Avery Cleveland is gone!!!!!

[EastStang]

Given that we don't know all the facts, we can't say why he's leaving. Perhaps its grades. Perhaps its a disciplinary thing. Perhaps its that he thinks he ought to play ahead of Lee. Perhaps he's not as good as we thought he would be. Perhaps he's gotten a taste of Division I football in the Aggie game and doesn't want any part of it. Perhaps he found a hot babe who's going somewhere else and he wants to be with her. Perhaps he doesn't like Bennett. Perhaps he got razzed by a couple of SAE's and wants to go somewhere more friendly. Perhaps he's been reading all the spleen on this board. We don't know. I am sorry if things didn't work out for him and if he truly is leaving, I wish him well in his future endeavors.

[The XtC]

So Cal, no.

East, it cant be grades at this point. If you are certified eligible at the beginning of the semester, you are eligible until the end. Unless he dropped out of his classes. Dropping below 12 hours could do it.

[Charleston Pony]

there are plenty of walk on LBs on the roster. I wonder if this means one of them will have a shot at Cleveland's scholarship...assuming he is leaving. What this undoubtedly means is that we are going to see some RS frosh in the LB 2 deep next year. I don't see any good options for converting a safety to LB

[Stallion]

we may have to move Sturdivant up to LB or Muse back to LB-we may have no other choice. I still think Wilton MCray is playing out of position at his size right now-we lose Rico Harris too. Otherwise, what do we have Carrington(OK) and the kid from military school. Maybe Hudman but seriously we are in deep do-do there next year.

[Charleston Pony]

between the FR recruits (Alexander and Powell) and all the walk-ons, is it posible Cleveland saw himself falling out of the rotation and may be headed for I-AA? Anyone have any news on the walk-ons? I see there are some guys with pretty good size...Barnhart at 230, Johnson at 220, Jones at 218 and Osborne at 230. Are any of these guys players???

[Stallion]

rumors at this point suggest that he wants to continue his career at a couple of Division 1A schools-apparently he isn't giving up football. He might not get his release to those schools because some are on our schedule.

[SMU88]

Have you guys thought for one second that Coach saw something in his practices that makes him believe that Avery would be better off at another school and using his scholarship for someone else??? It gets sickening to read some of your posts and how horrible the coaches are. I have seen the TCU game (which I have ordered on DVD), the Texas A&M game on TV and the Baylor game on the internet and have a very different opinion of what I see then most of you. I have seen many passes that our wide receivers should be catching. Based on your rational perhaps we should cut them from the team?? Yes we have lost some players but I have seen some improvements with this team and I feel that as the year progresses the team will get better. Give the coach a break and instead of spending the entire blogs destroying the coaches and the team try to note postive things. After all many potential recruits are reading these blogs. You guys are worse then Yankee fans!!!

[ALEX LIFESON]

Out of curiosity, how long have you been a Mustang fan?

[RE Tycoon]

Stick around '88, you'll be [deleted]'ing in no time. Oh and I've BEEN to all the games so far and it's not just the WR's it's the whole team (with the occasional flashes of brillance from the D).

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

if young players start quitting what will we do?

i suppose it frees up more scholarships.

how much longer does Copeland's contract run?

i hope somebody has a plan?

fellas we are in one heck of a mess!

[SoCal_Pony]

If PB does get canned this year, you know what we will be saying about his replacement?..”Don’t judge him on next years’ performance, this team lacks depth and will take a few years to build up.”

Sound familiar?????

[SMU88]

I have been an SMU fan since 1982.

[Charleston Pony]

Fitzgerald is another guy who I expect to see more of next year, whether at one of the safety positions or possibly as a converted LB. Judging from the fact this is Cleveland's 3rd year in the program and he's struggling for playing time, this may not be as big a loss as we think...again...assuming this "rumor" is eventually confirmed. Probably no reason for him to leave at this point in the year...unless it is related to academics.

[MrMustang1965]

I have been an SMU fan since 1982.

Welcome aboard the Heartbreak Express.

[The XtC]

[quote="SMU88"]Have you guys thought for one second that Coach saw something in his practices that makes him believe that Avery would be better off at another school and using his scholarship for someone else??![/quote]

Sure, that thought crossed my mind for a moment, but it got chased away by a couple of more rational questions. First, midseason is kind of a strange time to push a guy out. You gain nothing, and lose a player who contributes, regardless of how small that contribution is. If the coach told the guy to leave, why now, in the middle of the season? Are they going to take the redshirt off someone to cover punts and fill in wherever Avery would have played?

Why push out a young guy with 2 years of eligibility, who plays a position that will be devestated by graduation when this season is over?

If it was the coaches decision to push the guy out, why wont he release him to play at a 1-AA school?

Who is this "someone else" that they plan to use his scholarship for? Recruits dont seem to be waiting in line to join this years incoming class. If you need to make room for a few promising prospects, I might understand. But with only 2 commitments so far, that theory doesnt hold water.

Beyond that, sure its a very plausible scenario.

I'm not saying that this single incident is going to be the teams downfall, or even have much of an impact, but its another sign of serious problem that doesnt get talked about enough. As some one mentioned earlier, this is why we are the youngest team in the country every year. Because half of every recruiting class leaves before their junior year.


So Cal,
I owe you a better response than just one word. The reason I'm not hopeful for improvement this year is that things seem to be sliding in the wrong direction. Defensively we did seemed to be improved in the first 2 games, although the offense and special teams were still making the same mistakes we've seen for years. The last 6 quarters have been a slide downward, though. At this point, the offense seems in total disarray. No one really knows who will start at QB, but we do know they will have a very short hook. No one knows who will start at running back. Having lots of backs that you can use in different formations and game situations is a good thing, but being unable to even name a starter is simply indecisiveness, its a sign of someone who doesnt know what to do. Thats what worries me the most, that it doesnt look like people know what to do, or can act in a decisive manner. They're floundering. When players see that the coaches cant make the right decision, they lose confidence. Thats why I'm not hopeful about this year.
The only positive factor I see right now is that Marshall is turnover prone, and got beat by UCF last week. Turnovers can turn the tide in a game, as we've seen. A road win could go a long way to restoring some of the teams confidence.

In regards to next year, I believe Stallion has already mentioned it. Graduation will rip the guts out of our defense. Harris, Lee, Stansbury, Harper, Humphrey, and Nabuifie are all seniors (sorry if I misspelled Alvins name.) Right now I dont seee who is going to fill that void.