Mid-year defections

[Stallion]

there could be no legal action because NCAA scholarships are for one year only. Its not uncommon for a Head Coach to give a walk-on like Williams and the Matt Young kid a ONE-YEAR scholarship especially when they find themselves unexpectantly under the 85 man limit-this same uproar was raised last year when the Matt Young situation arose. Walk-ons who receive a scholarship should expect that to be reevaluated each year ie. he better start or contribute strongly to the team.

<small>[ 01-21-2004, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[SMUHouston]

McAndless - Most of this is hearsay and some speculation. Williams was apparently called in and told he didn't perform at the level that was expected. You would think after a couple of years the coaching staff knows all the players abilities and limitations. We all know scholarships are a year by year proposition, but most schools follow the unwritten 4 year commitment or make the situation so bad that the player leaves.

Best guess is, SMU got more JUCO commitments than expected and decided to use this scholarship.?? Maybe they feel the stable is pretty full of running backs.

[ProudPonyPa]

The man (Bennett) is fighting for his job. He should have been shaking things up like this last year. Sounds like he has a plan and is putting it in action, quickly.

[GrapevineMustang]

Originally posted by Charleston Pony:
haven't heard much about Pope or Burnett but if either one of them could turn out to be the same kind of player Brian Bischoff was for the Ponies, I've got to believe they will eventually earn scholarships. It's going to be interesting at LB next year.

As for Poynter...I say let the brawling begin for playing time on the OL. We need to get mean and nasty up front!

On last year's roster, Ben Poynter was listed at 6-4, 260 -- a little small (light) for a D-I offensive lineman. But a current SMU offensive lineman (who played a lot last year) told me Poynter is the best athlete of all the SMU linemen (himself included) and said Poynter has the best footwork and among the best blocking techniques of all OLs. I personally couldn't pick Poynter out of a lineup, but if all this is true, we might have added much-needed depth to the o-line with the development of Poynter and the rumored move of Ryan Kennedy from TE to OL -- without spending a scholarship (other than the one spent on Lobo).

[gostangs]

wouldn't 260-270 be big enough for center if they had good fundementals? Seems like they can be a bit smaller.

[PlanoStang]

Originally posted by GoRedGoBlue:

Originally posted by PlanoStang:
[b]

Originally posted by OldPony:
[b] I hate to see any players leave. I guess if you aren't getting any PT and don't seem to fit in the coaches plans, it probably means that you aren't really all that good so changing schools is not going to make a pro career for you. We had a couple of QB's though who were very good passers who weren't trated right and went on to do OK but its not the norm. Stay in school with your friends and get a good education is the best advice for most all of them.

I guess OK for you is making the pros. Thats excellent for me considering the odds. See Josh.

If you don't think you're being treated right by the coaches, and football isn't any fun anymore, then get OUT OF TOWN. We need people that like to play football, not prima donna QBs that won't change positions, and WANT to play for SMU. [/b]

SMU generally has a policy of not running off it's players like UT TECH INDIANA etc have been known to do. [/b]

Hmmmm, :hmm: I guess that being mistreated by coaches is OK. Playing football at SMU, and taking up a megabuck scholarship even though you now HATE football, and just do the least you can to avoid a coach's punishment is OK.

OK, what are the ncaa requirements for VOIDING a signed, sealed, but not yet delivered 4 year scholarship?

[PerunaPunch]

I believe that scholarships are renewed year-to-year. So technically, they can be pulled at any time. UT and others of that ilk routinely yank scholarships from kids if they don't think they're performing up to expectations. Coach Bennett usually takes the high road in these situations, sticks by his word and lets a kid keep his scholarship. I think in the long run that's the better decision as a coaches' reputation is very important to kids and their HS coaches.

[Vitale]

Originally posted by gostangs:
wouldn't 260-270 be big enough for center if they had good fundementals? Seems like they can be a bit smaller.

Yeah, you can play center at 270, but your technique had better be excellent and to compensate for the lack of sheer bulk, you'd better have a great understanding of leverage to make DTs use their size against themselves (see former Dallas center Mark Stepnoski). However, I hear Poynter is heading into spring ball as a tackle. If he stays there, he needs to add a bunch of weight. He seems to have the size (height) to carry more weight, but it remains to be seen if he has the genetic predisposition to tote around the extra pounds.