Amen to that.

The reality of the situation is that these are kids (millenial or post millenial kids to boot). I think it is proper that USU enforces the contract in this situation but among all of the challenges Wells has recruiting to USU the reality is the program has been in a 2 year decline and Wells has gained a negative recruiting reputation in a critical area of recruits. Add Sitake to the mix and its even more difficult. IMO Missionaries should be given clear communications of when their schollies will start and that should be reinforced and honored absent extraordinary circumstances. Apparently, the clarity wasn't there with this years entire group and its causing more major headaches for Wells as the perception is the only thing that matters.

Wells needs to correct this for the future but creating his own winning culture is the only long term cure and at this point that means this year. Wells will probably get another year just because of guaranteed money problems but anything less than 7-8 wins this year is going to doom USU.

Good luck to both Lachance and Joe. I hate to say it but I think Sitake is gonna make the Zoobs a kind of Boise-lite type of power.

I think this hurts USU in two of our main recruiting pools, Polys and RMs.

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I agreed with the whole "the school and coach should be held to the same standard as the student" theory until just a minute ago. Then I got to thinking. The argument has been that these kids make these schools millions of dollars and bring all kinds of exposure and all they get is a broken up body and maybe a degree if they stay, and a slanted playing field in the form of lost playing time if they try to go. This is 100% true---provided you are one of the ten schools at the top of the following list who make money without any subsidy from the state. http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances/

At USU, however, where the subsidy is 60%, it could be easily argued that athletics are a liability to the university, not an asset. I realize that there are extraneous factors and that there is publicity and interest brought by athletes that can't be measured in dollars, but the bottom line is that every time we march a team out there each fall, it costs the students and the taxpayers money that could easily be spent giving kids full rides to school who aren't athletes. To be honest, those kids would be more likely to major in STEM degrees which down the road are proven to bring more money to the university in the form of research dollars and alumni donations than those of professional sports figures. As a matter of fact, you could pay for about 960 kids per year on just what USU spends, and over 1200 beyond that if we kept the state subsidy. 2000 kids per year. Seems like a better return than the +/- 400 we're spending 32,000,000 per year on.

To be able to have school paid for doing something you love, receiving all the adulation, extra benefits (do other students get a training table or their own study halls and tutors or stipends?), at a much greater cost than the average students would cost sounds to me like a pretty great privilege. I'll go one step further and say that it IS a privilege. Before anyone jumps on me for being anti-athlete or not understanding what it takes, spare yourself the effort because I WAS one of those athletes who took a significant portion of the school's resources relative to a minuscule return.

I don't speak from a position of someone who believes that the school owes these kids some debt of gratitude. On the contrary, I OWE the school a debt of gratitude. My teammates felt the same way, which had the coincidental corollary of allowing a team with zero budget and zero facilities with few fans in 1996 to double the output of last year's team and actually make a bowl field that had far fewer slots available.

If you really want to drill down to the crux of any team's woes, it all boils down to that attitude: Does the team owe me, or do I owe the team? If you are one of the former, get the hell off of my campus. One of the greatest honors of your life besides your wife and kids will be setting foot on that field on a crisp fall night wearing the Aggie Blue and Fighting White. This school doesn't owe anybody anything. Be a Jordan Nathan (yes, I've seen it, so shout out to his mom) or a CK or a Jaycee or any of a thousand walkons and faceless, hardworking players and show your value on the field. The accolades, and what you are "owed" will soon follow. Unless you're playing for aTm. Then you can ignore the preceding paragraphs. They make oil-sheik amounts of money farming out your body for entertainment, get what you can, indulge yourself in all the temper-tantrums and transfer threats you want.

@Elkaggie - I don't know who is telling you that Joe had his papers in hand and used USU to get eligible. You seem to have an ax to grind against Joe as you are calling him dishonest and unfaithful. When he got back from his mission he contacted Wells right away letting him know he wanted to transfer. When visiting my wife's family Joe actually showed us the email chain between Wells and himself. This started in the first 2 weeks of Joe being home. Joe was explicitly clear that he wanted to transfer. Wells wasn't pleased with his decision and let him know he would have to sit a year but that the decision was up to Joe. I don't know what story you are getting from his "recruiter" or what papers Joe had "in hand". I am only reporting what I have seen with my own eyes.

@hickaggie - As I stated at the beginning, Joe accepted the consequence of transferring. What bothered Joe was that Wells did to other RM's what Joe did to USU. Joe did so with a 1 year penalty and USU did so without penalty. Wells then goes on the air on his ivory tower talking about honor and commitment when he pulled promised scholorships to missionaries who honored their commitments. You state that USU should teach these young millenials a lesson on honoring their contract. Who is to hold USU accountable for breaking their contact.

@Ahbye- Do you really believe that a student athlete's commitment to an institution should be weighed more heavily than the institution's commitment to a student athlete.

All of this was a non-issue when Joe transferred. He held no ill will toward Wells and didn't expect, though he hoped, to not pay the penalty for transferring. The issue arose when Wells, who had promised other RM's a scholarship, decried students for wanting to transfer without penalty when paying no penalty himself for pulling the scholorship of others with no warning. In the case of Harris LaChance, from what I have been told even though I haven't spoken to him myself, Harris was told that he would have a scholarship upon arriving home from his mission. That scholarship was for Fall of 17. This scholarship was given away and Harris was told he had to pay his own way if he wanted to play for USU and could get a scholarship later. There was a scholarship available, the one that was being held to keep Joe from transferring. Rather than allowing Joe to transfer and free up a scholarship for Lachance, which was promised to him, Wells instead said kids need to learn about commitment.

I believe that institutions should be able to pull scholarships from players if they break rules, don't cut the mustard, etc. I struggle with an institution over filling their scholarships at the last minute. If, however, a school can pull a scholarship without pentaly, then I believe a student-athlete should be able to do the same thing. That is my opinion.

Please understand, I only posted to clear up information as I saw a lot of misinformation being spread. I also stated that my opinion is that student-athletes should be able to transfer without a coach having any say from barring them from doing so or to which schools they can. Coaches and Institutions aren't under the same rules. Joe knew the consequences of his decision to transfer and accepted them. He didn't walk away and leave USU high and dry. He told Wells as soon as he was home.

CasualFan wrote:@Elkaggie - I don't know who is telling you that Joe had his papers in hand and used USU to get eligible. You seem to have an ax to grind against Joe as you are calling him dishonest and unfaithful. When he got back from his mission he contacted Wells right away letting him know he wanted to transfer. When visiting my wife's family Joe actually showed us the email chain between Wells and himself. This started in the first 2 weeks of Joe being home. Joe was explicitly clear that he wanted to transfer. Wells wasn't pleased with his decision and let him know he would have to sit a year but that the decision was up to Joe. I don't know what story you are getting from his "recruiter" or what papers Joe had "in hand". I am only reporting what I have seen with my own eyes.

@hickaggie - As I stated at the beginning, Joe accepted the consequence of transferring. What bothered Joe was that Wells did to other RM's what Joe did to USU. Joe did so with a 1 year penalty and USU did so without penalty. Wells then goes on the air on his ivory tower talking about honor and commitment when he pulled promised scholorships to missionaries who honored their commitments. You state that USU should teach these young millenials a lesson on honoring their contract. Who is to hold USU accountable for breaking their contact.

@Ahbye- Do you really believe that a student athlete's commitment to an institution should be weighed more heavily than the institution's commitment to a student athlete.

All of this was a non-issue when Joe transferred. He held no ill will toward Wells and didn't expect, though he hoped, to not pay the penalty for transferring. The issue arose when Wells, who had promised other RM's a scholarship, decried students for wanting to transfer without penalty when paying no penalty himself for pulling the scholorship of others with no warning. In the case of Harris LaChance, from what I have been told even though I haven't spoken to him myself, Harris was told that he would have a scholarship upon arriving home from his mission. That scholarship was for Fall of 17. This scholarship was given away and Harris was told he had to pay his own way if he wanted to play for USU and could get a scholarship later. There was a scholarship available, the one that was being held to keep Joe from transferring. Rather than allowing Joe to transfer and free up a scholarship for Lachance, which was promised to him, Wells instead said kids need to learn about commitment.

I believe that institutions should be able to pull scholarships from players if they break rules, don't cut the mustard, etc. I struggle with an institution over filling their scholarships at the last minute. If, however, a school can pull a scholarship without pentaly, then I believe a student-athlete should be able to do the same thing. That is my opinion.

Please understand, I only posted to clear up information as I saw a lot of misinformation being spread. I also stated that my opinion is that student-athletes should be able to transfer without a coach having any say from barring them from doing so or to which schools they can. Coaches and Institutions aren't under the same rules. Joe knew the consequences of his decision to transfer and accepted them. He didn't walk away and leave USU high and dry. He told Wells as soon as he was home.

I trust that what you're saying is sincere. But just keep in mind this is a similar situation as going to only one person from a recent divorce and asking "what happened? What went wrong?" You're going to get a completely one-sided and self-serving version of the story.

CasualFan wrote:@Elkaggie - I don't know who is telling you that Joe had his papers in hand and used USU to get eligible. You seem to have an ax to grind against Joe as you are calling him dishonest and unfaithful. When he got back from his mission he contacted Wells right away letting him know he wanted to transfer. When visiting my wife's family Joe actually showed us the email chain between Wells and himself. This started in the first 2 weeks of Joe being home. Joe was explicitly clear that he wanted to transfer. Wells wasn't pleased with his decision and let him know he would have to sit a year but that the decision was up to Joe. I don't know what story you are getting from his "recruiter" or what papers Joe had "in hand". I am only reporting what I have seen with my own eyes.

@hickaggie - As I stated at the beginning, Joe accepted the consequence of transferring. What bothered Joe was that Wells did to other RM's what Joe did to USU. Joe did so with a 1 year penalty and USU did so without penalty. Wells then goes on the air on his ivory tower talking about honor and commitment when he pulled promised scholorships to missionaries who honored their commitments. You state that USU should teach these young millenials a lesson on honoring their contract. Who is to hold USU accountable for breaking their contact.

@Ahbye- Do you really believe that a student athlete's commitment to an institution should be weighed more heavily than the institution's commitment to a student athlete.

All of this was a non-issue when Joe transferred. He held no ill will toward Wells and didn't expect, though he hoped, to not pay the penalty for transferring. The issue arose when Wells, who had promised other RM's a scholarship, decried students for wanting to transfer without penalty when paying no penalty himself for pulling the scholorship of others with no warning. In the case of Harris LaChance, from what I have been told even though I haven't spoken to him myself, Harris was told that he would have a scholarship upon arriving home from his mission. That scholarship was for Fall of 17. This scholarship was given away and Harris was told he had to pay his own way if he wanted to play for USU and could get a scholarship later. There was a scholarship available, the one that was being held to keep Joe from transferring. Rather than allowing Joe to transfer and free up a scholarship for Lachance, which was promised to him, Wells instead said kids need to learn about commitment.

I believe that institutions should be able to pull scholarships from players if they break rules, don't cut the mustard, etc. I struggle with an institution over filling their scholarships at the last minute. If, however, a school can pull a scholarship without pentaly, then I believe a student-athlete should be able to do the same thing. That is my opinion.

Please understand, I only posted to clear up information as I saw a lot of misinformation being spread. I also stated that my opinion is that student-athletes should be able to transfer without a coach having any say from barring them from doing so or to which schools they can. Coaches and Institutions aren't under the same rules. Joe knew the consequences of his decision to transfer and accepted them. He didn't walk away and leave USU high and dry. He told Wells as soon as he was home.

No. Elk has it right.


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BS. MW tweeted out an aggieup for this kid on dec 4th. He reconfirmed his commitment after he returned from his mission. However nice story bro.

Btw i saw emails as well blah blah blah.

This "commitment" discussion reminds me of employee "loyalty" discussions. Joe and others should get used to commitment/loyalty being demanded from the student/employee but not given by the school/employer. That's just the way it is.

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I agree, there are two sides of every story, and the truth generally lies somewhere in the middle of those stories, even if both sides are trying to be completely honest, just due to natural biases and our own interpretations of events.

As a former USU student who voted and strongly advocated to increase student fees for the athletic department while on campus, I really struggle with a student athlete complaining about having to pay one semester out of pocket. No doubt it would be nicer to have the scholarship for that one semester, but if I had the opportunity to have 4-5 years of full scholarship, and had to pay for one semester, I'd take it in a heart beat and feel like I made off like a bandit. Especially if I could start taking masters classes on that scholarship towards the end of my time on college campus.

I do not have any of the specifics on Joe Tukuafu or Harris LaChance's situation, but I hope there was more to the decision to transfer than just having to pay for one semester of undergraduate tuition at one of the most affordable universities in the nation.

Aggiefan160 wrote:I agree, there are two sides of every story, and the truth generally lies somewhere in the middle of those stories, even if both sides are trying to be completely honest, just due to natural biases and our own interpretations of events.

As a former USU student who voted and strongly advocated to increase student fees for the athletic department while on campus, I really struggle with a student athlete complaining about having to pay one semester out of pocket. No doubt it would be nicer to have the scholarship for that one semester, but if I had the opportunity to have 4-5 years of full scholarship, and had to pay for one semester, I'd take it in a heart beat and feel like I made off like a bandit. Especially if I could start taking masters classes on that scholarship towards the end of my time on college campus.

I do not have any of the specifics on Joe Tukuafu or Harris LaChance's situation, but I hope there was more to the decision to transfer than just having to pay for one semester of undergraduate tuition at one of the most affordable universities in the nation.

Perhaps I'm even more jaded because even after scholarships, I had to take out student loans, some of which I am still paying back. I really wish I had the opportunity to graduate either debt free or with just one semesters worth of student loans.

CasualFan wrote:@Elkaggie - I don't know who is telling you that Joe had his papers in hand and used USU to get eligible. You seem to have an ax to grind against Joe as you are calling him dishonest and unfaithful. When he got back from his mission he contacted Wells right away letting him know he wanted to transfer. When visiting my wife's family Joe actually showed us the email chain between Wells and himself. This started in the first 2 weeks of Joe being home. Joe was explicitly clear that he wanted to transfer. Wells wasn't pleased with his decision and let him know he would have to sit a year but that the decision was up to Joe. I don't know what story you are getting from his "recruiter" or what papers Joe had "in hand". I am only reporting what I have seen with my own eyes.

@hickaggie - As I stated at the beginning, Joe accepted the consequence of transferring. What bothered Joe was that Wells did to other RM's what Joe did to USU. Joe did so with a 1 year penalty and USU did so without penalty. Wells then goes on the air on his ivory tower talking about honor and commitment when he pulled promised scholorships to missionaries who honored their commitments. You state that USU should teach these young millenials a lesson on honoring their contract. Who is to hold USU accountable for breaking their contact.

@Ahbye- Do you really believe that a student athlete's commitment to an institution should be weighed more heavily than the institution's commitment to a student athlete.

All of this was a non-issue when Joe transferred. He held no ill will toward Wells and didn't expect, though he hoped, to not pay the penalty for transferring. The issue arose when Wells, who had promised other RM's a scholarship, decried students for wanting to transfer without penalty when paying no penalty himself for pulling the scholorship of others with no warning. In the case of Harris LaChance, from what I have been told even though I haven't spoken to him myself, Harris was told that he would have a scholarship upon arriving home from his mission. That scholarship was for Fall of 17. This scholarship was given away and Harris was told he had to pay his own way if he wanted to play for USU and could get a scholarship later. There was a scholarship available, the one that was being held to keep Joe from transferring. Rather than allowing Joe to transfer and free up a scholarship for Lachance, which was promised to him, Wells instead said kids need to learn about commitment.

I believe that institutions should be able to pull scholarships from players if they break rules, don't cut the mustard, etc. I struggle with an institution over filling their scholarships at the last minute. If, however, a school can pull a scholarship without pentaly, then I believe a student-athlete should be able to do the same thing. That is my opinion.

Please understand, I only posted to clear up information as I saw a lot of misinformation being spread. I also stated that my opinion is that student-athletes should be able to transfer without a coach having any say from barring them from doing so or to which schools they can. Coaches and Institutions aren't under the same rules. Joe knew the consequences of his decision to transfer and accepted them. He didn't walk away and leave USU high and dry. He told Wells as soon as he was home.

I believe that if you think you are better or more important as an individual than the team that 1) you are going to lose a lot of games, and 2) you don't belong at USU. You confuse the whole institution/team dynamic. All scholarships are paid out of the Big Blue Scholarship Fund. Not the university (institution). That fund is controlled by athletics and is disbursed at the sole discretion of athletics. Those funds are donations from fans and businesses, not the university. Furthermore, each university department is its own entity, which is why they call it a university. It's basically a bunch of departments working together for a common goal. They even have their own budgets! Athletics has to meet its own budget and make decisions that they feel best meet that bottom line. If you don't pan out, you get your scholarship pulled, same as you do if you fail to meet GPA requirements with an academic scholarship. This situation is eerily analogous. I'd wager that the guy that doesn't cut the mustard with an academic scholarship would have to pay his own way for a year as well until he could qualify again. Contracts are contracts. Joe breached his end of the contract. Athletics hasn't breached their end, contrary to what you think with Lachance.

I guess the even more telling situation with regards to who belongs on the team is that of another returning missionary who didn't have a scholarship available. That particular running back (currently on the team) initially went to Utah, but decided he wanted to see things through and come back to Utah State. I'll take that attitude any day over a guy who thinks he's better than the team now that the grass is greener somewhere else.

Best of luck to your friend elsewhere.

Joe's mom has taken her plea to Twitter.



This version of the story is strange to me.

She claims:
1) He is enrolled at BYU and is currently getting a student athlete scholarship.
2) Wells is keeping him from being able to play this year by not releasing him.

This seems like the opposite effect of my understanding of the situation. If he signed a NLI I thought he had to sit out per NCAA rules regardless of being released. I thought the only question of the release was whether he could be on scholarship during his year off or had to pay his own way.

If there's no NLI signed as they also are claiming, then Wells has nothing to release. Either I don't understand NCAA rules or something doesn't add up. The responses are all negative toward USU which I'm sure they want to put pressure on Wells. I still don't get how he could be on scholarship AND be dependent on a release at the same time.

Here's the post.

I hate to bring this up.... but how does the case of Riley Nelson fit into this? Didn't he play imminently after returning home and transferring?

I'm incredibly confused. This is from nationalletter.org

c. One-Year Absence. This NLI shall be declared null and void if I have not attended any institution (two-year or four-year) for at least one academic year, provided my request for athletics financial aid for a subsequent fall term is denied by the signing institution. Service in active duty with the U.S. armed forces or an official church mission for at least 12 months can use the One-Year Absence to null and void the NLI.

Unless I'm misunderstanding this, the ONLY way Joe would still be bound to USU is if he signed his NLI after his mission. Correct? So if this is the case many of the stories coming from his family and friends are entirely false. I'm not trying to accuse anyone, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

Also, somewhat unrelated. But isn't this the kid who originally committed to Utah then flipped his commitment to USU?...

This isn't rocket science.

A letter of intent binds you to a school for one year upon signing and places you under the standard transfer rules. An athlete can transfer anywhere they want to go regardless of whether the athlete is released By their old school or not. If they are not released they ineligible to receive athletic aid from another institution.

If a kid signs an LOI and then goes on a mission before going to school he can transfer anywhere they want without penalty. They don't have to sit out a year and they can accept financial aid from their new school.

If a kid signs an LOI and red shirts or plays before their mission and is on scholarship then the Riley Nelson rule kicks in and the transferring athlete has to sit out a year and if not released they cannot accept aid.

The lower mission age has basically nullified the Riley rule because most kids go straight on a mission now instead of red shirting and therefore rarely sign an official LOI.

So back to our friend Joe...correct me if I'm wrong, if Joe's story is true and Joe did not redshirt or attend USU before his mission so the big bad @ss coach at Utah State has absolutely no ability to "block" Joe from playing wherever he wants to play. If Joe didn't sign anything upon his return he would be immediately eligible to play and even get a scholarship from yBU. So why are Joe and company upset?

bleu wrote:I'm incredibly confused. This is from nationalletter.org

c. One-Year Absence. This NLI shall be declared null and void if I have not attended any institution (two-year or four-year) for at least one academic year, provided my request for athletics financial aid for a subsequent fall term is denied by the signing institution. Service in active duty with the U.S. armed forces or an official church mission for at least 12 months can use the One-Year Absence to null and void the NLI.

Unless I'm misunderstanding this, the ONLY way Joe would still be bound to USU is if he signed his NLI after his mission. Correct? So if this is the case many of the stories coming from his family and friends are entirely false. I'm not trying to accuse anyone, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

You are missing the next section..

"To apply the one-year absence, the prospective student-athlete must make a request to the director
of athletics of the signing institution for athletics aid for the ensuing fall term. If the prospective
student-athlete receives a statement from the director of athletics indicating the amount of
financial aid originally offered is not available, the NLI shall be declared null and void and
recorded as such with the NLI office."

To get the NLI voided out he has to get a"statement from the [AD]" indicating they don't have a scholarship for him.

"Absent such a statement from the director of athletics, the NLI is considered binding"

If the school proves it is still holding the scholarship, the NLI is binding and a year is lost.

However...

"While serving the NLI penalty, the prospective student-athlete is permitted to practice and receive athletics aid, if allowed by the institution."

So Joe can be on scholarship (and his mom's tweet says he is) but he just can't play this year.

Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

Tetonkatest wrote:Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

Naw. Rules are rules. I doubt anybody is even thinking much about this besides everyone on this thread and Joe's mom. Don't know why she thinks her kid should get special treatment or why she thinks Matt Wells is being "prideful". There is no coach in college football that would allow, let alone encourage, an athlete to transfer to an in-state, rival team. Good luck at Weber (just banking on him transfering again a la Kyle Davis).

T.Finau wrote:

bleu wrote:I'm incredibly confused. This is from nationalletter.org

c. One-Year Absence. This NLI shall be declared null and void if I have not attended any institution (two-year or four-year) for at least one academic year, provided my request for athletics financial aid for a subsequent fall term is denied by the signing institution. Service in active duty with the U.S. armed forces or an official church mission for at least 12 months can use the One-Year Absence to null and void the NLI.

Unless I'm misunderstanding this, the ONLY way Joe would still be bound to USU is if he signed his NLI after his mission. Correct? So if this is the case many of the stories coming from his family and friends are entirely false. I'm not trying to accuse anyone, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

You are missing the next section..

"To apply the one-year absence, the prospective student-athlete must make a request to the director
of athletics of the signing institution for athletics aid for the ensuing fall term. If the prospective
student-athlete receives a statement from the director of athletics indicating the amount of
financial aid originally offered is not available, the NLI shall be declared null and void and
recorded as such with the NLI office."

To get the NLI voided out he has to get a"statement from the [AD]" indicating they don't have a scholarship for him.

"Absent such a statement from the director of athletics, the NLI is considered binding"

If the school proves it is still holding the scholarship, the NLI is binding and a year is lost.

However...

"While serving the NLI penalty, the prospective student-athlete is permitted to practice and receive athletics aid, if allowed by the institution."

So Joe can be on scholarship (and his mom's tweet says he is) but he just can't play this year.

Thank you for the response and the clarification. That makes much more sense. I read an interpretation of the entire LOI on another site which explained it wrong and threw me off.

Interesting reading the byu board that quite a few of them do not think MW is in the wrong. Why? Because he is doing what the ruling states.

aggies22 wrote:

Tetonkatest wrote:Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

Actually since the "great Tukuafu debate" began, we have brought in 7 Polynesian players, including 6 that are on scholarship.

Further evidence that not all Polynesians think/act alike. This is an issue between a player and a coach/school. His being of a particular race has nothing to do with it. If Wells were to treat this situation differently because of his race, it would/could become an issue for players of other races.

There is this guy now weighing in on Twitter. Hartman Rector, who I can't remember. What happened with this?

I just hope this goes away soon. We need the season to start.

One thing is for sure, few groups support their friends and family like Polynesians.

aggies22 wrote:

Tetonkatest wrote:Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

Actually since the "great Tukuafu debate" began, we have brought in 7 Polynesian players, including 6 that are on scholarship.

What guys are you referring to?

Tetonkatest wrote:Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

It would become a bigger problem if we just allowed anyone who feels like transferring to do so without penalties. Part of the reason the quantity might be as minimal as you are suggesting is because there are currently penalties to transfer. However, if we stop blocking transfers to avoid taking a PR hit, the number of transfers would definitely increase.

ususports wrote:

Tetonkatest wrote:Honestly, I think it is doing USU more harm than good by not just cutting Tukuafu loose. This discussion keeps going on. It is a PR hit to future recruiting Polynesians, who are crucial to the success of the team.

I keep hearing that we need to stand our ground to put a stop to the mission transfers to BYU and UTAH. But really, does anyone have a list of who has transferred to BYU or UTAH from USU over the past say, 10 years? I don't think it is that big of a problem. I can only think of Riley Nelson and Joe Tukuafu.

If Tukuafu doesn't want to be here, then don't let the door hit you on the way out, and good luck. And the way Sitake and Whittingham are now oversigning recruits, I wouldn't be surprised if USU starts getting more transfers from those schools.

It would become a bigger problem if we just allowed anyone who feels like transferring to do so without penalties. Part of the reason the quantity might be as minimal as you are suggesting is because there are currently penalties to transfer. However, if we stop blocking transfers to avoid taking a PR hit, the number of transfers would definitely increase.

I don't agree with that, mostly because schools simply don't have that many open scholarships. I do think transfers are a much bigger problem in basketball than in football.

Wells is a genius. Everyone wanted USU to get more coverage from the SLC media and now it's happening.......

tkmad wrote:Wells is a genius. Everyone wanted USU to get more coverage from the SLC media and now it's happening.......

Wells isn't blowing this up. Wells hasn't said anything. He just isn't releasing someone from their commitment. Everyone is mad at Wells for not winning, which is fair, but in this situation I don't think he should be taking any flak.