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Player Departures

LaserDeathHawk

Club Member
Club Member
I am going to throw this out there...see if it makes sense to anyone.

I think the departures we have seen (voluntary, not the katoa incidents we have experienced in the recent past) will continue to be a part of our program under Hawk and while it hurts our football team it shouldn't be seen only as a bad thing.

Hawkins seems to recruit good young men, not just excellent football players but men with bright futures, a lot of drive and intelligence. Contrast that with many of the recruits who seemingly only have football talent going for them (wow) and I think you end up with guys that will from time to time leave a program.

I know loyalty and following through on a committment is a key element of a guy but so is constantly questioning your situation and seeing how you can prepare yourself for your future. Josh is leaving to, at least reportedly, pursue his future outside of football.

Some kids in other programs, with less going for them and a coaching staff that doesn't encourage them to excel in all aspects of their lives can't afford that kind of thinking. They have to make football happen perfectly or they have nothing.

I think we will continue to see a small number of guys leave our program as the staff encourages them to be well rounded and their skills outside of football drive them in different directions. This will continue to hurt our football team a bit but I think we can recover and I think it is an indicator of the type of men we are creating/fostering in our program.

Am I making any sense?
 
Am I making any sense?

You are making sense because Hawk is about a lot more than winning games when it comes to his kids. That does not say that he does not place winning at the top of his priority list, just that he wants to do it the right way.

The thing that we tend to miss in our little world of Buff fans is that this same thing happens at schools all over the country. When you have +/- 100 guys between the ages of 18-23 you are going to have guys who decide to go other directions. Sometimes it is a good decision for them and the school sometimes not, but it is going to happen. Virtually every other major program in the country loses a few players every year. You have guys who don't make the grades, you have guys who get in trouble with the law, you have guys who miss their girlfriends or their mothers, you have guys who simply decide that football isn't that important anymore or decide that playing football is very important and that they aren't going to be able to compete where they are.

Josh Smith leaving did not exactly make the lead on Sportscenter. He is the focus of a lot of attention here but nationally he is not looked upon as an established star. I would say that Tony Clemons transfering is a bigger story than Josh Smith. We had high hopes for Ryan Wallace but again this is a kid who as a redshirting Fr. had zero plays from scrimmage. He was not a HS All-American.

As much as I would have like to have had both players stay (and for Katoa to get his act together, and for some of the other guys who have left over the past few years to stay and perform) this is a part of college football.

From a standpoint of Hawk, it must be frustrating to lose some of these guys but at the same time if a guy really doesn't want to be there then you have to ask if the team is not in some ways better off with him gone. Talent is a big part of it but attitude and dedication are also critical, if a kid doesn't have those then he is not going to help you and may drag others down as well.
 
While I hate to see anyone leave the program, these guys say they are leaving for many reasons, not because the coaching, players, system, etc. didn't work for them. That's a relief, if nothing else.

The exodus from Michigan, for example, reflects poorly on their new coach. The players leaving here seem to have individual reasons for wanting a change of place.
 
While I hate to see anyone leave the program, these guys say they are leaving for many reasons, not because the coaching, players, system, etc. didn't work for them. That's a relief, if nothing else.

The exodus from Michigan, for example, reflects poorly on their new coach. The players leaving here seem to have individual reasons for wanting a change of place.

I am still not buying the music major excuse. For how much JS was not used this spring, I am wondering if his lack of effort and interest got him on the bench. So if he wasn't going to grow, then this is a good thing. I just wanted to watch him play for the Buffs.
 
Hawkens is not running a "Bible camp" at C.U. We need more guy's like Shaun Mohler.:smile: He gets it done on the field and in the classroom. My pick for a big year this fall.
 
I was actually really looking forward to see Burghner play FB/special teams - I think he is a Mohler type, would have left it all out there every play.
 
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