change is made. Waivers should be granted only in special circumstances, such as when former Iowa basketball player Tyler Smith wanted to be near his dying father in Tennessee, or when the NCAA allowed Baylor basketball players to transfer without penalty when a scandal rocked their program a few years ago.
This case doesn't fit that criterion.
NCAA has no reason to grant Mallett waiver
At the College Football Roundtable each week, we ask each member of the college football coverage staff for their opinion about a specific topic from the past week in college football.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Should the NCAA grant Ryan Mallett's transfer petition and allow him to play this season at Arkansas?
Ryan Mallett decided to leave Michigan in search of a program that better suited him.
Ryan Mallett definitely isn't the first college football player to transfer away from the program with which he signed a letter-of-intent, and the NCAA shouldn't change its rules and let him play next season.
Mallett's drop-back passing style doesn't figure to be a good fit in new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, so Mallett – as is his right – opted to transfer to Arkansas to play for Bobby Petrino.
But Mallett knew – or should have known – when he signed with Michigan that Lloyd Carr's future in Ann Arbor was uncertain. He also should know that NCAA rules would require he sit out a year if he went to another Division I program. A rule like that needs to be in place to ensure players aren't bouncing around like free agents to a different program every season.
It's a tough break when a player decides to join a program because of the coach or the system the coach uses, then the coach retires, leaves for another job or is fired. That's why – as unrealistic as it may be – recruits should look for what the university can offer them as students before making a decision.
And if that's asking too much, the player and his parents should at least take into consideration the coach's job security or his track record. After all, Petrino has a history of changing of jobs. If he leaves Arkansas, is Mallett going to transfer again?
David Fox
In these cases, it's hard not to side with the player. Mallett's coach at Michigan resigned, replaced by one who appeared to be more interested in landing high school quarterback Terrelle Pryor rather than keeping the quarterback already on the roster.
But if Mallett is allowed to transfer without penalty, why not every other player at every other position when there is a head-coaching change? A universal new coach transfer waiver may make programs think twice before rushing into a coaching change, but it would create chaos at best and lawlessness at worst.
When coaches change jobs, they have to re-recruit recruits, attempt to retain assistants and convince players to stay instead of going to the draft. Now, add in having to convince 65-plus players to stay? No question that scenario would be a just consequence for the coaches who preach about commitment while bolting from job to job. But where would the precedent end? A change in coordinators, position coaches and coaching philosophy could be even more detrimental to a player's success than the departure of the head coach.
It's not fair to Mallett that he may not play in 2008 because of factors outside his control. And we only care to this degree because Mallett was a five-star recruit, and Michigan and Arkansas are in the news because of coaching changes.
Making an exception for one quarterback might sound like a good idea, but what would happen in the big picture would be a disaster.
Mike Huguenin
No way.
While I feel for Mallett, the NCAA absolutely cannot grant his waiver request.
We all know that the dictum that says, "Recruits choose a school, not a coach" is a lot of hokum. In a lot of cases, a coach is the only reason a recruit chooses a school. At the same time, if Mallett's petition is granted and he is allowed immediate eligibility at Arkansas, the NCAA will have established a precedent it doesn't want to establish.
What the NCAA would be saying: "If the coach who signed you leaves or is fired, you can leave, too – no problem."
Yikes. Can you imagine the flood of requests each year when a coach is canned? Heck, the next logical step would be a player requesting immediate eligibility if his position coach leaves or is fired.
Players already have a remedy in these cases: They can transfer. They also have to sit out a season. It's the rule, and it's a good one.
Steve Megargee
I can't see how the NCAA can grant a waiver to Mallett without opening up a giant can of worms.
If Mallett is able to begin his Arkansas career without sitting out a year, what's going to stop every other disgruntled player from assuming he also can switch schools without any sort of penalty?
Mallett's mother, Debbie Mallett, reportedly has indicated her son's case is a little different from most because the offseason arrival of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was going to result in a new offensive scheme that didn't necessarily fit her son's talents. It's certainly understandable why a classic drop-back passer such as Mallett decided to head elsewhere when Rodriguez came aboard.
But if this waiver is approved, you could see plenty more transfers coming every time a coaching change is made. Waivers should be granted only in special circumstances, such as when former Iowa basketball player Tyler Smith wanted to be near his dying father in Tennessee, or when the NCAA allowed Baylor basketball players to transfer without penalty when a scandal rocked their program a few years ago.
This case doesn't fit that criterion.