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West Virginia/JUCO/C.W. Post/Kean RB Jason Gwaltney (official thread)

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I highly doubt that the Bucks are interested. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but he will be a 2 to play 2 in terms of remaining eligibility, and that's provided he even graduates from the J.C. Nothing against Gwaltney, but Tressel has been down this road before. I hope this guy gets his act together before it's too late. Whenever a "sports journalist" attributes a quote to an unnamed source, I have my doubts as to the accuracy of the statement.
 
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12/21/05

RB Gwaltney ends the speculation: He’s gone
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor

MORGANTOWN — The news that highly-hyped freshman running back Jason Gwaltney has left the West Virginia football squad comes as no surprise.

The most hyped player in the history of the program is leaving Morgantown and will attend Nassau (N.Y.) Community College on Long Island.

Did I say hyped?

Make that super-hype.

Remember the ESPN News appearance to announce he was coming to WVU.

Or the fact that he said he would start this fall and wanted to be the next Adrian Peterson (the Oklahoma star who burst on the scene as a true freshman last year).

Coach Rich Rodriguez told reporters Monday “He was not in position to confirm” Gwaltney’s impending transfer but “I know he’s talked about it. His options are really limited.”

Gwaltney won’t be able to play for a Division I team before the spring of 2007, although if he attends a junior college, he can play at that level next season. He will have to graduate from a JC before he will be eligible to play Division I football.

The Charleston Daily Mail reported that a WVU source said USC and Ohio State have told the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Gwaltney they are still interested.

Gwaltney is the latest failed big-time recruit at West Virginia.

What happened with Gwaltney, the only true freshman in the history of the school to have his jersey on sale at the WVU bookstore?

He seemed to be rounding into shape — scoring twice against Maryland and rushing for 57 yards at Rutgers before he suffered a knee injury. After that, he missed some rehab assignments and even more class.

That put him directly in Rich Rodriguez’s doghouse. And he took to that like putting a square object through a round hole.

And then there’s the fact that classmate Steve Slaton has become a household name in the state, rushing for 924 yards and 16 TDs.

And so Monday, he announced what everybody knew was coming. Ladies and gentlemen, Gwaltney has left the facilities building.

Seems like West Virginia never has success with highly-touted recruits.

Just look back:

Basketball’s Jonathan Hargett was hailed as the next coming of Jerry West. He turned out to be Jerry Lewis, because it was a comedy of errors with Hargett from Day 1. After all, he missed a team bus for WVU’s first road trip. Said he overslept. He scored the first 11 points of WVU’s season that year and it was downhill after that. He was nearly single-handedly responsible for the end of the Gale Catlett era at WVU.

Football’s Raymond Williams never made it to campus. The Ohio Mr. Football was involved in a gun incident and ended up getting a prison sentence instead of a scholarship.

WVU has more success with guys like Steve Slaton, Rasheed Marshall and Jeremy Sheffey — guys who aren’t getting looks from places like USC and Ohio State, and making them players. That is the sign of a good program. Don Nehlen did it for years. And Rich Rodriguez is following suit.

I know a lot of people who were fired up about Gwaltney’s arrival, and marked him a savior of sorts. But until they do it at the college level, you just don’t know.

Seems to me Mountaineer fans would be more proud of the fact that the program has built players instead of jumping on the back of a highly-touted recruit. Given what you now know, would you take Slaton or Gwaltney?

Simple question.

Simple answer.

Gwaltney’s final WVU stats are this: 45 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns and four receptions for 15 yards.

Gwaltney will surely resurface somewhere. You have to wish the kid well and it’s certainly too bad it didn’t work out. But it’s not a surprise. It’s a shame.
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Lets hope he gets his academics in order and gets a second chance....


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12/30/05

Gwaltney will attend Nassau

Jason Gwaltney will attend Nassau CC in the spring. Nassau football coach John Anselmo met with Gwaltney yesterday and confirmed that the only two-time Hansen Award winner, given to Suffolk's top high school football player, will register at Nassau next week.

"He's coming to Nassau and he's going to get a second chance," Anselmo said. "This is the right place for second chances. He needs 17 credits between the spring and the summer to be eligible to play football for us. He said he wants to move forward academically and I thought he was sincere. He didn't have an attitude like he was doing me a favor. He'll come in with a clean slate and put West Virginia behind him."

Gwaltney, a freshman halfback from North Babylon, scored three touchdowns in six games at West Virginia before a right knee injury derailed his season. His lack of progress in his rehabilitation and failure to attend classes prompted his transfer.

"There was more to it than the rehab and the grades," North Babylon football coach Terry Manning said. "Of course those were issues, but he was also very homesick."

Gwaltney set numerous Long Island records, including 135 career touchdowns and 7,800 yards rushing. He led North Babylon to two L.I. Class II titles and was a highly sought-after recruit.

"This happens to thousands of kids every year all over the country and you just don't hear about it ... because they're not Jason Gwaltney," Anselmo said. "He was like a rock star in high school. But when you get to the next level, it's all about business. And I told him, he's not coming in here and making us a winner. He's coming into a very successful program, that's going to win eight, nine or 10 games with or without him. So he better be serious about his grades. I'd love to see him get another chance and I'll be all over him with his classes."

The spring semester starts Jan. 23 at Nassau CC.
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June 06, 2006
Dave Hickman

Gwaltney wants to come back

MORGANTOWN — Just when you thought you’d heard the last of Jason Gwaltney, well, you haven’t heard the last of Jason Gwaltney.

Turns out he’s alive and well and living in limbo.

That’s right, limbo, which apparently is a town a lot closer to Morgantown than his native Long Island.

- advertisement -
Gwaltney, the erstwhile golden child of West Virginia football — the Mountaineers’ most highly acclaimed recruit since Robert Alexander — wants to come back.

And Rich Rodriguez seems inclined to take him back.

“I’ve not talked to him directly,’’ Rodriguez said Monday. “But he has expressed an interest in coming back.’’

Rodriguez tries to downplay the whole thing, saying, “It isn’t even on my radar right now, to be honest.’’ And, truth be told, from Rodriguez’s point of view maybe it isn’t that big a deal. I mean, let’s face it, we’re talking about — at the height of his freshman season last fall — West Virginia’s third-string tailback and second-string fullback.

But ain’t it interesting?

For those who have forgotten, Gwaltney was the can’t-miss kid last fall, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound tailback who was rated as one of the Top 25 recruits in the entire country, not just one of the Top 25 tailbacks.

The Reader’s Digest version of his time in Morgantown, though, goes something like this:


Arrived for summer workouts closer to 260 than 230.
Despite that, Gwaltney said and did all the right things, trimming as much weight as he could (but not all he needed to) and buying into the program. “I just want to contribute,’’ he said, taking back his earlier predictions of a 1,500-yard freshman season. (The guy was actually listed on some preseason Heisman Trophy watch lists.)
Worked his way into playing time right away, but essentially as a third-down power back. Then in a game at Rutgers in early October he injured a knee. He would never practice or play again. - advertisement -
The injury wasn’t the problem, though. Gwaltney also had academic issues and then simply stopped coming around to the Puskar Center for rehab. “I’d like to tell you what his status is, but I haven’t seen him for weeks,’’ Rodriguez said in early December.
Then in mid-December his status was cleared up. Gwaltney left school and transferred to a junior college back home in New York.
That should have been the end of that, but now Gwaltney apparently wants another chance. The trouble is, his grades in one semester in junior college, it is believed, were scarcely better than in one semester at WVU, so eligibility is an issue.

“If he does come back, he won’t play this year,’’ Rodriguez said. “Whether he does in the future, that remains to be seen.’’

To put it another way, if Gwaltney does return it will be essentially as Brandon Barrett. Barrett was the Kennedy Award-winning wide receiver from Martinsburg who had his scholarship revoked after academic and other problems and had to work his way back to a scholarship. For the record, he still hasn’t done so, but at least his play on the field has been encouraging.

Gwaltney would come in just like Barrett, at the bottom of the running backs’ totem pole.

“If I let him back, it will be as a walk-on,’’ Rodriguez said. “He’ll have to earn a spot just like everybody else.’’

While Rodriguez has not talked to Gwaltney, recruiting coordinator Herb Hand has. Hand was the one who recruited Gwaltney originally. Rodriguez is waiting to see officially what Gwaltney’s grades were like in junior college so he knows the deal.

But it seems that if Gwaltney is academically able to do so, Rodriguez is inclined to let him try. And why not?

“His biggest issue was always his academics,’’ Rodriguez said. “But in that area and others he’s got a lot to prove.’’

To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, send e-mail to [email protected] or call 348-1734.
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http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2006060529
 
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However, Nassau Community College Coach John Anselmo on Tuesday told the Charleston Daily Mail he hadn't seen Gwaltney in three months.

Anselmo on Wednesday followed up that statement with these comments, which he gave to Newsday.

"We put him in classes and his attendance was not good," Anselmo told the Long Island daily newspaper. "I told him he would never be able to graduate here. He withdrew with W's. I even gave him a W in my physical education class.
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:yow1: You know it's bad when your football coach can't pass you in his PE class at a community college.
 
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6/14

Gwaltney attempting return to West Virginia as linebacker
June 14, 2006
Last season a lot of people were taken to school by West Virginia running back Steve Slaton. A true freshman, Slaton emerged in the fifth game of the season for the Mountaineers and finished the season as the team's leading rusher with 1,128 yards and an impressive 5.5-yards-per-carry average. He also rushed for an incredible 17 touchdowns. Slaton schooled defensive linemen, linebackers, defensive backs, head and assistant coaches and pretty much everyone who tried to stop him. He also took to school, or rather sent off to another school, running back Jason Gwaltney, the guy who was actually supposed to put up such numbers.
Gwaltney was ranked as the No. 3 running back in the country and No. 15 prospect overall by Rivals.com for the 2005 recruiting class. The 6-0, 234-pounder rushed for 4,978 yards and 82 touchdowns for North Babylon High School in Long Island, N.Y., during his junior and senior seasons. He was a combination of a more muscular Jerome Bettis and a more sane Ricky Williams, and programs were drooling over him. His final decision came down to Southern Cal, Ohio State and West Virginia, and the big back chose the Mountaineers because they recruited him the earliest and hardest and his family felt it was a good fit. On paper it was, but paper doesn't play football.
West Virginia didn't have an established running back with Kay-Jay Harris gone. Jason Colson rushed for 706 yards in 2004, and Pernell Williams showed promise with 313 of his own, but there was no starter written in ink. Gwaltney was supposed to come in with his chiseled frame and quick feet and take the job from both. He was supposed to rush for more than 1,000 yards and score all those touchdowns that Slaton did. Instead, he rushed for 186 yards, three touchdowns and battled injuries all season. He also didn't find Morgantown, W.Va., to his liking, quietly talking about transferring even before fall ball began. And as a result of his frustration with those injuries, homesickness and watching a new college football star emerge at his position, Gwaltney also got in the doghouse for a few different reasons.
In December, news came that Gwaltney was indeed going to transfer and that he was headed to back home to Long Island and Nassau Community College. There he would enroll for the spring semester, play football in the fall and find a new college home where he'd be eligible to play in 2007. Maybe this time he'd pick Southern Cal or Ohio State or perhaps someplace new like Maryland. However, Gwaltney has had a change of heart.
Speaking with him briefly last week, Gwaltney said he was heading back to Morgantown in July after he completes some needed summer courses. According to Gwaltney, he'll be on the football field for the Mountaineers this season. But when I asked him if he was going to try to be the LenDale White to Slaton's Reggie Bush at West Virginia next season, his answer was surprising. The now 245-pounder with arms the size of bowling balls is going to play linebacker next year for the Mountaineers, if he can get eligible. Based on his running style (he loves to flatten opponents), he has a chance to be a good one. Gwaltney feels that linebacker is his ticket to the NFL now, even though he rarely played the position in high school.
The good news here is that Gwaltney is headed back to West Virginia and is willing to swallow a bit of his pride and try to tackle Slaton in practice rather than outrun him. But the bad news came last week, as it was reported that Gwaltney left Nassau Community College due to academics. Gwaltney has some serious academic obstacles before he can play once again at West Virginia, especially now that he's left Nassau. Here's hoping he gets his academics in order and doesn't permanently become another one of Slaton's victims.
 
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Gwaltney could return to Mountaineers
by Jacob Messer
Daily Mail sportswriter

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Email Story
Former WVU running back Jason Gwaltney is living in Morgantown and is coming back to school, according to his half brother.


MORGANTOWN -- Jason Gwaltney is living in Morgantown and plans to re-enroll at West Virginia University next semester in hopes of rejoining the Mountaineers' football team, his half brother says. "He is living with me in Morgantown and he is coming back in January," said Scooter Berry, a WVU student who is a freshman defensive lineman for the Mountaineers. "He just has to fill out his application and he should be able to enroll in school."
Then, Berry said, Gwaltney will be able to attend classes at WVU and participate in spring practice with the Mountaineers.
"If he comes back," Berry said, "he will be counted as a missed term exception and he will be a sophomore."
It is unknown when Gwaltney would be academically eligible to play.
"Obviously," Berry said, "he has to make the grade."
Gwaltney couldn't be reached for comment.
Berry said Gwaltney hasn't spoken with media members about his possible return because he is leery of the negative or critical stories they might write.
"I'm pretty sure he wants to get the story out there," Berry said.
Gwaltney is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound tailback who many consider the Mountaineers' most highly acclaimed recruit since South Charleston High School star and Parade All-America selection Robert Alexander.
Gwaltney rushed for 7,800 yards and 135 touchdowns in his prep career as North Babylon (N.Y.) High School earned two Long Island titles.
A five-star recruit, Gwaltney was ranked among the top 25 prep prospects nationwide during his senior season. He selected WVU over Ohio State and Southern California.
Gwaltney never ascended higher than third-string tailback and second-string fullback on the Mountaineers' depth chart last season. He rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns in six games.
Gwaltney suffered a knee injury on Oct. 8 in a Big East Conference game against Rutgers. He ran for 57 yards in the Mountaineers' 27-14 victory over the Scarlet Knights but was helped off the field after a third-quarter tackle, which marked the last time he practiced or played with the team.
Gwaltney transferred from WVU to Nassau Community College near his hometown after the first semester of his freshman season.
However, "that didn't work out," Berry said, because of attendance problems.
Gwaltney reportedly owes Nassau about $3,000. According to published reports, the school won't release his transcripts until he pays his debt. That has to happen before he can re-enroll at WVU.
WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez couldn't be reached for comment.
But Rodriguez talked about Gwaltney this summer when rumors that he wanted to rejoin the team originally surfaced.
"Jason's first priority is to get himself right academically," Rodriguez said in June. "If and when he does that -- and that is a big if and when -- then we will entertain the thoughts of possibly letting him earn himself back on the team from a walk-on status."
 
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Cornerback6;687651; said:
I remember wanting this kid so bad. What a ride he's taken WVU for.
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I thought he was the gem of our potential recruting class. He'd be lost in our RB depth had he made us his choice.

I am glad to see him getting back. It'd be nice to see him succeed. We all know what a kid with a second chance and determination to make it can do (Heisman)!
 
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