SDSU gets Air Force QB

[89rabbit]

Nice pick up for the Jackrabbits. Good that he is already here and will be able to take part in spring ball.

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090114/SPORTS/90114001/1002/sports

Quarterback leaves Air Force for SDSU

staff reports • January 14, 2009

For the South Dakota State football team, help is on the way at the quarterback position.

Mike Whittier said Tuesday that he has left the Air Force Academy Preparatory School and will enroll at SDSU this week, verbally accepting a scholarship offer.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Whittier passed for 6,151 yards and 57 touchdowns with another 20 scores on the ground in three years as a starter at Webster Groves in Missouri, graduating in 2008. He then chose Air Force over a list of other Football Bowl Subdivision suitors and enrolled at its prep school – the academy equivalent of a redshirt year. . . . (read more)

[danefan]

Nice pick up for the Jackrabbits. Good that he is already here and will be able to take part in spring ball.

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090114/SPORTS/90114001/1002/sports

Quarterback leaves Air Force for SDSU

staff reports • January 14, 2009

For the South Dakota State football team, help is on the way at the quarterback position.

Mike Whittier said Tuesday that he has left the Air Force Academy Preparatory School and will enroll at SDSU this week, verbally accepting a scholarship offer.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Whittier passed for 6,151 yards and 57 touchdowns with another 20 scores on the ground in three years as a starter at Webster Groves in Missouri, graduating in 2008. He then chose Air Force over a list of other Football Bowl Subdivision suitors and enrolled at its prep school – the academy equivalent of a redshirt year. . . . (read more)

A couple things:
1. He left the Prep School. Not the Academy (huge difference).
2. The Prep School is not the academy equivalent of a red-shirt year. The Prep School is the academy equivalent of a prep school.
3. There is no academy equivalent of a red-shirt year. There is a JV team.

Not knocking the kid, because he must have had a good enough high school career to warrant a scholarship offer by SDSU. I just thought the article is way over hyping his year at USAFA Prep.

[jackmd]

He'll be a nice addition and will add some competition at the QB spot. We don't have anyone proven to replace Berry right now.

From the SDSU sportswriter's blog:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=69144e41448a46579a2772abd68f472c&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog:69144e41448a46579a2772abd68f472cPo st:6eeb15b9-f6a4-4a46-8c00-63cb873863dc&sid=sitelife.argusleader.com

The competition to replace record-setting quarterback Ryan Berry is officially underway as Mike Whittier – a former Air Force recruit – will enroll at SDSU this week. Some (OK, many) thoughts on the transfer beyond what was reported today:

“It’s a nice town, it’s a great education,” Whittier said of why he chose SDSU over an offer from Southern Illinois and interest from New Mexico. “It’s a school with a lot of progress going forward and I thought it’d be great for me to be a part of it and hopefully win the starting job and be there to progress the movement.”
In high school, Whittier broke records formerly held by Darrell Jackson, a (troubled) Missouri recruit. This is how he described himself as a player: “I do whatever it takes to get the job done – run, pass, throw, whatever it takes. I’m pretty mobile, pretty bid, pretty strong, and a real strength that I have is reading defenses. In high school, I was pretty free to do whatever I wanted as far as checks and calls.”
Air Force Prep plays in a junior college league, and Whittier was the starting quarterback this fall. That experience coupled with size – 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and maybe still growing – seems to separate him from the typical freshman quarterback. Plus, he was a three-year starter at a big school in the St. Louis area, and took snaps as a freshman. Getting him to Brookings in advance of spring ball also adds to his potential as a viable option.
Consistent with most of the other players that the Jacks have gotten commitments from of late, Whittier got solid marks from the big-name scouting services. ESPN.com graded him as a 70 and as the 106th best QB in his class, while Rivals.com ranks him as a two-star recruit. That won’t mean much come game time, but the Jacks did not land players like so regularly in the past.
Whittier said that he is friends with Jacks players Aaron Rolin and Kyle Harris – both from the St. Louis area – and that’s what led him to contact assistant Don Bailey. SDSU was the last school that he visited.
Although SDSU generally doesn’t like to bring in transfers, Whittier seems different in the sense that he was recruited by a service academy and an Ivy League school (Dartmouth) and has designs on a career in medicine. Sounds like the kind of kid that the Jacks would go after in high school.
Stay tuned for more news on the quarterback front as Whittier said that SDSU plans to bring in another transfer that has more college experience to also compete for the starting job. Remember, the Jacks currently have just two quarterbacks on the roster – injured senior Ryan Crawford and freshman Thomas O’Brien.

[89rabbit]

http://www.prephuskies.com/

United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School sits on the base of the Rocky Mountains in Central Colorado just beneath the gorgeous 14,000 foot Pikes Peak mountain, overlooking the beautiful city of Colorado Springs. . . .

• Student-Athlete Advantages
The Prep School is an excellent place for any student-athlete to begin their collegiate career for multiple reasons. The four top-tier sports at the Academy: football, men's and women's basketball, and volleyball are the priority sports at the Prep School where athletic development takes place for 10 months. The Academy coaches utilize the Prep School as a place to build their future athletes by engaging them in a competitive arena militarily, academically, and athletically to prepare them for what they will endure at the next level.

The incentives available at the Prep School are extraordinary. Every student's education is paid in full, with inclusion of meal plan, supplies, travel and medical expenses. With all the necessary amenities located on the base, students are provided the finest care possible in every aspect.

• Athletic Eligibility
Playing at the junior college level, Air Force Prep competes with some of the best colleges in the country, traveling as far as New Jersey to play. When a student-athlete decides to attend the Prep School, he/she will lose no eligibility for their year of competition and will gain leadership and individual skills, along with character development and confidence. . . . (read more)

[coover]

I have no actual knowledge of this young man, but, by his attending the Air Force Prep School, and then deciding not to attend the Academy, I must assume that (1.) His High School preparation for College was not adequate for him to immediately attend the Academy and (2.) Either his grades in the Prep School were not high enough for the Academy or he was a discipline problem at the Prep School and the Air Force decided it was in their best interests to not allow him to matriculate.

Of course, I may certainly be wrong on the second point above, he simply may have decided that the Military life was not where he wanted to go, or that the Military training was simply too rigorous. I actually hope this is the case, but ...

If both my first two points are true, NDSU may find themselves having given this young man a scholarship and then receiving nothing on the football field in return.

I hope I am wrong, and that NDSU has signed an outstanding football player who will benefit from his time in Brookings, on the field and in the classroom, and will benefit the school on the field of play.

[RabidRabbit]

I have no actual knowledge of this young man, but, by his attending the Air Force Prep School, and then deciding not to attend the Academy, I must assume that (1.) His High School preparation for College was not adequate for him to immediately attend the Academy and (2.) Either his grades in the Prep School were not high enough for the Academy or he was a discipline problem at the Prep School and the Air Force decided it was in their best interests to not allow him to matriculate.

Of course, I may certainly be wrong on the second point above, he simply may have decided that the Military life was not where he wanted to go, or that the Military training was simply too rigorous. I actually hope this is the case, but ...

If both my first two points are true, NDSU may find themselves having given this young man a scholarship and then receiving nothing on the football field in return.

I hope I am wrong, and that NDSU has signed an outstanding football player who will benefit from his time in Brookings, on the field and in the classroom, and will benefit the school on the field of play.

From the Argus Article"
But after one semester and despite starting for the prep team, he decided to transfer – based on the fact that serving in the military might complicate his desired career in medicine – and contacted SDSU due to his friendship with some current players. Whittier, ranked No. 106 among quarterbacks in his class by ESPN.com, had also been in contact with Southern Illinois and New Mexico since deciding to transfer.

and it's SDSU in Brookings.xoopsx xwhistlex xsmiley_wix

Apparently, the idea of 6 years after graduation from the AFA being tied to the military didn't seem like a match for his desire to pursue medicine. SDSU places a fair number of grads into med school.

[Gil Dobie]

Your backup looked pretty good in the Fargodome this year. Kept the Jacks in the game until Berry came back. :(

[jackrabbit1979]

Your backup looked pretty good in the Fargodome this year. Kept the Jacks in the game until Berry came back. :(

Agreed. Ryan Crawford (the backup) would most likely be our #1 going into next season. Problem is he injured his throwing hand during the game in Fargo (forcing him to come out and Berry to return). Outlook is cloudy as to whether or not he will be ready for the '09 season.

[jackrabbit1979]

A couple things:
1. He left the Prep School. Not the Academy (huge difference).
2. The Prep School is not the academy equivalent of a red-shirt year. The Prep School is the academy equivalent of a prep school.
3. There is no academy equivalent of a red-shirt year. There is a JV team.

Not knocking the kid, because he must have had a good enough high school career to warrant a scholarship offer by SDSU. I just thought the article is way over hyping his year at USAFA Prep.

Danefan,
I'm curious if you know more, these may be dumb questions:

Are there specific reasons why the academy brings athletes into the prep school versus right to the academy? Do studnets going to the prep school still have to have the same qualifications coming out of high school as kids accepted into the academy? What is the athletic ability level of the teams/players at the prep school?

Thanks....it's an interesting process to say the least, I had never heard of AFA prep until today?

[danefan]

Generally speaking USAFA prep is used as a way to get kids academically up to the standards required for USAFA. Athletically, kids usually don't go to prep to get good enough to play at the academy. The academy isn't restricted by recruiting and scholarship limits so they can take chances on lower level players with good grades as opposed to sending them to prep for a year to develop. This is generally what happens.

I was recruited and went to Air Force to play football from high school. I was one of 13 freshman QBs that started camp that year. I was one of 7 that left before graduation.

This kid will be better off that he decided to not go to the Academy at all, rather than do what I did. Much less of a stigma.

The level of play at the prep school is similar to low end Juco ball. Some kids that will end up playing at Air Force, but most won't

[SoDakState]

no matter what he is a solid recruit/transfer for State and I know SDSU's recruiting staff would not bring him in if they were not fully satisfied with his performance and ability level. Besides having a 70 on espn recruiting is dang solid for an FCS player, I mean look at the other QB's in the FCS on there..

[89rabbit]

no matter what he is a solid recruit/transfer for State and I know SDSU's recruiting staff would not bring him in if they were not fully satisfied with his performance and ability level. Besides having a 70 on espn recruiting is dang solid for an FCS player, I mean look at the other QB's in the FCS on there..

Agreed! xthumbsupx