The Unofficial Furman Football Page

Interesting article in the New York Times about the negative impact that the new graduate transfer rule has had on the mid-majors. The rule allows players that have graduated and still have eligibility to transfer without sitting out a year if the school they transfer to has a graduate degree their current school doesn't offer.

The Albany College Great Danes once ranked 5th in the mid-majors were totally devastated when their top two players transferred to Villanova and Florida St.

The SoCon hasn't been impacted much yet but the threat is looming. Since small schools like Furman and most mid-majors have far fewer graduate programs than the majors this rule is of little benefit to them.

The rule is nothing but a shameless effort to help the major conferences to cannibalize the mid-majors. It's bad enough that college basketball players are transferring in record numbers (40% transfer by the end of their sophomore year) now there's this loophole to help the majors even more by encouraging some of the top mid-major players to transfer without penalty.

Key word is graduate. Once a player graduates it seems to me that the obligations of a scholarship athlete have been fulfilled on both sides of the equation. The school has provided an opportunity for the athlete to get a degree and the player has taken advantage of it. Grad transfers usually happen because of a redshirt year.

I agree that it hurts the mid-majors when a star leaves, but there are other cases of players who weren't getting much time at a P5 school prospering at a mid-major. It isn't a one way street.

Anyone who plays football and graduates in 3 years at Furman is probably a pretty impressive specimen who is not pursuing a career in football.

I don't have a problem with graduate transfers. I figure if the individual has given his (or her) best on the court and the classroom, wants to pursue a graduate degree and has a year of eligibility left, then let him pursue his dream. If the school he is at does not offer that graduate program, what else is he supposed to do?

Exactly

Off the top of my head, I can think of two grad transfers who are playing significant minutes for their teams: Thomas Smallwood at UTC and Lew Stallworth at the Citadel. Stallworth has twice won SoCon Player of the Week.

paladinfan12 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:20 am

Anyone who plays football and graduates in 3 years at Furman is probably a pretty impressive specimen who is not pursuing a career in football.

Doesn't have to graduate in 3 years correct. If he has a year of eligibility left after graduating in 4 years he could transfer.

Monday wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:02 pm

Off the top of my head, I can think of two grad transfers who are playing significant minutes for their teams: Thomas Smallwood at UTC and Lew Stallworth at the Citadel. Stallworth has twice won SoCon Player of the Week.

Interesting to consider someone transferring to play football as a grad student at Citadel. I realize they have graduate programs. But since the vast majority of athletes are undergraduates and have dealt in some appropriate manner with military requirements not applicable to grad students, it just seems interesting how that works out on the team. I am not aware that Citadel undergraduate athletes get a waiver of military requirements.

affirm wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 3:07 pm

Monday wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:02 pm

Off the top of my head, I can think of two grad transfers who are playing significant minutes for their teams: Thomas Smallwood at UTC and Lew Stallworth at the Citadel. Stallworth has twice won SoCon Player of the Week.

Interesting to consider someone transferring to play football as a grad student at Citadel. I realize they have graduate programs. But since the vast majority of athletes are undergraduates and have dealt in some appropriate manner with military requirements not applicable to grad students, it just seems interesting how that works out on the team. I am not aware that Citadel undergraduate athletes get a waiver of military requirements.

Graduate players at Cit are NOT part of the Corps of Cadets. VMI, on the other hand, requires it. This is the main reason you don't see any graduate transfers at VMI and much fewer numbers of 5th year Seniors vs other SoCon programs.

MNORM wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 4:57 pm

affirm wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 3:07 pm

Monday wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:02 pm

Off the top of my head, I can think of two grad transfers who are playing significant minutes for their teams: Thomas Smallwood at UTC and Lew Stallworth at the Citadel. Stallworth has twice won SoCon Player of the Week.

Interesting to consider someone transferring to play football as a grad student at Citadel. I realize they have graduate programs. But since the vast majority of athletes are undergraduates and have dealt in some appropriate manner with military requirements not applicable to grad students, it just seems interesting how that works out on the team. I am not aware that Citadel undergraduate athletes get a waiver of military requirements.

Graduate players at Cit are NOT part of the Corps of Cadets. VMI, on the other hand, requires it. This is the main reason you don't see any graduate transfers at VMI and much fewer numbers of 5th year Seniors vs other SoCon programs.

The bellhops seemed to have dived into the deep end of the Graduate Transfer pool in the past 2 years after dipping their toe in the water on occasion in the past.

FUBeAR is cool with the whole Grad Transfer ‘thing,’ but, I guess it surprises me that the bellhop alums seem perfectly happy to trot out a growing contingent of Players with “Honor,” “Duty,” and “Respect” on the back of their “The Citadel” jerseys who last wore a non-athletic uniform at their last Den Meeting. Against my FU Learnings, I did have a modicum of additional respect for what the bellhop Players have (had?) to do that non-Military School Players don’t. But, that’s gone now and I sure as heck don’t want to hear about it anymore from the media or those same ‘nothing-to-see-here-ignore-the-man-behind-the-curtain’ Alums.

Graduate transfers at The Citadel live off campus and are not considered cadets. https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/t ... cf92f.html