Damien Alford Grad Transferring to Utah

[MamesJungro]

I don't think they walked back the dismissal, but HCFB coming out and saying Alford is a good kid is a signal to other teams that he's not looking to irreparably harm Alford's future prospects. It stinks he never put it fully together for us, but there are only so many players with NFL WR1 measurables and athletic ability and he will get a year somewhere else to show what has.

Also - thank you for that catch against VT. That was a great moment

 

[HeaterCuse22]

I’m thinking he used the word dismissed to show potential recruits around the country that he has swag, and that the Syracuse program is tough. I think this feeds into DART messaging.

Master recruiter and motivator. I’m riding the Coach Fran swag train.

Show me exactly where FRAN said dismissed. Ill wait

 

[AAM62]

Like I’ve said (and been killed for) many times on this forum.

The kid isn’t that good at football. We’ve seen years of it. Who cares about anything else.

 

[TexanMark]

We don’t know that this is what happened. It sounds like a miscommunication. Alford is free to move on, and Fran is allowed to dismiss him ahead of spring ball if he’s going to transfer anyway.

Nobody needs to be the bad guy here.

Suddenly a Dave Mason song popped in my head

 

[phsyra]

With his measurables and athleticism he may have higher tier ACC or SEC suitors as well as some of aforementioned

 

[TexanMark]

There was no need to annouce that the kid has been dismissed. Do you think a top quality reporter like Thamel made that up? Just let him leave. The kid gave us as good as he could for 3 or 4 years. What was the point? It's okay to question whether Fran made a mistake or not. He will make mistakes. I think this was one. Just no need to annouce that the kid was dismissed. None. Just let him leave.

I think "mutually agreed to part ways" is a better way in 95%+ of the cases.

Save the "dismissed" terminology for the worst situations.

However this is Fran's team and he might be laying the law down. I'm not losing àny sleep over it. Alford can get his degree, work out at the Barnes Center and find a program like Yukon which will salivate over occasionally spectacular.

 

[TexanMark]

Arizona maybe…maybe

Or UNM

 

[TexanMark]

Cue CousCuse

I hope we get to play UMass in a game so CousCuse gets a little closure.

 

[shandeezy7]

Or UNM

Nick Monroe was his lead recruiter out of HS, right? Any chance Minnesota reaches out?

 

[FasterCuse]

No I am saying that he said that he dismissed Alford to someone who told Pete. Might have been Fran himself. But whoever said it to Pete, got it from Fran. Clear enough. And in my opinion, this couldn't have been handled much worse.

Come on now. The kid told the coaches he wanted to transfer. Coaches didn't want him to eat up practice reps from the kids that are 100% committed to the team, so he was dismissed. I see nothing wrong or classless about what happened here. Alford should have left when the portal was open this first time. This is 100% on him.

 

[TexanMark]

With his measurables and athleticism he may have higher tier ACC or SEC suitors as well as some of aforementioned

Agreed...but I think he would be a situational threat

 

[TexanMark]

Nick Monroe was his lead recruiter out of HS, right? Any chance Minnesota reaches out?

Well if I were Alford I'd be shaking all those branches.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Come on now. The kid told the coaches he wanted to transfer. Coaches didn't want him to eat up practice reps from the kids that are 100% committed to the team, so he was dismissed. I see nothing wrong or classless about what happened here. Alford should have left when the portal was open this first time. This is 100% on him.

he also entered the portal last year, he's gone and everyone can move on. I don't care much eitherway with the verbage used with his exit. we will miss his solid blocking and 5-6 really nice plays but I think the kids from georgia should replace those. is what it is. He's never had a HUGE impact here regardless of a few great plays. best of luck to him

 

[upperdeck]

Maybe he graduates and moves on with his life. Not everyone wants to be a grad student either.

He could go back to Canada and try the CFL

 

[rocklloyd]

Who cares honestly?

right. if we can't upgrade from him, we're in deep trouble.

 

[rocklloyd]

I love how all these big tough manly football guys love to vaguebook like 14 year old teens.

and quote Jadakiss

 

[kcsu]

He let the coaches know he was leaving. Once they knew that there is no reason to allow him to continue to be a part of the program. He becomes a distraction at best at worst he becomes an issue.
He has God given gifts that cant be taught and i hope that he does well at his next stop. Hopefully they let him run a pattern in bounds.

 

[JRHEETER]

I’m just not sure how this looks bad on Coach?

Some of you out there are looking to seize the tiniest things to sink the Syracuse athletic program. You may need to reevaluate if you’re a fan or a hater.

We are TIGHT TIGHT on schollies right now and Coach Fran is trying to do what he can to turn the roster over but also not burn any of the kids that WERE on this team.

Alford came to him and said he was likely transferring.

Coach Fran Brown has the opportunity, as a new head coach, to hold up the universities end of the scholarship but remove someone from the team and open up a scholarship.

If Alford, who has been meh at best, wasn’t sure he wanted to be around, I would have done the same thing if in Coach Browns shoes. Removed him from the program and let him finish his degree at Syracuse. One less problem to worry about.

Alford clearly wanted to play games and Coach Fran isn’t about that.

 

[skeeter223]

I love how all these big tough manly football guys love to vaguebook like 14 year old teens.

Yeah. Like some car 'vanity' plates: only the owner understands the meaning.

 

[Ringostar57]

When I was in the military, standing in the ranks at attention the order was barked out: dismissed. Was I offended, hell no, Meant free to go...... Reminds me of Hogan's heroes when Klink sarcastically says dismissed...meaning get out of here, go. Basically it means Alford is no longer in our plans and relieved of any obligations to SU. Thank you for your service, goodbye good luck. You all can argue all you want but you are making something out of nothing.

 

[dasher]

I’m just not sure how this looks bad on Coach?

Some of you out there are looking to seize the tiniest things to sink the Syracuse athletic program. You may need to reevaluate if you’re a fan or a hater.

We are TIGHT TIGHT on schollies right now and Coach Fran is trying to do what he can to turn the roster over but also not burn any of the kids that WERE on this team.

Alford came to him and said he was likely transferring.

Coach Fran Brown has the opportunity, as a new head coach, to hold up the universities end of the scholarship but remove someone from the team and open up a scholarship.

If Alford, who has been meh at best, wasn’t sure he wanted to be around, I would have done the same thing if in Coach Browns shoes. Removed him from the program and let him finish his degree at Syracuse. One less problem to worry about.

Alford clearly wanted to play games and Coach Fran isn’t about that.

This is a very bad take. To say the coach made a mistake is hating on the program? To think that he doesn't sit at the right hand of the father is a knock on him? The kid as you said is leaving the program. Just let him go. We picked up the ship when he said he was leaving. The word dismissed is a strong word. Kids get dismissed for usually doing something wrong. What games was Alford looking to play when he told the coach he wanted to leave? And how is it being a hater when you love the program, give money to the program, but can see when something is done wrong?

 

[HeaterCuse22]

I think "mutually agreed to part ways" is a better way in 95%+ of the cases.

Save the "dismissed" terminology for the worst situations.

However this is Fran's team and he might be laying the law down. I'm not losing àny sleep over it. Alford can get his degree, work out at the Barnes Center and find a program like Yukon which will salivate over occasionally spectacular.

Show me where anyone but Pete Thamel said dismissed

 

[dasher]

Show me exactly where FRAN said dismissed. Ill wait

The football office confirmed that he was dismissed to Emily at the Post Standard. The football program is Fran Brown.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

This is a very bad take. To say the coach made a mistake is hating on the program? To think that he doesn't sit at the right hand of the father is a knock on him? The kid as you said is leaving the program. Just let him go. We picked up the ship when he said he was leaving. The word dismissed is a strong word. Kids get dismissed for usually doing something wrong. What games was Alford looking to play when he told the coach he wanted to leave? And how is it being a hater when you love the program, give money to the program, but can see when something is done wrong?

Who said dismissed?

 

[dasher]

Who said dismissed?

Emily has a story that I think is in this thread. She called the football office and it was confirmed to her by them that Alford was dismissed from the team. Do you think someone in the football office just said that?