BYU Recruiting and the Benefits Of Graduate Transfers
By Jeff Hansen
Yesterday news came down that graduate transfer Harvey Jackson would be joining the BYU football team this fall for his last year of eligibility. Jackson joined Keanu Nelson and Jordan Leslie as the first group of graduate transfers to ever transfer to BYU. This isn’t a breakdown of each player and an analysis of what player will do what, but rather, a breakdown of a new line of thinking for BYU recruiting.
Sep 28, 2013; Fort Collins, CO, USA; UTEP Miners wide receiver Jordan Leslie (9) pulls in a reception against the Colorado State Rams in the fourth quarter at Hughes Stadium. The Rams defeated the Miners 59-42. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
First and foremost, I love seeing these graduate transfer players come into the program. The three will add depth to positions and hopefully make an immediate impact. They have experience and come from D-1 programs so it’s different than a junior college transfer that isn’t used to the speed of the game yet.
But aside from these three players and the impact they’ll have on the BYU football team, I think that graduate transfers are good for the program going forward for a few big reasons.
1. The more non-LDS kids that come into this program and have a good experience, the better.
Think about this. By the end of January (okay, probably December but National Championship!) these three players will be forever associated with BYU. If they go to the NFL, they’ll be “Harvey Jackson out of BYU.” These are African-American, non-LDS athletes that will forever have the BYU name associated with theirs. That is nothing but a good thing for the future of BYU football.
2. Honor Code living.
I’m an active LDS member and returned missionary and I would struggle with some aspects of the Honor Code at BYU. If you’re not an LDS member that inherently lives at least some of the Honor Code anyways, then it is even more difficult to abide by. Fortunately for these graduate transfers, they only have to live the Honor Code from July-December. There won’t be any offseason Honor Code issues because when the offseason rolls around, they’ll be gone. They get to campus and jump right into football. That’s huge!
April 13, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Keanu Nelson (20) is tackled by Stanford Cardinal cornerback Alex Carter (25) during the Cardinal & White spring game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
As BYU’s recruiting success continues to grow (Thanks Geoff Martzen) more stories from guys that can say “Yeah I lived the Honor Code at BYU, it wasn’t that bad” the more success BYU will have recruiting more athletes. Whether you’re an LDS athlete or a non-LDS athlete, six months of living the Honor Code is way easier than 4-5 years.
3.Mission Scholarships.
Balancing missions and what kids are coming home and who is leaving and will they play a year and did they come home early and did they have to stay home longer is really hard. (Yes, I’m aware that’s a terrible sentence, but that’s how I feel about the idea of managing all of those scholarships.) Graduate transfers that are in Provo for one season will allow Bronco Mendenhall and staff to have a little bit of flexibility each year. Sure, you’d love to have guys come into your program and stay for four straight years, but as long as BYU has to balance mass amounts of missionaries, graduate transfers will be an excellent tool to help maintain flexibility each year.
When Jordan Leslie announced he was coming to BYU, I thought it was just because of Coach Guy Holliday. When Keanu Nelson announced he was coming to BYU, I thought it was a lucky get. But now that Harvey Jackson has announced he’s coming to BYU, I think it’s safe to say that this is a pattern, and a pattern that we can expect to see more of in the future.
Aug 31, 2013; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defenders Harvey Jackson (1) and Greg McMullen (90) tackle Wyoming Cowboys running back Shaun Wick (21) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
I’m excited about recruiting at BYU. We saw it with the class that signed last year and the kids BYU is offering this year; BYU is recruiting with the big boys. They’re recruiting athletes, they’re going out of state, they’re offering kids that aren’t “typical BYU kids” and I love everything about. If graduate transfers are part of this new recruiting direction, I don’t see any reason not to get excited.