Now that Moorehead is out at MSU, will the NCAA allow the guys who just signed in the ESP, to essentially take back that signing, and sign in the February signing period?
I’m not sure if it’s happened yet, but this is the first time I’ve been paying attention to a situation like this, in which a coach gets fired after the new ESP, when his entire class is signed to come play for him.
Is it official Morehead has been fired?
Yes sir, he’s gone. Looks like MSU has finally had enough.
It is if you trust the same guys who have announced all our hires before we did, lol. The national guys don’t get firings wrong, may miss a hiring, but they know when someone’s been fired.
I knew they were talking about it… very strange timing for sure,you would think they would have to give those kids the opportunity to transfer without penalty.
That’s what I’m thinking.
It’s a little bit unprecedented, atleast I can’t think of a situation where this has happened since the ESP has been a thing.
I feel like regardless of what school, even if it was arkansas, the players deserve a chance to reconsider.
On the same note, I don’t know what the rules are about even contacting a signed player, I’d assume it’s the same as an active player, in that the coaches are not supposed to contact them on another team, even though they do.
Interestingly, MSU signed every single one of their commits during the early signing period. No carry overs…makes the timing of his firing curious, to say the least.
This happens more often than most are aware. Schools will purposely wait until after kids are signed to announce a firing or a coach leaving. Very shady and unprofessional in my opinion.
The LOI does not have an exception for coaching changes. Moo U might give those kids a release, but as of now they’re committed to each other for a full year.
From the Letter of Intent website (they call it the NLI):
The NLI you signed with an institution remains binding if the coach who recruited you leaves the institution with which you signed. When you sign an NLI, you sign with an institution and not with a coach or a specific team.
I would expect anyone who wants a release will get a release. The optics of forcing the kids to come to MSU or sit out are terrible. Even worse, the internal workings of that team are apparently pretty shaky(your starting QB gets in a practice fight before the bowl and gets hurt, for example) and introducing new guys that don’t want to be there can’t be a good thing.
The new HC is going to have quite a challenge on his hands. The Mullens’ recruits are mainly gone, and who knows how many of Morehead’s recruits will hang around.
Sounds like one step closer to bowl eligible for Arkansas.
30 day releases got to the school and AD.
They better hope the new coach can re-recruit them because I think the conventional wisdom is that they are going to be a lot of players asking for releases.
I do recall that Andre Iguadola got a release after Arkansas fired Nolan. He went to Arizona. He had signed in the early period. That’s basketball, not football. But it’s a similar situation.
maybe his buyout decreased after jan 1. just a thought
It sounds like the last straw was the post practice fight between starting quarterback Garrett Shrader and starting linebacker Willie Gay that left Shrader with an orbital bone injury.
Gay, who had been one of 10 players suspended eight games because of NCAA violation involving an academic tutor and had been kicked out of the one of the games he played, started in the bowl game.
Can’t say what happened behind the scenes. It’s not unusual for kids on the same team to have some friction. You just never hear about it that often.
I talked to a Mississippi HS coach and he said Moorhead was well liked. That’s just one opinion.
Just very unusual to fire a coach after two years. I get Morris (4-20) getting the ax.
I wonder if there was some ‘He’s a damn yankee’ sentiment involved.
Living in Ms. I can tell you that may very well have had something to do with it…he just never really has seem to fit in with the rednecks at MSU
One would think that if a kid asks for a release based on this situation then it darn well had better be granted or it could get ugly. Last thing you want is added bad PR after a situation like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if several did ask for the release and it is granted with the NCAA allowing them to sign immediately elsewhere if they want too in next signing period. Especially kids that signed because of the relationship with the coach or coaches and not the school per say. Very very shady if not let out of NOI in my opinion.