wbtfg said:
go96griz said:
This probably deserves it's own thread, but here is a brief summary of the legend that is Ryan Kessman:
Kessman was an extremely shifty 3-star receiver/running back prospect out of high school. He committed to BYU as a receiver. His tape was exceptional to watch and worthy of the rating over ten years ago at a time when 3-star prospects were hard to find (unlike today with many additional recruiting sites, the growth of social media and overall grade inflation). He reportedly got in trouble with BYU's honor code for drinking coffee and he didn't like the early curfews so he decided to transfer to Montana. His much-hyped transfer to UM was delayed by a fabled snowstorm and transmission issues which were communicated to Griz fans waiting on bated breath by a family friend named Dallas. Once Kessman finally arrived in the spring of 2008 he was moved to running back to take advantage of his former elusiveness. He was visibly overweight and no where near his reported 6 foot frame. He was too soft and he ultimately showed little of his high school glory day's abilities. He eventually left school after becoming UM's greatest ever hyped transfer without so much as making a tiny splash. Based on pre-hype alone, Kessman's failure was akin to another legendary Montana player named Ryan (Leaf) that went on to become one of the all-time biggest NFL draft busts. This is the legend of Ryan Kessman that still lives on...
Aaaahhhhh....the good ol days. I think people have calmed down about transfers, but I remember guys like Kessman, Tab Perry, Ronnie Rodamer, Tate Forcier were all going to be all world saviors.
Most other programs have similar stories, especially in the pre-twitter days....
For all the Kessmans, Forcier’s & Rodamer’s that come & go, there are the Miller’s, Och’s, Quinn’s, Jones’s, & Roberts’s (among many) who were outstanding additions to their teams & contributed to the successes enjoyed by those teams.
No doubt it’s a roll of the dice, but no more so than recruiting the HS kids.