Not a surprise here. He had an All American season and it is likely his draft stock is very high.
Best wishes to the kid. 
Itâs somewhat of a surprise, Luther said just a couple weeks ago his injury wouldnât impact his ability to be back for next season. He certainly implied he was returning
âWith that being saidâ. I hate it (all of the announcements). Just say everything after the comma. But good luck to him. Should be drafted pretty high.
Given the role model/precedent set by his father, I cannot respect this⌠The boy has clearly been infected with the same egotism running rampant throughout College Football. These kids seem to have forgotten that going to college was NOT just supposed to be about them getting a springboard into a Pro career.
If I see another one of these â â â â â â â â invocations about God I will throw up all over my keyboard. If we wanna go there, I fully believe the Almighty would expect them to honor the 4 year concept that is at the foundation of an athletic scholarship. Andre Miller and Keith Van Horn could both have bailed and gone pro [I actually knew them both personally, even sharing a summer Sociology class with both] but they stuck it out; so have several other well known Utes stars. GET YOUR DAMN EDUCATION, so a dreaded injury doesnt ruin a career and leave you with nothing.
It seems as though all these kids seem to have forgotten that the success that has inflated their heads was obtained as part of a TEAM. Not one of them did it alone, and by so many of them bailing on that âfamilyâ that is supposed to a core concept of this program, theyâve all shown they dont actually care about the family and team culture. Itâs all about ME ME ME.
Hell, Cole Bishop, who quit the team prior to the bowl game, excuse me, âopted outâ, was a so called captain, A TEAM LEADER. What a joke this has become. The term âcollege footballâ is completely obsolete and useless. As some have suggested here previously, henceforth it certainly should be referred to as minor league football. Itâs similar to minor league baseball in that employees regularly move from one organization to another, up and down different competition levels, monetary awards being the great motivator, and low and fleeting allegiance to a particular team (or college institution).
While Iâm on a rant;
- Players moving between colleges at such frequency must not give a damn about curriculum, academic progress, etc. Seeing that the overwhelming majority will not play professional football, learning a trade would be of greater benefit to themselves and society than a degree in underwater basketweaving. Conversely, scan through the bios of the 4 consecutive NCAA champion Utah ski team, for both the men and women, their academic achievement puts the football team to shame, majors like mechanical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, et al.
- Mikey Mathews seems like an adequate receiver and returner, but nothing to write home about, heâs small and not real buff. It seems to me Utah would be his high point.
- Where does Bryson Barnes expect to land, SUU, Weber State?
- Under the definition for the word Hypocrisy the Oxford English Dictionary reads: Utah football players proclaiming FAMILY! as their team mantra.
More than anything though, it is sad.
Watch the latest Extra Point podcast. Cal makes a great point about students losing sight of the degree. RoJo talks about FAMILY! and it used to be that way, but now itâs more âFamily when convenient, otherwise, everyone for themselves!â
I guess student-athlete is now spelled paid-athlete. Some players leave early with a degree. Some finish it later and do have at least a few-year career in the NFL. But most will need a degree and transferring to lesser schools (if they are picked up at all) robs themselves of getting a good degree from a great university.
Yeah, Iâm beginning to think the âFamily on 3â cheer is complete BS. Many of these players donât give a rip about the Utah Utes.
The hostility and judgement in this thread is over the top.
âPay no attention to that man behind the curtain.â
All of this new reality sucks, but the kids are doing what they think is in their best financial interests within the (mostly nonexistent) rules of the system. Iâm not going to fault them for that, regardless of how much I wish it wouldnât happen.
Nearly every single one of us would immediately jump at the chance to go make a big pile of cash at 18, 19, 20 years old.
I dont fault them for making a financial assessment -
I fault them - even outright condemn them for the selfishness involved in abandoning their teammates who helped them get into a prominent position. I know my military background is coloring my outlook, but also the generation I was raised by (Alabama Mother, devout LDS Father, and Deep South foster parents). THese boys are showing ZERO loyalty or sense of that âfamilyâ concept Kyle has been working at so much. Your character and integrity, or lack thereof, tell the world, and the adults youâre hoping to impress, a LOT about whether they can count on you when things are important.
Weâve now see for 2 years exactly how that all colors the situation with Caleb Williams a s prime example. Money be damned - I want these young men to set a better example for those younger boys coming up behind them. So far, just because the NCAA rules changed, they seem to think itâs fine to tell everyone in the program to go EFF themselves, while they chase $$.
I really, REALLLY, cant get the image of Judas Iscariot out of my mind⌠that is how darkly I see this wave of disloyalty and avarice.
And frankly, if you are the type of person who would stab your teammates and coaches in the back just to make âa big pile of cashâ at ANY age, well, I would be hard pressed to have much good to say about you in the long run. It would take many years to overcome such a bad first impression of lack of character etc. [assuming it was even humanly possible].
My hyperbolic thoughts about itâŚ
Donât blame the players. Blame the game and culture.
Look around. This is all a dark mirror of a whole culture obsessed with 10 minutes of fame and instant gratification. Loyalty and honor the way those of us over 50 and/or the military, grew up fantasizing about isnât even a thing anymore.
These kids are not betraying their own values. They are acting the way theyâve seen everyone around them model for many years now.
Depressing as it is for we geezers this is their reality and we are just imposing our dinosaur worldview on their actions. But they didnât cause the system to be this way. That blame somehow also rests with us. We allowed it to get this way because we also liked all the toys along the way.
Idiocracy just came way quicker than the movie predicted. So drink your Brawndo cuz itâs got electrolytes that plants need.
college football isnât the problem itâs just a symptom of much bigger issues.
I hope the rancor is dorected towards transfers and NIL. For me, declaring for the NFL is totally fine and awesome if they are ready for it. I do hope they have or are close to a degree in hand, but not playing out your eligibility is fine for me if they are going pro. Leaving to get playing time, meh, ok. Likely they land at a lesser school or not at all. Chasing money? To the rack!
Seems a bit over the top. Like it or not, college football is now a business and these kids are making business decision. Saying that itâs somehow a dark stain on their character feels entirely unfair. Do you feel the same about professional athletes (because thatâs what these kids are now) in the NFL or NBA who change teams as well, or just kids who choose to leave Utah?
I also think youâre underestimating the impact that some of these âpiles of cashâ will have on these kids and their families. Weâre talking about the opportunity for kids - some of whom come from lower income backgrounds - to make in a single year more than their whole families bring in over the course of a decade or more. That sort of opportunity can potentially lift entire families out of really difficult situations and can change the trajectory of their entire lives. And weâre going to sit here and cast judgement on their character because the choose that and arenât sufficiently bought in to â1, 2, 3âŚfamilyâ? A noble sentiment, I suppose, but doesnât reflect reality.
It sucks to lose players, but I donât hold it against them one bit. If they can use their god-given athletic talent that theyâve dedicated their entire lives to and go make potentially life-changing amounts of money, then Iâm sincerely happy that they get that chance. I strongly suspect the coaching staff feels the same way.
Great points Skiny.
Iâll also add this is the difference between being a fan and being part of the team.
Most of us have spent decades being a fan of everything Ute. Iâve âbeen a Uteâ twice as long as most of these guys have been alive.
We often mistake our fandom for their world.
Yes many become Utes for life, but that doesnât change what their dreams were. Most college football and basketball players dream for years of becoming a pro athlete. So when they have that chance to go to the NFL or NBA theyâre going to go.
Theyâre also people, and sometimes people need a change. It doesnât mean anything is wrong with the program, it doesnât mean they donât like Utah, it means they need something for themselves.
My line of work used to be all of us in one department for a career. I still believe in that, but thatâs just not how the current generation works. Doesnât mean itâs wrong or right, itâs just what it is.
This post is purposely vague on specific players or citations of specific sports they play on. Iâm involved in multiple NIL deals with athletes and thereâs another concern I have with the new NIL structures across college athletics. The majority of these players donât follow through on the business side of earning the NIL compensation. Yes the NIL contracts have specific performance objectives but a chunk of these athletes just cash the check and donât successfully complete their contractual obligation. No appearance at the sponsor business etc. Some have entered the portal or declared for the professional level opportunities, leaving the sponsors high and dry. Iâve pessimistically concluded that a large portion of these âstudent athletesâ never held a job when they were in high school. Instead they were excelling in their sport instead of flipping burgers etc. I need to remind myself theyâre also 18-23 years old and still developing maturity too. Yes I support athletesâ rights to earn the compensation but they damn well better follow through on their end of earning the money. You want big money? Great! Then read your signed contract and follow through with your responsibilities. Weâve now moved to a split initial payment and a final retainer/post performance payment but now itâs a headache tracking down everything. Rant overâŚ.
Great info from someone in the know. I know it would be a hassle, but would a few successful breach of contract suits, likely in small claims court, be enough to establish an understanding of contracts for these kids? As I put in another thread, some way for there to be consequences for failing to fulfill a commitment needs to be established, because thatâs how real life works, and if the athletes arenât taught how real life works, there are much bigger problems ahead for them.
I wouldnât want to be the litigant being portrayed as the big rich company suing a 19 year old kid because he/she didnât make a social media post. Most (wise) companies would simply cut their losses and find a new sponsorship opportunity.
All the money aside, I am more worried about all this creating a generation of Todd Marinovichâs.
More than some of these kids, for our entertainment pleasure, arenât getting to be kids and we are already seeing the results out there. Itâs a game, nothing more. Almost all of them will see their dream end sooner than later, and having them ready and well adjusted for the next chapter matters. I would hope as fans this is something that could be agreed.
Honestly I hope those who choose to chase the dream the best of success; but as the equivalent of modern day gladiators, that success is going to have a cost on the back end. Ok, it has a cost in the during, too. I hope we arenât wrecking their minds at the same time we are damaging their bodies.