Spring time for Bubba and UND

[fightingsioux4life]

Wow, this program was in even worse shape than we all suspected! A couple more years of Mussman and.....I don't even want to think about it.

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

At least there should be plenty of scholarship money for recruiting next year... yikes.

[Risky]

Would you suspect that most of these players were let go? I was guessing Pallendech and Williams would be 2 we would of wanted to stay. That is just an opinion. It is possible that the coaching staff just cleaned house to start building for the future. Does anyone know the specifics?

[darell1976]

Looks like Muss kept some bad apples (not all but some), now it's time for Bubba to lay down the hammer and get the rest of the team on the right track.

[homer]

Disappointing to lose a few more but not surprising. Best of luck to those who decide to continue playing elsewhere.

The coaching staff has been pretty open that they are still recruiting so we'll see if a couple transfers are on campus next year.

[UND-FB-FAN]

It's quite evident that this team currently does not have the talent and personality necessary to be a top Big Sky team. The coaching staff recognizes that and they're making room for additional JUCOs and possibly FBS transfers. Throw in the talented incoming freshmen and JUCOs already committed and this team will be better off starting next fall.

In the long-term, I am quite confident that Bubba and his staff will recruit top-notch FCS talent, both on and off the field. Mussman really wasn't as good at recruiting as some made him out to be. The lack of the local emphasis in recruiting and player development really was an issue.

[Sioux Nation]

It's quite evident that this team currently does not have the talent and personality necessary to be a top Big Sky team. The coaching staff recognizes that and they're making room for additional JUCOs and possibly FBS transfers. Throw in the talented incoming freshmen and JUCOs already committed and this team will be better off starting next fall.

In the long-term, I am quite confident that Bubba and his staff will recruit top-notch FCS talent, both on and off the field. Mussman really wasn't as good at recruiting as some made him out to be. The lack of the local emphasis in recruiting and player development really was an issue.

Add Aaron Carr to the list of possible "bye-bye". Listen, that previous piece of crap coaching staff turned their heads to a lot of BS behavior. Bubba is not about that.....he's about work hard and have the right attitude. If kids came here under the previous regime and that is now gone, I can see why they don't want to be here. Those that are willing to change will be welcome with open arms. I am glad Bubba and his staff are cleaning house.......keep the kids who want to be here. Makes us awful thin at OL AND WR!!!!

[fightingsioux4life]

Add Aaron Carr to the list of possible "bye-bye". Listen, that previous piece of crap coaching staff turned their heads to a lot of BS behavior. Bubba is not about that.....he's about work hard and have the right attitude. If kids came here under the previous regime and that is now gone, I can see why they don't want to be here. Those that are willing to change will be welcome with open arms. I am glad Bubba and his staff are cleaning house.......keep the kids who want to be here. Makes us awful thin at OL AND WR!!!!

True, but this is all about the long-term and not the short-term. I can accept a couple of lean years if it leads to success down the road.

[jdub27]

Seems like there are quite a few players facing adversity for the first time as it relates to football and taking the way out and not dealing with it. Unfortunate but will be exciting to get some players who are hungry and want a chance to prove themselves.

[gfhockey]

why do you think carr is gone?

[geaux_sioux]

The door is wide open and should stay that way. Don't let it hit you on the way out.

[NineTime]

Contrary to the above posting, Aeron Carr isn't gone or transferring out. He is going home for the summer though to train with his cousin.

[SWSiouxMN]

So are those going to be the only losses or are there more coming?

What of these position changes?

From my count its 6 freshman, 2 sophomores and a junior

Losses include a QB, RB, FB, WR, LB(x4), OL

[sioux24/7]

Kind of sucks both our QBs from the freshman class are gone. Obviously Riddle was a while ago but man I think he could have been a stud here!

[CMSioux]

From what I've heard from some of the players, here's the list of players known to be leaving/transferring as of today:

Kurt Palandech

Rashad Williams

PJ Sparks

Hunter Wharton

DJ Beard

Taj Rich

Zack Selland

Tanner Vesladahl

Nick Schmitz.

Apparently all players were having individual meetings with Bubba to go over scholarships and expectations. Alot of complaints from the guys about lack of teamwork and bad locker room atmosphere. Apparently someone's even been stealing money out of players lockers for months.

Pretty sure that player turnover happens when there is a change in coaching staff jut about everywhere- until something is officially announced I think we should stay classy - these kids didn't ask for a coaching change when they signed on and we can't assume this list is accurate and even if it is that every one of them is leaving because of bad attitudes, worth ethics etc. New staff means new focus and the talent of former players might not fit for the future. In the end they stayed until the dust cleared rather than just bailing on the team.

[darell1976]

Kind of sucks both our QBs from the freshman class are gone. Obviously Riddle was a while ago but man I think he could have been a stud here!

At least our current QB's have 3 more years on the roster, Bubba will have time to get some QB recruiting in before they are seniors.

[Sioux Nation]

Pretty sure that player turnover happens when there is a change in coaching staff jut about everywhere- until something is officially announced I think we should stay classy - these kids didn't ask for a coaching change when they signed on and we can't assume this list is accurate and even if it is that every one of them is leaving because of bad attitudes, worth ethics etc. New staff means new focus and the talent of former players might not fit for the future. In the end they stayed until the dust cleared rather than just bailing on the team.

There is always that liberal viewpoint. Your comments are exactly what society is about today.....entitlement. So if you get a new boss at work, he or she has different expectations, should you just quit? Or, maybe you are worried that the new boss will find out that you've not worked too hard and just kind of slid by? I'm sorry, but this is real life that these young men are dealing with. As soon as they face some adversity, it's easier to quit than work your way through it. You are right that maybe some may not be a "fit" but my understanding is that not "fitting" in most cases had to do with attitude, work ethic, where they were on the depth chart, or having their scholarship reduced because they aren't earning it. And again, to your point, maybe some just didn't like the new boss and they quit to seek new opportunities. The question that will always remain though is, could they have stayed and changed their ways to actually earn the respect and confidence of the new boss?

[CMSioux]

There is always that liberal viewpoint. Your comments are exactly what society is about today.....entitlement. So if you get a new boss at work, he or she has different expectations, should you just quit? Or, maybe you are worried that the new boss will find out that you've not worked too hard and just kind of slid by? I'm sorry, but this is real life that these young men are dealing with. As soon as they face some adversity, it's easier to quit than work your way through it. You are right that maybe some may not be a "fit" but my understanding is that not "fitting" in most cases had to do with attitude, work ethic, where they were on the depth chart, or having their scholarship reduced because they aren't earning it. And again, to your point, maybe some just didn't like the new boss and they quit to seek new opportunities. The question that will always remain though is, could they have stayed and changed their ways to actually earn the respect and confidence of the new boss?

Good god all I was saying was don't feed on rumors and to give the kids the benefit of the doubt until we hear otherwise - and it's not a rumor posted on a website. You are making all kinds of assumptions about their work ethic based on no facts. If the coaching staff sat down with them and said in our new philosphy your skill set doesn't fit here - that doesn't mean they are quitters it means the situation changed and they need to move on - that's not a quitter that's a kid that is making a tough life decision. The quitters were the ones who left during the transition. The only thing these kids are entitled to is not being trashed by "fans" based on rumors. Perhaps they weren't given the option of "staying and changing their ways" we don't know do we?

[dlsiouxfan]

There is always that liberal viewpoint. Your comments are exactly what society is about today.....entitlement. So if you get a new boss at work, he or she has different expectations, should you just quit? Or, maybe you are worried that the new boss will find out that you've not worked too hard and just kind of slid by? I'm sorry, but this is real life that these young men are dealing with. As soon as they face some adversity, it's easier to quit than work your way through it. You are right that maybe some may not be a "fit" but my understanding is that not "fitting" in most cases had to do with attitude, work ethic, where they were on the depth chart, or having their scholarship reduced because they aren't earning it. And again, to your point, maybe some just didn't like the new boss and they quit to seek new opportunities. The question that will always remain though is, could they have stayed and changed their ways to actually earn the respect and confidence of the new boss?

The players listed are probably leaving for a myriad of reasons. Some probably saw the writing on the wall regarding playing time, some probably have lost interest, and more than a few had their scholarships pulled for both reasons they can control (character, attitude) and for reasons they can't (lack of talent). There is little reason to tar and feather them for leaving after effectively being cut.

That being said, this probably should have been done years ago. This roster has been woefully under-talented for years and an overhaul was needed.

[Matt]

I don't get this "under talented" thing. Did Muss recruit so many players that were not offered by other schools?

I get poor coaching, but it seems Muss was recruiting the same group of kids other schools were offering as well so I'm not sure about the lack of talent.

[UND Fan]

From what I've heard from some of the players, here's the list of players known to be leaving/transferring as of today:

Kurt Palandech

Rashad Williams

PJ Sparks

Hunter Wharton

DJ Beard

Taj Rich

Zack Selland

Tanner Vesladahl

Nick Schmitz.

Apparently all players were having individual meetings with Bubba to go over scholarships and expectations. Alot of complaints from the guys about lack of teamwork and bad locker room atmosphere. Apparently someone's even been stealing money out of players lockers for months.

Isn't there a maximum number (30) of recruits that can be brought in any year? Losing so many players at semester break and now a bunch more, aren't we going to go into the fall with many fewer bodies than usual - creating a real challenge with depth?

[dlsiouxfan]

I don't get this "under talented" thing. Did Muss recruit so many players that were not offered by other schools?

I get poor coaching, but it seems Muss was recruiting the same group of kids other schools were offering as well so I'm not sure about the lack of talent.

Other than Sparks I don't recall any of these players having any other offers when they were recruited. I'll also add that three of the players are walk-ons (Schmitz, Vesledahl, and Selland) and it's pretty unfair to criticize a walk-on for leaving a the program if they don't see playing time in their future. This last comment isn't directed at you but some of the other posters in this thread.

[SooToo]

There is always that liberal viewpoint. Your comments are exactly what society is about today.....entitlement. So if you get a new boss at work, he or she has different expectations, should you just quit? Or, maybe you are worried that the new boss will find out that you've not worked too hard and just kind of slid by? I'm sorry, but this is real life that these young men are dealing with. As soon as they face some adversity, it's easier to quit than work your way through it. You are right that maybe some may not be a "fit" but my understanding is that not "fitting" in most cases had to do with attitude, work ethic, where they were on the depth chart, or having their scholarship reduced because they aren't earning it. And again, to your point, maybe some just didn't like the new boss and they quit to seek new opportunities. The question that will always remain though is, could they have stayed and changed their ways to actually earn the respect and confidence of the new boss?

It's early, but yours has to be odds-on favorite for moronic post of the day.

[darell1976]

I would think when Muss had UND as a pass-happy team he recruited kids with that mentality, now Bubba comes in says they are going to run the ball, now you need the kids to fit that offense. It is hard to say what exactly each kid is leaving for, if its disrupting the team chemistry good riddance to them, if its playing time then I wish them luck wherever they go, but if its lack of talent, then take it as a suggestion to get better (lift weights, drop weight, practice). What Bubba is doing is for the long run, not for just this season.

[UND-FB-FAN]

I don't get this "under talented" thing. Did Muss recruit so many players that were not offered by other schools?

I get poor coaching, but it seems Muss was recruiting the same group of kids other schools were offering as well so I'm not sure about the lack of talent.

Talent was present in certain positions, such as QB and WR, but most of the roster was a joke.

Mussman's regime included horrid position groups:

QB was okay, particularity with FBS transfer Braden Hanson, but the Joey Bradley experiment didnt work out. And last year's reliance on freshmen quarterbacks (note the plural) was a failure.

RB was horrible. Relied on 160 Ibs. D2 runners throughout his tenure. We need DI running backs - they aren't that difficult to find.

WR - bright spot for Mussman

TE - lost in Mussman's pass happy offense; no idea what they could do

OL - couldn't run block at all; were at a disadvantage physically. That shouldn't have happened being Mussman was a former OL coach. Pathetic.

DL - the Bellmore, Devin Benjamin, Ross Brenneman combo was alright, but last year there were issues

LB - Lost physicalness on that side of the ball during the Big Sky years.

DB - Absolutely horrible. UND's passing defense was pathetic during Mussman's tenure. 5'8" 160 lbs CBs gave huge cushions on the WRs and the safeties weren't ball-hawking (few interceptions)

ST - positive. Zeb Miller was a good kicker. Hardin was a quality return man.