Another Miami player ends up at a G5 school not named FAU and FIU. Does it matter?

Earlier this week Miami Hurricanes linebacker Marques Gayot added to the list of players leaving The U since Mark Richt has been hired as head coach. Gayot decided that Arkansas State will be his next home. He will sit out this season and have two years of eligibility left. For Arkansas State its a great addition as they have built a nice reputation of being Second Chance U.

For FAU and FIU its another story. The fact that players are transferring from Miami right now is not a surprise as players typically leave in boatloads when a new head coach is brought in. Miami’s players have landed all over the college football landscape this offseason. That is except for FAU and FIU.

• Jelani Hamilton DL - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Akron
• Marques Gayot LB/S - Lake Worth, FL - Arkansas State
• Joe Brown RG - BYU
• Tyre Brady WR - Homestead, FL - Marshall
• Jerome Washington TE - Rutgers
• Earl Moore DT - Tampa, FL - Toledo

Six players, four from Florida, and zero decide to stay local. This summer former Miami linebacker Walter Tucker transferred to FIU but FIU does not list him on their site’s official roster.

If Tucker does in fact end up playing for FIU he would be the first Miami transfer to end up at FIU or FAU in recent memory.

So is this a huge deal? Maybe. Maybe not. Charlie Partridge has done a great job of recruiting since being named the head coach at FAU and with the influx of young talent on the current roster perhaps he decided that the team would be better off with the guys already on the team.

FIU hasn’t necessarily had the same success on the trail as the Owls but still appears in great shape from a talent standpoint. With that said, Tyre Brady is a local product and continues the pipeline of Marshall being a destination for South Florida players and ex-Canes.

In 2014 local product, defensive lineman Ricardo Williams, transferred from Miami to Marshall and was a solid contributor during Marshall’s Conference USA title run. I’m sure FAU and FIU would like to put an end to that.

You can never have too many bodies on the defensive line so I find it hard to believe that FAU and FIU couldn’t find a place for Earl Moore and Jelani Hamilton. To see them land in the MAC is disheartening.

Whether FAU and FIU coveted is hurting that they couldn’t land any of these potential difference makers is anyone’s guess, but guys who have transferred away from Miami have always ended up everywhere but FAU and FIU and that’s a bit of a bummer.

Miami casts a huge shadow over FAU and FIU in South Florida and the only way to emerge out of the darkness is for FAU and FIU to win some games. One would think having Miami castoffs would help accomplish that goal. Maybe. Maybe not.