Iowa State Football: Jacob Park’s defection part of a negative trend
Former Iowa State football starting quarterback Jacob Park has announced his intention to transfer from the Cyclone program. Is that decision bold or brash?
In 2015, Jacob Park was a top recruit in the country. In 2017, he’ll be lucky to find a school that will take him. The Iowa State Cyclones and quarterback Jacob Park have parted ways. It’s a shame, because Park’s talent is undeniable. In his tenure with Iowa State, Park threw for 1,791 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in the 2016 season. This year, he amassed another 1,181 yards and nine touchdowns in four games.
In October, Park took a leave of absence from the team for a litany of reasons, among them a failed drug test. Backup quarterback Kyle Kempt took over as quarterback for the team, and helped the team finish the season with a 7-5 record. As part of the graduate transfer rule, Park can play immediately for another team once he graduates. He will finish his degree at Iowa State this spring, so he hopes to transfer to another school for his final year of eligibility.
I have a bit of an issue with this, and here is why. Park was singing the team’s praises when he took the job in 2016. In a statement to the Des Moines Register, Park claimed, “I’m a strong believer in everything happens for a reason. I think I was put home and I was put there back to ground zero for a reason. I don’t know. It feels like it’s destiny that I’m going to Iowa State.”
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He had bounced around to three different schools before landing the quarterback position with the Cyclones. Now he wants to transfer again? What changed in a year?
Park screwed up, but the school was willing to stand by him. Sure, he had to sit out a few games, but with his talent he was ensured a continued spot on the roster. Why? Is he looking for instant gratification? Does he feel that his talents are underappreciated? He got a chance to start with a great program and he threw it away. I hope for his sake that he finally finds contentment somewhere, but it seems unlikely. Park’s issues go beyond the gridiron, and finding another spot for his final year won’t help.
This trend is getting worse, and if the NCAA allows all players to transfer whenever they want, it will ruin college football. At the end of the day, student-athletes’ main job is to get an education, and transferring schools won’t help them do that. It also will make recruiting a chaotic, Machiavellian free-for-all that will leave smaller programs in the dust.
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Park’s defection smacks of entitlement, and whimsical graduate transfers makes for a disturbing trend that needs to stop. Forgive me, everyone, for being on this lofty soapbox. I’m really short, so the view is pretty nice for once.