By Roger Moore

There’s perception and then there is reality.                                   

In the world of college athletics it is necessary, due to various reasons, for an athlete to transfer to another school.

            A 17-year old and his family decide on a particular academic institution. The close-knit family is suddenly broken up as a young aspiring wrestler heads to a school half-way across the country.

            Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

            Coaching changes influence an athlete’s commitment to a particular program.

            Maybe there’s an All-American at the same weight class and another one at the next weight classification. Sometimes a transfer might just be about getting a shot at the Division I level.

            And then there are times when a program must severe ties with a student-athlete for things that have nothing to do with competition.

            Edinboro University head coach Tim Flynn knows all about the array of circumstances that surround transfers.

            “When (former assistant) Lou Rosselli was here, we were talking about how we never got any transfers when all the (Steve) Mocco stuff (transferring from Iowa to Oklahoma State in 2004) was going on,” said Flynn, in his 12th year at the western Pennsylvania school.

            “All of a sudden we are now known as a school for wayward boys. But if you look around at a lot of rosters there are plenty of places where schools have taken a few chances.”

            The Fighting Scots gained some national attention before last season when they added former NCAA champion Paul Donahoe to their program. While at Nebraska, Donahoe had a well-documented off-the-mat incident that led to his dismissal from that school. With a year of eligibility remaining, he ended up at the Eastern Wrestling League program.

            “All (Donahoe) did was everything he said he would,” said Flynn of the 2009 NCAA runner-up. “I’m a firm believer in giving kids a second chance. He made a mistake and we talked to a lot of people about him. All he did was work his tail off, he was a team leader and actually turned out to be a blessing for our team.”

            It doesn’t always work out, however.

            Garrett Scott, one of the nation’s top prospects when he headed to Penn State, was given a shot at Edinboro. He is no longer with the team.

            “If I had a bunch of (Oakland) Raiders on my team, I don’t think I would have brought anybody in,” Flynn said. “We had a good group of kids, some maturity. I don’t know, maybe we thought we could help someone get their life together. Every situation is different.”

            Sometimes a change is just necessary for all parties involved.

            Jarrod King, from Connellsville, Pa., grew up attending camps at Edinboro. The two-time state champion and 2004 national Junior freestyle champion signed with the University of Oklahoma where injuries kept him off the mat frequently. He wrestled eight matches in 2006-07 and decided it was time to leave Norman and head home.

            “We obviously had a prior relationship with Jarrod,” Flynn said. “He needed a change and with his brother (Matt was a two-time All-American for Edinboro) wrestling here it made sense.”

            King was 32-8 as a junior and won the 165-pound national championship last season. The NCAA gave King a sixth year of eligibility due to all the hardships over the first three years of his collegiate career.

            The NCAA has changed the transfer landscape a bit with the APR (Academic Progress Rating). Transfers actually hurt a school’s APR, which could in turn force a school to lose scholarships

            “It’s made transfers become a little bit more of a challenge. They have to be in good academic order now,” said Oklahoma State coach John Smith, who’s seen the transfer of Ben Ashmore to Arizona State and the addition of former Northwestern-recruit Mike Benefiel recently.                         “Programs don’t want to lose athletes, but it’s obviously going to happen for one reason or another. I do like where we’ve gone with the rules and I don’t think there will ever be a time when (the NCAA) won’t allow athletes to transfer.

            “Hopefully the (transfer) option is the last option for your program.”

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