Where will G Pittman end up?
I hesitated in writing this one, but after reading some of the crap that was out there about G I thought it would be appropriate to hopefully give some Cougar fans a clean break.
G isn’t going to SDSU or any other MWC team. He is tranfering to Washington State. He will remain a Cougar, but with a few less wins. G’s family has been in contact with the WSU coaching staff and G feels like it will be a good transition for him personally.
G has struggled academically, but not much more than any other freshmen player. He said, “it will be a better fit for me.” G knows some players on the WSU football team who played at rival high schools and I am sure they have been influencial in helping him make up his mind.
To say the trasition for a non-LDS, African-American players who came from outside the state is easy; isn’t paying attention. No matter what G or any other player that came from similar backgrounds says it’s hard and it would take some getting used to. G gave it a year and it didn’t develop the way he thought it would, so in December he will be on the first thing smoking out of Provo.
Personally I wish him the best and hope he achieves the personal success that he envisioned when he came to BYU. He is a good player that will be missed.
Guys transfer for lots of different reasons, but all the reasons boil down to the same problem, playing time. When you come to a school you expect to be playing. Yeah there are other players and personalities, but you always think your better then the person in front of you. Recruits now a days want a quick fix. They expect to come in and play right away. BYU has recruited well enough in the past couple of years where young players can know come in learn the system and prepare their bodies so they will be ready when their cleats hit the grass at LES.
A word to the next wave of recruits. Your time will come…..be patient. You have a lot to learn, contribute on special teams and if you get an opportunity early in your career, take advantage of it. It might be the last chance you get to play before your a JR.
Just curious – how does G feel about BYU? Is he bitter or angry about his experience? I can accept a player feeling like the school wasn’t a good fit and wanting to try elsewhere. I just hope players (especially non-LDS players) ultimately leave feeling like they were treated fairly and honestly (although I know departing players often have a perception of the situation that’s different from reality). I’d hope that after spending a year at BYU and among its people, G would remember his time positively and respect BYU down the road. I’d be disappointed if he ended up having hard feeling towards BYU.
Good luck G. WSU needs a few players.
I love the blog, bro. Please keep providing everyone with your informative perspective, coach-like knowledge, and consistency. Thanks or spending so much time bringing so many insights of BYU football to light for the die-hard fans. Amidst my grammar-naziesque complaints, it’s still the best blog out there.
Oh, and G-man… Good luck with your endeavors. You are a great player. Wish you could have seen more PT. I understand that BYU is not for everyone. I never went there, but that doesn’t keep me from being a die-hard fan. Wish you had stayed, but understand why you left. You have to go somewhere that brings you the greatest happiness. Good luck, bro.
I wish him well.
I just wish these kids would take a look at the kids who transfer, and just how often that ends up working out. G was in the 2-deep! If it weren’t for an injury late in Spring, he may have overtaken Howard to start this year.
If he were in good academic standing, he’d have been playing for Howard when he struggled in the TCU game instead of Bradley. If he’d done that, and played well, he’d be getting even more playing time – he may even have ended up the starter by the end of the year. AS A RS FRESHMAN!
Again, I wish him the best. I just wish he could have done well enough academically to be available, and I truly think if he’d have stuck it out, he’d be seeing the field an awful lot right now.
I met G two years ago in August, just arriving with his parents and sister to campus. He was quiet and so good natured. What a sweet kid. I wish him the best of luck.
I don’t blame African American non-LDS kids from out of state having a hard time adjusting to BYU. I’m a white LDS kid from out of state and I had a hard time dealing with the culture shock of BYU.
Gooch – Isn’t there a rule that if a player isn’t in good academic standing, he can’t transfer to another D1 school right away? I think Jay Drew or someone reported that G would need to go to a juco first. At any rate, he’ll have to sit a year and he’s already used his redshirt, so he won’t get to WSU until he’s a junior. Right?
G is staying until December so he can use the rest of the semester to get his grades up. As long as he is eligible when he transfers he’s good. He will sit out one year and we’ll see him in 2010. WOW that’s a long time.
Sorry Mr. Tanner I am not the best writer, but I’ll figure it out eventually. I’m more concerned about what the topics are about, I’ll work on the grammer.
I guess my next question is if he’s staying at BYU through the end of the semester, why leave the team? Was there some kind of falling out?
I wouldn’t say a falling out, but G made up his mind and is excited about being part of the WSU program. I don’t fault him for calling it quits. How productive are the employees that turn in their two weeks notice?
If he isn’t eligible at the end of December he will have to go a different route. Most likely Juco. Let’s hope he gets his grades up so he can go straight to WSU.
Gooch,
Looking at the team for 2009/2010 and the players we have, what would your guess be on the two deep?
Do you think they will move Scott Johnson to Saftey after losing Pitman?
BTW, I just found your site last week and love it.
Im a die hard Y fan but I could have NEVER went to the Y. So I totally understand if he was/is having a hard time adjusting.
But if its just PT then I’m a little bummed with him transferring. He’s not going to be playing until his JR year anyways with the transfer rules so he’s not going to be gaining playing time.
As far as the two deep is concerned, Naggy and Brooks will need to step up as well as Pendalton. I wouldn’t expect any sudden changes. Bradely will need to learn both sides and if Howard or Scottie went down someone will need to step up.
We have a plug and play system. If you don’t remember last year we lost a few guys and the next guy stood up and took their place. It will the same this year.
hmm….a player has got to want to be passionately at BYU, otherwise he WILL eventually transfer. happens all the time, but seems to be big news when its BYU and involves an African American.
Quinn, I enjoy the blog.
Gooch, You don’t think Robbie Buckner will play into the rotation next year?
G is making a mistake. A big one. Quitting is a bad habit. College is a great crucible; suck it up and get the job done. I don’t buy the nonsense about “African-American non-LDS” some how having it hard. Suck it up. Many others have here and else where. These are not weak kids… don’t coddle them. G is using all the usual excuses and those accepting them are accommodating. I’ve lived all over the world in all sorts of neighborhoods, with all sorts of ethnic and racial components. As an eight year old living in a tiny town of 300 I experienced racial hatred, religious persecution and alienation. Tough crap. I found a way to enjoy even that because my father wiped my tears, patted my butt and said to rely upon my self and have love for other regardless. To G I say, it won’t get any better until you get better.
Gooch,
I can only see through a fan’s eyes, so perhaps I’m totally off on this assessment. I see the coaches being a little too slow (sort of like Jerry Sloan) in incorporating up and coming players into the offense and defense (I’d feel differently if the starters were burning it up).
Pendleton, Pittman, Bradley, Rich, Teo, Di Luigi, Chambers, Tuitama, Jaussi, are the players who I believe could benefit a lot from more playing time.
It’s too late for Pittman, but what about the others? Let me know if I’m off base (likely).
Young players need the time to learn the defense or offense. It is a big change from high school and normally Freshman aren’t prepared for the game mentally.
Physically these players might be better, they don’t understand enough of the defense to be effective when they are on the field. Freshman need to take the time to learn the game, play on special teams and develop themselves into a play maker.
It comes down to trust. Once a coach feels like he can trust a young player to prepare both mentally and physically for the win the player will be on the field.
I wouldn’t be so hard on any transferring player. All of us have made career-type decision in our lives and just because someone doesn’t stick to their original commitment or decision doesn’t make them a quitter.
There is a place for “stick to it”-ive ness, the good ole “drive on with the Airborne mission” mentality. But there is also a place for recognizing when a relationship is not going to work out.
These players make the decisions with their families, friends, and coaches involved in the process and I tend to follow Mendenhall’s lead and just wish them the best.
Whether or not he would get more PT at Wazzou or here is debatable.
Sometimes it’s better for our team to get rid of the “dead weight.” Although a needed athlete, G was unable to get on the field due to academic issues.
I think this is a huge loss for BYU. BYU could really use some speed in the secondary. I really think this is the key reason that they were torched by TCU, and almost lost to UNLV. BYU needs to get some guys back there that are fast enough to keep up with the receivers on the field, and I think G would have been a guy that could do that. Personally, I’m starting to think that Teo might be a better choice for starting safety. Sure he’ll make some mistakes because of inexperience, but at least he’s fast enough to keep up with the receivers on the field.
G, have fun playing 1 year at crappy Washington State 3 years from now, after graduating from a JC. If you can even manage that.
There are so many components to the BYU football team that do not exist ANYWHERE else. When you think about the time these guys devote to playing football, it should at least be an enjoyable experience. What Coach Demands Mentally, Physically, Spiritually, Academically…if you don’t want to commit 110% every day, BYU will not be that much fun for you.
I am proud of G for having the courage to take a path that will bring him more happiness and joy in his pursuit of athletics.
I don’t think it is about going to a Championship team. It is about enjoying the game. After all that is why we play it.
I would rather expend all energy playing for a crappy team, where I enjoyed the guys and the atmosphere (BYU 2004, 2005) than be on a NC team where I don’t play, don’t enjoy being around the team.
G best of luck buddy. You are Awesome. I wish you all the best.
I find the DB situation completely and totally frustrating. While the team is on D I find myself wishing that we had Francisco and Hooks type players on the field.
While I wish G the best and hope that his football career is filled with happiness, I can’t help but think that his vision is short sighted – from my point of view. We are in desperate need in the coming years of DBs – and he fits the bill.
This is written to only a few, but for all to read.
Something I like about Quinn’s blog is that most of the readers and contributors have maintained a measure of civility. I got tired of reading the other chat boards because they are so full of personal insults. And, obviously, Quinn has final edit capability so I know he does a bit of policing.
Blogs and chat rooms have taken a generation by storm. Through this new medium we can expose to the world the deepest feelings of our heart, bear our souls naked and do so with seeming impunity through the anonymity afforded by an alias.
Well, almost… In the grand scheme of things, nothing will remain anonymous forever.
If nothing else, remember this. What we write about any subject reflects who we are. Especially when speaking or writing about other people, your comments describe in great detail the person you see each morning in the mirror.
One person asked, “What does G think about BYU?”
I don’t know. Maybe we should ask G to read this blog and then tell us.
Doug Witt
I am G’s dad and I hope that my few words can provide some clarity on the situation. For starters we, the Pittman family, will always be BYU fans and supporters. We feel that Bronco has a genuine and caring nature and has to the best of his ability made our time in Provo great. We are not harboring any feelings of a victim or anything racist or negative.
Our focus when we chose BYU was environment, vision for the future and the sincerity of the recruiting process! G has over 25 friends and family members that he trains with that play at a high level all over the NCAA, so his choice to come to BYU was not a blind or naive decision. When G committed to BYU, 17 more schools that had not offered made G offers (the next day) .G called each one the coaches to validate his BYU commitment! You would not believe the persecution that G and our family received, to the point that we changed our number! G plays and practices with high intensity and was excited to travel with the team as a true freshman before his injury.
That being said over the summer we saw a pattern in G’s normal upbeat personality that raised some concerns with us as parents And after meeting with certain coaches and people who have direct responsibility, and authority over G, we realized that our approach to the College football situation may have some basic difference’s that could not be in the best interest for G and the Pittman family. After much prayer and petitioning G stated that he wanted to give the BYU team and himself his all and subsequently positioned himself to challenge for the starting spot. He came back early over the summer and worked a job while retaking some classes to raise his GPA.
For all of you that know or have met G, you can attest to his gentle and fun demeanor, he is not a bad guy he is a good guy. If we had stereotypical gang, religious prejudices, racial or social issues we would not have chosen BYU. In fact that is one of the major reasons we did choose BYU!
But the situation is not working itself out as we had hoped. Don’t forget that G was suited and ready to play vs. N Illinois, Washington St, UCLA and Utah St. with no academic issues. (You might want to ask his position coach about that) You will not receive a football scholarship at BYU from Bronco Mend hall if you are not a good student period.
But sometimes an 18 or 19 yr old kid will react by compromising his standards and that is the lesson that we are teaching G in this matter. At the end day we have a positive scope on the whole situation and so does Bronco. G will make up some credits at a JUCO and will be eligible for D-1 enrollment next year. Just like BYU wont fade into the sunset, neither will G. we appreciate our well-wishers and supporters and pray for the others.
Thanks for clearing up any confusion Mr. Pittman. Personally G has always been one of my favorite players to be around and when I spoke with him last week I was sad to hear that he was really transferring. I wished him the best and I am hoping he will be able to get the credits he needs so he can get back to the D-1 level.
Thanks for taking the time to write a few kind words and if anyone or comment rubbed you the wrong way I am sorry. I will hopefully run into G around campus and talk with him more. If not I wish him all the success in the world, because he will end up contributing wherever he goes.
You know it’s disappointing to see him leave after all of the progress he has made here. If the players in front of him were clearly better, then I could see how a transfer would benefit him.
However, the players in front have more experience and that’s it. Isn’t it highly conceivable that he would be starting next year instead of learning a new system?
Are the position coaches at BYU giving everyone a fair shot as Bronco seems to pride himself in doing?
Thank you so much for the post Mr. Pittman. I appreciate you sharing this with us fans. We’ll miss your son (we sure could use him right now!), and I hope everything turns out for the best for him. I realize that things sometimes don’t work out the way we expect them to. It’s a trick to learn to take your lumps, learn from it, and come out stronger in the end. Hopefully that’s what happens.
I would be curious to know, if you have time, what you thing BYU and/or G could have done differently to prevent what happened.
I appreciate Mr. Pittman’s and Witt’s words. Personally, I would have been kicked off the team my freshman year for my grades. BYU is not an easy school!!! Like Mark said in another post, as a football player, you have to schedule carefully. It was difficult enough not being a football player. I can understand how frustrating it is to be passed up when you’ve put in the work to be the better choice. That sometimes does feel like favortism, and while I don’t judge this situation, I know that there are times when politics and favorites do win out.
This is a big loss for our team.
Like Witt, I love this blog because it is not as hostile as the other blogs. There is real inside information instead of a bunch hearsay. I hope it stays that way.
Thank you to Greg Pittman and to G for giving BYU a chance. Washington State will be better off, and hopefully it will be a good experience for G. Most important, G will receive a good education from an exceptional University then go on to be much like the good parents who raised him.
As for the Cougars, we continue to recruit good kids, but still too often come up short on speed at key positions, especially CB. Losing G Pittman is a loss, so we’ll have to make up for it in other areas. I think we will survive, just a step or two slower than we would like.
This whole story is such a sucky situation. I want to iterate as well, how much I appreciate Mr. Pittman’s remarks. You can tell a lot from just reading his post, what a great family G comes from and what type of character was taught in the Pittman household. Maybe I just haven’t looked at the pattern of there always being players who transfer, not just at BYU but all over, but I can’t help but feeling that an unbelievable player is totally slipping through the cracks here at BYU. These are some of the reasons I have trouble putting this one to rest and why I’m concerned for G himself not getting the short end of the stick.
(1) He’s unhappy because he’s not playing. He’ll have to sit out a whole year at WSU which keeps him from one HUGE passion in his life….playing football. (2) To even get eligibility back for the YEAR that will be lost next year he’d have to play the ‘medical redshirt’ card which to me sounds like a largely significant risk in and of itself as to whether he’d lose a WHOLE OTHER YEAR of playing. (3) If he staid, and fought out the frustrations he’s having I can only see, given the current standing of things, G will play TONS next year, if not a STARTER the WHOLE year next year, and thus for TWO YEARS after next! (4) Look at all the talent coming back to BYU next year. Max, Austin, Harvey, A. George, Chambers, Jorgensen, Pitta, the list goes on. Offense looks flat out dominant, only next year they’ll be that much better. With that said, hardly anyone is coming back or arising on the scene at the DB positions!!! What greater opportunity could present itself!!! One part I know is part of being a satisfied athlete is WINNING! WINNING is going to happen next year and G looks more and more, if he staid, that he’d have a huge active part in that. WSU has got a couple more very ragged years ahead of them where a lot of LOSING will happen, like BYU Crowton years. (5) G WILL get a fresh new perspective on things if he sticks it out with his frustrations just a little longer. I can’t help but to see the trials he’s going through right now as the pre-cursor for something HUGE that is about to happen in his life. Some humongous BIG ‘ol blessings are right on the horizon for him here, and I just think it’s a shame to have to postpone receiving them (at least football-wise) a whole other year. (6) He’s sacrificed so much to be here, as Mr. Pittman has mentioned, now that general population is now aware of what he’s had to go through, I think a lot more will be done to ensure G is getting the support to be comfortable here. I mean, when all is said and done, as has been said before, G will gain the know-how himself how to make things work here for himself w/out being given special treatment or being treated as a project, but maybe the community can finally step up a bit and embrace more fully the amazing recruits coming from outside of a culture centered around our Church that have sacrificed so much to come here. G will succeed at WSU if that’s what happens, but boy, that’s a bigtime loss to what could be a very mutually beneficial relationship.
I agree with what Trey said also about the academic struggles many of us NON-ATHLETES go through. That’s not even to mention the many HONOR-CODE based issues, that obviously isn’t something many people want to acknowledge, but that nonetheless, many BYU students have issues with. That’s not to say that the vast majority of the student base has issues, I’m convinced BYU students are doing an awesome job overall. But there’s also no shame in those who genuinely learn from their mistakes and go on to be that much better of people for them. I just hope G wouldn’t feel like people would judge him, and heaven forbid anyone would, so hopefully that’s not another reason for him leaving.
Oh btw, this blog seriously kicks butt w/ all the player perspectives and such. Hope no one feels I detracted from it, that wasn’t my intention.
Not at all everyones perspective is welcome. Your comments add to the interactive nature of the sight. I appreciate your passion and input.
I know alot of people dont understand my situation….G maybe the only person who does….
G is a great person and great player. when i was at BYU with him we had a good friendship he taught me alot of positive things……G you gonna do good where ever you go bro…..be safe out there
ya boy Dave Angilau
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