Quarterback Comings and Goings
5 comments so far
April 29, 2009 by
In Nebraska we have clearly defined seasons. There is football season and spring football season. Here at BRN, we've even coined a third season, "bad news season". Now, I'm starting to wonder if there is a fourth season emerging - "quarterback transfer season". NU's recent past is littered with quarterbacks coming and going or rumors of them coming and going. This season's cast includes Patrick Witt, Robert Marve and Greg Paulus.
Witt to Yale
As expected by many former NU quarterback Patrick Witt has announced that he is transferring to the Ivy League. He'll be taking his 4.0 grade point average to Yale. This is not surprising, considering his brother plays in the Ivy and that he will get an opportunity to play right away. Best of luck Patrick. We hardly knew ya...
Marve Leaning Toward Purdue
Former Miami QB Robert Marve is apparently leaning toward transfering to Purdue. Nebraska got serious consideration for his services. Marve even visited for the spring game (but, he really didn't play in it...). If Marve ends up at Purdue, I don't think a lot of Husker fans will cry about it. I mean, I don't know of anybody who was jumping up and down at the prospect of landing him. I think folks around here have become pretty skeptical about QB's seeking new rosters.
Hello, Mr. Point Guard
Speaking of vagabond QBs, NU apparently is still in the hunt for Greg Paulus, the former point guard at Duke. Paulus is a rare case of a 2-sport prep star trying to switch sports in the midst of college. He has one year to get his QB on. Will he find a home at NU? Frankly, I sort of hope not.
Paulus - due to a special waiver from the NCAA - would have one year of eligibility, and would not sit out a year. So, he'd need to be ready right away. Can he get a grasp on the NU offense in just a matter of months? I doubt it. I also think his presence at NU would just be a distraction for players and coaches who should be set on getting Zac Lee and other bonfide Husker signal callers ready for game action. Apparently Paulus is a heavy lean toward Syracuse. For those reasons, I hope he goes to the Orange.
Big Picture
What in the name of Scott Frost is going on with all of the quarterback movement? Aside from Frost (an NE prep star who transferred back home from Stanford), I don't recall NU ever really dealing much with transfer signal callers. Sure, players left occasionally to find more opportunity to play (Jay Runty comes to mind). But it wasn't frequent.
Lately, NU has almost taken a page from the Boys Town playbook and been a home for wayward quarterbacks. They commit (Freeman, Gabbert). They de-commit (same). They arrive early (Dukes, Beck). They transfer in (Taylor, Keller). They transfer out (Witt).
Personally, I'd welcome a nice five-year stretch of stability at the position. The Huskers would surely benefit from quarterback consistency on the field, too.
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Dwayne Apr 29 09
It's been an strange situation in the past decade. I mentioned it before. We haven't had many qb's that have gotten their NU diploma that have been in the system a full four years.
OregonHusker Apr 29 09
The one's that transfer are a bunch of PRIMA-DONNAs! They want to play right away, be the best, and launch early into the NFL. They think that they can showcase their talent at another program, because the other program didn't appreciate them (sarcastic), so they look to transfer. Either in or out. The only one's that seem halfway serious about the transfer are the guys that come out of Junior Colleges.
Nate Apr 29 09
The last qb we had that went all the way through from his freshman to senior year was named Ganz..
Yeah I think I'd like a qb who stays!
JBLING22 Apr 29 09
Hey OregonHusker
Not all transfers are PRIMA DONNAS especially those from the JUCO Level like you said.. They are players that usually cant make the grades or are not quite good enough but get better at the JUCO level...Taylor was one of them, not so much a prima donna, for that matter Zach Lee was a Juco transfer as well....
In some cases however even the transfers are not prima donas just guys that want to play.... teams are so stacked up with players at the QB (only one can play) that I understand leaving to try and get some playing time.... On the other hand we have had a lot Prima Donna transfers in and out so I feel your pain...
Grant May 04 09
Darren,
Respectfully, I have to disagree on Paulus. He obviously has the smarts to speed up a learning curve (see undergraduate degree from Duke), and if he is as serviceable as Washington why wouldn't we want to protect redshirts on Green and Washington as they learn the position. A one for one player like Paulus would give NU that opportunity while adding some needed depth. Personally, if Spano tore any ligaments in his knee, the likelihood of being 100% come August is pretty small. In the end, I don't think it's going to matter as he is most likely heading to Syracuse, but I wouldn't cry if he signed up at NU.