Byron Cowart

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

6 minutes ago, WDE0007 said:

This isn't Gus Malzahn's fault, and it's not RG's either. We have one of the best D-Lines in the country, and RG has a proven successful track record of developing his D-Line squad (first round selections, pro bowls, super bowls, etc).

This right here.  The kid had every opportunity to get playing time.  It didn't pan out and he was passed on the roster by other players.  Happens all of the time in college and the NFL too.  Best of luck to him moving forward and I sincerely hope his mother gets better with whatever she is dealing with.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

4 minutes ago, jptiger said:

Not a good time for this. Seems a man would finish what he started. Unless their really is a need in his family. My family would have insisted I finish what I started. That's a fact. War eagle good luck 

He's an only child and you don't know his entire situation.  I'm an only child as well that was largely raised by a single mom.  If my mother had needed something while I was in school, I would have dropped everything no questions asked.  Don't project what your family would do onto him without knowing the whole story.  If he's truly going home to take care of family, I would say that makes him a bigger man than any football glory could give him.

[gr82be 14,421]

18 minutes ago, gulftiger66 said:

This says a lot about Auburn's depth on the defensive front.  The smart thing for a good defensive lineman (who wants to get in the league) is to get in a program like Auburn's where the DL gets a lot of rotation, less wear and tear on the body,  good coaching on technique, SEC competition, etc.  

Wish him well. Sometimes we seem to get too hung up on number of stars that commits come in with.  This isn't the first time a five star has been a bust at Auburn.

You got me thinking about before the internet and recruiting guides. I just remember learning about the players as the season went along. You knew who the studs were because their names were called out the whole game. If they didn't play you never knew if they were a bust or not. We never heard or read much hype. It's just a lot of pressure for many today to live up to. Good luck to Cowart. Wish him the best. 

[jwilco 5]

It very well could be ailing mother, lack of PT or 12 month transfer rule, but the timing is very odd. Why do I get the feeling that this decision is related to White's dismissal? BC was getting in the rotation this year. What changed between spring ball and week 3 that would cause him to quit? If Gus is just doing some house cleaning, we should all be okay with that.

[Tiger 8,818]

Maybe he was looking forward to getting a ton of snaps in the Mercer game but we failed to put them away early resulting in less snaps for him and it finally pushed him over the edge

[jptiger 481]

16 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

He's an only child and you don't know his entire situation.  I'm an only child as well that was largely raised by a single mom.  If my mother had needed something while I was in school, I would have dropped everything no questions asked.  Don't project what your family would do onto him without knowing the whole story.  If he's truly going home to take care of family, I would say that makes him a bigger man than any football glory could give him.

Did you read my post? Or read the first sentence and get your undies in a twist? 

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

It can't be stated enough that:

Lack of playing time
+
New Position (One that it's clear he probably didn't want to play.)
+
New DC in a different defensive scheme. (People will say it's the same, but it's really not. Especially with minor things like alignments and whatnot that are big on the DL)
+
Personal Family Issues
=
Transfer....
------------------------------------------

No player should get roasted or criticized for a decision to transfer, because for many who have never played in college, it's hard to fathom that FINITE period of eligibility and how quickly it goes. Especially when you're banking a LARGE chunk of your future on your sport. For a kid who is raised by his mom, probably in less than ideal circumstances, the dream is to one day be able to make that money and buy your mom a nice car, put her in a house, etc.... Student Athletes want to compete and be successful more than they care about the school they're going to. I know this is hard for many fans to understand, but it's the truth. College Athletes have a mercenary mentality as is needed. Yes, it's possible to enjoy and love your school, but love for school will NEVER override opportunity for personal success except for in rare circumstances.

Different players develop under different tutelages...
I know Coach Garner (He was one of the main coaches who was pushing hard to get me on the team when I first showed up in the field house the whole time. And still talked to me long after my eligibility ran dry.), he's a great coach, but just because Cowart didn't develop under him, doesn't mean he won't develop under another coaching style and system. Also, he wanted and STILL wants to play edge, not DT.... That's a BIG part of it.

 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

2 minutes ago, jptiger said:

Did you read my post? Or read the first sentence and get your undies in a twist? 

I read (and quoted) your entire ignorant post.  You essentially called out the kid's manhood without knowing a thing about the situation and then projected your family's values onto him.  Not cool.

[AU64 10,122]

2 minutes ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

It can't be stated enough that:

Lack of playing time
+
New Position (One that it's clear he probably didn't want to play.0
+
New DC in a different defensive scheme. (People will say it's the same, but it's really not. Especially with minor things like alignments and whatnot that are big on the DL)
+
Personal Family Issues
=
Transfer....
------------------------------------------

No player should get roasted or criticized for a decision to transfer, because for many who have never played in college, it's hard to fathom that FINITE period of eligibility and how quickly it goes. Especially when you're banking a LARGE chunk of your future on your sport. For a kid who is raised by his mom, probably in less than ideal circumstances, the dream is to one day be able to make that money and buy your mom a nice car, put her in a house, etc.... Student Athletes want to compete and be successful more than they care about the school they're going to. I know this is hard for many fans to understand, but it's the truth. College Athletes have a mercenary mentality as is needed. Yes, it's possible to enjoy and love your school, but love for school will NEVER override opportunity for personal success except for in rare circumstances.

Different players develop under different tutelages...
I know Coach Garner (He was one of the main coaches who was pushing hard to get me on the team when I first showed up in the field house the whole time. And still talked to me after my eligibility ran dry.), he's a great coach, but just because Cowart didn't develop under him, doesn't mean he won't develop under another coaching style and system. Also, he wanted and STILL wants to play edge, not DT.... That's a BIG part of it.

 

Thanks for your insight....a sizeable percentage of college students drop out or transfer each year and I bet the rate for athletes is more or less in line with their peers at any given college.

Sincerely hope he finds what he is looking for...and thanks for his effort at AU..

[atl-tiger 655]

18 minutes ago, jwilco said:

It very well could be ailing mother, lack of PT or 12 month transfer rule, but the timing is very odd. Why do I get the feeling that this decision is related to White's dismissal? BC was getting in the rotation this year. What changed between spring ball and week 3 that would cause him to quit? If Gus is just doing some house cleaning, we should all be okay with that.

Don't think it has anything to do with White.  He has been whining about PT since he got here and there were rumors last year he was transferring.  Think it all comes down to not being able to get significant PT.

[jptiger 481]

1 minute ago, Brad_ATX said:

I read (and quoted) your entire ignorant post.  You essentially called out the kid's manhood without knowing a thing about the situation and then projected your family's values onto him.  Not cool.

So sensitive. Take a chill pill bud. I called out his manhood because the coach stated he was unhappy with his playing time and is quitting the team. He's not the first. I could care less if it's cool. Say hello to your mother for me. 

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Just because he's not on the team anymore doesn't mean you get to slander BC's name. He says he has no ill will to our staff and would still choose us over UF. Stop talking down on a kid for doing what he thought was right for he and his mom. Makes the fanbase look bad. 

[im4au 44]

I had a "heads up" that he might not be a 5* talent when he was in high school.  A friend who really knows football saw Cowart's high school play a lesser opponent and (being an Auburn fan) told me he hoped Cowart had taken the night off because he didn't play like a 5*.  Byron later admitted that his self-promotion probably helped get him a 5* rating.  But he sure looks good getting off the bus.

[Jayee165 7]

I wish Byron the best of luck. I was hoping  that he panned out here but it didn't happen. I always sided with the players on there decisions to leave a program. These are 18-22 year olds that are making life decisions that will affect them financially in a big way. From 18-30 yrs old how many of have held a job for 4 years straight. Auburn has a talented D-line. If he feels another school will provide a better opportunity to display his abilities to go to the NFL then great. But I do believe auburn and the coaching staff work with him and gave him the opportunity to earn it. He probably didn't want to earn it, probably feels like he should just be handed the job. 

[Mike4AU 1,739]

Man, I swear!  Those folks with the holier-than-thou attitude who choose to denigrate Cowart for transferring from AU need a reality check. Cowart is doing what he thinks is best for him, period.  Leave the kid alone and wish him well!

[meh130 1,043]

Brandon Marcello at 247 just posted an interview with Cowart. Marcello interviewed Cowart as he was driving home. Cowart has already left Auburn.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

21 minutes ago, jptiger said:

So sensitive. Take a chill pill bud. I called out his manhood because the coach stated he was unhappy with his playing time and is quitting the team. He's not the first. I could care less if it's cool. Say hello to your mother for me. 

I'm am chilled out.  It's called looking at the situation like an adult.  Notice other posters here saying the same things I am talking about with regards to talking down towards the kid, including one who played college football?  Go read Byron's interviews so far.  He has spoken well of AU and the coaching staff's help for him off the field.  For AU "fans" not to do the same towards him is just wrong.

[jptiger 481]

6 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

I'm am chilled out.  It's called looking at the situation like an adult.  Notice other posters here saying the same things I am talking about with regards to talking down towards the kid, including one who played college football?  Go read Byron's interviews so far.  He has spoken well of AU and the coaching staff's help for him off the field.  For AU "fans" not to do the same towards him is just wrong.

Oh well. I stand by my post. I'm sorry you were offended. 

[keesler 5,924]

2 hours ago, War to the Eagle said:

This is now front-page news on ESPN.com.  What a bunch of Bama homers.

He was the #1 pick during his recruiting year - highly rated and it was a HUGE coup for Muschamp to pull him to Auburn.  We just had our backup QB dismissed yesterday ~ that's a good bit of smoke coming from AU in the last 24 yrs in world of college football, wouldn't you say?

[JGLEATON 1,244]

THANK YOU Byron and best of luck to you! 

[keesler 5,924]

1 hour ago, FoundationEagle said:

What's funny here is the clear mentality of "Auburn fans". People here cry about how sad it is when we can't even keep a 5* and it's the coaches fault, but if the roles were reversed and he left bama because of PT it would be because bama is so great that even 5* players ride the bench and quit due to PT. Funny how the stories around here spin. 

Umm, usually when uat players leave we call it "processed" and that NS pushed them out because he is truly Satan and has zero feelings for his players with his win at all cost/step over a convulsing player mentality.  

[Mims44 1,867]

If our defense and our front 7 were NOT the absolute best things about this Auburn team.... I would be upset.

 

Hate Gus all you want, but Coach G is legit. If the guy can't play he can't play.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

55 minutes ago, Mike4AU said:

Man, I swear!  Those folks with the holier-than-thou attitude who choose to denigrate Cowart for transferring from AU need a reality check. Cowart is doing what he thinks is best for him, period.  Leave the kid alone and wish him well!

Done

[WarTim 3,456]

I wish Him all the Best!!!

[GwillMac6 20,656]