Georgia football great David Pollack had plenty to say in a recent interview about the NCAA transfer rules and who gets waivers and who doesn’t.
The most decorated Georgia football defensive player had a lot to say about the transfer rules the NCAA has put in place. David Pollack recently did an interview with DawgNation about his feelings on the NCAA’s transfer policy.
"“I think the people at the NCAA need to have some more consistency. The transfer thing drives me nuts,” Pollack told DawgNation. “I’m more about stay and fight, so Justin Fields, I don’t get that. I get that Jake Fromm is really good, but I’m the type of person, I never thought about running from competition. I always thought about competing and getting better, so I think it’s kind of a strange situation.”"
I fully agree with his comment because players that commit to a school do so knowing full well that they will have to compete for their spot.
Good programs do not just hand the reigns of a program over to a young athlete because he got a particular rating on some website. You earn that spot in practice and by putting in the time so you can be the best player for the program.
Then you would be prepared when your time comes.
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However, some athletes want to skip over this step because they feel they are already a star. They feel like they are being held back because of the lack of field time.
They want to be the face of the team from day one.
When this is not the case, they get out of Dodge and go somewhere; they will be spoiled to the degree they feel they deserve.
You don’t build a kingdom in one day, and so players, especially quarterbacks, have to develop the team’s trust before taking over as a starter.
If the quarterback doesn’t have the team rallying around him, success will be hard to achieve.
Of course, there are a lot of journalists, broadcasters, and experts that do not see things this way. Dan Wolken is one of those guys who do not agree with Pollack, and he made sure to let him know that.
The idea that transfer waiver decisions are arbitrary and that NCAA staffers are just helping who they want to help, as Pollack puts it, is really beneath someone who is talking about college sports for a living. It’s insulting.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 10, 2019
Wolken’s comments had me steaming.
How was what Pollack said was nonsense?
You can quote me any rule you want to, but the bottom line is that Luke Ford had a better reason for leaving his commitment and going back home than either Tate Martell or Justin Fields.
Both fled competition. Both were too full of themselves to be backup quarterbacks and felt entitled. Both of them are superstars but in their own heads.
Instead of taking compassion on those student-athletes that want to go back home and be close to family, the NCAA has taken favor with the big name athletes transferring to big-name programs.
These big names, of course, bring publicity to the NCAA. No one was going to turn on an Illinois game because Luke Ford transferred there, but how many viewers are tuning in for Fields’ and Martells’ debuts.
Mr. Wolken, you have every right to your opinion, but to say that there is nothing for the NCAA to gain from the transfers they permitted waivers to is complete, as you put it, “nonsense.”
There is everything for the NCAA to gain from two big named quarterbacks starting at two big programs. Whether you want to admit it or not, there is also a lot of money to be had from those tuning in.
David Pollack is a man of integrity who stands up for what is right, not what is the rule. We need a change in this policy, this system is broken, and I applaud Pollack for bringing attention to it.