Here’s the thing though, we might have two stories of redemption for two quarterbacks who both did everything the right way off the field, in the classroom, and for their teams.
That’s what makes this story so appealing from multiple fronts at a time in America when a little human inspiration isn’t a bad thing.
In the big time big monied world of top tier college football we sometimes forget that way back when… college sports were ostensibly carried on to extend and build character in young people. To extend human opportunities. Don’t laugh. I know it’s hard not to, but don’t laugh.
I somewhat think of the Bobby Reid story at O State with the infamous Mike Gundy rant when I think of both Jalen Hurts and Austin Kendall. I think back to how everything went wrong for a kid like Bobby Reid who was supposed to be the next Vince Young coming out of high school. As Gundy himself said in his rant, ‘Here was a kid who did everything right and his biggest crime is that he didn’t turn out to meet the expectations.’
All of us lose sight at times of what this is supposed to be about.
It was first reported yesterday that OU was going to follow the rules and block Austin Kendall from playing for fellow Big 12 member West Virginia. I shook my head when I first heard it. I couldn’t believe that was how Lincoln Riley was going to handle this. Sure, that’s the rule, but each human situation is different. It should require nuance from the adults in the room.
The intent with college athletics isn’t to crater a young person’s dream, but to do everything to feed the fire of the dream.
I was relieved to hear OU changed course on this and has decided to give Austin Kendall his release to play for West Virginia.
This was a no brainer. The way it should have ended. As with Jalen Hurts, Austin Kendall has a story. He did everything right. He didn’t take any easy shortcuts or bail out on Lincoln Riley or OU. He did the right things and should be rewarded with the chance to play college football under the same rule which is giving Jalen Hurts one last at bat as well.