Breaking news: Former K-State OL says he's headed to UNT

Brett Vito · August 5, 2014

MGB:

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/08/k-state-transfer-epps-headed-to-unt.html/

Harry · August 5, 2014

Aderius Epps, a former Cedar Hill offensive lineman who began his career at Kansas State, has elected to transfer to UNT in the process of joining the Mean Green.

Epps confirmed his plans Tuesday morning. He visited UNT over the weekend.

“The main factor is family,” Epps said of the reason he is transferring. “My sister [Destiny Epps] is on top of the heart transplant list in the Dallas area. She is 25 and has congestive heart failure. I felt like I need to be closer to my family and want to have them be able to come see me play. My family are my biggest fans. I wanted them to be able to see me in action just like they did in high school.”

Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/08/k-state-transfer-epps-headed-to-unt.html/

DeepGreen · August 5, 2014

Surely the NCAA will grant him a hardship waiver. Won't they??

Harry · August 5, 2014

http://www.kstatesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/aderius_epps_811016.html

http://247sports.com/Player/Aderius-Epps-14433

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Aderius-Epps-110019

Harry · August 5, 2014

Travis · August 5, 2014

This is great news! With this guy, sam, and the 2015 commitments, we are really getting a great group of lineman.

BillySee58 · August 5, 2014

This is great news! With this guy, sam, and the 2015 commitments, we are really getting a great group of lineman.

Yup, we just need some quality tackles.

As for the waiver, seems like we have a good chance but I wouldn't expect him to play a lot this year anyways. The late start to camp that Vito mentioned, plus having Cyril Lemon, Kaydon Kirby, and Mason Y'Barbo on the interior. Although, since he's already used his redshirt, he'd just be burning this season anyways so wouldn't hurt to get that hardship waiver.

bstnsportsfan3 · August 5, 2014

Glad to have him on the mean green. Hope his sister's health can improve and he can get quality time with his family.

MeanGreenTexan · August 5, 2014

Yup, we just need some quality tackles.
As for the waiver, seems like we have a good chance but I wouldn't expect him to play a lot this year anyways. The late start to camp that Vito mentioned, plus having Cyril Lemon, Kaydon Kirby, and Mason Y'Barbo on the interior. Although, since he's already used his redshirt, he'd just be burning this season anyways so wouldn't hurt to get that hardship waiver.

Right. If he's looking at playing this year, then he's probably looking at a backup role, so he may as well sit. But if he can get the hardship waiver, then at least he would be able to play if something crazy happened to Y'Barbo/Kirby/Lemon & McKinney.

Travis · August 5, 2014

Right. If he's looking at playing this year, then he's probably looking at a backup role, so he may as well sit. But if he can get the hardship waiver, then at least he would be able to play if something crazy happened to Y'Barbo/Kirby/Lemon & McKinney.

I am not sure what you mean by 'might as well sit'.

It makes little sense to simply not try to play this year... He has already spent his redshirt. He would just lose a year either way. We could always use depth at that position. And a backup role is perfectly fine given the quality of line we have.

GangGreen · August 5, 2014

I agree with Travis. You never know who the injury bug is gonna bite and having lots of options is never a bad deal.

BillySee58 · August 5, 2014

I am not sure what you mean by 'might as well sit'.

It makes little sense to simply not try to play this year... He has already spent his redshirt. He would just lose a year either way. We could always use depth at that position. And a backup role is perfectly fine given the quality of line we have.

Exactly. I think MeanGreenTexan misunderstood me a little.

Epps heads into this year as a redshirt sophomore. Meaning third-year sophomore, has already used his redshirt. If he simply sits and doesn't play a snap this year he will still be a redshirt junior next season (2015). If he gets the waiver granted, he still likely won't play any meaningful snaps but could get some garbage-time snaps late in already-decided games. Either way, he'd still enter 2015 as a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility left.

Let's say Epps hadn't redshirted at K-State and he was entering this season as a true junior. In that case it would be better for him to just forgo the waiver process and sit out the year, redshirting. That way he could enter 2015 as a redshirt junior, rather than exhaust a year of eligibility playing garbage-time snaps behind Lemon, Y'Barbo, and Mckinney.

In short, we won't need him this year, but he'll be a redshirt junior heading into 2015 regardless, so may as well try and get that waiver and see if he can get a little experience after he gets settled in here, heading into next season where things are very wide-open at guard.

MeanGreenTexan · August 5, 2014

I am not sure what you mean by 'might as well sit'.

It makes little sense to simply not try to play this year... He has already spent his redshirt. He would just lose a year either way. We could always use depth at that position. And a backup role is perfectly fine given the quality of line we have.

In an ideal world, he won't get much playing time even if he gets the waiver since he plays a position behind a 1st Team All-conference pair of guards and a True Soph C who was on the All-Freshman team. He would be at the mercy of the NCAA transfer rule which is to sit a year.

I hope he does get the waiver though, just in case the injury bug bites our O-line.

BillySee58 · August 5, 2014

In an ideal world, he won't get much playing time even if he gets the waiver since he plays a position behind a 1st Team All-conference pair of guards and a True Soph C who was on the All-Freshman team. He would be at the mercy of the NCAA transfer rule which is to sit a year.
I hope he does get the waiver though, just in case the injury bug bites our O-line.

Kirby is a redshirt sophomore.