There has been a lot of talk about Mormon athletes, and I think there are three major points that get overlooked.
1. Like everything these coaches are doing right now, there is a plan for the future. While we can be disappointed that kids are taking their mission trips instead of just playing for the Beavers right away, we are taking a short sighted view of them.
In 2017 we will welcome back the Mission kids from the 2015 class. While there is no guarantee they will want to play, be in shape or stay with OSU, many will. At OSU, even for a program that wasn't particularly Mission friendly, we had a very high rate of players return to OSU. In some cases, Like Gardner, he was a little out of shape and didn't pan out as a player (though is an excellent human being). In the case of the Unga twins, they came back, played instantly, and while one transferred, the one that stayed was a starter (oh and the one that transferred is playing in the NFL and was a stud for BYU).
Regardless, if they come back in 2017, won't that impact the 2017 class? Well, maybe, but if you create a cycle of pulling in Mormon players that go on Missions, those spots that are vacated by the new ones can be taken by the ones returning.
We may have wished guys could play for us now, but i two years we will have some players come in that are solid players and will help soften the blow of the one that leave.
2. There is a lot of upside to taking Mormon players. I have heard a few people say that they don't think Corvallis is a big Mormon place, but by sticking with these players and being up front with them, you can quickly develop that pipeline. BYU obviously does very well with it. If this rotation becomes a habit, in two years we will get used to it and be excited about the players that do come in from their missions.
With our current desire for change now this plan can be frustrating, but in two years when we start to benefit from it, we will see a lot of great players come in, but also relationships with their families might help us get a foot in with some other top talent coming back or who are looking for a place that is going to be OK with them taking their Mission.
3. Physiologically, there are benefits to players that delay enrollment. The male brain doesn't fully form (nor does decision making) until you are 21-ish. Or never if you ask my wife. Growth tends to be complete in the 20's as well as all of the changes due to puberty dying down. Most of the time the freshman and redshirt years are spent building muscle and size. While Mission players are not always able to eat well or work out, their bodies are matured and decision making is, in theory improved.
This physical and mental maturity is not a bad thing to have on your team. While it may not be super noticeable, The players that come back from their Missions tend to be a bit more focused (if they stay in football at all) because their goals, discipline and vision is clearer. Not all, but many. When you think of the high Mission population teams, BYU, Utah, Utah State and even Hawaii, you don't always like them, but they always play tough and violent. Something we tend to like in these parts.
Anyway, I know it is annoying to have to wait two years and then find out that they are not even coming or don't want to play football anymore, but if you get into the system of taking them, and become a popular destination, the delayed enrollment can actually be a great thing for you.
Also, as a side note, I am not Mormon, nor do I have any ties to the Mormon church, I just think that this is not as bad a deal as many others do. You just have to commit to it. If you do, it can be very beneficial.
1. Like everything these coaches are doing right now, there is a plan for the future. While we can be disappointed that kids are taking their mission trips instead of just playing for the Beavers right away, we are taking a short sighted view of them.
In 2017 we will welcome back the Mission kids from the 2015 class. While there is no guarantee they will want to play, be in shape or stay with OSU, many will. At OSU, even for a program that wasn't particularly Mission friendly, we had a very high rate of players return to OSU. In some cases, Like Gardner, he was a little out of shape and didn't pan out as a player (though is an excellent human being). In the case of the Unga twins, they came back, played instantly, and while one transferred, the one that stayed was a starter (oh and the one that transferred is playing in the NFL and was a stud for BYU).
Regardless, if they come back in 2017, won't that impact the 2017 class? Well, maybe, but if you create a cycle of pulling in Mormon players that go on Missions, those spots that are vacated by the new ones can be taken by the ones returning.
We may have wished guys could play for us now, but i two years we will have some players come in that are solid players and will help soften the blow of the one that leave.
2. There is a lot of upside to taking Mormon players. I have heard a few people say that they don't think Corvallis is a big Mormon place, but by sticking with these players and being up front with them, you can quickly develop that pipeline. BYU obviously does very well with it. If this rotation becomes a habit, in two years we will get used to it and be excited about the players that do come in from their missions.
With our current desire for change now this plan can be frustrating, but in two years when we start to benefit from it, we will see a lot of great players come in, but also relationships with their families might help us get a foot in with some other top talent coming back or who are looking for a place that is going to be OK with them taking their Mission.
3. Physiologically, there are benefits to players that delay enrollment. The male brain doesn't fully form (nor does decision making) until you are 21-ish. Or never if you ask my wife. Growth tends to be complete in the 20's as well as all of the changes due to puberty dying down. Most of the time the freshman and redshirt years are spent building muscle and size. While Mission players are not always able to eat well or work out, their bodies are matured and decision making is, in theory improved.
This physical and mental maturity is not a bad thing to have on your team. While it may not be super noticeable, The players that come back from their Missions tend to be a bit more focused (if they stay in football at all) because their goals, discipline and vision is clearer. Not all, but many. When you think of the high Mission population teams, BYU, Utah, Utah State and even Hawaii, you don't always like them, but they always play tough and violent. Something we tend to like in these parts.
Anyway, I know it is annoying to have to wait two years and then find out that they are not even coming or don't want to play football anymore, but if you get into the system of taking them, and become a popular destination, the delayed enrollment can actually be a great thing for you.
Also, as a side note, I am not Mormon, nor do I have any ties to the Mormon church, I just think that this is not as bad a deal as many others do. You just have to commit to it. If you do, it can be very beneficial.
