Boren quit

[smuwins]

I heard Justin Boren quit the team last week...Anyone know anything more?

[ALEX LIFESON]

I for one thought this would happen. He tried to quit on his team last year, and this season Justin wasn't showing up for summer workouts. What a shame. On a happy note, Chris Urbanus is back and working hard! It's not official yet, but it looks good!

[LakeHighlandsPony]

Any reason given?? I get so tired of people quitting and joining rock bands?! Can we start cheating again and get some f%$#ing football players.

[SoCal_Pony]

Am surprised this isn't getting more airplay. I was expecting big things from Justin.

By my count, 2003, which was Bennett’s most heralded class, had 10 Rival 3-star players. 4 are no longer with the team (RJ Meeks, J Boren, Z Hall, E McGee), 1 is in limbo (D Jones), 2 are disappointments so far (Phillips and Massey), 1 should have redshirted his freshman year but wasn’t due to lack of depth (Sturdivant), is now a junior not projected to start this year, verdict is out on another (A Cleveland) and the final one appears to be the only real deal if he can remain healthy (Muse).

I realize many will say this is proof of the fallacy of these recruiting services. I look at it differently. These players were the difference-makers we were depending upon to take us to the next level.

[giacfsp]

... I realize many will say this is proof of the fallacy of these recruiting services....

Bingo.
And I wouldn't write off Phillips and Massey. They've both had things to sort through this year, and I'm hoping they'll both show us why they got the hype they did.

[BUS]

And I can think of Paulua that transfered, Kielly that went to the big 12, Mosley that went to Arkansas ?? and many others under the Cavan reign.

It happens at TCU, SMU, A$M, Texas and everywhere.

We still do not have enough depth at SMU to handle these defections. More Big
Men.

Read the footer.

[giacfsp]

UT lost a stud DE (Jones) and a stud WR (Timmons) -- it happens. We'll survive. More depth, more depth, more depth -- Coach Bennett is building depth, but it's a lengthy process.

[BUS]

eggs actlly

[thatpony]

if a player wants to quit then let him leave... they're just not pony enough for the program /) /)
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[Stallion]

the difference between schools like SMU and UT and TCU is that when SMU's prospects get hurt or don't come through it means a suspect takes the starting spot. When James Battle fails at TCU they have highly recruited, Top 100 guys like Gunn and other kid from Arlington Sam Houston who kept the 2003 on a winning track and took them to a bowl-not to mention killing SMU after Gunn's early injury to SMU last year. When UT loses a Parade All-American they replace him with two Parade All-Americans. SMU has never put two outstanding recruiting classes together since the 1980s. It certainly doesn't show that recruiting a team full of sleepers is just as effective in building a team as recruiting highly recruited players because SMU has done that for 15 years with ZERO success. So Cal Pony is right-this ain't a great sign for Bennett turning this thing around.

[abezontar]

Sadly though for programs like us unless we can do really well every so often we have a hard time maintaining the momentum in recuriting to build that depth. A new coach comes in, has recruiting success his first year, maybe two, but if he doesn't show results on the field it makes it very difficult to continue that success. I don't know enough about recruiting to know if Bennett has been able to avoid this but for our sake I hope he has. All I know is that something needs to change in order for us to buld the depth and improve. I'm not saying we need to fire anyone but we need to show massive improvement this year if we ever want to have any chance of success under our current regime.

[Stallion]

.....and you don't wait until 2-3 years in the Coaches' tenure to keep tinkering with the Model----you create a Model that will allow you to compete and you use that Model to attract the best possible candidates to coach your program and give them the full benefit of the competitive Model from the very beginning so that he has the best opportunity to quickly take advantage of his new hire. Once again SMU is STILL trying to figure out what the hell they want to do with the Model and letting another Head Coach hang out to dry 4 years into his tenure.

[Terry Webster]

Does anyone know if this is for sure?

[Billy Joe]

It will be interesting what rah-rah pep talk they give us at the Kick-Off Luncheon. It would not suprise me one bit if this was Bennett's last luncheon. I do not blame him though for SMU's failures. I blame the Administration and the so-called Commitment they force fed us a few years ago. A lot alums I have spoken to feel they were flat out lied to by the University officials, i.e., Copeland, Turner, and their followers. I am starting to feel the same. Again, I ask what is more difficult for the SMU coaches to do: 1) recruit quality players, or 2)keep the players they recruit in school. I am sick and tired of the excuse "we are one of the youngest teams in the country." I have heard that one too many time. If we could keep our players in the program, we may actually be able to field a senior/junior team and semi-compete. Lord have mercy on us all!

[SMUnick]

So if we have a sub-par season... Will Copeland be fired?... (Who fires Copeland anyways?)... Will Bennett lose the job?... Who are candidates that can fill Copeland and Bennetts places?...