In what is probably the biggest news in the Pac-10 since fall practice began, Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter changed his mind on Sunday and named sophomore Rudy Carpenter over senior Sam Keller. Koetter had named Keller the starter on Friday.
The change apparently happened after Koetter met with about 19 players, who some reports said questioned Keller’s leadership skills. Carpenter considered transferring after Keller was named starter, and now Keller was excused from practice on Sunday and some sources told Arizona newspapers that he has decided to transfer.
Realistically, it was a no-lose situation for Koetter, as both Keller and Carpenter are extremely talented and shouldn’t have a problem moving the offense. But if Keller does transfer, it will turn a position of immense strength into one that is thin. True freshman Danny Sullivan is now the backup and behind him are two walk-ons.
Here’s some stories about the situation:
From the Arizona Republic, the news story: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/0820asufootqbs/html
And a column from Paola Boivin that wonders why it was Koetter didn’t know the players had concerns over Keller: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0821paola0821/html
From the East Valley tribune, the news story that says two sources have confirmed Keller is transferring: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=72130
A story about the freshman backup: www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=72133
And a column from Scott Bordow that says the move doesn’t make any sense: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=72132
Also, Jake Merrill confirmed to the Tacoma News Tribune what had been rumored earlier, that he quit the Huskies last week because he was concerned over his long-range health. Merrill is completely deaf in one ear, and a scare in practice caused him to question whether football was worth it.
No news yet on the status of Greyson Gunheim’s knee. We expect to get more details when Tyrone Willingham meets with the media this afternoon. It’s also possible that he’ll have news about the status of Ashlee Palmer and Anthony Atkins at that time. We’ll let you know as soon as we know anything.
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