Has anyone considered that most of these guys, having been at a P5 school/conference, know they aren't getting to the next level and, having grown up loving the game, just want to be on the field for the last 2-3 years they're ever going to get to play?
This kid is a redshirt freshman, he has four+ years of eligibility and has barely been at IU one year. It's one thing if he's rode the bench for three years, definitively been passed over and will never see the field except on special teams. I don't think any kid can objectively say they are in a situation where they know they won't see the field their entire career as a RS freshman, unless they know they received a pity offer, or they're a walk on.
I couldn't care less if he just wants to show up to and not stress about whether or not he will be seeing the field on Saturdays, he absolutely has the right to choose a school that offers him that ability. But if you don't want to compete, why go to a P5 school, save that scholarship for another talented kid who is willing to grind behind the scenes for a few years(like nearly every P5 starter used to do) and then plays their way into a starting role some time between their 3rd and fourth year, and starts for 1-3 years. I am all for veterans who won't see the field transferring. Ty Wise, James Miller, I get it, you're not going to be a starter here, go find a home where you can see the field for your last couple years of school, but that is not the case here.
The "love of the game" argument really doesn't hold any weight, I'm sure the freshman and sophomores that ride the bench next year because there are upperclassmen above them on the DC love the game just as much as this kid. I really hope we see more of guys like Beau Robbins next year, he's grinded on the bench for three years and had a ton of talent out of HS, we're seeing that those kids are few and far between in this era. If Smith wants to leave, he can leave, but we need to stop making excuses for these kids who transfer down at the first sign of rocky waters, there was no position coach change, no influx of transfers at his position, and he's not a RS junior or senior. He either doesn't believe he can win PT or doesn't want to even have to compete for PT at Indiana, why can't we call it like it is.
