With the abundance of college football players entering the incredibly convenient transfer portal, it comes as almost zero surprise to learn of yet another quarterback throwing their name into the ever-growing pile. But would it be strange if the explained reasoning for the player entering said portal was because "the fans hate him"?
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It's safe to assume most would emphatically say "YES" to such a question. Yet, somehow, that's exactly where we are right now with Marshall quarterback Cam Fancher and his head coach, Charles Huff.
According to local sports anchor Cassidy Wood of WOWK-TV, the news of Huff's departing sophomore slinger was hardly surprising, with the head coach noting that "there isn't a lot of money for NIL and the fans hate him."
Coach Huff also added — as if it might not have already been abundantly clear — "The kid (Fancher) has been miserable."
Talked to Coach Huff.
He says this one doesn’t come as a surprise - “there isn’t a lot of money for NIL and the fans hate him. The kid has been miserable.” @WOWK13News https://t.co/TRHrGvTywm— Cassidy Wood (@CassidyWoodTV) December 6, 2023
While bluntly stating his starting quarterback was hated by Marshall fans will certainly cut through the clutter — and probably induce several uncomfortable laughs along with it — there had to have been a better way for Huff to put this.
Something along the lines of: "I don't think Cam was happy here this year, so a change of scenery probably makes the most sense for the kid." That sounds a little more buttoned up and doesn't swing the door wide open for more questions to something that shouldn't require more questions.
Phrasing is everything, but candor is also key as long it's used at the right time. Although considering Huff is coming off a relatively frustrating 6-6 season after seeing far more success in 2022, the wrong kind of candor was probably bound to fly out when presented with a ripe opportunity to do so. Especially after starting the season so hot, with a record of 4-0.
So, regardless of intention — whether this was more of a shot at ruthless Marshall fans than anything else — what make matters worse here is that offering up a rather detailed explanation for the departure might make the transferring process that much more difficult for Fancher.
It wasn't exactly going to be a picnic anyway, as Marshall's sophomore QB struggled in the 2023 season with 11 touchdowns to match 11 interceptions thrown.
Nonetheless, the bottom line is Cam Fancher will likely find a new home to begin the second half of his college football career. He'll probably just have to prep for a string of awkward questions that weren't on his original bingo card.
