NE Transfer Happy To Be At Lafayette

[DFW HOYA]

Another Northeastern player finds a home, although the PL team south of the Mason-Dixon line is not likely to see any transfers...

"It's definitely exciting to know that I'm going to a place that takes football seriously, has brand new facilities and a great coaching staff. It's good to know I won't be stuck in Boston at school without a program."

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20100107/SPORTS/1070347

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Another Northeastern player finds a home, although the PL team south of the Mason-Dixon line is not likely to see any transfers...

"It's definitely exciting to know that I'm going to a place that takes football seriously, has brand new facilities and a great coaching staff. It's good to know I won't be stuck in Boston at school without a program."

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20100107/SPORTS/1070347

Obviously this player wasn't going to look at the Hoyas based on his comments. Georgetown can sell their academics all they want but at this level it's more than that. The Hoyas have a D3 mentality. This guy wanted to go somewhere, where academics and athletics are both taken seriously.

[Big Al]

The PL doesn't allow redshirts!? That's just goofy.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The PL doesn't allow redshirts!? That's just goofy.

Only medical redshirts. The PL does not play with a full deck on several levels.

[Bogus Megapardus]

He might be in for a bit of shell-shock when he hits the classroom, however. I really hope it works out for the young man. I had been thinking about the redshirt question, too. Since the PL forbids redshirting, does he have four years of PL eligibility? Probably not.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

He might be in for a bit of shell-shock when he hits the classroom, however. I really hope it works out for the young man. I had been thinking about the redshirt question, too. Since the PL forbids redshirting, does he have four years of PL eligibility? Probably not.

Northeastern is a good enough school that he should be able to adjust just fine. This is very likely some one Lafayette recruited out of HS. I'm shocked that Lehigh hasn't gotten one transfer from NE or Hofstra. In the past the Hawks have been the most transfer friendly school in the league.

[Bogus Megapardus]

The PL doesn't allow redshirts!? That's just goofy.

You'd be surprised at some of the rules we have. No redshirts, no scholarships (even though we can afford them), a rigorous Academic Index. It wasn't too long ago that the PL forbade its members in post-season play as well.

Yet we muddle through somehow don't we?

I happen to support the redshirt policy - besides, the faculties at our schools would revolt if coaching decisions (such as suggesting that a student graduate in five years rather than four) stood in the way of academic progress. Also, keep in mind that we are all private schools and that most of the players (and their families) actually pay to attend PL schools, in addition to grants, loans and other aid. It's not fair to require a family to pay five tuitions for a four year education.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Northeastern is a good enough school that he should be able to adjust just fine. This is very likely some one Lafayette recruited out of HS. I'm shocked that Lehigh hasn't gotten one transfer from NE or Hofstra. In the past the Hawks have been the most transfer friendly school in the league.

I think the PL as a whole is a very transfer-stingy organization.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

You'd be surprised at some of the rules we have. No redshirts, no scholarships (even though we can afford them), a rigorous Academic Index. It wasn't too long ago that the PL forbid its member for post-season play as well.

Yet we muddle through somehow don't we?

I happen to support the redshirt policy - besides, the faculties at our schools would revolt if coaching decisions (such as suggesting that a student graduate in four years rather than five) stood in the way of academic progress. Also, keep in mind that we are all private schools and that most of the players (and their families) actually pay to attend PL schools, in addition to grants, loans and other aid. It's not fair to require a family to pay five tuitions for a four year education.

I agree. As the PL is currently constructed redshirts don't make sense.

I remember this became an issue between Delaware and Lehigh back in the 90's. UD beat the crap out of Lehigh early in the season and LU whined a bit about it. They felt the addition of redshirts gave UD and fellow A10 teams a greater advantage early in the year. The next two games between the two were held the second to last game in '97 and mid Oct. in '99. Lehigh won in '99 and lost by 5 in '97 to the #3 Hens. Interesting results.....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think the PL as a whole is a very transfer-stingy organization.

I agree but LU has led the way. They had Schwenk from Rutgers, Pastore Kent State, McGowen Richmond, Taylor San Diego from this year. They also had Theo Moss who was a JUCO. He ended up in jail. There's at least 6 or 7 more that i'm forgetting.

[1standgoal]

I think Fordham is allowing their transfers that red-shirted to maintain their 4 years of eligibility because they now offer scholarships.....is that true?

[Franks Tanks]

You'd be surprised at some of the rules we have. No redshirts, no scholarships (even though we can afford them), a rigorous Academic Index. It wasn't too long ago that the PL forbade its members in post-season play as well.

Yet we muddle through somehow don't we?

I happen to support the redshirt policy - besides, the faculties at our schools would revolt if coaching decisions (such as suggesting that a student graduate in five years rather than four) stood in the way of academic progress. Also, keep in mind that we are all private schools and that most of the players (and their families) actually pay to attend PL schools, in addition to grants, loans and other aid. It's not fair to require a family to pay five tuitions for a four year education.

I think part of the resdhirt issue is that the vast majortity of PL football players graduate in 4 years. Not the same at many other school- the kids need that extra semester.

Also Lafayette and Holy Cross have no grad school, and Bucknell and Colgate have limited ones. A big schools the smart players can redshirt and then take graduate classs. Not so here and they dont want to encourage a redshirt and having the kid spend more time to graduate.

I think we will see scholarships before redshirts

[Fordham]

I think Fordham is allowing their transfers that red-shirted to maintain their 4 years of eligibility because they now offer scholarships.....is that true?

No idea but I'll find out.

Curious as to what makes you "think" that v. simply wondering how they're being handled.

[Pard94]

Northeastern is a good enough school that he should be able to adjust just fine. This is very likely some one Lafayette recruited out of HS. I'm shocked that Lehigh hasn't gotten one transfer from NE or Hofstra. In the past the Hawks have been the most transfer friendly school in the league.

Agreed. This kid looks like he has taken his academic career pretty seriously. I'm sure he will do just fine. Nice addition.

[DFW HOYA]

Obviously this player wasn't going to look at the Hoyas based on his comments. Georgetown can sell their academics all they want but at this level it's more than that. The Hoyas have a D3 mentality. This guy wanted to go somewhere, where academics and athletics are both taken seriously.

Well. there 's a smack post. Let's review here:

Does Georgetown play by the rules of the Patriot League? Check.
Does it play a competitive I-AA schedule (no sub-DI teams in 15 years)? Check.
Does it offer PL approved financial aid, albeit less than it would like? Check.
Does its head coach, record notwithstanding, come from a I-A program? Check.
Does it send players to NFL camps (two in last three years)? Check.
Does the school offer more sports as a whole than any PL school? Check.
Does the school offer more athetic scholarships as a whole than any PL school? Check.

If you really think Georgetown is closer to Moravian or Gettysburg, call the PL offices and ask that it be dismissed from the league. Otherwise, give it up.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Only medical redshirts. The PL does not play with a full deck on several levels.

Matt McGowan had, I believe, four years of eligibility when he transferred from Richmond, though he had to sit out a year. I don't see how this is any different, except the fact that N'Eastern pulled the plug on their program so he can transfer and play immediately.

There are relatively new transfer rules in place to put an AI "number" on transfers, so there theoretically is no issue there... I would think that LC should be able to have this guy four years, possibly (depending on aid, major, classes, etc. Folks tend to forget that in the PL if they are paying their way to some degree, that means the family may need to shell out $50,000 an extra year just to play football!).

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I agree but LU has led the way. They had Schwenk from Rutgers, Pastore Kent State, McGowen Richmond, Taylor San Diego from this year. They also had Theo Moss who was a JUCO. He ended up in jail. There's at least 6 or 7 more that i'm forgetting.

Forgive me, but on average one or two transfers a YEAR hardly makes us Transfer U. Has Lehigh ever had more than three on the roster at the same time? I don't think so.

I don't think the league has a theological problem with transfers per se: they just want to get transfer students who can do the work. From their perspective, that means transfers that can meet some academic bar. PL schools get few transfers because they're highly selective and academically challenging.

[DFW HOYA]

I don't think the league has a theological problem with transfers per se: they just want to get transfer students who can do the work. From their perspective, that means transfers that can meet some academic bar. PL schools get few transfers because they're highly selective and academically challenging.

I would think Georgetown could get a lot of transfer interest each year just on name but I suspect the PL discourages teams becoming a funnel for I-A kids. (The school itself gets 1,700 transfer applications a year.)

[Bogus Megapardus]

Well. there 's a smack post. Let's review here:

Does Georgetown play by the rules of the Patriot League? Check.
Does it play a competitive I-AA schedule (no sub-DI teams in 15 years)? Check.
Does it offer PL approved financial aid, albeit less than it would like? Check.
Does its head coach, record notwithstanding, come from a I-A program? Check.
Does it send players to NFL camps (two in last three years)? Check.
Does the school offer more sports as a whole than any PL school? Check.
Does the school offer more athetic scholarships as a whole than any PL school? Check.

If you really think Georgetown is closer to Moravian or Gettysburg, call the PL offices and ask that it be dismissed from the league. Otherwise, give it up.

One of these years the Hoyas will pound Lehigh, Colgate and Lafayette into the dirt in football (like they now do in basketball). But I think the general notion is that those three colleges tend to put a little (check - a lot) more emphasis on football right now. LC and LU even have two local newspapers giving the teams daily coverage; in the much larger DC metro one cannot find anything on Hoya football (although there's nothing on Villanova football in the Inquirer, either). LC and LU both have large, modern stadia and attendance figures that well exceed their enrollment. Regrettably, MSF is smaller and less well-appointed than is found at some Division 3 colleges, so I think that's a fair comparison. I think everyone agrees that MSF is a patent incongruity at Georgetown, which is known for its excellence in just about everything else.

Quite frankly, I think observers really are not off base in expecting more from the Hoyas. It's not unreasonable. Having said that, I hope Georgetown continues as a PL football member and increases its association with the league for other purposes (unless you get traded to the IL for Cornell)!

As for MSF - maybe if one of those haughty department chairs of yours were to knock a million or so off his salary for a year . . . . xcoolx

[Fordham]

There are relatively new transfer rules in place to put an AI "number" on transfers, so there theoretically is no issue there... I would think that LC should be able to have this guy four years, possibly (depending on aid, major, classes, etc. Folks tend to forget that in the PL if they are paying their way to some degree, that means the family may need to shell out $50,000 an extra year just to play football!).

From what I've been told, the AI transfer rule is what kept us from accepting a few additional players from both Hofstra and Northeastern who wanted to come to Fordham. I've been a bit hesitant to post since it has that sort of elitist touch that I can't stand but it is what it is. I'm not sure names or numbers of kids, just that I heard there were a few more who didn't make it past the vetting.

The reason I post it now is because I think it's possible to read (at least a little bit) into what life with scholarships might be like if the PL goes that way.

*The positive is that we received a good share of the transfers from both schools v. the rest of the PL who received one (I believe that's accurate although it might have been one from each school). Part of it had to do with the Hofstra geography but I believe alot of it had to do with the ability to offer a scholarship to these kids v. need-based aid. Having several offers from schools for scholarships makes sitting down and trying to convince them to even fill out the financial aid paperwork a non-starter for many/most targets. Net-net, I believe having the ability to offer scholarships is already proving to be a benefit to recruiting, as expected.

*The positive is tempered by the fact that we weren't able to land all of the players our staff would have loved to have gotten due to the AI. I'm purposely not referring to this as a negative since the AI is fulfilling its purpose. That said, it does provide good fodder for those (like me) who have said that while scholarships should help, they will not be the absolute game changer in having the PL out recruit the top tier of FCS.

It might be a lot to read into these two events but I just found it interesting. At least in these cases, scholarships undoubtedly helped us land some players we would not have gotten otherwise. However, the AI kept us from landing all of the potential players we could have. I think it shows that having us convert from need-based to scholarships will help things but it is unlikely to produce a huge sea change in the PL hierarchy. It also is unlikely that a full scholarship PL will automatically compete with the CAA, et. al. as the top FCS conference ... but perhaps the incremental improvement they bring would allow us to compete the way we all did in the early part of the decade rather than the latter part (which I would be fine with).

[Lehigh Football Nation]

*The positive is that we received a good share of the transfers from both schools v. the rest of the PL who received one (I believe that's accurate although it might have been one from each school). Part of it had to do with the Hofstra geography but I believe alot of it had to do with the ability to offer a scholarship to these kids v. need-based aid. Having several offers from schools for scholarships makes sitting down and trying to convince them to even fill out the financial aid paperwork a non-starter for many/most targets. Net-net, I believe having the ability to offer scholarships is already proving to be a benefit to recruiting, as expected.

*The positive is tempered by the fact that we weren't able to land all of the players our staff would have loved to have gotten due to the AI. I'm purposely not referring to this as a negative since the AI is fulfilling its purpose. That said, it does provide good fodder for those (like me) who have said that while scholarships should help, they will not be the absolute game changer in having the PL out recruit the top tier of FCS.

It might be a lot to read into these two events but I just found it interesting. At least in these cases, scholarships undoubtedly helped us land some players we would not have gotten otherwise. However, the AI kept us from landing all of the potential players we could have. I think it shows that having us convert from need-based to scholarships will help things but it is unlikely to produce a huge sea change in the PL hierarchy. It also is unlikely that a full scholarship PL will automatically compete with the CAA, et. al. as the top FCS conference ... but perhaps the incremental improvement they bring would allow us to compete the way we all did in the early part of the decade rather than the latter part (which I would be fine with).

I really, really hope the PL office is paying attention to this thread. I think such a conclusion would delight them.

Additionally, scholarships for the PL are not really intended to be a "game changer" per se - they're simply intended to give the PL a chance at those kids that are qualified academically but go to other schools since they are offered full scholarships (Albany, Central Connecticut State, Delaware) or they, in effect, are given full scholarships by another name (Harvard, Yale, Princeton). These type of scholarships will improve the quality of academic recruits they can offer - and I think that is everyone's goal.

Of course, winning a national championship would be nice too xnodx xlolx

[Bogus Megapardus]

Our colleges play Division I football because it fills out the undergraduate experience, brings alumni to campus and broadens our visibility. Many - probably most - of our traditional non-league opponents are from the Ivy League. Others may scoff at this (and they do) but who else gets regular home games against Harvard, Yale and Princeton? Stanford, Duke and Vanderbilt aren’t traveling to Easton Bethlehem or Hamilton any time soon, and the Ivy games bring nice crowds and attract recruits. I want to keep them.

But the Patriot League cannot be completely insular; otherwise it would be the NESCAC and it might as well play in Division III. If the Patriot League is going to play Division I football, it must step up and be reasonably competitive. Our members have the money, the national reputation and (for the most part) the big-time facilities to do so. That does not mean that the league must have a representative in the final four every year, but it must have a better than even shot of doing so. Right now, we don’t.

Yet I do not wish to alienate the Ivy League. Not even a little. I know this is not a popular view; but in life as well as reputation, you are judged by the company you keep. The notion of trying to operate a tiny, private, impeccably-landscaped, elegantly-architechured and deliciously-cuisined college that accepts only the academically most-gifted students translates to a reputation-is-everything business model more so than at most. That reputation always will be essential for our survival - or at least until higher education as a whole turns into the University of Phoenix (though I have to admit U of Px has a great football stadium).

Scholarships will affect our reputation. Whether that affect will be constructive or pejorative remains subject to speculation (AGS is an excellent place for such speculation). The Ivy League (or at least the Boss of the Ivy League, Harvard) has made clear that it will “rethink” Patriot League scheduling if merit scholarships are offered. I do not want that to happen. At the same time, I want to be able to schedule games against competitive peer colleges in other conferences (Wooford, William & Mary, Richmond, Furman) and a reputation-enhancing FBS game or three (Northwestern, Rice or Wake Forest, not necessarily Middle Tennessee, Kent State or Eastern Michigan). The Patriot League’s present circumstances place these goals into seemingly irreconcilable conflict.

How does the league avoid throwing the baby out with the bath water? One way is to make it so that all the really good football players get to go to college for free without calling it a scholarship. You need to have a couple billion dollars at your disposal to pull this off because a lot of performance artists and science fair winners have to get to go for free as well. It’s like one huge Title IX spanning the entire cross-section of individual talent and prowess. The above-mentioned Boss does this exceptionally well. The other way is to throw your hands up and admit you can’t be Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but that you like them all a lot and you hope they’ll still come over for a play-date once in a while. H, Y and P can look around for other places to play. Then maybe they’ll ruminate a bit, followed by a chest-thumping declaration that those pesky, annoying Patriot League colleges can’t even play on the same field as the Ivies without scholarships. We’ll all bow deferentially, admit they’re right and that we’re not worthy, and agree to keep playing one another with that caveat.

Is there a third way to enhance our competitiveness without engaging in overt scholarship-giving? Yes, by sinking vast sums into coaching, recruiting and facilities - much more than is currently the case. We need staffs of well-paid, nationally-renowned coaches and recruiters who can locate the hidden gems and get the very most out of the kids who enroll. This means the assistants - especially the best recruiters - are paid well enough to stick around for a long time and develop names that kids trust.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

One way is to make it so that all the really good football players get to go to college for free without calling it a scholarship. You need to have a couple billion dollars at your disposal to pull this off because a lot of performance artists and science fair winners have to get to go for free as well. It’s like one huge Title IX spanning the entire cross-section of individual talent and prowess. The above-mentioned Boss (Harvard) does this exceptionally well. The other way is to throw your hands up and admit you can’t be Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but that you like them all a lot and you hope they’ll still come over for a play-date once in a while. H, Y and P can look around for other places to play. Then maybe they’ll ruminate a bit, followed by a chest-thumping declaration that those pesky, annoying Patriot League colleges can’t even play on the same field as the Ivies without scholarships. We’ll all bow deferentially, admit they’re right and that we’re not worthy, and agree to keep playing one another with that caveat.

This is an interesting - and plausible - scenario. However, I think it misses one important point: that the Ivy League itself, at some point, is going to have to come to terms about what it wants to be in collegiate athletics. There are real inter-league tensions out there, with Harvard thinking that it is the be-all and end-all of the league, Dartmouth wondering if it can remain competitive with Harvard in any sports, and Cornell simply trying to do what it can to stay competitive with the rich schools.

Harvard appears to think that the Ivy League "brand" is enough to keep the other members of the Ivy League in line, as well as the "sister league" the Patriot League. In years past that was certainly true - but is it so much today? I don't think it's outlandish anymore to think that the Ivy League could break up - that one or two members might abandon football, or one or two others might join the Patriot League.

[DFW HOYA]

I don't think it's outlandish anymore to think that the Ivy League could break up - that one or two members might abandon football, or one or two others might join the Patriot League.

I think that's highly speculative. The PL will break apart before the Ivy will; sadly, the PL is making some of the same mistakes that the MAAC Football did before its fate was sealed: inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change.

[Bogus Megapardus]

This is an interesting - and plausible - scenario. However, I think it misses one important point: that the Ivy League itself, at some point, is going to have to come to terms about what it wants to be in collegiate athletics. There are real inter-league tensions out there, with Harvard thinking that it is the be-all and end-all of the league, Dartmouth wondering if it can remain competitive with Harvard in any sports, and Cornell simply trying to do what it can to stay competitive with the rich schools.

Harvard appears to think that the Ivy League "brand" is enough to keep the other members of the Ivy League in line, as well as the "sister league" the Patriot League. In years past that was certainly true - but is it so much today? I don't think it's outlandish anymore to think that the Ivy League could break up - that one or two members might abandon football, or one or two others might join the Patriot League.

Yep - I tend to look at the Ivy League as an immovable, indivisible behemoth. For whatever reason I tend not to to recognize the Ivies as a sum of separate parts. So, LFN - is there reason to think that the PL (or at least the core four/five) is actually more cohesive than the IL, and thus in a better bargaining position that I believe it to be?


I think that's highly speculative. The PL will break apart before the Ivy will; sadly, the PL is making some of the same mistakes that the MAAC Football did before its fate was sealed: inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change.

Sometimes I think maybe we just need a really good marketing guy or something.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I think that's highly speculative. The PL will break apart before the Ivy will; sadly, the PL is making some of the same mistakes that the MAAC Football did before its fate was sealed: inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change.

Interestingly, "inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change" are all traits that can be used to describe the Ivy League as well. You could make an argument that without the power of the "Ivy League" brand, the IL might have gone the way of the MAAC long ago.

[Husky4Life]

[QUOTE=Bogus Megapardus;1505612]He might be in for a bit of shell-shock when he hits the classroom, however. QUOTE]

Ignorant statement. Northeastern is a very good school.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Yep - I tend to look at the Ivy League as an immovable, indivisible behemoth. For whatever reason I tend not to to recognize the Ivies as a sum of separate parts. So, LFN - is there reason to think that the PL (or at least the core four/five) is actually more cohesive than the IL, and thus in a better bargaining position that I believe it to be?

In ways it is. IMO, in the PL there is more flexibility because it is so decentralized. But most importantly, the discrepancy between endowments is nowhere near what it is in the Ivies. Brown's endowment was $2.7 billion in 2008. Harvard's was $36.5 billion - or more than 13 times Brown's.

Still, all the PL schools are so different in a lot of core ways - philosophically, denominationally (religious vs. secular), college vs. university - that it's hard to characterize them as "lockstep". But money doesn't enter into it as much as it does with the IL.


Sometimes I think maybe we just need a really good marketing guy or something.

That's a blog post all in itself. But - again - the fact that the PL has hitched its wagon so closely to the IL has consequences. The IL doesn't do a great job of promoting its football product, and since we're so closely tied to the IL, that matters.

[Fordham]

LFN, the one big difference is that we are talking about what is far and away the most successful and biggest brand in worldwide higher education. To think that any school would consider dropping that affiliation because of performance on any athletic field is completely absurd.

The issue is more so that the Patriot League has never come anywhere close enough to branding itself anywhere near the Ivy league, as I think was originally the intention, or perhaps hope is a better word. We're basically schedule filler. Thus, it's much easier to contemplate a move away from the league like the PL when the league hasn't done much to either carve out its own identity (as I wish it would do) or to even play anywhere near a good-second-fiddle to the Ivies. We're very much in no man's land imo. We have no 'hand' when it comes to our relationship with the Ivies and therefore have to put up with treatment by them as H-Y-P treats Dartmouth, et. al. .... however, we don't enough of that Ivy brand stink on us to make it worthwhile.

Nonetheless, the first person at a school who is already in the Ivy club to actually suggest that they should leave in order to take the hand cuffs off of their athletic pursuits should immediately be sterilized so those genes never pollute another generation.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Interestingly, "inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change" are all traits that can be used to describe the Ivy League as well. You could make an argument that without the power of the "Ivy League" brand, the IL might have gone the way of the MAAC long ago.

Here's a fun game. Let's pretend the Department of Justice declared the Ivy League to be an unlawful monopoly and ordered it to break up (and that DOJ wasn't populated exclusively by Ivy League lawyers, obviously). Which conferences, if any, would assume which schools? Would H, Y or P go to FBS? I think Penn would. Dartmouth and Brown to the PL? Cornell to the CAA North? Columbia drops football entirely?



LFN, the one big difference is that we are talking about what is far and away the most successful and biggest brand in worldwide higher education. To think that any school would consider dropping that affiliation because of performance on any athletic field is completely absurd.

The issue is more so that the Patriot League has never come anywhere close enough to branding itself anywhere near the Ivy league, as I think was originally the intention, or perhaps hope is a better word. We're basically schedule filler. Thus, it's much easier to contemplate a move away from the league like the PL when the league hasn't done much to either carve out its own identity (as I wish it would do) or to even play anywhere near a good-second-fiddle to the Ivies. We're very much in no man's land imo. We have no 'hand' when it comes to our relationship with the Ivies and therefore have to put up with treatment by them as H-Y-P treats Dartmouth, et. al. .... however, we don't enough of that Ivy brand stink on us to make it worthwhile.

Nonetheless, the first person at a school who is already in the Ivy club to actually suggest that they should leave in order to take the hand cuffs off of their athletic pursuits should immediately be sterilized so those genes never pollute another generation.

This is absolutely, 100% correct, so my game is for entertainment purposes only.

[carney2]

On one level I'm surprised that any Patriot League schools picked up kids from Northeastern and/or Hofstra. Transferring from a scholarship program to nonscholarship would hint that the player and his family are going to have to pony up some cash that heretofore was covered in the athletic budget. The devil is in the details as they say and who knows what deals have been struck, but it does bring some questions to mind.

[Fordham]

On one level I'm surprised that any Patriot League schools picked up kids from Northeastern and/or Hofstra. Transferring from a scholarship program to nonscholarship would hint that the player and his family are going to have to pony up some cash that heretofore was covered in the athletic budget. The devil is in the details as they say and who knows what deals have been struck, but it does bring some questions to mind. Wasn't there just one who transferred to a non-scholarship PL school? I think there were a few kids who ended up at Wagner and a few other places as well, so its not like every single kid went to another scholarship program ... just the vast majority.

[DFW HOYA]

Interestingly, "inability to reach consensus, lack of vision on expansion, failure to articulate a strategy for growth, and a reluctance to change" are all traits that can be used to describe the Ivy League as well. You could make an argument that without the power of the "Ivy League" brand, the IL might have gone the way of the MAAC long ago.

The Ivy reaches consensus when H-Y-P says so. Lehigh and Lafayette don't have that kind of power with its other schools. There is no growth strategy because the Ivy has no reason to expand.

Reluctance to change isn't a Ivy trait, it's a birthright.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Forgive me, but on average one or two transfers a YEAR hardly makes us Transfer U. Has Lehigh ever had more than three on the roster at the same time? I don't think so.

I don't think the league has a theological problem with transfers per se: they just want to get transfer students who can do the work. From their perspective, that means transfers that can meet some academic bar. PL schools get few transfers because they're highly selective and academically challenging.

While Lehigh has not been transfer U they have brought in more than their peers i have to believe. Colgate had Long who i believe came from Nebraska and a QB from Tulane. Other than that there hasn't too many other notable transfers around the league.