ponyboy wrote:Without having to sort through this thread, what was the reason?
Kyle Padron confirmed that he requested and received from SMU head coach June Jones a release to transfer to another school.
"It was a long, thought-out process that involved a lot of talking with my family, and ultimately I decided it's in my best interest to go elsewhere," Padron said. "My parents helped lay out the pros and cons, and I decided it's in my best interest to go somewhere else."
Padron said that being as competitive as he is, he didn't necessarily like the decision to make J.J. McDermott the Mustangs' starting quarterback after Padron was pulled from the opener at Texas A&M, but he understood and harbors no grudge against Jones or the other SMU coaches.
"It was always a competition," Padron said. "Coach Jones said from Day One that it's a competition, and the best players will play, and that's exactly what it was. Maybe I would have started here next year, maybe not, but for my total well-being, it's time to go somewhere else. Coach Jones and I had, and still have, a mutual respect for each other. He understands my decision, and offered a helping hand. I'm leaving on very good terms with him and the rest of the coaching staff."
Padron said that when he asked for his release, he had a long, positive conversation talks with both Jones and assistant head coach/offense Dan Morrison.
"Coach Jones said he wishes I wasn't leaving, but he transferred three times - he brought that up in our conversation - so he understands my thought process, he understands that sometimes you need a fresh start in football or outside of football," Padron said. "Coach Morrison also said he hates to see me go. The relationship I have had with him over the last three years is second to none. He has coached some great players, and I have learned so much from him and Coach Jones. They both said they'll stay in touch and they both said they'd do anything to help me, and that says a lot about them."
Padron said he has not yet begun to identify options for his next school. Instead, he is focused on getting fully healthy after having surgery to repair a torn joint capsule in his left ankle and rehabilitating his back after he hurt it lifting weights during the 2011 season.
"I have a lot of rehab to do, so that's my focus - getting completely healthy before I do anything else," he said. "I don't know if I have been completely healthy since the beginning of my sophomore year, so that's the first thing.
"SMU is a special place. I did a lot of special things here, in and out of football, and I’ll never forget those things. I built great relationships with the guys on the team, the coaches and the fans, and those are things I’ll cling to and take with me, wherever I go. I believe there are a lot more special things out there for me, and I’m eager to see what they are and where they are. But I'm really grateful to SMU, and I wish nothing but the best for my teammates and this coaching staff and the SMU fans, the entire SMU community. I made friendships here that I'll maintain for the rest of my life. This is a very close team, and these guys have affected my life in a big way."