OT: ND

Freshmen All-American is transferring. Anyone else think there are problems in SB?

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncf/story/_/id/7809682/defensive-end-aaron-lynch-transferring-notre-dame

Yeah, I thought that was odd. I'm thinking BK might not be there much longer.

Remember when everyone wanted him at UM? I just think he is too much of a hot head for a big time program. He was great at GVSU, CMU and Cincy because all of those teams can fly under the radar, but at ND the cameras are on you all year long.

Notice that no one stays there very long. Not even successful coaches.

Interesting article there, Will. The fact he was a freshman All-American says, to these untrained ears anyway, one or some of three things: (1) There are issues in SB, as you speculate; (2) He personally has issues, and has consequently been made to feel unwelcome in their program anymore; (3) He's just homesick, of sorts, and wants to return to Fla.

Which, if any, of the above actually pertains I certainly can't say with any degree of confidence.

But what I can say is I don't think he helped himself by his assertion "I will get more yellow flags [in the future]...it's just the way I play football." And after reading in the article that most of those he accrued last year came after the whistle, he's beginning to give the impression of another Gholston of MSU. And even coaches who promote dirty play (passed off as "aggressive") can't be thrilled at the prospect of cheap 15-yard advantages for the opposition being a near-certainty with him on the field...perhaps including Kelly,
raising the possibility of No.(2) above?

You're right Mike we really do not know what is going on. I just sense trouble in SB and when you see Freshmen All-American's transferring you know it is not because of playing time which is why a lot of kids transfer. Throw in Kelly's temper, a rape that occurred by a player, death of a camera man, etc. etc. It just does not feel like things are going well in SB.

To me this is a big time loss that will have a big time effect. Problems or no problems in SB, Lynch's departure is big for ND. I admit that I'm not all that familiar with ND's depth at his position but anytime you lose an all-american you're going to feel it.

My opinion is that it sounds to me that it's nothing more than him missing his home environment of Florida. Some people just can't get into a comfort zone when switching to an entirely different climate, culture, etc. When I was 12 I moved from L.A. to small-town Michigan and it was brutal so I understand if that is it.

That said, I would not be at all surprised if BK's hot head had something to do with it. Fish said it best....

fishgoblue22 wrote:

...I just think he is too much of a hot head for a big time program. He was great at GVSU, CMU and Cincy because all of those teams can fly under the radar, but at ND the cameras are on you all year long...

For those of you who may remember from a previous topic, I had UM losing to ND in SB this year. Watching Gholston command so much attention and have so much of an impact in the State game last year made me think that Lynch could and would do the same so I gave the edge to ND. But with loss of Lynch and all of the good things that I'm hearing about our O line this spring I've got to give the edge to UM. UM wins the game next year.

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

For those of you who may remember from a previous topic, I had UM losing to ND in SB this year. Watching Gholston command so much attention and have so much of an impact in the State game last year made me think that Lynch could and would do the same so I gave the edge to ND. But with loss of Lynch and all of the good things that I'm hearing about our O line this spring I've got to give the edge to UM. UM wins the game next year.

ND has to prove they can beat Michigan. Michigan has had the number for some time now.

ESPN was just talking about the Lynch transfer and they are calling it a huge loss. They are also attributing it to being home sick. I guess he was very indecisive during the recruiting process. His mom moved to Ohio to try to help and be closer but apparently it is not enough.

fishgoblue22 wrote:

Yeah, I thought that was odd. I'm thinking BK might not be there much longer.

Remember when everyone wanted him at UM? I just think he is too much of a hot head for a big time program. He was great at GVSU, CMU and Cincy because all of those teams can fly under the radar, but at ND the cameras are on you all year long.

I don't remember many people wanting him at UM but I do remember several local radio broadcasters saying they fear he would go to ND one day. I made it a habit of avoiding Mike Valenti at all costs but for some reason, I listened to him one afternoon a couple years ago and he said one thing UM and MSU fans can agree with is that we don't want BK in South Bend. He is a hot head and he solidified his label as jackass in that South Florida game last year. But I still have worries in the back of my head that he could turn their program around. Then again, I tend to get paranoid easier than most people.

Most likely, this transfer is because of homesickness. It's very common going back many years. Our own Anthony Carter was once a freshman from Florida who was homesick and wanted to go back to the Sunshine state. (Bo had to literally chase him down to the bus station to get him to stay.) But hopefully there are other issues in South Bend as well. When Irish eyes are crying, my heart sings.

WolverineHistorian wrote:

When Irish eyes are crying, my heart sings.

Hehehe!! Ahem, someone tell me something ELSE I didn't know???

WH, here and on our own e-boards, we've beaten this subject to death as often as U-M has beaten ND
of late (and highly likely will continue to), but oft-times I still wonder why we both hate That School Down
[in] South [Bend] so much? Wouldn't one think compassion would set in, to at least some degree?

All that blather explelled from my cranial bladder, let me say I agree with virtually all of everyone's comments on this thread. And upon deeper introspection, I'd have to agree that homesickness is likely the dominant reason in his departure from the Irish program. But Kelly's explosive tantrums must factor in, too. Hell, all of us can recall (some more clearly than others due to the shorter "gulf") our late teens, and how fragile egos and psysches were in those tender years. And when one has emotional issues to start out with, the effects of someone's constant berating, and in no uncertain (or inaudible) terms, in front of dozens of teammates, can't be measured.

But it certainly DOESN'T HELP.