The quick fix

Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings never wants his program to get to the point where it relies on Division I-A and junior college transfers to fill a major portion of the roster.

But a 3-8 record this past season has caused Billings to re-evaluate his recruiting process -- and you can expect more transfers playing for Southeast next year.

"It's one of those deals where if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Billings said this week as he and his staff took a break from recruiting during a 'quiet' period designated by the NCAA. "We've tried to go the high school route basically, but everybody else is having success with transfers, and we don't want to get left behind."

Billings said that the majority of Southeast's roster will continue to be filled each year by players who come to Southeast straight out of high school.

But, with the signing period beginning in early February, Billings said that as many as half of the approximately 30 recruits Southeast plans to sign could be transfers of some kind.

The 2004 Southeast roster featured less than 10 total transfers, with five from the junior college ranks and three from the Division I-A level: quarterback Andrew Goodenough (Arizona State), linebacker Tunde Agboke (Kentucky) and linebacker Seth Harrell (Missouri), although only Goodenough saw any appreciable action at his former school.

"We're looking to add a few more I-A transfers, and we're probably going to add quite a few juco transfers," Billings said.

The NCAA rule put into place about a decade ago allowing Division I-A players to have immediate eligibility if they transfer down has significantly impacted the landscape of lower division football, especially on the I-AA level, where Southeast competes.

Division I-A transfers who leave for other I-A programs still have to sit out a season before becoming eligible.

Several Ohio Valley Conference teams have had quite a few impact I-A transfers over the years, in addition to a host of junior college transfers. Southern Illinois, a regional rival of Southeast's, has also been bolstered by several impact I-A transfers in recent seasons.

"It really has made a big difference in I-AA football," Billings said. "You may be playing a whole different team every year, you never know.

"For example, James Madison. Their coach is a good friend of mine. Before this year they really hadn't had that much success. They got in a few I-A transfers, including their quarterback, and they won the national title."

In fact, both I-AA national finalists -- James Madison and Montana -- were led by 1-A transfers at quarterback, as were several other I-AA playoff teams.

Southeast has had only a handful of impact I-A transfers since Billings took over the program in 1999. Billings said coaches have to be careful when taking on I-A transfers, some of whom might have had discipline or legal problems at their former schools.

"It's always a tricky deal when you bring in I-As," Billings said. "Every case is so different as to why they're leaving. Sometimes they leave because they're not playing as much as they would like; sometimes they leave because they got in trouble. -- those are the kind of kids you don't want."

Among recent I-A transfers to Southeast that had the most success were former punter Jason Witczak, an All-American in 2000 who came to Southeast with Billings from Marshall, and Goodenough, who this year threw for the second-most yards in school history. Both left their former schools in search of more playing time. By and large, all the I-A transfers Billings has brought in have been solid citizens.

"Witczak and Goodenough were both good kids," Billings said. "We haven't brought in that many, but we've had good success with the ones we've brought in."

Billings said sometimes I-A transfers contact the school's coaching staff -- as was the case with Goodenough -- and sometimes coaches contact the transfers, although that is not allowed under NCAA regulations until the school grants a transfer his release, which sometimes can take a while.

Such is the case with tailback Damien Nash, Missouri's leading rusher this year who announced his intention to leave the program following the season.

"We've kind of followed what was going on at Missouri and we're curious like everybody else, but as far as we know he hasn't gotten his release yet, and until then we can't talk to him," Billings said.