University of Pittsburgh running back Rushel Shell announced that he would be leaving the football program and transferring elsewhere. No one knows what Shell's plans were, but the school is blocking any potential transfer to Arizona State, Arizona or any other ACC school.I understand blocking a move to an ACC school since the Panthers will be leaving the Big East to join that conference. Normally, any school on a future schedule would be blocked but Arizona or Arizona State don't fit the description. The reasons why they're blocked is because the coaches at the schools have Pittsburgh connections.
Arizona State boss Todd Graham left Pittsburgh for Temple after one season in the steel city, so there is some animosity there. Graham and his staff recruited Shell and it was reported that Shell was leaning towards the Sun Devils.
Current Pitt coach Paul Chryst has to sign off on the transfer, but won't do it if it's to Arizona or Arizona State. Arizona has former Pitt coaches on their staff, so that's the reasoning behind that.
I could understand if he wanted to transfer within the conference and he could come back to haunt you. I would block that, but I don't understand why he won't let him go play for the coach that recruited him.
I know it's like poaching, but coaches do it all the time when they leave a school and are recruiting a player and that said player ends up at the coach's new school. You think John Wall was actually going to Kentucky before John Calipari got there? Me neither.
Coaches have the freedom to leave any time without anyone blocking their path, so they might as well let the kid go to where he wants to play.
