One of the biggest disappointments and most challenging situations for a college football player is losing a starting job to a teammate or not winning the job they expected to have.It can be especially difficult when the player has been groomed for a starting position but gets replacedby a player transferring from another school.WEEK 1: |Take the case of Florida Tracy McGrady Jersey State quarterback Sean Maguire, who was once expected to be the heir apparant to 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. Maguire redshirted his freshman year, and then waited patiently behind Winston for two seasons. As a junior, he expected to take over the starting job this season.Instead, enter transfer Everett Golson, a fifth-year senior who started Joe Smith Jersey for two seasons at Notre Dame. and was named Florida State's starting quarterback last week.Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said choosing Golson was a difficult decision and that was emotional.Imagine how Maguire must feel.A player who has been replaced or lost a starting job usually has been eagerly anticipating andpreparing for the starting role for a season or more. Not winning the job may raise questions of fairne s and loyalty, accompanied by feelings of anger and disappointment, sometimes creating a bitter athlete.How does a college athlete deal with such a potentially devastatingturn of events?Most college athletes understand a teammate (or freshman) could beat them out for a startingposition. However, teammates have been around each other and there isusually an expectation, and even acceptance, of who will be playing ahead of someone else. A player suddenly replaced by a transfer (junior college or not)poses a different situation because relationships have yet to be developed and the transfer's status on the team has not been firmlyestablished.One important variable in how football playersdeal with this difficult situation is the relationship with the coach. Before this decision, if the coach developedtrust with and hadbeen upfront with the athlete, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey keepinghim informed of the potentiality of the situation, it can take some sting out of the disappointing decision. Yet, there is stillsting.Its one of the hardest things you have to do as a coach, . You care about these kids. You really do. Not just as players. But as people.MORE: Another important factoris the replaced player's relationships with his teammates. The support and encouragement of fellow athletes can be valuable in the succe sful handling of the situation teammates can serve as family when the player'sfamily cannot be there.More than anything else, college athletes in this situation often needmoral support Isiah Thomas Jersey and an optimistic but realisticview of the future. While the unpredictability of sports is one of its major attractions, athletes want to have some grasp of their future. The replaced athlete often needs to be reminded of the po sibility of stepping in due to injury or poor performance of the new starter. While that is usually another uneasy discu sion, the athlete also needs to be rea sured of his continued importance to the team.In Reggie Jackson Jersey a broader perspective, the athlete should be encouraged to take this circumstance as preparation for what can happen in real life. In the most positive circumstances, this challenge presents a grand learning opportunity for the athlete in their development as a person albeit at a painful one.Or, the athlete may simply transfer to another university. Dr. Kevin L. Burke is a SportPsychology Profe sor and Consultant at Queens University ofCharlotte. Contact Dr. Burke at and follow him on Twitter: .