Eric Ward to Tech [Archive] - SoonerFans.com Message Boards

Desert Sapper

1/13/2009, 09:08 AM

Eric Ward, who had been committed to us since March, enrolled at Tech yesterday and is now committed to them. I'm guessing Crabtree going to the league has something to do with it.

http://www.kauz.com/sports/37485394.html

snp

1/13/2009, 04:09 PM

Rider HS kids have been very fickle recently. Shavordick Beaver, Markelle Martin, and now Eric Ward.

Oh well, opens up another spot.

SOONER STEAKER

1/13/2009, 05:33 PM

I think loosing this kid is huge. I saw him in Sept. on TV and he was amazing. Maybe we can steal a player from someone else to replace his talent.

Boomer Sooner Baby!!

soonerfan28

1/13/2009, 08:55 PM

Does this help us get Tyrece Gaines. I know we have Jaz Reynolds but Gaines would help us feel the gap.

insuranceman_22

1/14/2009, 12:38 AM

I hear you on the Streaker, when they played Sulphur Springs I'm guessing? Ward was good. Here's the link, says it was about graduation rate:
http://oklahoma.scout.com/2/829832.html

Toronto Sooner

1/14/2009, 01:07 AM

I'm not sure I really get his excuse. I went to school like everyone else. For me, my graduation success was all about my own personal dedication and hard work. It had nothing to do with the graduation rate of my school. His excuse sounds pretty cheap if you ask me. It probably worked out for the best anyway, as we now get to the give that scholarship to someone that wants to be at OU, and doesn't mind working his tail off to graduate (and is not afraid to compete with some of the best talent in the country for playing time).

"Ward did not pull any punches when the news broke and he informed the Times Record News that OU’s conference worst 46% graduation rate was the main reasoning behind the switch."

soonermagic14

1/14/2009, 01:27 PM

i'm sure the competition scares him and wants to go the easy route at Tech. oh well, have fun finishing 3rd and 4th in the big 12 South every year.

soonerfan28

1/14/2009, 06:39 PM

Then in 3 years lets see if he's trying to turn pro or earn that ****in degree. I don't know if early entry into the NFL counts against grad rates but if it does then thats probably the biggest reason.

Scott D

1/14/2009, 09:47 PM

early entries and transfers count against graduation rates.

Lott's Bandana

1/14/2009, 09:57 PM

I wonder if Sam's announcement today is going to give this d00d third-thoughts?

Mr. Ward, meet Mr. Jackson.

KingDavid

1/14/2009, 10:12 PM

I wonder if Sam's announcement today is going to give this d00d third-thoughts?

Mr. Ward, meet Mr. Jackson.

I have no objections to a flip-flopper as long as he ultimately lands on the right side of the line (OUrs). Broyles flip-flopped flop-flipped like a fish out of water.

But then again, I don't know that Broyles ever backed out of a firm commitment. Hmmm . . .

Lott's Bandana

1/14/2009, 10:18 PM

But then again, I don't know that Broyles ever backed out of a firm commitment. Hmmm . . .

I'm sure the "Man" in Stoolville would be happy to give you his opinion. :P

KingDavid

1/14/2009, 10:56 PM

I'm sure the "Man" in Stoolville would be happy to give you his opinion. :P

True dat.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi

1/14/2009, 11:43 PM

heh, i wonder if he realizes how badly those graduation rates fluctuate from year to year. we got dinged because of the 3 early entrants from last year, and the 1 from the year before. heck, bomar might even still be on that list...

CarolinaSoonerFan

1/14/2009, 11:55 PM

CarolinaSoonerFan

1/14/2009, 11:57 PM

How about Reed??

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi

1/15/2009, 02:27 AM

i'm not sure how the new grad rate is calculated but the old one would have nailed us to the wall for reed, quinn, peterson, kelly, lofton, smith, jarboe, nichol, beeler, tabon, brandon keith, jesse white, eric huggins, etc.

it also penalizes you for taking any jucos because they have to graduate. for most jucos, that is nigh impossible as they have 2 years to get 80ish hours (all they get credit for is general ed, not their degree requirements). the only jucos that have a really good shot are the ones that redshirt in juco or at OU as they get an extra semester on their scholly.

edit: one funny thing is beeler. we carry him for a long time and we don't get credit if he graduates from stanford.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi

1/15/2009, 02:37 AM

here are the grad rates

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=38757

heh, its almost a decade ago (the rocky/roy class as a matter of a fact, roy hurt that one by declaring early)

and we get the data they should be using

http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/apr2007/522_2007_apr.pdf

Novamanxl

1/16/2009, 02:53 PM

Congratulations for Ward going to a team that doesn't have a quarterback.

Toronto Sooner

1/16/2009, 05:06 PM

Toronto Sooner

1/16/2009, 06:32 PM

I think they have the 5 star guy, Blaine Gabbert, but he has never played. There is no guarantee that he is any good, and there is certainly no guarantee that he will be any good anytime soon, if ever. It seems like a large percentage of these 5 star guys have turned out to be busts lately.

I guess this WR simply prefers to be the big rat in a small cage.

I apologize, I had a brain cramp and forget he went to Tech (not Mizzo). Tech will probably go with Taylor Potts. He looked alright enough in a limited back up role (the couple of times I saw him). However, the bigger issue for Tech is more the system rather than the QB. Oklahoma completely exposed the system and Tech hasn't recovered since. They didn't against Baylor and they didn't against Ole Miss. Oklahoma showed that if you have good athletes on defense, and have the QB on the defensive (before the receivers can get into place), then the system can easily be beaten. Yes, Tech will likely continue to beat the little sisters of the poor (the ones without enough athletes on D), but Tech will continue to be a second level team until Mike Leach is able to find a way to compensate for this major deficiency.

If this WR is only interested in putting up big numbers against the little sisters of the poor (in a system that sends few, if any, WRs to the NFL not named Crabtree) then more power to him. I wish him all the best.

TheHumanAlphabet

1/23/2009, 01:26 PM

This graduation rate really sucks. It penalizes for early departures, transfers or dismissals. Numbers and stats are a hard thing at first blush they may be cold, but you need to tease out the true information or intent. Now if we have a graduation rate of 46% for those kids that stayed 4 or 5 years, then I would say we have a problem and the kid may have something and "getting a degree". But this sounds like a convenient excuse...

soonerfan28

1/23/2009, 01:41 PM

I apologize, I had a brain cramp and forget he went to Tech (not Mizzo). Tech will probably go with Taylor Potts. He looked alright enough in a limited back up role (the couple of times I saw him). However, the bigger issue for Tech is more the system rather than the QB. Oklahoma completely exposed the system and Tech hasn't recovered since. They didn't against Baylor and they didn't against Ole Miss. Oklahoma showed that if you have good athletes on defense, and have the QB on the defensive (before the receivers can get into place), then the system can easily be beaten. Yes, Tech will likely continue to beat the little sisters of the poor (the ones without enough athletes on D), but Tech will continue to be a second level team until Mike Leach is able to find a way to compensate for this major deficiency.

If this WR is only interested in putting up big numbers against the little sisters of the poor (in a system that sends few, if any, WRs to the NFL not named Crabtree) then more power to him. I wish him all the best.
Don't forget Welker who was a speck on OU's radar coming out of HS and hasn't done bad in the NFL.

RedstickSooner

1/30/2009, 03:55 AM

I suppose it's remotely possible that graduation rate mattered -- but this sounds very, very much like an excuse.

I would imagine being able to play in an offense that so effectively promotes its top wideout is, y'know, conceivably the real reason. Especially when you consider that our offense, while superduper, tends to spread the ball around a *lot*. We don't feature a star wideout the way TTech does.

Kids who pick their schools based on academics don't go for graduation rates -- they go for which school offers the best education when you get that degree. Because kids who care that much about academics assume that they're gonna be amongst the portion that graduates. (And they're usually correct.)