Birdsong Wins Appeal, Reportedly Favoring ODU and Marshall
Last week Michael Birdsong said that after originally releasing him to transfer to any non-CAA school, Everett Withers was also blocking him from transferring to ODU, Charlotte, Liberty, and Appalachian State. Birdsong filed an appeal and had his case heard by a faculty committee yesterday afternoon. Today the committee supported Withers’ block of CAA schools and Charlotte, a school which is on the Dukes schedule this fall. It went against Withers and cleared the way for Birdsong to consider ODU, Liberty, and Appalachian State however.
Now that the appeals process is done, Birdsong is reportedly leaning toward transferring to ODU or Marshall. The DNR’s Matthew Stoss is reporting that Marshall has already offered Birdsong a full scholarship and he will take an official visit to the school this weekend. Thus far, Birdsong has had no contact with ODU. He says he plans to reach out to former JMU football assistant coach Ulrick Edmonds, who is now on the ODU staff, as soon as the paperwork clears.
It’s easy to see why Birdsong would be interested in playing QB for either Marshall or ODU. Both programs love the sling it around on offense. And both school’s offenses will be led by senior quarterbacks due to graduate after this upcoming season. NCAA rules dictate that Birdsong will need to sit out this upcoming season. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining after that. Clearly he must have confidence that he’ll be able to beat out the other QBs on the Marshall and ODU depth charts. Whether or not he can or will remains to be seen.
Coach Withers hasn’t commented on the decision, but AD Jeff Bourne said “I think the committee made a good decision. Coach Withers and I support it.” That’s some Grade A political speak right there, but there’s really not much else to say from JMU’s perspective. The NCAA’s rules regarding transfers are horribly unfair. Coaches and other members of athletic departments are free to move around as they see fit. Athletes are not for some reason. The rule doesn’t make a lot of sense and it’s yet another aspect of college football that most of us as fans need to ignore or rationalize away. But personally speaking, the fact that Coach Withers tried to use it to his (and JMU football’s) advantage, doesn’t make me think any less of him. And I’m ready to put the whole thing behind us and move on.
I heard that Kyle Downer transferred from Albany to JMU He was a great Oakton HS QB and was on the Albany Football team. Any info on whether or not he will go out for the team as a back up to the new first team QB?
This may be an unpopular post but it is how I see it. I hope Birdy is as good as he thinks he is. Otherwise it may be a bitter pill to sit out a year and then still end up being a backup. Wonder why he did not stick around to compete for the job? I’m sure coach Withers wants to win so he would play the person who puts them in the best position to win. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Birdsong’s contributions over the past two years but we tend to compare a player to the most recent person who played that position. Do I have to say JT (I refuse to say his name)! Most QB’s would look fairly brilliant compared to that knucklehead. Shoot, Birdsong almost got us to the playoffs a couple of times:) Just sayin….
He should transfer to ODU just to stick it to Withers. That was a total dickhead move on Withers part…glad the administration made it right.
@Hammy we haven’t heard anything about a transfer QB. If we do, we’ll share it though. More depth at QB would be welcome.
A product of the offensive scheme or not, lost season or not, Birdsong holds the single season passing record for JMU football. I think we as fans owe him a bit of reverence for that fact alone. I wish the kid luck wherever he ends up.
As for Withers’ decision to block him from additional schools/occasional, marginal rivals, it depends on what lens I view it through. Through the purple colored lens I say as long as what he’s doing is within regulations, and he feels like he’s doing it for the good of the program, then I’m OK with it. Through a more pragmatic lens, I struggle with it. It feels like a risky, hard-line stance that would be unpopular in the locker room. It’s not something you want to do unless you’re absolutely sure your decision would be backed by the University. I’m left wondering if he did his homework 1st, or simply made a decision he felt was within his sphere of influence alone and expected it to go unquestioned? Either way, he lost, and now probably has some damage control to do in the locker room. I hope he learned something in the process.
There is something really messed up in the process. Birdsong’s recourse was to appeal to JMU faculty?! How can any of them be against him transferring wherever he wants? Once a professor has tenure- JMU can’t remove them easily but the professors are free to move to other schools as they wish. This NCAA stuff is really starting to bother me.
Glad to see that at least one JMU player will be playing FBS football in two years.
(Agree with Shadow)
So has JMU now established an avenue whereby a player can come play for us for a year or two then transfer “up” to a I-A school, while we continue to sit on our hands?
Agree with Priz. The original decision by Withers (Athletic Department) was within the guidelines. Now members of the faculty get to determine if it is just….that seems a bit wonky to me. Wonder how a Psychology professor would like an academic appeals process to be heard by a board made up of Withers/Brady/McFarland/Brooks……..that probably would not make a lot of sense either.
Agree w/ Shadow….lol
JMU is now the JC for ODU’s football program. Good work, JMU.