Getsy Officially a Zip!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Getsy transfers to Akron

Former Pitt quarterback Luke Getsy

Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

By Kevin Gorman

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, September 7, 2004

After checking the depth charts of five dozen college football programs, former Pitt quarterback Luke Getsy will transfer to Akron.

Getsy said Pitt coach Walt Harris refused his request to be released from his scholarship to either Akron or Can't State, so Getsy will have to pay his own tuition.

"I'm going to try to appeal," said Getsy, a redshirt sophomore. "I'm going regardless so if they won't release me, it's a grudge."

Getsy said he applied for admission to Akron on Friday via the Internet and will enroll in fall classes today. After sitting out this season under NCAA transfer provisions, the Steel Valley High School graduate will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

After Harris named Tyler Palko the starter following a close competition and said there would be no quarterback rotation, Getsy met with the Pitt coach to inform Harris of his intentions to leave the program.

"I didn't expect him to accept it with open arms, but he didn't give me anything," Getsy said. "He called me selfish."

Akron is coached by former Pitt offensive coordinator/receivers coach J.D. Brookhart and its starting quarterback, Charlie Frye, is a fifth-year senior.

As Pitt's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Harris oversaw a derby that was close throughout spring drills and training camp. Harris was complimentary of Getsy's approach and work ethic, and called the decision the hardest of his career.

Yet Getsy felt Palko received favorable treatment.

"I always had a feeling it was going to be that way, but I put all my eggs in a basket with him," Getsy said of Harris. "I thought I could overcome the circumstances. Now, I feel I have a right to a second chance. Akron is my second chance."

[Guest Guest_Z.I.P.]

And as can happen in a case like this, we might look to see if dominoes start toppling. There is a chance that a Ferguson, Shoemaker or Flaherty will decide their way to the top at Akron is blocked by Getsy, and high-tails it to Ashland, Wayne State or YSU.

If JD can prevent that, it will be a good sign for his young program.

Have a good week all!

[zipboy]

Glad to see that he told Harris to F off. Looks like Can't is recruiting too hard in Western PA as well. This should not impact Flaherty or Shoemaker. Getsy only has 2 years left. Those guys will be juniors when he graduates. And I still like Jabari a lot. But it is good to have some depth. This may hurt Ferguson's chances.

[Zipsrifle]

If Jabari keeps catching the way he did against PSU, he may have a new position.

[Dr Z]

Smizik: Getsy gets flak; why not Brookhart?

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If you are a member of the Pitt football program and believe you have a chance to better yourself by switching your allegiance to, say, the University of Akron, there are two paths you could follow.

If you're a coach in the Pitt program, you leave with back slaps from your superiors and best wishes and congratulations all around. And, of course, forget about any contractual obligations.

If you're a player in the Pitt program, you depart under no such happy circumstances. Instead, you leave in near disgrace, with the university doing all it can to make your transition as difficult as possible and with the media portraying you as disloyal.

Two men left Pitt for Akron in the past year. J.D. Brookhart, a former offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, left to follow his dream and become head coach. Luke Getsy, a backup quarterback, left to follow his dream of becoming a starting Division I-A quarterback.

On the surface, both moves were similar, if not the same. But the treatment received by both couldn't be more different. Brookhart, who immediately assumed his new duties, was congratulated; Getsy, who must sit out a year under NCAA rules, was criticized.

It all goes to the hypocrisy of college athletics, where coaches, the royalty of the sport, can do what they please in moving unencumbered from job to job, and athletes, the indentured servants of the sport, are tightly bound by rules that limit their movement.

Getsy decided to transfer after losing the competition for starting quarterback to Tyler Palko. He faced three years of sitting on the bench. It's true, he was an injury away from starting, but it's also true as time went by the chances were good Pitt would have groomed a younger quarterback to back up and eventually replace Palko.

Pitt coach Walt Harris, as is his custom, refused to grant Getsy his release. That didn't stop Getsy from transferring but it prevented Akron from giving him a scholarship, which means he has to pay out-of-state tuition.

This move was as petty as it gets. What did Pitt accomplish by refusing to give Getsy his release other than to make life a little harder on him and his family? Attempts to portray Akron, a small-time program, as some kind of recruiting or competitive rival are preposterous. It was nothing more than an attempt to punish Getsy for wanting to better himself.

If this is a common practice all over the country, it doesn't make Pitt's move any less reprehensible.

Shame on Harris for sinking so low and shame on athletic director Jeff Long for not overruling the coach. In fact, where was chancellor Mark Nordenberg to nullify these misguided decisions?

When students on academic scholarships transfer from Pitt, are they required to get a release? Are they ineligible for a similar scholarship at their new school?

It was suggested the Getsy owes something to Pitt. That, too, is preposterous. Scholarships are two-way streets. The college gives the scholarship and all that comes with it, and the athlete gives his body and all that comes with that.

But if Getsy did owe Pitt something, what does Brookhart owe Pitt? Harris gave Brookhart his first big-time job. His previous experience had been as a coaching assistant -- which is decidedly different than an assistant coach -- with the Denver Broncos. It would seem Brookhart owes Pitt at least as much, if not more, than Getsy.

It also has been suggested that Getsy has left Pitt in a precarious position without a backup to Palko. It's not as if Getsy was steeped in experience. He had thrown 13 passes in his college career and completed three of them for 32 yards. It's possible the new No. 2 quarterback, Joe Flacco -- who had high school credentials at least the equal of Getsy and who has a stronger arm than Getsy and Palko -- could become as good a backup.

And what about Brookhart? Where did he leave Pitt? In a bind at least as deep. Brookhart helped develop such outstanding receivers as Latef Grim, Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald. The last two are the greatest in Pitt history. Pitt is severely depleted at wide receiver this year. It could use a coach of Brookhart's experience to upgrade the position.

The truth of the matter is that Brookhart had every right to leave Pitt in an attempt to better himself. In that respect, he's no different than Getsy. Too bad Pitt didn't treat them the same.

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[zipboy]

Great find Dr Z. That guy summed it up perfectly. What are the odds we see any of these guys listed in the Beacon before next spring? Thank goodness for this board.

[Zipsrifle]

If Getsy is a true Big East QB, he'll have pleanty of +ve press next season. I give the guy some huge props for telling Pitt to shove it. I love the guy already! Is is me, or are the new facilities and JD already bringing in some better talent?