Tag: transfer

NCAA Transfer Reform Talks Still Ongoing, Many Are Still Hopeful

The one-time transfer rule is being put on hold.

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NCAA Transfer Reform Talks Still Ongoing, Still Hopeful

Thursday’s transfer talks leave some uncertainty but we may know more next month. 

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Forward progress on any conclusive transfer legislation may be a ways off, but many involved seem in favor. 

We are still knee-deep in an unprecedented time not only in sports but a little bit of everywhere globally at the moment. With this pause in competition, some organizations and governing bodies have taken the time to pause, take a step back, and reflect. Among other pieces of reform currently underway by the NCAA, something of particular interest has been ongoing talks around a one-time waiver for players transferring for the first time in their career in five NCAA sponsored sports, football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and hockey. 

Those five sports mentioned above are the only sports sponsored by the NCAA that still require athletes to take a redshirt year at their new school or obtain a waiver if they decide to pick up and move on for a change of scenery. All others already allow players to suit up right away at their new destination, they call it a one-time exemption.

The infamous and mysteriously obtained transfer waiver, allows players to play immediately at their new school, but very few cases are ever publicly explained. Now, I see the privacy involved in this process and I’m not asking for every player’s tough situation to be placed somewhere for all to view, critique and bash, that’s not by any means a solution. But it makes criticism of the NCAA’s process and decision making way too easy for folks, as some players are awarded waivers and others aren’t far too often, it obviously begs the question, “why them and not me?”.

An example close to home for Mountain West fans was Boise State Emmanuel Akot, who transferred out of the Arizona Wildcat’s basketball program along with guard Alex Barcello. Both applied for a waiver in what seemed like an offseason where everyone was getting them approved, Barcello was granted one and suited up for BYU at the beginning of the season, no wait time or waiting until semester break. Akot was denied and then denied again following an appeal.

Players transferring has been a topic of debate for media members, coaches and the NCAA itself for the last couple of years now as the practice is reaching record numbers year in and year out, only to be broken the following season. Verbal Commits currently has the current total of players in the transfer portal at 852, with around 200 of those being graduate transfers. The controversy comes with how the NCAA handles the issuing of waivers to transfers for various reasons. If you want to get a little more heated at the NCAA, read this article detailing the plight of current Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman and his own well-publicized experience with the NCAA. 

Hoffman’s situation is tough because by definition his family’s predicament appears to be what the hardship waiver was created for, right? Instead, he was denied immediate eligibility because of a rule added by the NCAA in 2012 that states the new school a player wishes to transfer to must be within a 100-mile radius of their home. This along with an additional ruling stating his ailing mother’s condition was on the rise, so his previous plea regarding her failing health wasn’t as credible in his appeal, terrible right?

There seem to be too many parties with conflicting interests working on this issue at the moment. The Transfer Waiver Working Group has recommended waiver guidelines be updated to fit the current climate and a possible ever-mounting workload. While the NCAA’s board of Directors has suggested opening transfer legislation up is fine, but disagreed with the proposed changes to the waiver process as of Thursday calling it “not appropriate at this time”.

But the vote will ultimately be decided by the Division 1 Council, which is a body of representatives designed to encompass all aspects of college athletics. For example, the Mountain West is represented by Fresno State professor Dr. Dawn Lewis, a professor and faculty athletics representative while other conferences are represented by athletic directors, commissioners, senior woman administrators, conference administrators, compliance administrators and even two student-athletes. 

This is tough news as the hopes of many were to have a plan in place to implement these new changes in time for the 2020-2021 season. If the council were to vote in favor of the proposed changes, it would do so on May 20th at their next scheduled meeting or at the latest January of next year.

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Tarik Black announces transfer destination

The former Michigan wideout is heading to the Big 12 to finish his college career.

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While it may have seemed a little dubious via his Twitter posting, his Instagram post made it crystal clear.

It was rumored that former Michigan receiver Tarik Black — who announced following the 2019 regular season that he would seek a transfer for his final two seasons — would likely end up at Boston College, near his native Connecticut. It turns out, however, that Black had bigger plans.

Taking to both Twitter and Instagram, Black announced that he’s transferring to Texas to continue his college career.

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As mentioned, he’ll have two years left of eligibility, as he got a medical redshirt for his senior season, and played the last two years for Michigan.

It’s not yet known whether or not he’ll be eligible immediately to play in Austin, but as of current, there’s a proposed NCAA rule change that would allow players a one-time transfer exception, regardless of circumstances.

At Michigan, Black played in 17 games and had 40 receptions for 507 yards and two touchdowns.

Black not only broke his foot in the third game of his college career, but he broke his other foot the following year in fall camp. However, he returned to the lineup against Michigan State a little more than halfway through the season. However, he didn’t get his second touchdown until 2019.

Notre Dame/Chargers Alohi Gilman’s Epic and Emotional Draft Celebration

The former Navy transfer finished his two year career at Notre Dame with 169 tackles, including a career-high 10 versus Louisville to open the 2019 season in which he served as a captain.  He also forced six fumbles, recovered one and intercepted three passes in the blue and gold.

If you’ve followed this site or my ramblings about Notre Dame football in various locations over the years you’re aware that I’ve got a fondness for Alohi Gilman even if I’m aware of where he doesn’t grade out as an elite college football player or draft prospect for that matter.

If the Notre Dame defense needed a stop or turnover in the last two seasons it was as likely that Gilman was going to make it as anyone else.

Gilman was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft this past weekend by the Los Angeles Chargers where he’ll have work cut out to make what is a pretty loaded roster at the safety positions.  Gilman’s ability to perform well on special teams certainly won’t hurt his case.

One of the cool images or moments of the weekend was seeing Gilman’s celebration after finding out the news of being drafted by the Chargers.  Like Kmet in Illinois and Troy Pride, Jr. in South Carolina, Gilman was treated to a massive parade back home that was in-junction with Bradlee Anae of Utah, who lives down the block and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

There was also a great moment just after Gilman found out the news from the Chargers as he and his dad shared a moment in the family home.

The former Navy transfer finished his two year career at Notre Dame with 169 tackles, including a career-high 10 versus Louisville to open the 2019 season in which he served as a captain.  He also forced six fumbles, recovered one and intercepted three passes in the blue and gold.

Former Alabama WR Mac Hereford shows strength through adversity

Mac Hereford is an athlete that could have played elsewhere if he wanted to, but chose to walk on at the school he admired since he was a…

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in early January in hopes that he would be able to find a new program in which he could call home. His search has experienced some bumps in the road which have turned an already challenging process into one that may be that most difficult thing the receiver has had to face in his athletic career.

Big-name players at any position rarely spend too much time in the transfer portal, this is largely due to the fact that they have the ‘star factor’ and most likely a lot of film and tape to be watched by coaches and recruiters.

However, Hereford’s journey in the portal requires more than just picking a program.

After three seasons with the Crimson Tide he has plenty of stories to tell and memorable experiences, along with life lessons he will carry throughout his life.

“My time at Alabama was amazing,” says Hereford. “I could not have asked for a better experience. I got to be a part of some of the best teams in the program’s history and learn and compete with some of the best wide receivers to come through Alabama.

Playing alongside some of he nations best receivers has ultimately hindered his transfer process. He doesn’t have much film to present his skills and abilities to coaches of programs that he could potentially transfer to.

“It was a blessing and a curse to be a part of such an outstanding group of wide receivers at ‘bama,” says Hereford. “I got to learn from the bested compete with them, but it was very difficult to get playing time.

So if teams can’t assess his in-game abilities what can they evaluate him on?

Well, Hereford has done a great job of posting workouts and practice clips on social media to give teams and idea of what he’s capable of.

While he did have some appearances in regular season games, he was not able to record any stats. He was able to reel in three catches during Alabama’s 2018 Spring game – which his team won.

In this A-Day clip from 2018 Hereford had three catches, all of which were made in an open space or with considerable separation from the defensive back.

Hereford understands the lone clip from A-Day won’t be enough to pique coaches’ interests. So before the Coronavirus Pandemic halted everyone’s lives, he was filming workouts with note-worthy quarterbacks to give coaches and recruiters something to consider.

“I would throw with a quarterback almost four times a week,” says Hereford. “I started the year throwing with Mac Jones and Alex Hornibrook and then moved on to throwing consistently with Devlin Hodges.”

This video posted by Hereford shows his one-on-one workout with expected starting quarterback for Alabama, Mac Jones. The clip displays his clean route running on various routes and his ability to adjust to the ball and reel it in from wherever thrown.

In this workout with former Florida State quarterback Alex Hornibrook, Hereford displays extremely quick feet and ability to abruptly stop while running full speed, a skill few receivers possess in college.

Herford has had the opportunity to workout with Pittsburgh Steeler’s quarterback Devlin Hodges a couple of times. However this clip shows Hereford’s ability to extend his arms on balls thrown too far in front or above him. He also shows, once again, he can adjust to any ball, as there were multiple passes thrown behind him.

If coaches have any qualms about what he does off the field, Hereford made it clear he is always looking to stay in shape.

“Before the virus hit us fully, I had been lifting three times a week and doing some sort of exercise everyday,” Hereford tells me.

“It has made the process very hard and a lot slower than I’ve expected,” the wide receiver admits. “[Coaches] are trying to figure out of we are having a season next year and still discovering ways to make sure their current guys are in shape. This being the case, they have less time available to look at guys in the portal or guys they need to recruit.”

The transfer portal has been seen as a meme to many, or as a way for players to act as free agents if their original program didn’t give them the playing time they were promised. Once hearing Mac’s story and all that he has done within the last five months, you soon realize none of the preconceived notions about players in the portal fly out of the window.

Mac Hereford is an athlete that could have played elsewhere if he wanted to, but chose to walk on at the school he admired since he was a child. After graduating from the University of Alabama and being apart of Crimson Tide football for three years, he looks to turn his last year of eligibility into a memorable one and help out the team he lands on. This is just a bump in the road.

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Michigan RB chooses transfer destination

The former walk-on turned scholarship running back has signed with his new school of choice after being in the NCAA transfer portal.

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It was quite a story as Warren (MI) De La Salle safety Tru Wilson walked-on at Michigan, switched over to the offensive side of the ball and eventually earned his way onto scholarship at running back.

But gone now are the days where fans in The Big House will chant ‘Truuuu’ as he receives the handoff, as he announced this offseason that he was set to transfer for his fifth-year.

Now, though, he has decided where he will play next.

As announced by the program itself, Wilson has signed with Northern Colorado, a Division I FCS-level program in the Big Sky Conference.

At Michigan, Wilson had 21 appearances at running back, where he accumulated 586 yards on 107 carries — an average of 5.5 yards-per-carry. In 2018, his 5.9 yard-per-carry average was the highest on the team amongst running backs.

Wilson started 2019 injured, but led the depth chart in the spring. However, when he returned to the lineup, he was behind true freshman Zach Charbonnet and redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins on the depth chart.

He has one year of eligibility remaining and can play right away as a graduate transfer.

Longhorns women’s basketball: four-star flips to Texas

The Texas Longhorns newest member was originally going to attend Mississippi State. Four-star forward flips to Texas to play for Schaefer.

The news has been fast and furious when it comes to the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team as of late. After securing Vic Schaefer to run the program, he brought in transfers from Penn State and Duke. When there are changes in staffing, usually recruiting changes come with that. Deyona Gaston who was originally set to join Mississippi State has decided to follow Schaefer and remain in her home state of Texas.

Gaston is a 6’3″ forward from Pearland, Texas. According to ESPN recruiting, she is a four-star and top 100 prospect. This is a huge commitment for the Longhorns who are looking to replace what they lost with the senior class now moving on. She is an athletic glass cleaner who plays the four spot on the floor. She will fit in quite nicely with Charli Collier.

It is fair to say that new head coach Vic Schaefer is hitting the ground running in his first month on the job. The Texas women’s program looks like it has a bright future and should be a fun to watch in the very near future.

Two Longhorns make jump to the WNBA

Joyner Holmes and teammate Sug Sutton were selected in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Where did they land?

On Friday night the WNBA took center stage with the WNBA Draft. Two former Longhorns were looking to make the jump to the next level and continue their playing careers. In the first round of the draft, senior forward Joyner Holmes got the call she had been waiting her whole life for.

Holmes will now head to the pacific northwest and join the Seattle Storm. The Storm’s roster is quite loaded with talent including 16-year veteran Sue Bird. Holmes will join a forward group that also includes Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck who played their college ball at UConn. She will have quite the challenge to make the team once their season gets rolling.

Sug Sutton also was selected in the third round to the defending WNBA Champion Washington Mystics. Sutton joins former Longhorns standout Ariel Atkins, who will be going into her third year.

The WNBA season was set to start on May 14th but it remains to be seen when either of these two Longhorns will finally step on the court as professional athletes at the next level.

Texas women’s basketball program lands veteran transfer from Duke

Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer lands veteran transfer Kyra Lambert, a three-year captain with Duke.

Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer has had an eventful first week on the job. Continue reading “Texas women’s basketball program lands veteran transfer from Duke”

Notre Dame: Biggest Rival’s Quarterback to Transfer

Now Daniels has entered the transfer-portal, the result of an unfortunate injury last fall.  That led to the emergence of Kedon Solvis who looked great as a freshman in 2019 and certainly played a role in Daniels announcing his decision to enter the portal on Thursday.

JT Daniels was a big-time USC pick-up a few years back as the five-star quarterback chose the Trojans over the rest of the litter which included offers from Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Stanford and plenty of others.  He made an unofficial visit to South Bend before committing to USC.

Now Daniels has entered the transfer-portal, the result of an unfortunate injury last fall.  That led to the emergence of Kedon Solvis who looked great as a freshman in 2019 and certainly played a role in Daniels announcing his decision to enter the portal on Thursday.

Just because Daniels has entered the transfer portal doesn’t mean that he is 100% out at USC.  He could exit the portal and stay with the program, but I’d bet against that.  For reference, Daniels threw for

Does Notre Dame make sense for Daniels?

Daniels will have three years of eligibility remaining, having used a year of eligibility only in 2018 at USC.  I’m always for competition for starting spots and that steel sharpens steel, but with Tyler Buchner already committed and Drew Pyne in the 2020 class it’s hard for me to imagine Notre Dame pushing too hard.  Stranger things have happened but I’d be very surprised to see the Irish pursue this former rival, even if I don’t have a problem with more competition at the most important position.

Where does he go then?

Assuming health, which can get you in trouble, he’ll have his pick of plenty of top programs.  One of those top programs just happens to be coming fresh off a national championship and showed what they could pull off with a transfer quarterback who is about to go first overall in the NFL Draft.  Yeah, I’m guessing LSU for Daniels, as unoriginal of thought as it may be.  Figure to be plenty of players here, though.

 

Texas women’s basketball: Schaefer lands Penn State forward

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team gained a new member with the Lauren Ebo transfer. How does she fit onto this team?

New Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer hasn’t been on the job very long but he has already started working on his roster for the future. Lauren Ebo announced through social media that she is leaving State College, Pennsylvania for the Forty Acres.

The Washington DC native provided 5.3 points per game for the Nittany Lions during the 2019-20 season in 20.3 minutes per game. Should she be deemed immediately eligible to play, she will try and help fill a void left by the departure of senior Joyner Holmes. Ebo is subject to the NCAA transfer guidelines that could require her to sit out next season unless she is granted a waiver.

This marks the second Penn State player to come to Austin. Karisma Ortiz also made the move to go from the Lady Lions to the Longhorns. Ortiz will be eligible to play the first season under new coach Schaefer. The new coach still has work to do as he tries to rebuild the program back up but Schaefer isn’t letting these current times to deter him from getting started.

Provided that Ebo can play in the upcoming season, she would likely see plenty of minutes next to Charli Collier as the forward duo. Not to mention the incoming class that features Elyssa Coleman of Humble and Precious Johnson of Baytown.