***Official National Signing Day thread*** (1 Viewer)

[SHIZNITTTT]

OU has a chance at a very good class with the No. 1 Prep (Metoyer) and Nos. 7, 21 & 40 Jucos (Latu, Everett & Nelson) thrown in.

I like the JUCO market, not sure why they haven't been doing more of this before. These guys can play on day one and Everett will likely start at the nickel when they open on Sept 1st (of course we have no idea who they are playing).

Hopefully these guys will perform well and they'll keep doing it. But I'm betting a lot of the impetus was losing so many transfers this off-season.

OU hit the Jucos even harder. The No. 12 overall and No.2 WR, 4* Courtney Gardner. So 4 of the Top 40.

Interesting.

He's a good sized dude too. 6'3" 215# 4.4 40. He had 61 receptions for 1099 yards and 13 TDs last year.So they'll have Stills, Reynolds, Franks and Jackson returning and Gardner and Metoyer should make an immediate impact.Oh, and OU landed 3 4* HS WRs too.

OU is going to look pretty cool running the 5 WR set (sarcasm), or maybe not? I am excited for the first time in a long time to see these kids get on the field.

 

[GDogg]

Stanford brought in the best OL class I can remember (on paper out of HS).

I'm juiced about UCLA's class. Almost top 10 in both major services after a terrible season.

 

[wadegarrett]

Oh, and rcmb is whining like a bunch of babies about recruiting this year along with Wisky.

Bilema's got his panties all in a bunch.Love the last 4 paragraphs of this column...

So the question then becomes: What’s more important—an agreement or a championship? Either the Big Ten bows to Urban, or Urban bows to the Big Ten.

“There’s a common thread in this league,” Bielema said. “Every time we walk into a coaches meeting in the offseason, there’s a mutual sign of respect.”

That and a nine-year streak of watching someone else hold up the Waterford crystal trophy at the end of the season.

Fall in line or fall behind.

 

[wadegarrett]

Stanford brought in the best OL class I can remember (on paper out of HS).

Saw that this morning. That's ridiculous.

 

[GreatLakesMike]

lol at Bilema calling out anyone for lack of respect.

ETA: It's also laughable that people are pointing to Urban as the 1st guy to recruit players who have already given a verbal to another Big 10 school. This has happened before.... more than once.

 

[Christo]

Stanford brought in the best OL class I can remember (on paper out of HS).I'm juiced about UCLA's class. Almost top 10 in both major services after a terrible season.

Stanford knocked it out of the ballpark with the entire class.

 

[GDogg]

Stanford brought in the best OL class I can remember (on paper out of HS).I'm juiced about UCLA's class. Almost top 10 in both major services after a terrible season.

Stanford knocked it out of the ballpark with the entire class.

Yup. But their OL class its unreal. It's why I was pimping them for a top ten class earlier in this thread.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Happy that Oregon didn't lose anyone and added 2 WR's from Texas commits. But man, Stanford's class was a monster. :wow:

 

[GDogg]

lol at Bilema calling out anyone for lack of respect.ETA: It's also laughable that people are pointing to Urban as the 1st guy to recruit players who have already given a verbal to another Big 10 school. This has happened before.... more than once.

Why is this a problem? You can't sign until February.

 

[BigJohn]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

 

[The Commish]

lol at Bilema calling out anyone for lack of respect.ETA: It's also laughable that people are pointing to Urban as the 1st guy to recruit players who have already given a verbal to another Big 10 school. This has happened before.... more than once.

Why is this a problem? You can't sign until February.

The old school guys generally stopped recruiting players once they verbally committed. I'm not saying that's the way it is suppose to be or anything, but that's the way it was. RR came in and upset Purdue (and maybe even Wisky) and now Urban's there shaking things up as well. Recruiting is definitely going to heat up in the B1G going forward. Should be interesting to watch.

 

[Glass Joe]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Agreed - It's really high risk. There's no such thing as having anyone locked up. Diggs announcement is supposedly coming Feb 10th.

 

[wadegarrett]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

 

[Ray Karpis]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

 

[BigJohn]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

 

[The Commish]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

Genuine question....had the expectations really dropped that far? I can understand it with the violations looming, but once they were announced, those expectations didn't go back to where they should have been?

 

[BigJohn]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

Genuine question....had the expectations really dropped that far? I can understand it with the violations looming, but once they were announced, those expectations didn't go back to where they should have been?

Speaking for myself, I really did think the bowl ban was going to hurt a lot this year. I really assumed this would be a down class, but next year, it could pick back up. As an Ohio State fan, I'm just not used to seeing this type of recruiting class. Big 10 schools have always had a certain type of player, but Urban is definitely skewing towards an SEC type athlete. It really has opened my eyes and made me really excited to see the product he will be able to put on the field.

 

[AmosMoses]

Jordan Diamond (OT) is supposed to sign today somewhere. Dude didn't sign on Wed. He thinks he's special or something. Maybe he was waiting for a check to clear

 

[The Commish]

Jordan Diamond (OT) is supposed to sign today somewhere. Dude didn't sign on Wed. He thinks he's special or something. Maybe he was waiting for a check to clear

All the players at his school are announcing today, together.

 

[AmosMoses]

Jordan Diamond (OT) is supposed to sign today somewhere. Dude didn't sign on Wed. He thinks he's special or something. Maybe he was waiting for a check to clear

All the players at his school are announcing today, together.

That's alotta checks

 

[The Commish]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

Genuine question....had the expectations really dropped that far? I can understand it with the violations looming, but once they were announced, those expectations didn't go back to where they should have been?

Speaking for myself, I really did think the bowl ban was going to hurt a lot this year. I really assumed this would be a down class, but next year, it could pick back up. As an Ohio State fan, I'm just not used to seeing this type of recruiting class. Big 10 schools have always had a certain type of player, but Urban is definitely skewing towards an SEC type athlete. It really has opened my eyes and made me really excited to see the product he will be able to put on the field.

Not paid close attention to guys OSU and UM weren't competing for. Seems like he focused on the midwest (as he should). Who are those guys he ended up with that would normally go to SEC schools?

 

[Clayton Gray]

Jordan Diamond (OT) is supposed to sign today somewhere. Dude didn't sign on Wed. He thinks he's special or something. Maybe he was waiting for a check to clear

Auburn or Arkansas.

 

[BigJohn]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

Genuine question....had the expectations really dropped that far? I can understand it with the violations looming, but once they were announced, those expectations didn't go back to where they should have been?

Speaking for myself, I really did think the bowl ban was going to hurt a lot this year. I really assumed this would be a down class, but next year, it could pick back up. As an Ohio State fan, I'm just not used to seeing this type of recruiting class. Big 10 schools have always had a certain type of player, but Urban is definitely skewing towards an SEC type athlete. It really has opened my eyes and made me really excited to see the product he will be able to put on the field.

Not paid close attention to guys OSU and UM weren't competing for. Seems like he focused on the midwest (as he should). Who are those guys he ended up with that would normally go to SEC schools?

Specifically the Defensive line. To see the types of guys he was able to reel in, I just don't believe that Tressel would have, or even could have, signed the number, or even the type of guys that Urban did. The speed and athleticism that he is bringing to the DE/OLB spot this year is going to be very evident.

 

[AmosMoses]

Jordan Diamond (OT) is supposed to sign today somewhere. Dude didn't sign on Wed. He thinks he's special or something. Maybe he was waiting for a check to clear

Auburn or Arkansas.

It would be nice to get ONE good player.

 

[The Commish]

Interesting that Neal, out of Arizona, reportedly tried to sign with OSU, but was refused. OSU must believe that diggs is theirs.

This has disaster written ALL over it. They better have Diggs locked up if they are going to refuse a guy like Neal. A lot of people will be very upset if this happened and we dont get Diggs.

Although after pulling off what he did over the last couple months, I won't be that upset.

ETA: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2012/2/2/2767443/stefon-diggs-ohio-state-football-recruiting-maryland-national-signing-day-2012

Well, keeping the overall class in perspective. Absolutely, in just about 6-7 weeks, Urban has completely destroyed any expectations tOSU fans had. IMO, the uproar would be pretty localized to the situation as a separate issue.

Genuine question....had the expectations really dropped that far? I can understand it with the violations looming, but once they were announced, those expectations didn't go back to where they should have been?

Speaking for myself, I really did think the bowl ban was going to hurt a lot this year. I really assumed this would be a down class, but next year, it could pick back up. As an Ohio State fan, I'm just not used to seeing this type of recruiting class. Big 10 schools have always had a certain type of player, but Urban is definitely skewing towards an SEC type athlete. It really has opened my eyes and made me really excited to see the product he will be able to put on the field.

Not paid close attention to guys OSU and UM weren't competing for. Seems like he focused on the midwest (as he should). Who are those guys he ended up with that would normally go to SEC schools?

Specifically the Defensive line. To see the types of guys he was able to reel in, I just don't believe that Tressel would have, or even could have, signed the number, or even the type of guys that Urban did. The speed and athleticism that he is bringing to the DE/OLB spot this year is going to be very evident.

Got it. They aren't your typical big lumbering linemen. That's changing across the B1G...even at Mich. They are getting guys a little smaller and much faster...then building the mass while on campus.

 

[The Commish]

Alabama/Arkansas guys....talk to me about Darius Philon. What happened with/to him?

 

[Christo]

lol at Bilema calling out anyone for lack of respect.ETA: It's also laughable that people are pointing to Urban as the 1st guy to recruit players who have already given a verbal to another Big 10 school. This has happened before.... more than once.

Why is this a problem? You can't sign until February.

The old school guys generally stopped recruiting players once they verbally committed. I'm not saying that's the way it is suppose to be or anything, but that's the way it was. RR came in and upset Purdue (and maybe even Wisky) and now Urban's there shaking things up as well. Recruiting is definitely going to heat up in the B1G going forward. Should be interesting to watch.

Recruits change their minds all of the time for many reasons. Why shouldn't a coach (a new coach especially) test the waters with a recruit? Weren't several of the guys who flipped to OSU in-state? I read where Meyer said he contacted several recruits and asked if their commitments were firm. Some said yes and he backed off, those who said no he made a pitch. Meyer shouldn't be stuck with a class some other guy recruited just because of some outdated "gentleman's agreement."

 

[Christo]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

 

[The Commish]

lol at Bilema calling out anyone for lack of respect.ETA: It's also laughable that people are pointing to Urban as the 1st guy to recruit players who have already given a verbal to another Big 10 school. This has happened before.... more than once.

Why is this a problem? You can't sign until February.

The old school guys generally stopped recruiting players once they verbally committed. I'm not saying that's the way it is suppose to be or anything, but that's the way it was. RR came in and upset Purdue (and maybe even Wisky) and now Urban's there shaking things up as well. Recruiting is definitely going to heat up in the B1G going forward. Should be interesting to watch.

Recruits change their minds all of the time for many reasons. Why shouldn't a coach (a new coach especially) test the waters with a recruit? Weren't several of the guys who flipped to OSU in-state? I read where Meyer said he contacted several recruits and asked if their commitments were firm. Some said yes and he backed off, those who said no he made a pitch. Meyer shouldn't be stuck with a class some other guy recruited just because of some outdated "gentleman's agreement."

FWIW....we are hard pressed to find anyone outside of Wisky and Purdue who believe such an agreement exists in the first place. I'm waiting for Bo P to chime in and we'd have all the whiners in one place whining together.

 

[Ray Karpis]

Alabama/Arkansas guys....talk to me about Darius Philon. What happened with/to him?

Most reliable sources seem to indicate:- Alabama offered, he committed last fall;- He was injured during his senior year;- Sometime before NSD (some say week prior, some say a few days before), Alabama had a numbers crunch and asked him to grayshirt...enroll next January;- Arkansas got in touch with him (or already had been in touch with him) a few days before NSD;- Philon showed up on NSD not sure what to do. He said he was undecided, put the Bama cap on but didn't sign his LOI, and then faxed his letter to Arkansas at 2:45 that afternoon.Feel bad for the kid, because he was obviously bewildered about having his scholarship pulled by Bama. That said, many are trying to unnecessarily crucify Saban over this. For all we know, the scholarship could have been conditional based on #s or the injury. We'll probably never know all the facts, but I'm just glad he's a Hog.

 

[wadegarrett]

Great column on the Bielema-Dantonio hypocrisy...

Link

In the Land of Gentlemen, the Three-Legged Man is King

By Tony Gerdeman

the-ozone.net

Having just wrapped up his first recruiting class at Ohio State, Urban Meyer likely thought that he would finally get a bit of a break from having to deal with the petulant ramblings of immature prima donnas.

Shows what he knows.

In the last day or so, both Wisconsin Head Coach Bret Bielema and Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio have come out in vocal opposition of the way that Meyer attacked the 2012 recruiting class.

Terms like "illegal" and "unethical" were even tossed around.

Bielema, in consecutive days of speaking with the media, twice alluded to tactics and "illegal" practices that he apparently knew of Meyer engaging in.

Actually, he only alluded to it the first day. The second day he flat out accused Meyer of illegal recruiting methods.

What those methods were he wouldn't say, either day. He only wants us to know that they are illegal. That is the gist of his message.

"Urban Meyer is cheating, but it's not my place to tell you how."

Bielema's frustration undoubtedly lies in the fact that Meyer got Badger commit Kyle Dodson to switch to the Buckeyes on Signing Day.

What Bielema fails to tell anybody else, however, is that Wisconsin was never going to end up with Dodson. In the end, it was a battle between USC and Ohio State.

Wisconsin only stayed in the picture because...actually, who knows why they were still in the picture. Think of it as a recruiting photo bomb, I guess.

Some assume that Bielema's accusations stem from the violation of the used-to-be long-standing gentleman's agreement of not recruiting players who are committed to other schools.

This notion is so outdated as to now be the equivalent of parachute pants. Yes, it used to be the style, but looking at it now, it's a hideous way to leave the house.

And really, if we're going to talk about gentleman's agreements, what about the gentleman's agreement of not scoring 80 points on Indiana football?

If all Big Ten coaches are being respectful to eachother, then why would one of them go for two when they're already up by 25 points late in a game?

Regardless, Meyer did something that Bielema didn't like, and so not only did he call Meyer about it, he also called his athletic director Barry Alvarez, as well as Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.

After calling Meyer about it, Bielema claimed that "the situation got rectified", but that didn't stop him from singing his accusations to anybody willing to listen.

It's like getting into a fight with your brother while your parents are out, and then resolving it on your own. But once your parents get home, you go running to the front door and rehash every last pummel.

Normally, you would think talking to the culprit, your boss, and the commissioner of your conference would be enough, but not for Bret Bielema. He also had to make sure everybody else knew, for some reason.

Though he could only let them know so much. The rest is just too juicy for public ears!

You know those people who tell you they have a secret, but won't tell you what it is? They only tell you they have a secret so that you know that they know something that you don't. This is like that.

While most want to attribute the cries of illegal practices to the simple theft of a Badger commit, something more sinister had to have happened to get Bielema so ruffled.

Regardless of what kind of "gentleman's agreement" you think exists in the Big Ten, every handshake has a clause in it. Coaches have been flipping commitments from other Big Ten schools for years.

When Buckeye commit Tyvis Powell had set his announcement date—an announcement that didn't have much of a mystery to it—Wisconsin coaches rushed to Powell's high school to speak with him, but they were rebuffed by his head coach.

Powell's decision was made, and Wisconsin was too late. Rather than leave quietly, I'm told they made sure to mention the hellfire that the NCAA would soon be raining down on Ohio State.

Most would call that "negative recruiting", which is a tactic that is always frowned upon in public. But when Meyer was asked about teams using the NCAA situation against him, he didn't call it "negative recruiting", he called it "factual recruiting". He didn't whine or bellyache about what other schools were saying about his. It was simply a fact of life, and they approached it head on.

That's life in the recruiting game. Sometimes elbows are thrown.

And maybe Bielema thinks he took an elbow, because there's no way he could be so petty as to cry about losing a recruit to a coach that simply outworked him.

Mark Dantonio, on the other hand, does not appear to be above such weepery.

Like Bielema, Dantonio also lost a commit to Urban Meyer. Canton defensive end Se'Von Pittman, long assumed a Buckeye lean, committed to Michigan State three weeks after Jim Tressel stepped down at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes continued to recruit Pittman during the football season, even getting him to come to a game in September.

Once Meyer was hired, he also went to work on Pittman, who had been committed to the Spartans for almost six months. It took Meyer two weeks to get Pittman to switch his commitment to the Buckeyes. Clearly, his heart was in Columbus, not East Lansing.

How did the Pittman's switch come about?

"Se'Von Pittman had a relationship with Luke Fickell," Meyer explained on Signing Day.

"I think we helped it when I made that phone call. He recruited us after a little bit. The phone call went something like this. 'Are you interested?'

'Yes.'

'Come on down for a visit.'

I get a phone call the next few days, 'Come on up, we got good news for you.'

Can't say I had a lot to do with that other than, 'Hey, let's go.' He always wanted to be an Ohio State Buckeye."

But Dantonio didn't see it that way, telling the Detroit News, "They've got a new coach, and it's different. I would say it's pretty unethical, in the end."

Interesting.

Mark Dantonio thinks recruiting a committed player is unethical. Then why did he have Wisconsin commit Kyle Dodson in for an official visit in January? Why did he and his staff continue to call Buckeye commit Tyvis Powell?

Why was a Spartan assistant coach at Cincinnati Taft trying to get an in-home visit with Adolphus Washington over a month after he had committed to Ohio State?

Is it selective ethics? Do as I say, not as I do?

Or maybe Dantonio is just getting forgetful these days.

After all, when he took the Michigan State job in 2007, he got a commitment from a linebacker who had been committed to Minnesota. That linebacker? Just some nobody named Greg Jones.

But it was understandable. Even though Minnesota was by far Jones' favorite, once Glen Mason got fired, he found himself without the coach that he had committed to. Enter Dantonio.

Was it unethical? Or was it merely just a change of situation for everybody involved?

Jones isn't alone in players that Dantonio has flipped, but I'm not going to go through all of them here.

What I would rather talk about is the polar shift in how Dantonio feels about the rules and boundaries given to new head coaches.

When he left Ohio State to take the head coaching job at Cincinnati in 2004, he revoked every scholarship offer to the Bearcats' verbal commits that he inherited. So of all people, he should understand new staffs and how they have to recruit.

He cut his entire recruiting class loose and he started brand new. Why?

In a online chat for the Cincinnati Enquirer shortly after his hiring he explained his decision.

"Revoking a scholarship is an immature way of talking about it. We simply restarted the recruiting process which was the best interest for everyone involved. These relationships need to be based on trust and honesty and that needs to be developed over time. We continued to reevaluate the recruits and we continue to evaluate them and make decisions that are the best for everyone involved."

So let me get this straight. As a new coach in 2004, he thought it was "in the best interest for everyone involved" to restart the recruiting process.

But yet in 2012, when newly-hired Urban Meyer and his staff restart their own recruiting process, it is now deemed unethical.

Seriously?

I'm forced to type his quote about Meyer once again.

"They've got a new coach, and it's different. I would say it's pretty unethical, in the end."

In 2004, being a new coach meant that you were free to restart your recruiting efforts. In 2012, being a new coach means that you are apparently stuck with what you've got.

"Sorry about your luck noob, hope you like being stuck with your team full of sucks!"

This is the level of logic that Meyer is being confronted with right now.

He has changed the entire landscape of the Big Ten, and rather than adjust to it, some can only complain and hurl damnations.

Coming from the SEC, Meyer must look at some of these Big Ten coaches like they are lazy, spoiled children; a complaint for every situation, and a solution for none.

Coaching has been a problem in the Big Ten over the last decade plus, and it's no wonder after hearing complaints like this.

When the hardest-working coach is also at the easiest place to sell, all an opposing coach has left is his arrogance and unrelenting desire for the status quo.

It's certainly an unenviable situation to be in, but there are no arms being twisted here. Coaches are free to drop down to a level where they feel comfortable.

Urban Meyer is either going to bring the Big Ten into the 21st century screaming, or leave it completely behind.

I think I know where Wisconsin and Michigan State fall in that regard, but I'm not going to tell you.

It's a secret!

 

[madhatter]

Alabama/Arkansas guys....talk to me about Darius Philon. What happened with/to him?

Most reliable sources seem to indicate:- Alabama offered, he committed last fall;

- He didn't take any additional visits after committing, per a request from Saban;

- He was injured during his senior year;

- Sometime before NSD (some say week prior, some say a few days before), Alabama had a numbers crunch and asked him to grayshirt...enroll next January;

- Arkansas got in touch with him (or already had been in touch with him) a few days before NSD;

- Philon showed up on NSD not sure what to do. He said he was undecided, put the Bama cap on but didn't sign his LOI, and then faxed his letter to Arkansas at 2:45 that afternoon.

Feel bad for the kid, because he was obviously bewildered about having his scholarship pulled by Bama. That said, many are trying to unnecessarily crucify Saban over this. For all we know, the scholarship could have been conditional based on #s or the injury. We'll probably never know all the facts, but I'm just glad he's a Hog.

I added one additional fact

 

[Ray Karpis]

Alabama/Arkansas guys....talk to me about Darius Philon. What happened with/to him?

Most reliable sources seem to indicate:- Alabama offered, he committed last fall;

- He didn't take any additional visits after committing, per a request from Saban;

- He was injured during his senior year;

- Sometime before NSD (some say week prior, some say a few days before), Alabama had a numbers crunch and asked him to grayshirt...enroll next January;

- Arkansas got in touch with him (or already had been in touch with him) a few days before NSD;

- Philon showed up on NSD not sure what to do. He said he was undecided, put the Bama cap on but didn't sign his LOI, and then faxed his letter to Arkansas at 2:45 that afternoon.

Feel bad for the kid, because he was obviously bewildered about having his scholarship pulled by Bama. That said, many are trying to unnecessarily crucify Saban over this. For all we know, the scholarship could have been conditional based on #s or the injury. We'll probably never know all the facts, but I'm just glad he's a Hog.

I added one additional fact

Interesting. And there I was trying to be diplomatic about Saban.

 

[The Commish]

Great column on the Bielema-Dantonio hypocrisy...

Need to go over to rcmb and read what those jackels are saying I spend a lot of time over there laughing and I've never even registered.

 

[The Commish]

Alabama/Arkansas guys....talk to me about Darius Philon. What happened with/to him?

Most reliable sources seem to indicate:- Alabama offered, he committed last fall;

- He didn't take any additional visits after committing, per a request from Saban;

- He was injured during his senior year;

- Sometime before NSD (some say week prior, some say a few days before), Alabama had a numbers crunch and asked him to grayshirt...enroll next January;

- Arkansas got in touch with him (or already had been in touch with him) a few days before NSD;

- Philon showed up on NSD not sure what to do. He said he was undecided, put the Bama cap on but didn't sign his LOI, and then faxed his letter to Arkansas at 2:45 that afternoon.

Feel bad for the kid, because he was obviously bewildered about having his scholarship pulled by Bama. That said, many are trying to unnecessarily crucify Saban over this. For all we know, the scholarship could have been conditional based on #s or the injury. We'll probably never know all the facts, but I'm just glad he's a Hog.

I added one additional fact

Interesting. And there I was trying to be diplomatic about Saban.

This is what I had read too. None of it will be proven one way or the other though. It will always be the kid's word against the coach's

 

[The Commish]

Great column on the Bielema-Dantonio hypocrisy...

Need to go over to rcmb and read what those jackels are saying I spend a lot of time over there laughing and I've never even registered.

Enjoy WARNING: Bad Language

 

[ATC1]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

 

[The Commish]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

Had he been practicing with the team or something to know he couldn't lead it??

 

[madhatter]

Mark Murphy of Inside the Auburn Tigers (scout site), is reporting Jordan Diamond has told AU coaches he is signing with Auburn this evening.

 

[Christo]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

You're saying this based on what? The fact he stayed closer to home because his mom asked him? Because if that's true most recruits aren't fit to lead.But for that decision, the guy would be at LSU. Are we to believe Les knowingly recruits QBs who can't lead? Or is that his fallback position when he's rebuffed?

The only thing we've learned from this is that Les is a child.

 

[Premier]

Winston officially signed with FSU today.

 

[GDogg]

Apparently, RB D.J. Foster out of Arizona, who signed with Arizona St. on Wednesday, is trying to get out of his letter of intent and sign with Cal.

 

[The Commish]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

You're saying this based on what? The fact he stayed closer to home because his mom asked him? Because if that's true most recruits aren't fit to lead.But for that decision, the guy would be at LSU. Are we to believe Les knowingly recruits QBs who can't lead? Or is that his fallback position when he's rebuffed?

The only thing we've learned from this is that Les is a child.

 

[fsufan]

Winston officially signed with FSU today.

may be the MLB will not take this guy from FSU

 

[AmosMoses]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

Isn't this some kind of circular logic by Miles here? No one buys this.

 

[Corporation]

Winston officially signed with FSU today.

may be the MLB will not take this guy from FSU

He's a good kid, I know coaches up here who have dealt with him and said he has stayed grounded throughout all this. Hope he does well for you guys.

 

[madhatter]

Mark Murphy of Inside the Auburn Tigers (scout site), is reporting Jordan Diamond has told AU coaches he is signing with Auburn this evening.

So, let's back track on this, as it may be a fake twitter account that put this out there.

 

[ATC1]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

You're saying this based on what? The fact he stayed closer to home because his mom asked him? Because if that's true most recruits aren't fit to lead.But for that decision, the guy would be at LSU. Are we to believe Les knowingly recruits QBs who can't lead? Or is that his fallback position when he's rebuffed?

The only thing we've learned from this is that Les is a child.

Les was speaking to an angry mob and it was childish. Les Miles knows more than we do about the situation, but he should have never said it. The statement does absolutely nothing for his program but calm an audience like a state of the union address. However, indecision making, letting others make decisions for you (mom or girlfriends), and not following your heart don't seem to be characteristics of a good leader.

 

[The Commish]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

You're saying this based on what? The fact he stayed closer to home because his mom asked him? Because if that's true most recruits aren't fit to lead.But for that decision, the guy would be at LSU. Are we to believe Les knowingly recruits QBs who can't lead? Or is that his fallback position when he's rebuffed?

The only thing we've learned from this is that Les is a child.

Les was speaking to an angry mob and it was childish. Les Miles knows more than we do about the situation, but he should have never said it. The statement does absolutely nothing for his program but calm an audience like a state of the union address. However, indecision making, letting others make decisions for you (mom or girlfriends), and not following your heart don't seem to be characteristics of a good leader.

His heart was with Indiana and I'm 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% sure it's not good to lead with your heart either. Let's not pretend Les' comments were more than what they were.

 

[ATC1]

In probably the dooshiest quote of the recruiting season, Les Miles says Gunner Kiel "had no chest for the game and couldn't lead a team."

Les is smarting a little bit. He not only lost out on Gunner. But he let the top 4 recruits in LA leave the state.

Gunner's decision to back out was not only about him. Les also lost a early enrollee 4-star Patrick Miller to Auburn to make room for Gunner. Only allowed so many early enrollees. When asked to come next fall instead of the spring, Miller enrolled at Auburn. The comment needed to be said because it's true. However, it shouldn't have been said by Les Miles.

You're saying this based on what? The fact he stayed closer to home because his mom asked him? Because if that's true most recruits aren't fit to lead.But for that decision, the guy would be at LSU. Are we to believe Les knowingly recruits QBs who can't lead? Or is that his fallback position when he's rebuffed?

The only thing we've learned from this is that Les is a child.

Les was speaking to an angry mob and it was childish. Les Miles knows more than we do about the situation, but he should have never said it. The statement does absolutely nothing for his program but calm an audience like a state of the union address. However, indecision making, letting others make decisions for you (mom or girlfriends), and not following your heart don't seem to be characteristics of a good leader.

His heart was with Indiana and I'm 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% sure it's not good to lead with your heart either. Let's not pretend Les' comments were more than what they were.

Ok.