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About a week ago, the SEC spring meeting in Sandestin took place, and all 14 coaches met up to discuss the state of the SEC and college football as a whole.
Of course, Mark Stoops was in attendance and one of the bigger topics that was discussed during the meeting was the possible transfer rule that may go into effect in the very near future.
The rule change states that a transfer student can play right away for any team he chooses. Currently, as it stands, a transfer must sit out a year and then he’ll be allowed to play.
Well, as reported by 247 sports, it looks like all 14 SEC coaches are opposed to this idea. Mark Stoops spoke on behalf of each of these coaches, here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t know of one coach who is in favor of that,” Stoops said. “There are always quality arguments on all sides and there will always be special circumstances for someone who needs to leave. But in this day and age, if kids don’t like something they can check out of it really quick. That’s what you worry about. You just don’t want them to leave just because things got too tough for them.”
What most don’t realize is all of the hard work that coaches put into each individual player to help them succeed. Yes, it gets tough at times, but that shouldn’t warrant a transfer. And if it does, the player needs that year to develop within the system.
Mitch Barnhart stands fully behind his coach in this situation as well.
“There are always quality arguments on all sides and there will always be special circumstances for someone who needs to leave,” Stoops said. “But in this day and age, if kids don’t like something they can check out of it really quick. That’s what you worry about. You just don’t want them to leave just because things got too tough for them.”
Overall, it’s a touchy subject for all of sports. Considering how much weight the SEC carries in college football, maybe the rule won;t change any time soon.
If it does, it’s probably bad news for Stoops and his program, as they’re hit hard with transfer losses seemingly every year. We’ve already seen Denzil Ware, Eli Brown and Tobias Gilliam among others depart this year.
What do you think? Should the rule be changed?