SMU's Benson, TCU's Battle Transfer to Div. 1-AA SFA

[MrMustang1965]

Stephen F. Austin State landed 9 Div. 1-A transfers for 2005.

QB-James Battle, 6-2, 225, Soph. Denton Ryan (TCU)
OL-Clint LaTray, 6-3, 292, Fr. Allen HS (Clemson)
DB-Stephon Rhea, 5-10, 170, Soph. Klein Forest (Minnesota)
TE/DE-Andrew Fleck, 6-3, 263, Jr. Edmond, Okla. (Va. Tech)
DL-Michael Benson, 6-5, 265, Sr. Houston St. Pius (SMU)
RB-Greg White, 5-10, 220, Soph. Klein Forest (LSU)
DE-Calcius Williams, 6-4, 230, Fr. Denton Ryan (Missouri)
RB-Jerome Brooks, 5-10, 170, Jr. Haltom City (Purdue)
DB-Darrell Bennett, 6-0, 205, Sr. Lake Charles, La. (Southern Miss)

[Webmaster]

So that's where Clint LaTray and Calcius Williams ended up.

[Stallion]

pretty good recruiting class. But for the life of me I can't understand-unless there were grade issues-why players who obviously were attracted to big time college football and excellent universities would want to play in a bush league like that-the exception being if they only had one year of eligibility after the transfer year. Who in the hell wants to get a degree from SFA when you could get one that might actually mean something someday. Some of these decisions these kids make boggle the mind. Wonder where the hell the parents are when they are making these genius decisions.

[MrMustang1965]

Schools like Sam Houston, SFA, Texas State (formerly Southwest Texas State) are becoming more popular and attractive to students and their parents who CAN'T AFFORD the larger state schools like UT, A&M and Texas Tech or private schools like SMU, Baylor or TCU. Not everyone is born with a 'silver spoon in their mouth'. To call these schools 'bush league' shows your lack of vision of today's higher educational system. The Div. 1-AA schools are attracting instructors who can give students more attention since the classes are smaller (teacher-student ratio is about 1:20). Plus, many of these schools are more regional in scope to the students who want to get a higher education. For example: A young man or woman from East Texas might choose SHSU or SFA over UT or TT because it's closer to home and will save their parents' hard-earned dollars on travel, housing and meals. Within the next 10-15 years, the major schools will become so overcrowded it will be almost impossible for most young people to gain acceptance. That's the reason the schools like SHSU, SFA, etc. are making major capital improvements to their campuses so that they can accomodate the expected increase in student enrollments. Also, to say that a degree from SHSU, SFA or another school holds more weight than a degree from a school like UT, A&M, TT or...SMU...is b.s. Many of these schools' 'distinguished alumni' are CEOs of major corporations, lawyers, doctors, politicians, civic leaders and celebrities or athletes who have worked hard to achieve their success and haven't just had it 'handed to them' as a result of the sheepskin from a school like UT, A&M, TT or...SMU.

I would be proud of my son or daughter graduating from SHSU, SFA or Texas State just as much as if they had graduated from UT, A&M, TT or...SMU. Don't be a snob, Stallion. Most of your posts are intelligent and have some thought put into them. This wasn't one of them.

I wonder where the hell your mind was when you made this genius post.

[Boston Pony]

I think many of these kids are still chasing 'the dream'. They believe they weren't successful at the top school/program because of their coach, not their lack of ability (sometimes they are right). My brother is a DII HC and he picks up 5 - 6 DI kids each season and 3 - 4 end up being high quality players who either get drafted or FA by the NFL. Do they make it, no, but they are closer to their dream than those who sit on a DI bench (or under utilized - see McCown). Most of these 20 year olds aren't thinking about 20 years down the road, but what happens this fall. Parents can advise, but they can't make decisions for the kids and some are right there chasing the dream with their kid

[MrMustang1965]

I think many of these kids are still chasing 'the dream'. They believe they weren't successful at the top school/program because of their coach, not their lack of ability (sometimes they are right). My brother is a DII HC and he picks up 5 - 6 DI kids each season and 3 - 4 end up being high quality players who either get drafted or FA by the NFL. Do they make it, no, but they are closer to their dream than those who sit on a DI bench (or under utilized - see McCown). Most of these 20 year olds aren't thinking about 20 years down the road, but what happens this fall. Parents can advise, but they can't make decisions for the kids and some are right there chasing the dream with their kid.

BP: Where is your brother a HC? Just curious.

[Hoofbeat83]

dude, with all due respect, a degree from sam or SFA is not the same as a degree from SMU or UT.

i appreciate your unquestionable support of our program and that of your own alma mater, but this is not the place to make your case for the texas state school system and expect anyone to buy it.

and while i'm at it, no one really cares about longview h.s. either for the guy whose name looks like yours.

this board is about SMU.

[SMUnick]

I just dont understand why these players want to transfer to SFA. Money is probably not a factor considering they are all on sports scholarships. It makes no sense for someone to transfer from great schools such as purdue, clemson, vtech, smu, and tcu etc...

[RGV Pony]

Often, there is an assistant or someone at one of those schools who has an 'in' with some of the bigger programs. The HC at Ariz. Western JC used to be at Western NM, and regularly had transfers from Clemson, non-qualifiers from Florida State, etc. Why? The D-Coord. was a one-time Clemson assistant, and another of that guy's colleagues was a GA & later asst. at FSU and a couple of other schools in the south. Bobby Bowden, like his son Terry, started his coaching career at Samford. A special on him the other day on the SUN network showed him telling how he'd talk to some big time D-1 coaches, who would let him watch practice and determine if one of their marginal players could help him at Samford. The bigtime HC would then set the player down, tell him he could be holding dummies for three years or getting some PT over at Samford.

[Bocephus]

Calcius Williams was a hell of a player in HS. Susprised LaTray gave up on Clemson so soon.

[Charleston Pony]

with Spurrier now at USC, Bowden is feeling some pressure to produce at Clemson. If Clint wasn't looking at any playing time, my guess is he may have been encouraged to leave. He may be good enough to come in and start right away at SFA, but sure would have been nice to see him do a year of JC and then end up at SMU. Then again, if we aren't "accomodating" in terms of transfer credits, we probably lose out on a lot of those possibilities. Not may kids can afford to pay their own way for even one year at SMU.

[SWC2010]

Often, there is an assistant or someone at one of those schools who has an 'in'....

Exactly, RGV.

That plus most DI transfers are leaving because they're 'sitting' & they want to play NOW.

They also still have the DREAM of the the NFL-- not where they get their degree.

They've been the FB BS so long they have no sense of priorities-- the same as most of us had when we were there, desperately pursuing a late night '10'. Only to discover the "Coyotte Ugly" next to ya in the morning...

[Billy Joe]

You are right Mr. Mustang. Those schools are up and comming Harvards. Those schools are what they are...low level community colleges. It is not being disrespectful to say that either. With your analogy you want me to say a Ford Taurus is a great car and just as good as a Cadillac. I do not think so pal. Question: if you love those schools so much go post on their boards and stay off ours!

[MrMustang1965]

You are right Mr. Mustang. Those schools are up and comming Harvards. Those schools are what they are...low level community colleges. It is not being disrespectful to say that either. With your analogy you want me to say a Ford Taurus is a great car and just as good as a Cadillac. I do not think so pal. Question: if you love those schools so much go post on their boards and stay off ours!

Wow. You're using that degree in 'Snobbery' to its fullest, aren't you? And your last sentence is a statement, not a question.

[gostangs]

Hey - I don't think it is all that tough. These players leave becuase they are about to fail out of school where they are and they have to transfer to keep playing football, - which they have to do because they have all been told since they were 15 by everyone they know that they were going to play professionally.

Rocket scientist they ain't.