Transfer Watch

[Tony4BG]

To shed some light on whether Doege leaving was expected or a surprise from a couple days ago, I was told it was NOT expected that he was leaving. We all know Doege said he was staying a few months ago after Jinks and his brother Seth left, but from what I was told our coaches fully expected him to remain at BG and he was slated as the starter. To me, that all but rules out that a grad transfer was in the works to come here that prompted this happening. That's not to say one still isn't at some point. IMO it almost needs and has to at this point. This looks like a case of Doege saying he was done with BG.

Heard the same but a grad transfer has been talked about prior to his leaving.

[BGSU33]

Bryce Veasley... LET'S GO!

He was #3 after spring with talks of us looking at the transfer portal - at that time - simply for depth behind Doege. That's not exactly what I would call an endorsement.

[BillyLP]

IF IJM left the team, I'd guess it's for family reasons. If I remember correctly, he came to BG from WSU to be closer to his son in Florida, and BG isn't exactly close to Florida. If he felt a stronger calling to go closer to home, still. I have nothing against him. Family first.

Anthony Johnson hasn't even graduated from high school so you can't call it a transfer. He might just not be on campus yet. And if he decides this isn't the place for him to be, then now is the time to do it.

I'm surprised at how much panic there is with the confirmed and rumored defections. This happens literally every time there is a big culture change with coaching, regardless of school. If players realize that they don't fit in with the new style, then they *should* leave. It wouldn't be good for the team or their personal future to stick around. This is going to be a rough season, no doubt, but I think we'll see a more disciplined and better educated team on the field, and the building process will be underway. I'm reminded of Dave Clawson's first two years at Wake Forest. They could barely field an offensive line and were thin across the board because so many players left. Now he's won three bowl games in a row. At WAKE FOREST. Probably one of the hardest P5 schools to win football games in the nation.

[Tony4BG]

IF IJM left the team, I'd guess it's for family reasons. If I remember correctly, he came to BG from WSU to be closer to his son in Florida, and BG isn't exactly close to Florida. If he felt a stronger calling to go closer to home, still. I have nothing against him. Family first.

Anthony Johnson hasn't even graduated from high school so you can't call it a transfer. He might just not be on campus yet. And if he decides this isn't the place for him to be, then now is the time to do it.

I'm surprised at how much panic there is with the confirmed and rumored defections. This happens literally every time there is a big culture change with coaching, regardless of school. If players realize that they don't fit in with the new style, then they *should* leave. It wouldn't be good for the team or their personal future to stick around. This is going to be a rough season, no doubt, but I think we'll see a more disciplined and better educated team on the field, and the building process will be underway. I'm reminded of Dave Clawson's first two years at Wake Forest. They could barely field an offensive line and were thin across the board because so many players left. Now he's won three bowl games in a row. At WAKE FOREST. Probably one of the hardest P5 schools to win football games in the nation.

Great thoughts!

[BGSU33]

We are not winning and it will always be hard to get solid talent to come here until we start to win some football games.

Urban Meyer and Dave Clawson figured out. We can do this.

While true, you also need to factor in several very important differences in what Meyer and Clawson didn't have to face when they stepped in at BG that Loeffler did. First off, neither Meyer or Clawson had an early signing period working against them like Loeffler did. Yes, any coaching can put you behind in recruiting, but with a high percentage of guys now committing earlier and signing two months ahead (December) of the traditional signing day date (Feburary), it gave this year's class no chance at being any good, which will also cost us down the road. Second, neither Meyer or Clawson came in on the heels of short-term head coaching tenure before them. Blackney was here 10 years before Meyer took over and Brandon was here 6 years before Clawson took over (Brandon was here 8 years in all as he was the OC under Meyer) so there was a base in place with the roster, recruits, etc. Yes, both Blackney's and Brandon's teams were doing poorly which prompted the coaching changes, but the mess Loeffler was left to clean up from the Jinks era - coupled with the fact it was BG's 3rd head coach in a 4-year window - had him coming in to a pile of moving rubble. Third, while Meyer and Clawson both had their share of departures and players dismissed when they got here, it was much different than what Loeffler is facing - and - they also weren't dealing with the NCAA Transfer Portable explosion like Loeffler is now either. Neither Meyer or Brandon lost the number of expected starters that Loeffler is. Remember, a lot of the guys who left when Meyer came on board were reserves who didn't buy in, or didn't want to buy in. Also remember, Clawson had a winning record and bowl appearance his first year because he leaned heavily on the senior class and starters and even held off implementing changes in his schemes that first season because of it. His hurdle flared up in year two when those seniors graduated and he dealt with all the defections from Brandon's last two recruiting classes. Jinks was known as a good recruiter, and was, but he was unable to RETAIN those recruits, which is just as important as signing them. The three Jinks recruiting classes have been shredded to pieces and are a shell of the ones rated highly when they were intact, leaving BG with three poor classes added to the worst recruiting class in the MAC coming into this season. So BG is left with four consecutive bad recruiting classes and on top of that now the defections of starters that Loeffler is also tying to deal with. His situation is much different than the one Meyer and Brandon stepped in to here. Loeffler has a helluva mess on his hands right now, there's nothing left to even sugarcoat.

[MarkL]

Looking back on this thread I feel something has to be said.

Criticizing coaches? Totally fair game. They are professionals and are being paid by our donations and student tuition.
Criticizing administration? Totally fair game.

But speculating about BG players transferring or spreading unverified rumors? Not sure I like that at all. These are young men. Students. Amateurs. Spreading gossip about what "may be the cause" of someone leaving when none of us personally know the guy on an individual level and know what makes him tick, that just reeks of irresponsibility. Just a thought, take it or leave it.

[Flipper]

SO far as Johnson goes...we have at least one kid a year who signs an LOI and then never makes it to school in the fall. It's nothing unusual or new

[Flipper]

Next man up....

There's no one there...

Needless hysterics...there's always a next man. Yes we are thin and yes this season is likely going to be a struggle...but there will be a season...we will field a team. The staff can either roll over and play dead or they can take what players they have and get what they can from them and build on it.

So far as the most recent departures go...purely speculation, but you might want to ponder what event usually takes place in BG at the beginning of May that might lead to a change in status between the University and a student

[roguewarrior]

It sounds like RB Marlow may not be with the team in the fall. He started 6 games at WR last year and was the team's third leading WR. Man, the last few seasons have been pitiful on the field, but this offseason has been pretty depressing with all these defections. It seems every couple days we're losing yet another guy for whatever reason. We held some water after the coaching change but over the past several weeks there are now leaks everywhere. The phrase "reached rock bottom" has been tossed around a lot on this board the last several years, but when you combine the on-field performance coupled with all the mass defections, I think we're finally there. It's just downright depressing because in 2015 we were sitting at the top and had been rolling for several years. Now that seems like 20 years ago already.

Some of these guys are told to go... horrible grades, work ethic, attitude, discipline, etc. he is not a loss.

What? Do you know the guy? Why would you throw something like that around? These are students. They don't deserve to be personally insultedand targeted like this.

+1. There is no room for personal attacks on this board, especially of the student athletes.

How do you know what I know? Agree not to personally “attack”, but this thread is filled with speculation. The reality is this staff is very experienced and is doing it right. They are taking over a team that was run like a HS. They want players that will represent BG for life, not a season. Hard for a non-athlete to grasp. If you think there are not people on the team today that don’t fit that mold, you are delusional. There is a reason they hardly won. They will take two steps back, before giant leaps forward. Do you want to be the Patriots or the Raiders?

[Antimob]

Who are you to tell someone you've never even met what's "right for their future"?

I'm most certainly not, I'm stating that it isn't an automatic surefire lock-it-in guarantee that the next option will be better as you assume it will be as you celebrate players leaving BG. I'm asking for some minuscule degree of consideration for the places they signed their name on a piece of paper to play versus the utter chaos that the transfer market has become.

Who are you to liken people getting free tuition, room, board and books in a voluntary agreement to "indentured servants" in an age when tens of millions are struggling to pay college tuition debt?

[Antimob]

this avalanche of transfers nationwide is going haywire and is getting a ridiculous at this point. Prior to a couple years ago you always had some guys transfer here and there. Then two years ago things started to shift. And now, the floodwaters have come.

And we're told we're crazy for thinking there's anything abnormal about it.

[roguewarrior]

Who are you to tell someone you've never even met what's "right for their future"?

I'm most certainly not, I'm stating that it isn't an automatic surefire lock-it-in guarantee that the next option will be better as you assume it will be as you celebrate players leaving BG. I'm asking for some minuscule degree of consideration for the places they signed their name on a piece of paper to play versus the utter chaos that the transfer market has become.

Who are you to liken people getting free tuition, room, board and books in a voluntary agreement to "indentured servants" in an age when tens of millions are struggling to pay college tuition debt?

Spot on. In addition, To my earlier point, many are asked to leave or told, “ you will not play here”. A handful, like a Doege, believe they can play at a higher level.

[kdog27]

Next man up....

[Schadenfreude]

It sounds like RB Marlow may not be with the team in the fall. He started 6 games at WR last year and was the team's third leading WR. Man, the last few seasons have been pitiful on the field, but this offseason has been pretty depressing with all these defections. It seems every couple days we're losing yet another guy for whatever reason. We held some water after the coaching change but over the past several weeks there are now leaks everywhere. The phrase "reached rock bottom" has been tossed around a lot on this board the last several years, but when you combine the on-field performance coupled with all the mass defections, I think we're finally there. It's just downright depressing because in 2015 we were sitting at the top and had been rolling for several years. Now that seems like 20 years ago already.

Some of these guys are told to go... horrible grades, work ethic, attitude, discipline, etc. he is not a loss.

What? Do you know the guy? Why would you throw something like that around? These are students. They don't deserve to be personally insultedand targeted like this.

+1. There is no room for personal attacks on this board, especially of the student athletes.

How do you know what I know? Agree not to personally “attack”,...

You strongly implied one one specific player is guilty of horrible grades, a bad work ethic, a bad attitude, and poor discipline. That looks like a personal attack to me. We should be better than that here.

[Flipper]

Who are you to tell someone you've never even met what's "right for their future"?

I'm most certainly not, I'm stating that it isn't an automatic surefire lock-it-in guarantee that the next option will be better as you assume it will be as you celebrate players leaving BG. I'm asking for some minuscule degree of consideration for the places they signed their name on a piece of paper to play versus the utter chaos that the transfer market has become.

Who are you to liken people getting free tuition, room, board and books in a voluntary agreement to "indentured servants" in an age when tens of millions are struggling to pay college tuition debt?

Apples to bowling balls comparison. Student athletes don't get "free" anything. The University places demands on their time and bodies in exchange for the educational opportunities they receive. It's their job to be athletes...who are you to place restrictions on their freedom of movement?

So far as the notion that a transfer isn't a dead certain solution to an issue...whoopty fricking do...welcome to the world. There are NO dead certain solutions to any problem. The question remains...in a world where a coach can recruit a kid like he's a virtual family member and then walk away months or even days after signing him and suffer no consequence..who are you to tell a kid he shouldn't have that same freedom? You favor the traditional system of placing the maximum amount of control in the hands of the coaches. Did we learn nothing from the Robby Benson movie "One on One"? Coaches are in it for themselves. Why concentrate the maximum amount of control in the hands of these carpetbaggers. Put the players on equal footing with respect to freedom of movement. They're legally adults any way...let them have the freedom to make mistakes if it comes to that. At least they'll learn a valuable lesson about the responsibility of freedom