AuburnFamilyNews.com: Early Departures: A Trend or Coincidence?

Monday, May 30, 2016

Early Departures: A Trend or Coincidence?

Nov 21, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Roc Thomas (9) runs the ball for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Idaho Vandals at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn won 56-34. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

News broke a few days ago, via Twitter, that Tim Irvin was leaving the Auburn football program. In a screen-shot message posted on social media, Irvin thanked Auburn University and said he appreciated the coaches and fans, but it was “better for me to pursue my career elsewhere.” 

Just when things couldn’t seem to get any hotter, rumors began circulating that Auburn running back and former five-star recruit Roc Thomas was transferring to Jacksonville State. Since the initial report by AuburnUndercover, precious little information has come to light to verify the rumor.

This wouldn’t be the first time that the rumor mill has spoken of Thomas and his discontent at Auburn, going back to  Auburn’s Birmingham Bowl game. But, until the paperwork is done and a press conference is held, it remains just a story by an outside source who claims the info was from a source close to Thomas. 

What is official is that Irvin is leaving, and the source is the University. That makes 11 players since Auburn thumped Memphis. Is there a common thread indicating a problem with the Auburn program? 

With Irvin it’s easy to point to the playing time aspect. But any time this happens, questions arise: Was he unhappy with coaches? Did he have an attitude problem? There are dozens of scenarios that could have led to Irvin leaving, but only he fully knows. He was sliding down the depth chart with just an outside chance to play nickel, so lack of playing time seems to be the most likely reason for him to leave. 

His departure taken by itself  means very little. Washouts and transfers happen constantly on every single team in college football for a multitude of reasons. Fans tend to forget that teams have around 100 players, including walk-ons. Auburn, like every team, is going to have some turnover for personal issues, playing time, injuries and academics.  But, it seems that some fans want to point to something like program instability.

A quick look into reasons the 11 are leaving shows that these are personal decisions about personal opportunities—not program issues. Lets take a look.

 

Peyton Barber. Whether or not he and his family’s situation was as dire as fans were led to believe, it seemed obvious that Barber would not be the featured running back in 2016. In addition, Barber escaped most of 2015 without injury, something he was unable to do earlier in his collegiate career. NFL fans know running backs have a short shelf life, and Barber took advantage of the small window he had for making NFL money.

Shon Coleman/Avery Young. The average NFL player lasts less than four years, and the real money is in the second contract. Coleman, who received extra eligibility after battling leukemia and was already one of the older underclassman in college football, also took advantage of his NFL opportunity. Avery Young, the versatile lineman with an NFL pedigree, flirted with going to the NFL after the 2014 season, but he held back. After the 2015 season, his time had come.

Both were undrafted. Did they leave draft money on the table? Absolutely. But, again, the money is in the second contract, which means you have to have a first contract to get the second opportunity. 

JaViere Mitchell/Gimel President. Both of these guys simply faced tough situations. After playing for four different coordinators, the two players graduated and decided to transfer where they still have eligibility. This was a simple playing time issue. 

Gray King.  Even in a unit with as many question marks as Auburn’s, he simply wasn’t going to be an SEC receiver. 

Chris Laye. The Malzahn offense experimented for two years with using a hybrid tight end/H-back. It didn’t work. 

Will Adams/Jordan Diamond. One of the areas where Auburn really needs quality depth was on the offensive line. However, neither of these graduating players were able to crack the starting lineup at Auburn. Diamond, in particular, struggled with injuries. Though Auburn doesn’t have great depth on the line, younger players will get the nod before out-going seniors. 

Jordan Colbert. The redshirt freshman was a promising four-star corner with good size, which is probably why he will be playing linebacker at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi. According to sources, he was not granted a full release. It’s left to speculation, but judging by his school choice, he may not have been able to maintain the academics. 

The possible 12th transfer is Roc Thomas. Unlike most of the other players mentioned above, this one really matters because Thomas has been a starter and looked to be in line to be a contributor. Sunshine pumpers believe he “just didn’t have the heart to compete” or that he was prone to injury and fumbling. Reportedly, fans of other teams want to believe Auburn is about to collapse into a fiery pit of off-the-field issues, and Thomas is just one of many players trying to get out.

Would Thomas’ departure hurt Auburn? Absolutely.

With Kerryon Johnson recovering from shoulder surgery, Jovon Robinson is Auburn’s only established tailback. Auburn is one play away from some serious depth issues. Thomas has skills, some of which hadn’t quite been fully tapped, and it seemed that the coaching staff was also considering him for a slot receiver role although it did not seem that he would be the feature back. Outside of moving into the slot, Thomas would be hard pressed to get carries until the 2017 season. 

A move to JSU makes all the sense in the world. First, JSU is coming off an FCS Championship. Secondly, Thomas wouldn’t have to sit out a year, due to the FBS-FCS transfer rules. And finally, Thomas would be playing for John Grass, his head coach at Oxford High School.

So, the trend isn’t about bad attitudes, playing time, or program instability … it is primarily about opportunity.

The post Early Departures: A Trend or Coincidence? appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.



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