Wish the best for Aubrey Solomon wherever he lands. But the hype around transfers got me thinking a bit, and the general increase across College Football in this area. How does the decision to transfer end-up for most players?
The way I see it, there are a few flavors of transfers (examples are mostly Michigan, only because I'm not a football encyclopedia):
In order of most-to-least common in my estimation
0. Grad Transfers: Basically a combination of all the factors below
1. Guys who exit in coaching changes (e.g. Ryan Mallett, Justin Boren, Shea Patterson)
2. Guys who learned they can't stack-up with the level of athlete at the program they chose (e.g. Keith Taylor, Alex Malzone)
3. Guys who have family/academic/personal/discipline reasons influencing a decision to leave or go closer to home (e.g. Ty Isaac, Devin Asiasi, DeAnthony Arnett, Kareem Walker)
4. Guys with real talent buried on a stacked depth chart (e.g. Keith Washington, Kelly Bryant)
5. Guys who just want a change in scenery for whatever reason that comes as a surprise (e.g. James Hudson, Aubrey Solomon, Ty Wheatley)
Guys in #1 fare pretty well in my memory. Guys in #2 typically are what they are, and maybe a step-down in competition gives them some contextual success. Guys in #3 haven't had great success on the field in my memory, but their exits are influenced by external factors. Guys in #4 are pretty rare - but the two examples I gave at least should do well for themselves.
Guys in #5 are super rare based on what I know and can remember.
Any prominent college players or future NFL stars take the transfer route (not grad transfer)? The only that come to mind for me are Trevor Pryce (way back), Justin Fargas (way back), and I guess JJ Watt?
The way I see it, there are a few flavors of transfers (examples are mostly Michigan, only because I'm not a football encyclopedia):
In order of most-to-least common in my estimation
0. Grad Transfers: Basically a combination of all the factors below
1. Guys who exit in coaching changes (e.g. Ryan Mallett, Justin Boren, Shea Patterson)
2. Guys who learned they can't stack-up with the level of athlete at the program they chose (e.g. Keith Taylor, Alex Malzone)
3. Guys who have family/academic/personal/discipline reasons influencing a decision to leave or go closer to home (e.g. Ty Isaac, Devin Asiasi, DeAnthony Arnett, Kareem Walker)
4. Guys with real talent buried on a stacked depth chart (e.g. Keith Washington, Kelly Bryant)
5. Guys who just want a change in scenery for whatever reason that comes as a surprise (e.g. James Hudson, Aubrey Solomon, Ty Wheatley)
Guys in #1 fare pretty well in my memory. Guys in #2 typically are what they are, and maybe a step-down in competition gives them some contextual success. Guys in #3 haven't had great success on the field in my memory, but their exits are influenced by external factors. Guys in #4 are pretty rare - but the two examples I gave at least should do well for themselves.
Guys in #5 are super rare based on what I know and can remember.
Any prominent college players or future NFL stars take the transfer route (not grad transfer)? The only that come to mind for me are Trevor Pryce (way back), Justin Fargas (way back), and I guess JJ Watt?
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