Duran going FCS

MSU left things open for tight end David Duran to return when it gave him his release recently, but he said Monday afternoon he is "transferring for sure," with FCS teams Furman and Coastal Carolina atop his current list -- schools that are much closer to his hometown of Marietta, Ga., and which will allow him to play in 2009 without having to sit out a year.

   (For those who don't know, transferring from FBS, formerly Division I-A, to a lower division allows a player to play without redshirting. All transfers within FBS require players to sit a year).
    Duran said playing time was his only issue at MSU.
    "The main reason is just to try to get more playing time than I was at MSU," he said. "I was a situational player, a role player. I loved MSU and I liked the coaches. ... They were really surprised when I told them. They tried to talk me into staying, saying I was gonna do this and that, but my mind was already made up before I talked to them."
    Duran caught one pass for four yards last season as a redshirt freshman and MSU's No. 3 tight end behind Charlie Gantt and Garrett Celek. The emergence of Clemson transfer Brian Linthicum this spring was no doubt a big factor in his decision to leave.
    MSU remains strong at tight end, but this is a hit. Duran is a big body and nice blocker at 6-5, 240, a young player who was improving and who provided reliable depth at the position.