I got this off of the K state board. Not sure where it originated but dang....Read through it. It makes it sound more and more like Prince ran everyone off to start his golden boy. ARTICLE BELOW
I talked with Lopina and Evridge on the phone Thursday -- Webb didn't return a call -- and both were of the opinion that it wasn't their performance that counted when it came to the 2006 season. It was that their last name wasn't Freeman.
"In my own head, when (Freeman) went there it was apparent he was their guy," said Lopina, who has transferred to Washington State. "I thought if I stayed there I wouldn't be given an opportunity."
Evridge felt the same way. He said he has been playing well in practices -- better than Freeman -- but he didn't think it really mattered.
"There was a lot of writing on the wall," Evridge said.
-----full article below
QB choice may define Prince's first season
Remember the time -- it was just a few months ago, actually -- when one of every six males enrolled at Kansas State was a quarterback for the football team?
It's not that way now.
Quarterbacks are leaving Kansas State faster than illegal immigrants are crossing Mexico's border into the United States.
Somebody needs to put up a fence.
First Kevin Lopina, then Allen Webb. And now Allan Evridge.
What was once viewed as a five-man battle royal for the starting job is now down to two: fragile senior Dylan Meier, who didn't take a single snap last season; and super freshman Josh Freeman, who hasn't played a down of college football.
Both Meier and Freeman are big, strapping guys with thunder in their right arms. The problem isn't them. The problem is that it's only them.
What's going on? Even the most supportive K-Stater has to be scratching his or her head.
Losing Lopina and Webb was one thing. But Evridge's decision to jump ship -- he was planning a visit to Texas Christian on Thursday night and there are other interested schools -- is a real eye opener.
When K-State's mediocre 5-6 season ended in 2005, Evridge looked like the best bet to be the 2006 starter.
Then new coach Ron Prince went and met with Freeman last December in Grandview, Mo., after Freeman had committed to Nebraska. Prince turned on his immense charm, rolled out his impressive vocabulary, and a few days after the meeting Freeman was his.
You wonder if since that day, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Freeman has been the next quarterback at Kansas State.
I talked with Lopina and Evridge on the phone Thursday -- Webb didn't return a call -- and both were of the opinion that it wasn't their performance that counted when it came to the 2006 season. It was that their last name wasn't Freeman.
"In my own head, when (Freeman) went there it was apparent he was their guy," said Lopina, who has transferred to Washington State. "I thought if I stayed there I wouldn't be given an opportunity."
Evridge felt the same way. He said he has been playing well in practices -- better than Freeman -- but he didn't think it really mattered.
"There was a lot of writing on the wall," Evridge said.
Neither quarterback wanted to talk much about their recent experiences at Kansas State, but both made it clear they think Freeman has been given a clear path to the starting job.
It might not happen in the season opener against Illinois State on Sept. 2. It might not happen a week later against Florida Atlantic. But they both think it's just a matter of time before Freeman overtakes Meier.
That's no great revelation. Freeman is a prototypical quarterback with size and arm strength. He was rated by Rivals.com as the country's No. 4 pocket-style high school quarterback in 2005. This kid has every physical attribute.
But even though Freeman has been on campus since January, and has gotten to know Prince's offensive style, there are no guarantees he can pull off the major challenge of playing quarterback in the Big 12 as a freshman.
Evridge needed a redshirt season and even with that, his play was uneven a year ago. Lopina, a big-time prospect from California, also sat out a year.
One of the reasons Freeman backed out of his commitment to Nebraska and went to Kansas State instead is because he feared he would be asked to redshirt with the Huskers.
Evridge wanted it known he has nothing bad to say about Freeman.
"He's a very nice kid, I got along very well with him," Evridge said. "The things that are happening, they're not Josh's doing. In no way, shape or form would I ever hold a grudge against him."
Freeman wants to play. We might never know whether Prince made any guarantees to help lure him away from Nebraska.
But as one quarterback after another leaves K-State, it's clear they think Freeman is, at least in Prince's mind, a golden-armed savior.
If he is the Wildcats' star of the future, Prince will be credited for recognizing such. If not, we have witnessed the first ***** in Prince's armor.