Transfer Quarterbacks Offer Short Term Solutions, But Could Cause Long Term Problems

One of the great individual performers of 2011 set a precedent other programs hope to match. In need of a quarterback, but don’t have one ready for primetime? A transfer who has completed his undergraduate studies is the ticket. Going the plug-and-play route may seem an immediate solution, but its long term ramifications can outweigh the instant gratification.

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema had a problem after his team’s 2010 Rose Bowl and Big Ten title run. A Badger offense that ranked No. 5 nationally was returning two backs with right around 1,000 yards (James White and Montee Ball), but had no quarterback to steer the ship. Scott Tolzien developed into what seemed like the quintessential UW playmaker: a facilitator of the running game, effective in the passing game, and above all consistent.

Bielema had no one who could assume Tolzien’s duties on the depth chart in spring ball, but like a gift from the football gods came an answer. Russell Wilson had finished his coursework at NC State, but Tom O’Brien wanted to go a different route when Wilson opted for baseball over spring football. Wilson fell into Bielema’s lap. Now, he was a departure from Tolzien — enough so that some boneheads were skeptical about his fit with the offense.

Wilson’s instant impact on the Wisconsin Badgers caused a sensation throughout college football. A program that’s offense was once associated with Fat Guy Touchdowns — not of the whimsical lineman fumble return variety, but those from the 260-pound back category — was suddenly explosive. UW won a second consecutive Big Ten title, but in very un-Wisconsin-like fashion. The Badgers morphed from shirt-and-tie, old fashioned Big ten stereotype to LMFAO leopard print pants and vests since, after all, Everyday They’re Russellin’.

Wilson and Ball fed off each other to an extent that each was considered a Heisman candidate, and Ball actually became a finalist. But Ball gets to play the quarterback game anew with the one-season Wilson rental expired. And Bielema is back in the same situation he was a season ago, with total question marks Jon Budmayr and Curt Phillips on the roster.

Another trip to someone else’s well might be in order, as UW is in the hunt for another transfer, Danny O’Brien. O’Brien’s situation differs from Wilson in that he needs to prove himself again, whereas Wilson was coming off a career-best campaign. O’Brien had an outstanding redshirt freshman campaign, but struggled to fit the new coaching staff’s vision for the offense. His production dipped from 22 TDs/8 INTs and 7.2 yards per completion, to 7 TDs/10 INTs at 6.2 yards per completion.

The Badgers’ scheme more closely resembles what James Franklin ran at UM in 2010, than Crowton’s spread used in 2011. A transfer to Vanderbilt and return to Franklin’s offense would probably suit O’Brien best, but UM filed a tampering complaint against Vanderbilt that prohibits talks between Franklin and O’Brien (link via BadgerOfHonor.com). Surely the most prolific rushing touchdown scorer since Barry Sanders sharing a backfield with him would ease the transition.

O’Brien is more than a temporary stop-gap, because he has two seasons of eligibility remaining. That would be a plus for UW, which previously was rumored in association with Notre Dame transfer Dayne Crist. Brian Kelly opted for Tommy Rees early into the 2011 campaign, which made Crist’s transfer an inevitability. Crist landed with the coach who recruited him, Charlie Weis, at Kansas.

Crist saw spot duty in Weis’s final South Bend season, then became Kelly’s first starter in 2010. Crist has never quite lived up to the lofty expectations surround his recruitment, due largely to injuries but exacerbated by his uninspired numbers. He’ll be an upgrade at KU, where the passing offense ranked No. 101 in the FBS last season. However for UW, he may have been an odd fit. Crist has just a single season of eligibility, and his move is predicated purely on potential.

A revolving door of transfer rentals is no long term plan. If you’re going to tab an unproven quarterback, going with your own recruit seems logical. That UW is again on the rental market suggests inadequate recruiting for that vital position, and sends a public message of mistrust for its recruits. O’Brien is more viable, and that makes him a hot commodity.

Oklahoma State is reportedly in the mix. The Cowboys are another program in need of an immediate answer for a graduated quarterback, Brandon Weeden. The Cowboys retain some vital pieces from last year’s Big 12 championship, including back Joseph Randle. A tested play caller like O’Brien gives OSU’s offense renewed legitimacy, while other Daxx Garman redshirts and familiarizes himself with the playbook.

However, it’s not so simple as: Phase 1 – Collect Eligible Quarterback, Phase 3 – BCS Bowl.

The missing Phase 2 is an understanding of the scheme and gelling with new teammates. Wilson did it at Wisconsin. Jeremiah Masoli failed to at Ole Miss. The Rebels’ disastrous 2010 with Masoli in his one season there spawned an even more disastrous 2011. The snaps he logged took away from the future’s development in Houston Nutt’s failed attempt to address only the present. Nutt’s now gone, and Hugh Freeze is working with a limited cache.

The quick transfer fix can be just wonderful for the short term, but a coach needs something more substantive for the long haul.