'Hired guns' unloaded?
If this proposal was in effect at the present time, Western's present and future could be different
Kyle Dierking
Issue date: 10/19/05 Section: Sports
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Many Division I-AA programs rely on the idea of bringing in players who have one year of eligibility left who are sometimes known as "hired guns." For the Leathernecks football team, if a rule change were to occur where a player would be required to have at least two years of eligibility remaining to transfer from a I-A school, their recruiting landscape would change, but would not be earth-shattering.
"It's certainly going to affect our recruiting, there's no doubt about that," said Tim Van Alstine, Western Illinois University athletics director. "However, it's not going to be the end to all our recruiting efforts. We've been very successful in the absence of I-A transfers, but on the other hand, we've had some other players who have helped us."
Since football coach Don Patterson came to Western in 1999, he has not prided himself on acquiring Division-I players, instead the handful of players who joined the team have made an immediate impact, even in the NFL.
"People know about our I-A transfers because we've had a high batting percentage on those who have came," Patterson said. "Those that have come in here and played well represented the school well in almost every case."
"If you look at the good teams we've had with Patterson, it's all been built around high school recruiting," Van Alstine said. "Guys we've recruited like Russ Michna, Lee Russell and Reggie Gray who have been impact players for us and at the same time they've been stand-up citizens in terms of their student-athlete experience. We can win without I-A transfers."
The rule, which could go into effect as early as next year, could have hurt current Leathernecks linebacker Piana Lukabu, who transferred from Rutgers University to suit up for the 'Necks for one season.
"I don't really think that is a fair rule because you're transferring from a Division-I college, you are already in a tough situation and you can't go to another I-A school without sitting out," Lukabu said. "It really forces a player to transfer down to a D-II or D-III school, but then you're not really playing with the competition you're supposed to."
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