- 4,751
- 10
Kiffin
'09 COLLEGE FOOTBALL OFF-SEASON THREAD-recruiting/Coaching Changes/Transfers
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by gunna get it,
- Start date
- 4,172
- 10
I loved the initial "apology" Kiffin issues
, like hedidn't think that one was going to get back to UF
- 43,670
- 8,680
BTW, I'm just saying this stuff regarding their college career.
We'll see what happens. Rivals/Scout are pretty accurate with the top few players. Not 100%, but pretty accurate.
- 12,102
- 1,410
Terrail Lambert ripped off a 4.36 and a 4.37
LMAO. You gota be jokin.
LMAO. You gota be jokin.
- 7,892
- 2,179
What round you think PJ Hill will be selected in?
- 11,234
- 185
- 1,781
- 205
I say the Georgia/Florida game should rotate between Athens and Gainesville like every other SEC East contest.
But then, I guess that would take away from the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party moniker.
But then, I guess that would take away from the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party moniker.
- 31,964
- 1,056
DLo u been hearin the rumors of about the stuff goin on in Alabama?
Gadsen Boosters have allegedly been giving Dodge chargers to recruits who sign with bama.
Tip of the iceberg.....Alabama actually got a Preliminary Letter of Inquiry from the NCAA regarding investigation intotextbook scandal back 10 months ago (i.e. students from football and possibly other sports given textbooks to sell to other students and make money. Bamacovered it up, despite FOIA requests
from newspapers). The PLOI falls in the 5 year window of the Unversity's last run in with the NCAA.
There are now indications of a second investigation, covering numerous other violations of NCAA rules, 22 students. Therewill be a second PLOI sent to Alabama from the NCAA, or the NCAA will add it as an appendix to the first letter. Because Alabama's violations occured whilestill under sanctions after last investigation, Alabama is looking at big time NCAA sanctions, although people in the know say they would not likely get thedeath penalty. The word is the possibility of no home games for at least one year, multiple years of probation, and significant scholarship cuts for footballas well as a complete one year shutdown of one women's program.
This will be bigger than the Albert Means deal. Seven SEC schools and 2 ACC schools have turned Bama in for numerousrecruiting violations which seem to revolve around the greeting policy of "bumping into recruits".
Apparently Saban has made a habit of the incidental bumps turning into all out recruiting during dead periods and non-contacttime frames.
Throw in a leer jet ride from Florida for a recruit during an unofficial visit and the NCAA is not happy. They have beenseething since Alabama took their bowl ban from a few years back and turned it into a field trip to Hawaii.
The PLOI #2 will contain a couple of dozen Major violations....note that textbookgate is only ONE major violation. The NCAAhas twenty three investigators......four are assigned to Alabama at this very moment. Not good.
Gadsen Boosters have allegedly been giving Dodge chargers to recruits who sign with bama.
Tip of the iceberg.....Alabama actually got a Preliminary Letter of Inquiry from the NCAA regarding investigation intotextbook scandal back 10 months ago (i.e. students from football and possibly other sports given textbooks to sell to other students and make money. Bamacovered it up, despite FOIA requests
from newspapers). The PLOI falls in the 5 year window of the Unversity's last run in with the NCAA.
There are now indications of a second investigation, covering numerous other violations of NCAA rules, 22 students. Therewill be a second PLOI sent to Alabama from the NCAA, or the NCAA will add it as an appendix to the first letter. Because Alabama's violations occured whilestill under sanctions after last investigation, Alabama is looking at big time NCAA sanctions, although people in the know say they would not likely get thedeath penalty. The word is the possibility of no home games for at least one year, multiple years of probation, and significant scholarship cuts for footballas well as a complete one year shutdown of one women's program.
This will be bigger than the Albert Means deal. Seven SEC schools and 2 ACC schools have turned Bama in for numerousrecruiting violations which seem to revolve around the greeting policy of "bumping into recruits".
Apparently Saban has made a habit of the incidental bumps turning into all out recruiting during dead periods and non-contacttime frames.
Throw in a leer jet ride from Florida for a recruit during an unofficial visit and the NCAA is not happy. They have beenseething since Alabama took their bowl ban from a few years back and turned it into a field trip to Hawaii.
The PLOI #2 will contain a couple of dozen Major violations....note that textbookgate is only ONE major violation. The NCAAhas twenty three investigators......four are assigned to Alabama at this very moment. Not good.
- 4,324
- 12
damn Bama... they just got off probation a few years ago too... penalties are going to be pretty damn severe this time..
No Home Games for a year...
- 43,670
- 8,680
Mad _'s at Bama running around w/ big trucks. Escalade's/Suburbans,
But Chargers ain't nothing. Everybody got a charger.
But yeah as far as Bama and recruits...(I may have posted this already, but)
Reid had given our coaches his word that he was going to FSU on his official visit to FSU, and then proceeded to check out the other schools. All along it was assumed that it would be a UGA/FSU photo finish, but the night before his announcement Bama called him and offered him a nice incentive package to come to Bama, and he agreed, and was going to commit to Bama.
His mom found out, as well as Jimbo Fisher, and they were able to talk some sense into him before his announcement, and he stuck with his word and committed to Florida State.
Everybody knows Bama is dirty tho'
- 406
- 10
Where have you seen CI going that high in a mock draft? Pre-injury he was def in that area but not so sure now. On talent alone, he would be one of the bestpass catching TEs in the nfl right now. He did hire Rosenhaus as his agent, smart move. Maybe he still can go in round 2.
- 5,176
- 10
damn they don't play down there in alabama lol
- 11,234
- 185
It's Alabama. What did you expect?
- 1,275
- 10
Brown ready for what's next after saga [h1]Brown ready for what's next after saga[/h1]
Jeremy Crabtree
Recruiting Editor
MORE: Brown chooses to be part ofTennessee turnaround |
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/ed/ic/free_video.gifBrown talks about decision
WICHITA, Kan. - After announcing he would be playing at Tennessee on Monday in front of a national audience, Bryce Brown sat alone on a white folding chair at the Kansas Sports Hallof Fame. His friends and family hovered around him, chirping among themselves about the events that just unfolded.
With his new orange and black Tennessee hat tilted to the side of his head, Brown was oblivious to the events aroundhim. Slouched in his chair, he looked like a heavyweight boxer who just completed 12 rounds of a championship match.
He was spent.
The recruiting process had worn him out. It was a gut-wrenching process that saw plenty of highs and just as many lows. As he sat there, one could see thethree-year journey that led him to this moment reflecting in his eyes.
The 52 touchdowns as a junior and a senior.
The experience of going through the recruiting process with his older brother, Arthur.
The early commitment to Miami.
The MVP performance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
The visits to Missouri, Oregon, Clemson, Kansas State and LSU.
The drama with Miami when he wasn't ready to sign his letter of intent on Feb. 4.
The allegations of NCAA violations against his mentor, Brian Butler.
The late recruiting push by Tennessee and his announcement for the Vols.
After a few moments of contemplation a smile began to form on his face. The challenge of being the nation's No. 1 football recruit took a lot out ofhim, but he was all right. He knew deep down that despite all the drama, everything that led up to his decision has made him a better person because of it.
"If I can handle all of this, then I know I can make it through anything that's thrown at me the rest of my life," Brown said. "I learnedin church that when you get pressure put on you, that's when you get the best out of you. I'm expecting to be at my best when I get to Tennessee, andif it ever gets tough, I can always look back and think about what I went through in the recruiting process. Nothing will be as stressful as what I wentthrough.
"I feel like I'm ready now for whatever life might throw at me. I'm ready."
SPECIAL FROM THE START
Brown first appeared on Rivals.com's radar in June 2006. That's when he and his older brother, Arthur, attended a camp at Oklahoma. The brotherswere so gifted they easily stood out among the other 200 campers at the event, but it was Bryce who really caught everybody's eye.
"Even next to his older and bigger brother, you couldn't help but notice his athleticism," said SoonerScoop.com associate editor JoshMcCuistion, who was there at the Sooner camp and first entered him into the Rivals.com recruiting database.
"He made diving catches, had great moves and speed that was well beyond most kids his age. You knew if heput the work in, he was a guy who had a chance to be special."
It wasn't long before Bryce emerged as one of the nation's top prospects - even though he was an underclassmen. As a junior he racked up 1,873 yardsand 29 touchdowns and was already beginning to draw comparisons to Barry Sanders, the most legendary football player to ever come out of Wichita.
"Wichita is well-known for being the hometown of Barry Sanders, but the fact is that Barry did not play running back at Wichita North until his seniorseason," said Chris Allison, the host of "The Gameplan" on Sports Radio KGSO 1410 AM in Wichita.
"Bryce developed much quicker, and we as fans were able to watch him run the ball for four years. His first carry as a freshman was for 55 yards - andonly the end zone stopped him. He accelerates better than any high school running back that I've seen. Bryce was a better high school player than BarrySanders, but will he live up to Barry's NFL success? Not many have. But if Bryce continues to work hard and is a good team player at Tennessee, he willcertainly be given the opportunity to run the ball on Sundays."
By the time he announced for Tennessee, Rivals.com had published more than 135 content items on Brown. The only player to have more items published abouthim in Rivals.com history was Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 prospect in the 2008class who was also a star basketball recruit.
If there was anybody who was worthy of all the attention, it was Brown.
"He is so good, and he plays running back, a fairly easy position to adjust to in college," Rivals.com analyst Barry Every said. "No playershould have a more immediate impact in college than Brown. We also think he could have the most lasting impact. He is the leading rusher in Wichita history -he even had more yards than Barry Sanders - and he comes up big in big games like the U.S Army game, when he was named the MVP.
"He reminds me of Ronnie Brown, the current Miami Dolphins and former Auburn Tigers star. He has great overall size, above-average speed and excellenthands. Add that to great vision and a willingness to block, and you have a five-tool, every-down back."
That type of talent doesn't go unnoticed by college coaches, and the recruiting letters and scholarship offers poured in. But after watching his olderbrother go through the process, take visits to Miami, North Carolina, USC, Alabama and LSU and eventually sign with the Canes, Brown wanted to do things alittle bit differently.
CANES GET EARLY COMMITMENT
On Feb. 21, 2008, Brown decided to end the recruiting process early, calling Miami coach Randy Shannon and letting him know he was a Hurricane. The decision wasn't a shockerbecause he is extremely close with his brother and his parents wanted to see them play together in college.
What was a surprise was the timing. Brown essentially ended the process before it could get started.
"The first thing about it is that I've been feeling Miami spiritually for the past few weeks," Brown said at the time. "God was tellingme that this was the best decision for me, and everybody in my family was comfortable with it. I've been feeling this for a month now, and I think it'sa really good fit. It's the right decision for me."
Brown said he watched his brother go through the hectic recruiting process and believed making a decision early could reduce the amount of calls fromcoaches, reporters and questions about where he will be playing his college football in the future.
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1146/450317.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1146/450318.jpg); background-position: right bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
Boy, was he wrong.
When he committed to Miami, Brown told Shannon he would take other official visits to make sure he made the right decision. That caveat immediately put astrain on a relationship that had been especially strong through the recruitment of his older brother.
"When he committed, he said he had been down there [on] numerous occasions, liked the school, the campus environment, the city itself, the people andhe was comfortable with the decision," said Arthur Brown Sr., Bryce's father. "He was comfortable with everything and said, 'I cancommit.'
"After doing so, he also told Coach Shannon he wanted to take all five of his visits. He went on every visit that Arthur went to. He got to visitplaces, like LSU, that when he went with Arthur they were looking at things from a defensive standpoint. There were some schools that interested him because hewas really curious about their offensive system, and he set out to visit those places."
That led him to take official visits in the fall to Missouri, Oregon and Clemson, but the plan was still in place for him to graduate early and enroll atMiami. That plan was the right one for Arthur, but his family could clearly see it wasn't the right one for Bryce.
"As time went on, we noticed that Bryce started to sleep a lot more," his father said. "He started to be real short as far as temperament. Itseemed like his demeanor was heavy. He was under a lot of stress. We didn't put our finger on it.
"Finally we had a meeting. We sat him down and talked to him to see where he was and why he was having all the tension and all the stress. We found outthat with all the class work, all the training and the big push on him finishing early, he seemed to lose the joy of being a senior."
Brown and his parents came up with a new plan that kept him in the Wichita area by taking some community college classes in the spring, delaying enrollmentat the college of his choice until next fall and, most important, getting a chance to enjoy more of his final year at home with his friends from highschool.
"He was under the impression that we wanted him to do what Arthur did, but once he realized we wanted what was best for Bryce, it was like a 100-poundweight was taken off his shoulders," Arthur Sr. said. "He began to eat more. He began to be more happy."
While his personal life was coming back into order, Brown was far from happy with his original decision to commit to play for the Hurricanes.
"He started to notice a lot of Missouri running backs were very productive compared to the production of Miami backs, who he felt had the bettertalent," Arthur Sr. said. "He thought it was the system they were running and he was concerned with that. So he started to look at other schools,Clemson and others. It threw up a red flag. It started to give … I wouldn't say an uneasy feeling, but a concern.
"I remember going down to Miami when they played Virginia Tech. They wanted to know how he felt, and Bryce's personality is very direct. If you askhim something, he's going to give his honest opinion on it. They wanted to know what he was thinking, and he just told them. He told them some of theconcerns he had with the lack of production of the offense versus some of the schools he's looking at. He basically came right and said if it were not forhis brother, he would not be considering Miami. He was blunt, but that was his honest opinion."
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
From that point on, what started out as a great relationship began to play out like an ugly divorce.
When it became clear Brown wasn't ready to sign on Feb. 4, the first day of the national signing period, the relationship became even more strained. OnFeb. 13 Brown took an official visit to Tennessee and a few days after that Florida media outlets reported that if Brown didn't sign by Feb. 18, when hisletter of intent expired, the Hurricanes would not re-issue another.
"One of the other coaches continued to call, and I guess they were really getting a lot of negative publicitythat was the circus that was going on surrounding Bryce's recruiting and how him dragging this thing out was beginning to not look very good," hisfather said. "They mentioned that Patrick Johnson ordealabout how he was committed to Miami and then basically thumbed his nose at them and signed with LSU.
"They also mentioned Robert Marve, his name came up, and Iadmit it was a legitimate concern. There were some things that I understand from looking at it from the university's perspective. They just don't wantany negative attention. I understand that. That's perfectly understandable.
"So then they said that well, 'Coach Shannon was under the impression that Bryce has had enough time,' and, 'He should know by now what hewants to do.' "
Even with all the drama the family was still adamant Brown was still committed to the Hurricanes. They kept in communication on a regular basis with theMiami coaches and told them they were planning on using the final official visit to Coral Gables despite getting repeated requests from LSU to make hisscheduled Feb. 27 visit there official.
"The final visit was going to be to Miami and somebody made the comment that we could drive down there, get the mileage and then he could fly fromMiami unofficially," Arthur Sr. said. "I said 'No, that's not what we're going to do out of respect for Miami, Coach Shannon and thatentire program.'
"I felt like Bryce needs to make that last visit an official visit. We had planned it around a spring practice, so he could go in and really get avisual as to what Coach [Mark] Whipple's teaching style, type of system and type of offense he was running. I thought that would help Bryce see andunderstand the things that Coach Whipple tried to verbally express and explain to him."
But the visit never happened.
"In the end, I talked to Coach [Michael] Barrow and he told me that as it stood right then that Miami was no longer recruiting Bryce," Arthur Sr.said. "I told him well, 'Coach, Bryce is scheduled and planned on coming there on an official.' He talked about the feelings of Coach Shannon andthe pressure that he's under. He said that he feels they went above and beyond to accommodate Bryce in making a decision. They felt like he had enoughtime."
In the end, both Brown and his family have nothing negative to say about Miami and how it handled the process. They admittedly wish things would have workedout differently, but both parties had to do what was best.
"In my heart, Miami has always been the school," Arthur Sr. said. "My wife and I have always said we'd love to have Arthur and Brycetogether. But we wanted them to have their own individual process. We were going to support their process and whether or not they ended up turning out togetheror not, we'll let God lead them in the process.
"I've always been sold on Miami since day one. Miami always has my heart and soul. Miami is family. They're always going to befamily."
Brown agrees with his father.
"I'm a Cane," Brown said. "I love the Hurricanes. I'm going to be down there. I'm going to be a familiar face. As long as mybrother stays down there - he says he is - I'm going to be down there, too. I can get a direct flight to Fort Lauderdale, so Miami is going to see a lot ofBryce.
"It didn't work out the way we all thought it would when I originally committed, but things happen, and I believe God has a plan for all of us. Myoriginal plan was to go to Miami, but God's will changed that, and I know it worked out best in the end. I have nothing but respect for all of thosecoaches at Miami. They're going to always be family, because of everything that we went through."
IS BUTLER TO BLAME?
Brown has been ripped in the media more than perhaps any recruit in history, and many of the critics point to his relationship with Butler, hismentor/advisor, as the central reason why.
ESPN, The New York Times, CBS and countless other media outlets all piled on Butler, calling him everything from a hustler to a street agent because of theway he managed Brown's recruiting process.
Butler trains and advises many high school football prospects in Kansas through his Potential Players program, butwhat really irked a lot observers was a short-lived attempt to sell updates of Brown's recruiting for $9.99 a month or $59 a year on a Web site. There werealso Butler's comments to The Times about Brown potentially taking his game to the Canadian Football League that outraged fans.
In that same story Brown's high school coach alleged Butler told Brown to not work out with his high school teammates and to let up after he padded hisstats in the games. Then there were the rampant message board rumors that Butler was taking money from colleges to get Brown to sign with a specificschool.
Butler's involvement raised a lot of red flags, enough to get the NCAA's amateurism certification staff to visit Wichita late last month. While intown, the NCAA talked with several people close to Brown's recruitment, several local high school coaches and a former client of Butler's PotentialPlayers program.
The NCAA wouldn't comment on the specific investigation, but its amateurism certification office was created in 2007 to determine the amateur status ofdomestic and international freshman and transfer prospective student-athletes initially enrolling at NCAA Division I schools. The amateurism certificationsection is a different department from the NCAA's enforcement section, which often examines the recruitment of high-profile athletes.
Butler strongly defends the work he does and scoffs at the allegations he took money, pushed Brown toward a certain school or was involved with Brown forpersonal gain.
"Everything I do is 100 percent legit and is for the best interest of the kids I work with and train," Butler said. "I welcome the NCAA andanybody else to look into how we do things. When they see it, they'll see that we're about helping the kids and trying to help them reach their highestpotential."
Both Brown and his father are also quick to defend Butler.
"I wouldn't be here without Brian," Brown said. "He's helped me out a lot by organizing my workouts, setting up my college visits andhandling all of the media requests. He's been treated unfairly by a lot of people and it's taken a heavy toll on him emotionally. I can tell that. Butlike I said, God put this in place. Brian's been there 100 percent. Without him, none of this would be possible."
Arthur Brown Sr. said without Butler's help the recruiting process would have been impossible to navigate.
"To me and my wife having Brian there as an advocate and a buffer has really, really been helpful," Arthur Sr. said. "He's been a veryresourceful person. He knows what is legal, what is not legal. He's been a blessing.
"I don't really care what the people outside looking in think because he's family. We see him as family. They don't know. Unless you know,I'm speaking facts, it's all speculation and rumors. I don't respect people that speculate and speak rumors."
Brown's father said he was one of the people who spoke with the NCAA in Wichita. He said he isn't able to fully share what he talked with the NCAAabout but knows why it was there.
"With such a high-profile situation, I can understand why the NCAA would look," Arthur Sr. said. "I don't know what goes on inbasketball, but I hear they have some issues with that. They have every right to ensure everything is above the board. That is definitely something they shouldlook at. I would do it."
HAPPY ENDING ON ROCKY TOP
Back at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, it was clear Brown was thankful the process was finally completed.
"I really don't know where to begin," he said. "If you followed this recruiting process, you know it was a roller coaster. I didn'texpect it to turn out like this, but some things happened that I didn't expect. I had to come up with an alternative plan and that's what wedid."
Brown said he picked Tennessee for a number of reasons, especially the relationship he built with running backs coach Eddie Gran and the "not-going-to-back-down attitude" of new coach Lane Kiffin.
"I love Coach Kiffin," Brown said. "A lot of people don't think Tennessee is going to turn around instantly. But that's not what isgoing to happen. Coach Kiffin thinks it's going to be turned around by tomorrow. He's pushing his coaches. He's pushing his players. I think he hasa lot of energy, and it's contagious."
Brown said he learned a lot about himself through the trials and tribulations, and he's a changed man because of what he went through.
"I'm depending on God in everything," Brown said. "Anything that happens, the whole way this thing played out, I believe God had apurpose. People talk about this whole process was about me.
"Really, it's a bigger picture. It was not about me. I think all kids should think about taking their time to make a spiritual decision. I feellike if God put you in a place, any trials and adversity that you have to deal with, he's going to get you out of it. So you need to make a spiritualdecision."
Brown's father also noticed the difference in his son.
"It showed him in search of any major big decision that can affect your life long term, that you can't compromise your beliefs, your values andyour standards," Arthur Sr. said. "I think that it has caused him to draw closer to searching out God's perfect will for his life in a moreearnest and fervent way. I see Bryce in his Bible. It has caused him to meditate on spiritual things and take to heart those things because they are what'simportant. It's taught him to not be swayed by outside influences of people that don't understand you.
"We're proud of how things turned out. He didn't let anybody dictate to him how he was going to handle his decision and his recruiting process.Sure there were some bumps along the way, but he's a better person because of this."
Brown has plans in the future on helping recruits better comprehend the recruiting process and make decisions for the right reasons.
"Everything that happened, I think it happened for a reason," Brown said. "God chose me to go through this. He set all this stuff in placefor a reason. I think I can help other recruits out. I came up with some goals and plans for the future. I plan on holding seminars, where I can talk torecruits and help them make spiritual decisions.
"Hopefully this will make it easier for them. I'm sure they will have to deal with some ups and downs like I did and it will be stressful. Buthopefully when they reach the end of the line, they can also sit back, relax for a little bit with their friends and family and smile about the decision theymade."
Jeremy Crabtree
Recruiting Editor
MORE: Brown chooses to be part ofTennessee turnaround |
WICHITA, Kan. - After announcing he would be playing at Tennessee on Monday in front of a national audience, Bryce Brown sat alone on a white folding chair at the Kansas Sports Hallof Fame. His friends and family hovered around him, chirping among themselves about the events that just unfolded.
| 
|
|
| |
| Bryce Brown's recruitment finally came to an end on Monday. |
He was spent.
The recruiting process had worn him out. It was a gut-wrenching process that saw plenty of highs and just as many lows. As he sat there, one could see thethree-year journey that led him to this moment reflecting in his eyes.
The 52 touchdowns as a junior and a senior.
The experience of going through the recruiting process with his older brother, Arthur.
The early commitment to Miami.
The MVP performance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
The visits to Missouri, Oregon, Clemson, Kansas State and LSU.
The drama with Miami when he wasn't ready to sign his letter of intent on Feb. 4.
The allegations of NCAA violations against his mentor, Brian Butler.
The late recruiting push by Tennessee and his announcement for the Vols.
After a few moments of contemplation a smile began to form on his face. The challenge of being the nation's No. 1 football recruit took a lot out ofhim, but he was all right. He knew deep down that despite all the drama, everything that led up to his decision has made him a better person because of it.
"If I can handle all of this, then I know I can make it through anything that's thrown at me the rest of my life," Brown said. "I learnedin church that when you get pressure put on you, that's when you get the best out of you. I'm expecting to be at my best when I get to Tennessee, andif it ever gets tough, I can always look back and think about what I went through in the recruiting process. Nothing will be as stressful as what I wentthrough.
"I feel like I'm ready now for whatever life might throw at me. I'm ready."
SPECIAL FROM THE START
Brown first appeared on Rivals.com's radar in June 2006. That's when he and his older brother, Arthur, attended a camp at Oklahoma. The brotherswere so gifted they easily stood out among the other 200 campers at the event, but it was Bryce who really caught everybody's eye.
"Even next to his older and bigger brother, you couldn't help but notice his athleticism," said SoonerScoop.com associate editor JoshMcCuistion, who was there at the Sooner camp and first entered him into the Rivals.com recruiting database.
|
| 
|
|
| |
| Bryce Brown's first carry as a freshman in high school went for 55 yards. |
It wasn't long before Bryce emerged as one of the nation's top prospects - even though he was an underclassmen. As a junior he racked up 1,873 yardsand 29 touchdowns and was already beginning to draw comparisons to Barry Sanders, the most legendary football player to ever come out of Wichita.
"Wichita is well-known for being the hometown of Barry Sanders, but the fact is that Barry did not play running back at Wichita North until his seniorseason," said Chris Allison, the host of "The Gameplan" on Sports Radio KGSO 1410 AM in Wichita.
"Bryce developed much quicker, and we as fans were able to watch him run the ball for four years. His first carry as a freshman was for 55 yards - andonly the end zone stopped him. He accelerates better than any high school running back that I've seen. Bryce was a better high school player than BarrySanders, but will he live up to Barry's NFL success? Not many have. But if Bryce continues to work hard and is a good team player at Tennessee, he willcertainly be given the opportunity to run the ball on Sundays."
By the time he announced for Tennessee, Rivals.com had published more than 135 content items on Brown. The only player to have more items published abouthim in Rivals.com history was Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 prospect in the 2008class who was also a star basketball recruit.
If there was anybody who was worthy of all the attention, it was Brown.
"He is so good, and he plays running back, a fairly easy position to adjust to in college," Rivals.com analyst Barry Every said. "No playershould have a more immediate impact in college than Brown. We also think he could have the most lasting impact. He is the leading rusher in Wichita history -he even had more yards than Barry Sanders - and he comes up big in big games like the U.S Army game, when he was named the MVP.
"He reminds me of Ronnie Brown, the current Miami Dolphins and former Auburn Tigers star. He has great overall size, above-average speed and excellenthands. Add that to great vision and a willingness to block, and you have a five-tool, every-down back."
That type of talent doesn't go unnoticed by college coaches, and the recruiting letters and scholarship offers poured in. But after watching his olderbrother go through the process, take visits to Miami, North Carolina, USC, Alabama and LSU and eventually sign with the Canes, Brown wanted to do things alittle bit differently.
CANES GET EARLY COMMITMENT
On Feb. 21, 2008, Brown decided to end the recruiting process early, calling Miami coach Randy Shannon and letting him know he was a Hurricane. The decision wasn't a shockerbecause he is extremely close with his brother and his parents wanted to see them play together in college.
What was a surprise was the timing. Brown essentially ended the process before it could get started.
"The first thing about it is that I've been feeling Miami spiritually for the past few weeks," Brown said at the time. "God was tellingme that this was the best decision for me, and everybody in my family was comfortable with it. I've been feeling this for a month now, and I think it'sa really good fit. It's the right decision for me."
Brown said he watched his brother go through the hectic recruiting process and believed making a decision early could reduce the amount of calls fromcoaches, reporters and questions about where he will be playing his college football in the future.
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1146/450317.jpg); background-repeat: no-repeat;">
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1146/450318.jpg); background-position: right bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
[size=+1]He was under the impression that we wanted him to do what Arthur did, but once he realized we wanted what was best for Bryce, it was like a 100-pound weight was taken off his shoulders.[/size]
[size=-2]- Bryce Brown's father, Arthur Sr., on Bryce's commitment to Miami[/size]
"I wasn't in a rush, it was more of a spiritual thing, but this hopefully will keep it from being too crazy," Brownsaid.Boy, was he wrong.
When he committed to Miami, Brown told Shannon he would take other official visits to make sure he made the right decision. That caveat immediately put astrain on a relationship that had been especially strong through the recruitment of his older brother.
"When he committed, he said he had been down there [on] numerous occasions, liked the school, the campus environment, the city itself, the people andhe was comfortable with the decision," said Arthur Brown Sr., Bryce's father. "He was comfortable with everything and said, 'I cancommit.'
"After doing so, he also told Coach Shannon he wanted to take all five of his visits. He went on every visit that Arthur went to. He got to visitplaces, like LSU, that when he went with Arthur they were looking at things from a defensive standpoint. There were some schools that interested him because hewas really curious about their offensive system, and he set out to visit those places."
That led him to take official visits in the fall to Missouri, Oregon and Clemson, but the plan was still in place for him to graduate early and enroll atMiami. That plan was the right one for Arthur, but his family could clearly see it wasn't the right one for Bryce.
"As time went on, we noticed that Bryce started to sleep a lot more," his father said. "He started to be real short as far as temperament. Itseemed like his demeanor was heavy. He was under a lot of stress. We didn't put our finger on it.
"Finally we had a meeting. We sat him down and talked to him to see where he was and why he was having all the tension and all the stress. We found outthat with all the class work, all the training and the big push on him finishing early, he seemed to lose the joy of being a senior."
Brown and his parents came up with a new plan that kept him in the Wichita area by taking some community college classes in the spring, delaying enrollmentat the college of his choice until next fall and, most important, getting a chance to enjoy more of his final year at home with his friends from highschool.
"He was under the impression that we wanted him to do what Arthur did, but once he realized we wanted what was best for Bryce, it was like a 100-poundweight was taken off his shoulders," Arthur Sr. said. "He began to eat more. He began to be more happy."
While his personal life was coming back into order, Brown was far from happy with his original decision to commit to play for the Hurricanes.
"He started to notice a lot of Missouri running backs were very productive compared to the production of Miami backs, who he felt had the bettertalent," Arthur Sr. said. "He thought it was the system they were running and he was concerned with that. So he started to look at other schools,Clemson and others. It threw up a red flag. It started to give … I wouldn't say an uneasy feeling, but a concern.
"I remember going down to Miami when they played Virginia Tech. They wanted to know how he felt, and Bryce's personality is very direct. If you askhim something, he's going to give his honest opinion on it. They wanted to know what he was thinking, and he just told them. He told them some of theconcerns he had with the lack of production of the offense versus some of the schools he's looking at. He basically came right and said if it were not forhis brother, he would not be considering Miami. He was blunt, but that was his honest opinion."
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
From that point on, what started out as a great relationship began to play out like an ugly divorce.
When it became clear Brown wasn't ready to sign on Feb. 4, the first day of the national signing period, the relationship became even more strained. OnFeb. 13 Brown took an official visit to Tennessee and a few days after that Florida media outlets reported that if Brown didn't sign by Feb. 18, when hisletter of intent expired, the Hurricanes would not re-issue another.
|
|
|
| |
| The Brown family liked the idea of Bryce joining his brother Arthur (pictured) at Miami. |
"They also mentioned Robert Marve, his name came up, and Iadmit it was a legitimate concern. There were some things that I understand from looking at it from the university's perspective. They just don't wantany negative attention. I understand that. That's perfectly understandable.
"So then they said that well, 'Coach Shannon was under the impression that Bryce has had enough time,' and, 'He should know by now what hewants to do.' "
Even with all the drama the family was still adamant Brown was still committed to the Hurricanes. They kept in communication on a regular basis with theMiami coaches and told them they were planning on using the final official visit to Coral Gables despite getting repeated requests from LSU to make hisscheduled Feb. 27 visit there official.
"The final visit was going to be to Miami and somebody made the comment that we could drive down there, get the mileage and then he could fly fromMiami unofficially," Arthur Sr. said. "I said 'No, that's not what we're going to do out of respect for Miami, Coach Shannon and thatentire program.'
"I felt like Bryce needs to make that last visit an official visit. We had planned it around a spring practice, so he could go in and really get avisual as to what Coach [Mark] Whipple's teaching style, type of system and type of offense he was running. I thought that would help Bryce see andunderstand the things that Coach Whipple tried to verbally express and explain to him."
But the visit never happened.
"In the end, I talked to Coach [Michael] Barrow and he told me that as it stood right then that Miami was no longer recruiting Bryce," Arthur Sr.said. "I told him well, 'Coach, Bryce is scheduled and planned on coming there on an official.' He talked about the feelings of Coach Shannon andthe pressure that he's under. He said that he feels they went above and beyond to accommodate Bryce in making a decision. They felt like he had enoughtime."
In the end, both Brown and his family have nothing negative to say about Miami and how it handled the process. They admittedly wish things would have workedout differently, but both parties had to do what was best.
"In my heart, Miami has always been the school," Arthur Sr. said. "My wife and I have always said we'd love to have Arthur and Brycetogether. But we wanted them to have their own individual process. We were going to support their process and whether or not they ended up turning out togetheror not, we'll let God lead them in the process.
"I've always been sold on Miami since day one. Miami always has my heart and soul. Miami is family. They're always going to befamily."
Brown agrees with his father.
"I'm a Cane," Brown said. "I love the Hurricanes. I'm going to be down there. I'm going to be a familiar face. As long as mybrother stays down there - he says he is - I'm going to be down there, too. I can get a direct flight to Fort Lauderdale, so Miami is going to see a lot ofBryce.
"It didn't work out the way we all thought it would when I originally committed, but things happen, and I believe God has a plan for all of us. Myoriginal plan was to go to Miami, but God's will changed that, and I know it worked out best in the end. I have nothing but respect for all of thosecoaches at Miami. They're going to always be family, because of everything that we went through."
IS BUTLER TO BLAME?
Brown has been ripped in the media more than perhaps any recruit in history, and many of the critics point to his relationship with Butler, hismentor/advisor, as the central reason why.
ESPN, The New York Times, CBS and countless other media outlets all piled on Butler, calling him everything from a hustler to a street agent because of theway he managed Brown's recruiting process.
|
| 
|
|
| |
| Brian Butler became a central figure in the Brown recruiting saga. |
In that same story Brown's high school coach alleged Butler told Brown to not work out with his high school teammates and to let up after he padded hisstats in the games. Then there were the rampant message board rumors that Butler was taking money from colleges to get Brown to sign with a specificschool.
Butler's involvement raised a lot of red flags, enough to get the NCAA's amateurism certification staff to visit Wichita late last month. While intown, the NCAA talked with several people close to Brown's recruitment, several local high school coaches and a former client of Butler's PotentialPlayers program.
The NCAA wouldn't comment on the specific investigation, but its amateurism certification office was created in 2007 to determine the amateur status ofdomestic and international freshman and transfer prospective student-athletes initially enrolling at NCAA Division I schools. The amateurism certificationsection is a different department from the NCAA's enforcement section, which often examines the recruitment of high-profile athletes.
Butler strongly defends the work he does and scoffs at the allegations he took money, pushed Brown toward a certain school or was involved with Brown forpersonal gain.
"Everything I do is 100 percent legit and is for the best interest of the kids I work with and train," Butler said. "I welcome the NCAA andanybody else to look into how we do things. When they see it, they'll see that we're about helping the kids and trying to help them reach their highestpotential."
Both Brown and his father are also quick to defend Butler.
"I wouldn't be here without Brian," Brown said. "He's helped me out a lot by organizing my workouts, setting up my college visits andhandling all of the media requests. He's been treated unfairly by a lot of people and it's taken a heavy toll on him emotionally. I can tell that. Butlike I said, God put this in place. Brian's been there 100 percent. Without him, none of this would be possible."
Arthur Brown Sr. said without Butler's help the recruiting process would have been impossible to navigate.
"To me and my wife having Brian there as an advocate and a buffer has really, really been helpful," Arthur Sr. said. "He's been a veryresourceful person. He knows what is legal, what is not legal. He's been a blessing.
"I don't really care what the people outside looking in think because he's family. We see him as family. They don't know. Unless you know,I'm speaking facts, it's all speculation and rumors. I don't respect people that speculate and speak rumors."
Brown's father said he was one of the people who spoke with the NCAA in Wichita. He said he isn't able to fully share what he talked with the NCAAabout but knows why it was there.
"With such a high-profile situation, I can understand why the NCAA would look," Arthur Sr. said. "I don't know what goes on inbasketball, but I hear they have some issues with that. They have every right to ensure everything is above the board. That is definitely something they shouldlook at. I would do it."
HAPPY ENDING ON ROCKY TOP
Back at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, it was clear Brown was thankful the process was finally completed.
"I really don't know where to begin," he said. "If you followed this recruiting process, you know it was a roller coaster. I didn'texpect it to turn out like this, but some things happened that I didn't expect. I had to come up with an alternative plan and that's what wedid."
|
|
|
| |
| Lane Kiffin sold Brown on the idea of a quick turnaround at Tennessee. |
"I love Coach Kiffin," Brown said. "A lot of people don't think Tennessee is going to turn around instantly. But that's not what isgoing to happen. Coach Kiffin thinks it's going to be turned around by tomorrow. He's pushing his coaches. He's pushing his players. I think he hasa lot of energy, and it's contagious."
Brown said he learned a lot about himself through the trials and tribulations, and he's a changed man because of what he went through.
"I'm depending on God in everything," Brown said. "Anything that happens, the whole way this thing played out, I believe God had apurpose. People talk about this whole process was about me.
"Really, it's a bigger picture. It was not about me. I think all kids should think about taking their time to make a spiritual decision. I feellike if God put you in a place, any trials and adversity that you have to deal with, he's going to get you out of it. So you need to make a spiritualdecision."
Brown's father also noticed the difference in his son.
"It showed him in search of any major big decision that can affect your life long term, that you can't compromise your beliefs, your values andyour standards," Arthur Sr. said. "I think that it has caused him to draw closer to searching out God's perfect will for his life in a moreearnest and fervent way. I see Bryce in his Bible. It has caused him to meditate on spiritual things and take to heart those things because they are what'simportant. It's taught him to not be swayed by outside influences of people that don't understand you.
"We're proud of how things turned out. He didn't let anybody dictate to him how he was going to handle his decision and his recruiting process.Sure there were some bumps along the way, but he's a better person because of this."
Brown has plans in the future on helping recruits better comprehend the recruiting process and make decisions for the right reasons.
"Everything that happened, I think it happened for a reason," Brown said. "God chose me to go through this. He set all this stuff in placefor a reason. I think I can help other recruits out. I came up with some goals and plans for the future. I plan on holding seminars, where I can talk torecruits and help them make spiritual decisions.
"Hopefully this will make it easier for them. I'm sure they will have to deal with some ups and downs like I did and it will be stressful. Buthopefully when they reach the end of the line, they can also sit back, relax for a little bit with their friends and family and smile about the decision theymade."
- 1,275
- 10
and knowin how lil u N'uckleheads like to read I got another one
[h1]Miami, USC cranking out NFL players[/h1]
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports Mar 16, 3:52 pm
Last month, USC cornerback Cary Harris leaned back in a chair at the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis and craned his neck to see Rey Maualugadoing an impromptu interview. Somewhere across the room, the Trojans' other star linebackers - Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews - were shuttling betweenseats, trading handshakes and smiles with NFL executives.
Four years earlier, this was exactly what Harris envisioned when he chose USC: musical chairs with the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick and New York Giants' Tom Coughlin. Maybe a breakfast with Bill Parcells squeezedin between. If USC is truly one of the league's prime football factories - and it undoubtedly is - then Belichick, Coughlin and Parcells are the primebenefactors, waiting at the end of an NFL draft assembly line with arms and checkbooks wide open.
Maualuga is one of the top defensive prospects this year.
(Kirby Lee/US Presswire)
"This is what you expect," Harris said, whirling back around after listening to Maualuga answer a few questions. In 2005, Harris was a high-schoolAll American who could have gone to any school in the country. He settled on USC, with an eye on this February day when he'd be doing meet-and-greets withcoaching royalty. "You know they have that [pipeline] to the NFL. This is where you dream of being. That's what the goal is. [USC] has put a lot ofguys there."
To be more precise, USC has had 56 players selected in the NFL draft in the last 10 years - 13 of those going in the first round. And that number hasballooned of late, with the last three years touting an average of almost nine USC players a season getting plucked by NFL teams. It likely won'tdisappoint this season, either. Twelve Trojans were invited to the combine, and at least 10 of those players are expected to be taken in the draft. QuarterbackMark Sanchez, Maualuga, Cushing and Matthews are all expected to be first-round picks, while Harris is hoping to creep into the second round.
With an eye on this moment, he clearly chose wisely. Despite many of its latest draft picks struggling to carve out stardom on the pro level, the Trojanshave established themselves as one of college football's most effective trampolines to the NFL. But they are hardly the only one.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 college football factories, and some of their raw NFL placement numbers …
1. Miami
Draft picks since 1999: 65
First-round picks:: 27
Highlights: RB Clinton Portis, RB Edgerrin James, WR Reggie Wayne, WR Santana Moss, S Ed Reed, WR Andre Johnson, RB Willis McGahee, TE Jeremy Shockey, TE Kellen Winslow, DT Vince Wilfork, LB Jonathan Vilma, LB .J. Williams, S Sean Taylor, RB Frank Gore
Lowlights: CB Mike Rumph, DE Jerome McDougle, DT Damione Lewis, DT William Joseph, DE Michael Boireau, WR Roscoe Parrish, WR Sinorice Moss
Skinny: The "elite" talent has waned recently, as Florida, Texas and USC have begun snatching away players Miami would havedeveloped and sent to the NFL seven or eight years ago. However, the Hurricanes' cache of players in the first half of this decade was unmatched.Miami's 27 first-round picks in the past 10 years nearly match the total NFL draft picks that perennial football factories such as Auburn andAlabama produced in the same time span. The only question is whether Miami's class from 1999-2008 is the greatest 10-year haul of talent in the history ofcollege football.
"I don't know how you would argue it," Portis said. "The teams in [2000 and 2001] were basically NFL teams. You had Pro Bowlers roomingwith other Pro Bowlers. Hell, some of the meeting rooms, if you took a picture, everyone in it would have been a first- or second-round pick. … You raised yourgame to stay on the field. You basically had to be an NFL [talent] if you were going to play."
2. Tennessee
Draft picks since 1999: 59
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: DT Albert Haynesworth, DT John Henderson, LB Al Wilson, T Chad Clifton, S Deon Grant, LB Shaun Ellis, RB Jamal Lewis, S Gibril Wilson, TE Jason Witten
Lowlights: CB Dwayne Goodrich, LB Eddie Moore, SJason Allen
Skinny: The Volunteers have produced a lot of top end defensive talent over the past decade, particularly in the program's peak from1999-2004. Names such as Haynesworth and Henderson and Ellis and Witten will attract the most attention, but Tennessee filled out its value by producing a lotof steady starting-caliber players in the NFL. Players such as defensive tackle Darwin Walker, guard Cosey Coleman and linebacker Omar Gaither have played quietly productive roles. It helps that Tennesseedidn't consistently produce a string of players who bombed at the next level. Even the guys who had struggles - such as wideout Peerless Price - balanced those out with some very productive seasons. Thebig knock from NFL insiders appeared to be discipline.
"Haynesworth wasn't the only one to come out of there [with issues]," an NFC personnel man said. "Between the two [defensive] tackles, tome, I thought Henderson was the crazy guy. There were a few of those types. I think [former coach Phil Fulmer] kind of relished that out-of-control edge withsome of those guys."
Holmes (No. 10) was Super Bowl XLIII's MVP.
(Kim Klement/US Presswire)
3. Ohio State
Draft picks since 1999: 70
First-round picks: 17
Highlights: CB Antoine Winfield, CB Nate Clements, DE Will Smith, WR Santonio Holmes, LB Na'il Diggs, DT Ryan Pickett, CB Chris Gamble
Lowlights: WR David Boston, LB Andy Katzenmoyer,RB Joe Montgomery, CB Derek Ross
Skinny: No college program produced more NFL draft picks over the past 10 years, and no team had a larger single haul than theBuckeyes' monstrous 14-pick class in 2004. How Ohio State didn't win more national championships over this span is anyone's guess, particularlygiven the program's absurd wealth of defensive talent. The Buckeyes were the preeminent producer of talent in the secondary over the last decade.
Maybe the only thing keeping them from taking the runner-up spot to Miami is the number of young players who have yet to hit their stride - linebackersA.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter, safety Donte Whitner and defensive end Vernon Gholston among others. If USC has a stranglehold on the NFL'sunderachieving young offensive talent, then Ohio State is its defensive counterpart.
4. Georgia
Draft picks since 1999: 56
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: CB Champ Bailey, DT Marcus Stroud, DE Richard Seymour, DE Charles Grant
Lowlights: QB Quincy Carter, DT JohnathanSullivan, LB David Pollack, LB Odell Thurman, T Matt Stinchcomb
Skinny: Despite producing 56 draft picks over the last 10 years, much of Georgia's elite talent has yielded feast or famine results onthe NFL level. While players such as Bailey, Stroud and Seymour are among the best at their position, Sullivan, Pollack and Thurman were all out of the NFLafter three years. But the hallmarks of the program in the scouting community are that it produces a lot of good, productive talent that is challenged at ahigh level in the Southeastern Conference.
Not every player is a future Hall of Famer like Seymour, or an epic bust like Sullivan. Instead, the middle-of-the-pack talent produces the solid qualitythat championships can be built upon: offensive tackles such as JonasJennings, Chris Terry and George Foster; linebackers Kendrell Bell, Will Witherspoon and Thomas Davis; and defensive backs Jermaine Phillips and Sean Jones. Unlike Miami, Ohio State and Tennessee, Georgia has gone througha dry spell at the top of the draft - no first-round picks since 2005. That will change with at least two (Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno) this year.
5. Florida State
Draft picks since 1999: 59
First-round picks: 13
Highlights: WR Laveranues Coles, DT Corey Simon, WR Anquan Boldin, S DexterJackson, S Chris Hope
Lowlights: DT Larry Smith, WR Peter Warrick, DEJamal Reynolds, S Derrick Gibson, DE Alonzo Jackson, DT Travis Johnson
Skinny: Despite fading from the dominance of the 1990s, Florida State continued to reap the benefits of a Florida prep base, leaving theprogram with ample talent for the NFL. It was particularly productive with linebackers, pumping out emerging NFL mainstays such as Ernie Sims, Lawrence Timmons and Kamerion Wimbley in recent years. But the Seminoles talent along theoffensive and defensive lines continues to be maddening to NFL talent hunters, as a "soft" ACC slate leads to finesse players who can't make thetransition. While evaluators seek players such as defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and offensive tackle Walter Jones, over the last decade they've often ended up with the likesof offensive tackle Alex Barron and defensive tackle Johnson.
"Their track record with linemen is bad," an NFC coach said. "They recruit guys on the offensive and defensive line who look great - reallycut, square physiques with not a lot of fat or flab. Those guys do well in the workouts, which is why when you go to the pro days, your staff can get fixatedon a guy who only looked OK on tape. [Defensive tackle Brodrick] Bunkley was one of those guys. He was solid on tape, but he worked out like a beast. … You geta lot of those guys [in the NFL] and they disappear when someone gets their hands on them. They look good physically, but they're soft when it comes to thefootball strength."
Young was relegated to being a bystander in '08.
(Brian Spurlock/US Presswire)
6. Texas
Draft picks since 1999: 38
First-round picks: 12
Highlights: RB Ricky Williams, DT Shaun Rogers, DT Casey Hampton, G Leonard Davis, CB Quentin Jammer, WR Roy Williams,CB Nathan Vasher, LB DerrickJohnson
Lowlights: T MikeWilliams, QB Chris Simms, DT Marcus Tubbs, RB Cedric Benson
Skinny: Despite lacking the bulk of overall picks of some college programs, Texas has made up for it in top-shelf talent. The last threeclasses - with a total of 18 picks - have yet to fully flesh out in the NFL, so the Longhorns have the potential to be in the top two or three on this list.But they are also hurt by the enigmatic performances/attitudes of guys such as Benson, quarterback Vince Young, safety Michael Huff and several others. But talent is hardly a concern amongst theNFL's personnel crowd. Instead, it's the flow of information.
"We don't get much help from [Longhorns coach] Mack Brown," an NFC coach said. "A lot of coaching staffs will deal with you and shareinformation on their guys, but he's not one of them. If I had a complaint about the way they do things, that would be it."
7. USC
Draft picks since 1999: 56
First-round picks: 13
Highlights: QB Carson Palmer, S Troy Polamalu, LB Lofa Tatupu, DT Mike Patterson, QB Matt Cassel
Lowlights: WR R. Jay Soward, G Travis Claridge, WR Keary Colbert, T Jacob Rogers, WR Mike Williams, DT Shaun Cody
Skinny: The jury is still out on USC's three most recent classes, which include a whopping 26 draft picks. That collection - and the2006 class in particular - has the potential to make or break this program as an NFL talent producer. Despite coach Pete Carroll's overwhelming successthis decade with USC, the program has never really lived up to expectations on the NFL level. The struggles of players such as Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and busts Williams and Dwayne Jarrett have marred a production level in the NFL that many assumedwould rival the Miami classes from earlier this decade. The good news for Trojans fans is that Carroll continues to recruit at an absurdly high level, andprovides open access to NFL teams.
"We could have someone in there anytime we want to see a player. They are about as open with the whole deal as you get," an AFC general managersaid. "Pete [Carroll] embraces that the NFL is part of life in his kind of program. Maybe that will change with [Mark] Sanchez leaving earlier than heexpected."
8. Michigan
Draft picks since 1999: 48
First-round picks: 8
Highlights: QB Tom Brady, G Steve Hutchinson, LB Ian Gold, T Jon Jansen, LB Larry Foote, T Jeff Backus, LB Cato June
Lowlights: WR David Terrell, WR Marquis Walker,TE Ben Joppru, CB Jeremy LeSueur, RB Chris Perry, G David Baas
Skinny: It remains to be seen how new coach Rich Rodriguez will fare, but the previous 10 years under Lloyd Carr's directionestablished a dependable NFL pipeline. Aside from the rare freak who tested out extremely well, Carr's Michigan teams had a reputation for guys who provedto be good players despite not being first-round picks. Amongst NFL personnel men, Carr's players had a history of interviewing very well and scoring highin football intelligence. Many also proved to be good in the locker room. One of the few complaints about the program was that Carr tended to be overlysecretive.
"Within the last few years, they had a first-round guy that we wanted to get in and see in their practices, and he refused," an NFC personnel mansaid. "It wasn't a first. He just didn't like the idea of letting [scouts] in. I think [Carr] had paranoia about that attention influencingplayers to leave early. … It never prevented us from getting an accurate [report] together, but it made it more difficult than it had to be."
9. Florida
Draft picks since 1999: 55
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: DE Jevon Kearse, LB Mike Peterson, WR Darrell Jackson, LB Andra Davis, CB Lito Sheppard
Lowlights: DT Reggie McGrew, LB Johnny Rutledge, WR Travis Taylor, WR Taylor Jacobs, TE Ben Troupe, WR Chad Jackson
Skinny: A program that has produced some nice talent and some ugly busts in fits and spurts over the past 10 years. The offensive talenthas clearly been the toughest part of the team to evaluate, with NFL franchises swinging and missing repeatedly on Florida wideouts, quarterbacks, andoffensive linemen. Receivers have been especially maddening. All of those players were recruits of coaches Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook, which relied heavily onfinding the best athletes and then fitting them into a system that didn't mesh well with NFL results.
Urban Meyer's recruiting classes are just now hitting the NFL level, but his spread scheme is expected to produce more of the same. The most dependableaspect of Florida's talent base has been the defense, which has produced a few good players (Kearse, Peterson and Sheppard) and a litany of solid ones(defensive end Alex Brown, safety Marquand Manuel and linebacker Channing Crowder). If it weren't for the total number of draft picks,Florida might not be in the top 10 at all.
10. Purdue
Draft picks since 1999: 32
First-round picks: 2
Highlights: QB Drew Brees, T Matt Light, LB Shaun Phillips, C Nick Hardwick, LB Rosevelt Colvin, DE Chike Okeafor
Lowlights: LB Gilbert Gardner
Skinny: Probably one of the more surprising schools, considering the lack of first-round picks and the comparatively small number of NFLpicks over the last 10 years. But coach Joe Tiller had a knack for producing solid, underrated players who often blossomed as they matured on the NFL level.Brees will always be known as the best player of Tiller's tenure, but players such as Light, Colvin and Okeafor all played pivotal roles on Super Bowlteams. While the Boilermakers offense typically drew the most attention, it was the talent around the skill positions that kept it on the NFL's radar.
"A lot of good linebackers," an AFC general manager said. "Almost none of them were guys that would measure out or [test] out athleticallyand you would be saying 'Whoa.' They were good players, mature seniors, who knew how to prepare and played their [butts] off. … Some of the offensiveguys could be tricky [to evaluate]. The defense was always real straightforward. You had a lot of middle-round guys who could step in and contribute, andprobably had a little [room] to get better."
BEST OF THE REST (Number of NFL players over the past 10 years in parenthesis)
Notre Dame (4
: Only three first-round picks and a generous number of low- to zero-impact talent on the NFL level. Defensive end Justin Tuck is the only major star to emerge from this program in adecade.
Virginia Tech (4: Four first-round picks in a lukewarm collection of talent. Its two biggest stars - quarterback Michael Vick and cornerback DeAngelo Hall - both came with character issues.
LSU (46): Nine first-round picks with several of the potential superstars (JaMarcus Russell, Devery Henderson, LaRon Landry) still finding their way in the NFL. A few years from now thiscould be a top five NFL producer.
Nebraska (45): Lost most of its luster and only produced two first-round picks in the past 10 years. Still, it has offered some underratedtalent: defensive end Mike Rucker, safety Mike Brown, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and kicker Josh Brown to name a few.
Smith, left, immediately became a starter for the Browns.
(Matthew Emmons/US Presswire)
Wisconsin (43): An NFC coach noted, "When [Barry Alvarez] was the coach, they had the worst conditioning of any major school."Nine first-round picks and some superb offensive talent (wideouts ChrisChambers and Lee Evans and tackle Joe Thomas) is tempered by super busts (tackle Aaron Gibson, defensive tackle Wendell Bryant and defensive end Erasmus James). Oklahoma (40): Produced quite possibly thebest player in the NFL in Minnesota Vikings running back AdrianPeterson. Also produced a ridiculous string of defensive busts (defensive end Dan Cody, cornerbacks Andre Woolfolk and Derrick Strait, and linebackers Torrance Marshall, Rocky Calmus and Teddy Lehman).
Cal (36): Six first-round picks, including shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha and rising quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Also produced character concerns in Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson
Virginia (35): The high picks are worth the wait. Only six first-rounders over the past decade, but they all look like big-time NFLplayers: defensive ends Patrick Kerney and Chris Long, running back Thomas Jones, tight end Heath Miller, and offensive tackles 'Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert.
Arizona State (33): Five first-round picks and some nice offensive line talent in offensive tackles Marvel Smith and Levi Jones. But they haven't produced a defensive player of consequencesince Terrell Suggs in 2003.
Iowa (31): Another underrated Big Ten program. Only three first-round picks, but a wealth of Pro Bowl talent - safety Bob Sanders, tight end Dallas Clark, guard Eric Steinbach, defensive end Aaron Kampman and kicker Nate Kaeding.
[h1]Miami, USC cranking out NFL players[/h1]
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports Mar 16, 3:52 pm
Last month, USC cornerback Cary Harris leaned back in a chair at the NFL's scouting combine in Indianapolis and craned his neck to see Rey Maualugadoing an impromptu interview. Somewhere across the room, the Trojans' other star linebackers - Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews - were shuttling betweenseats, trading handshakes and smiles with NFL executives.
Four years earlier, this was exactly what Harris envisioned when he chose USC: musical chairs with the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick and New York Giants' Tom Coughlin. Maybe a breakfast with Bill Parcells squeezedin between. If USC is truly one of the league's prime football factories - and it undoubtedly is - then Belichick, Coughlin and Parcells are the primebenefactors, waiting at the end of an NFL draft assembly line with arms and checkbooks wide open.
(Kirby Lee/US Presswire)
"This is what you expect," Harris said, whirling back around after listening to Maualuga answer a few questions. In 2005, Harris was a high-schoolAll American who could have gone to any school in the country. He settled on USC, with an eye on this February day when he'd be doing meet-and-greets withcoaching royalty. "You know they have that [pipeline] to the NFL. This is where you dream of being. That's what the goal is. [USC] has put a lot ofguys there."
To be more precise, USC has had 56 players selected in the NFL draft in the last 10 years - 13 of those going in the first round. And that number hasballooned of late, with the last three years touting an average of almost nine USC players a season getting plucked by NFL teams. It likely won'tdisappoint this season, either. Twelve Trojans were invited to the combine, and at least 10 of those players are expected to be taken in the draft. QuarterbackMark Sanchez, Maualuga, Cushing and Matthews are all expected to be first-round picks, while Harris is hoping to creep into the second round.
With an eye on this moment, he clearly chose wisely. Despite many of its latest draft picks struggling to carve out stardom on the pro level, the Trojanshave established themselves as one of college football's most effective trampolines to the NFL. But they are hardly the only one.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 college football factories, and some of their raw NFL placement numbers …
1. Miami
Draft picks since 1999: 65
First-round picks:: 27
Highlights: RB Clinton Portis, RB Edgerrin James, WR Reggie Wayne, WR Santana Moss, S Ed Reed, WR Andre Johnson, RB Willis McGahee, TE Jeremy Shockey, TE Kellen Winslow, DT Vince Wilfork, LB Jonathan Vilma, LB .J. Williams, S Sean Taylor, RB Frank Gore
Lowlights: CB Mike Rumph, DE Jerome McDougle, DT Damione Lewis, DT William Joseph, DE Michael Boireau, WR Roscoe Parrish, WR Sinorice Moss
Skinny: The "elite" talent has waned recently, as Florida, Texas and USC have begun snatching away players Miami would havedeveloped and sent to the NFL seven or eight years ago. However, the Hurricanes' cache of players in the first half of this decade was unmatched.Miami's 27 first-round picks in the past 10 years nearly match the total NFL draft picks that perennial football factories such as Auburn andAlabama produced in the same time span. The only question is whether Miami's class from 1999-2008 is the greatest 10-year haul of talent in the history ofcollege football.
"I don't know how you would argue it," Portis said. "The teams in [2000 and 2001] were basically NFL teams. You had Pro Bowlers roomingwith other Pro Bowlers. Hell, some of the meeting rooms, if you took a picture, everyone in it would have been a first- or second-round pick. … You raised yourgame to stay on the field. You basically had to be an NFL [talent] if you were going to play."
2. Tennessee
Draft picks since 1999: 59
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: DT Albert Haynesworth, DT John Henderson, LB Al Wilson, T Chad Clifton, S Deon Grant, LB Shaun Ellis, RB Jamal Lewis, S Gibril Wilson, TE Jason Witten
Lowlights: CB Dwayne Goodrich, LB Eddie Moore, SJason Allen
Skinny: The Volunteers have produced a lot of top end defensive talent over the past decade, particularly in the program's peak from1999-2004. Names such as Haynesworth and Henderson and Ellis and Witten will attract the most attention, but Tennessee filled out its value by producing a lotof steady starting-caliber players in the NFL. Players such as defensive tackle Darwin Walker, guard Cosey Coleman and linebacker Omar Gaither have played quietly productive roles. It helps that Tennesseedidn't consistently produce a string of players who bombed at the next level. Even the guys who had struggles - such as wideout Peerless Price - balanced those out with some very productive seasons. Thebig knock from NFL insiders appeared to be discipline.
"Haynesworth wasn't the only one to come out of there [with issues]," an NFC personnel man said. "Between the two [defensive] tackles, tome, I thought Henderson was the crazy guy. There were a few of those types. I think [former coach Phil Fulmer] kind of relished that out-of-control edge withsome of those guys."
(Kim Klement/US Presswire)
3. Ohio State
Draft picks since 1999: 70
First-round picks: 17
Highlights: CB Antoine Winfield, CB Nate Clements, DE Will Smith, WR Santonio Holmes, LB Na'il Diggs, DT Ryan Pickett, CB Chris Gamble
Lowlights: WR David Boston, LB Andy Katzenmoyer,RB Joe Montgomery, CB Derek Ross
Skinny: No college program produced more NFL draft picks over the past 10 years, and no team had a larger single haul than theBuckeyes' monstrous 14-pick class in 2004. How Ohio State didn't win more national championships over this span is anyone's guess, particularlygiven the program's absurd wealth of defensive talent. The Buckeyes were the preeminent producer of talent in the secondary over the last decade.
Maybe the only thing keeping them from taking the runner-up spot to Miami is the number of young players who have yet to hit their stride - linebackersA.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter, safety Donte Whitner and defensive end Vernon Gholston among others. If USC has a stranglehold on the NFL'sunderachieving young offensive talent, then Ohio State is its defensive counterpart.
4. Georgia
Draft picks since 1999: 56
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: CB Champ Bailey, DT Marcus Stroud, DE Richard Seymour, DE Charles Grant
Lowlights: QB Quincy Carter, DT JohnathanSullivan, LB David Pollack, LB Odell Thurman, T Matt Stinchcomb
Skinny: Despite producing 56 draft picks over the last 10 years, much of Georgia's elite talent has yielded feast or famine results onthe NFL level. While players such as Bailey, Stroud and Seymour are among the best at their position, Sullivan, Pollack and Thurman were all out of the NFLafter three years. But the hallmarks of the program in the scouting community are that it produces a lot of good, productive talent that is challenged at ahigh level in the Southeastern Conference.
Not every player is a future Hall of Famer like Seymour, or an epic bust like Sullivan. Instead, the middle-of-the-pack talent produces the solid qualitythat championships can be built upon: offensive tackles such as JonasJennings, Chris Terry and George Foster; linebackers Kendrell Bell, Will Witherspoon and Thomas Davis; and defensive backs Jermaine Phillips and Sean Jones. Unlike Miami, Ohio State and Tennessee, Georgia has gone througha dry spell at the top of the draft - no first-round picks since 2005. That will change with at least two (Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno) this year.
5. Florida State
Draft picks since 1999: 59
First-round picks: 13
Highlights: WR Laveranues Coles, DT Corey Simon, WR Anquan Boldin, S DexterJackson, S Chris Hope
Lowlights: DT Larry Smith, WR Peter Warrick, DEJamal Reynolds, S Derrick Gibson, DE Alonzo Jackson, DT Travis Johnson
Skinny: Despite fading from the dominance of the 1990s, Florida State continued to reap the benefits of a Florida prep base, leaving theprogram with ample talent for the NFL. It was particularly productive with linebackers, pumping out emerging NFL mainstays such as Ernie Sims, Lawrence Timmons and Kamerion Wimbley in recent years. But the Seminoles talent along theoffensive and defensive lines continues to be maddening to NFL talent hunters, as a "soft" ACC slate leads to finesse players who can't make thetransition. While evaluators seek players such as defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and offensive tackle Walter Jones, over the last decade they've often ended up with the likesof offensive tackle Alex Barron and defensive tackle Johnson.
"Their track record with linemen is bad," an NFC coach said. "They recruit guys on the offensive and defensive line who look great - reallycut, square physiques with not a lot of fat or flab. Those guys do well in the workouts, which is why when you go to the pro days, your staff can get fixatedon a guy who only looked OK on tape. [Defensive tackle Brodrick] Bunkley was one of those guys. He was solid on tape, but he worked out like a beast. … You geta lot of those guys [in the NFL] and they disappear when someone gets their hands on them. They look good physically, but they're soft when it comes to thefootball strength."
(Brian Spurlock/US Presswire)
6. Texas
Draft picks since 1999: 38
First-round picks: 12
Highlights: RB Ricky Williams, DT Shaun Rogers, DT Casey Hampton, G Leonard Davis, CB Quentin Jammer, WR Roy Williams,CB Nathan Vasher, LB DerrickJohnson
Lowlights: T MikeWilliams, QB Chris Simms, DT Marcus Tubbs, RB Cedric Benson
Skinny: Despite lacking the bulk of overall picks of some college programs, Texas has made up for it in top-shelf talent. The last threeclasses - with a total of 18 picks - have yet to fully flesh out in the NFL, so the Longhorns have the potential to be in the top two or three on this list.But they are also hurt by the enigmatic performances/attitudes of guys such as Benson, quarterback Vince Young, safety Michael Huff and several others. But talent is hardly a concern amongst theNFL's personnel crowd. Instead, it's the flow of information.
"We don't get much help from [Longhorns coach] Mack Brown," an NFC coach said. "A lot of coaching staffs will deal with you and shareinformation on their guys, but he's not one of them. If I had a complaint about the way they do things, that would be it."
7. USC
Draft picks since 1999: 56
First-round picks: 13
Highlights: QB Carson Palmer, S Troy Polamalu, LB Lofa Tatupu, DT Mike Patterson, QB Matt Cassel
Lowlights: WR R. Jay Soward, G Travis Claridge, WR Keary Colbert, T Jacob Rogers, WR Mike Williams, DT Shaun Cody
Skinny: The jury is still out on USC's three most recent classes, which include a whopping 26 draft picks. That collection - and the2006 class in particular - has the potential to make or break this program as an NFL talent producer. Despite coach Pete Carroll's overwhelming successthis decade with USC, the program has never really lived up to expectations on the NFL level. The struggles of players such as Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and busts Williams and Dwayne Jarrett have marred a production level in the NFL that many assumedwould rival the Miami classes from earlier this decade. The good news for Trojans fans is that Carroll continues to recruit at an absurdly high level, andprovides open access to NFL teams.
"We could have someone in there anytime we want to see a player. They are about as open with the whole deal as you get," an AFC general managersaid. "Pete [Carroll] embraces that the NFL is part of life in his kind of program. Maybe that will change with [Mark] Sanchez leaving earlier than heexpected."
8. Michigan
Draft picks since 1999: 48
First-round picks: 8
Highlights: QB Tom Brady, G Steve Hutchinson, LB Ian Gold, T Jon Jansen, LB Larry Foote, T Jeff Backus, LB Cato June
Lowlights: WR David Terrell, WR Marquis Walker,TE Ben Joppru, CB Jeremy LeSueur, RB Chris Perry, G David Baas
Skinny: It remains to be seen how new coach Rich Rodriguez will fare, but the previous 10 years under Lloyd Carr's directionestablished a dependable NFL pipeline. Aside from the rare freak who tested out extremely well, Carr's Michigan teams had a reputation for guys who provedto be good players despite not being first-round picks. Amongst NFL personnel men, Carr's players had a history of interviewing very well and scoring highin football intelligence. Many also proved to be good in the locker room. One of the few complaints about the program was that Carr tended to be overlysecretive.
"Within the last few years, they had a first-round guy that we wanted to get in and see in their practices, and he refused," an NFC personnel mansaid. "It wasn't a first. He just didn't like the idea of letting [scouts] in. I think [Carr] had paranoia about that attention influencingplayers to leave early. … It never prevented us from getting an accurate [report] together, but it made it more difficult than it had to be."
9. Florida
Draft picks since 1999: 55
First-round picks: 10
Highlights: DE Jevon Kearse, LB Mike Peterson, WR Darrell Jackson, LB Andra Davis, CB Lito Sheppard
Lowlights: DT Reggie McGrew, LB Johnny Rutledge, WR Travis Taylor, WR Taylor Jacobs, TE Ben Troupe, WR Chad Jackson
Skinny: A program that has produced some nice talent and some ugly busts in fits and spurts over the past 10 years. The offensive talenthas clearly been the toughest part of the team to evaluate, with NFL franchises swinging and missing repeatedly on Florida wideouts, quarterbacks, andoffensive linemen. Receivers have been especially maddening. All of those players were recruits of coaches Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook, which relied heavily onfinding the best athletes and then fitting them into a system that didn't mesh well with NFL results.
Urban Meyer's recruiting classes are just now hitting the NFL level, but his spread scheme is expected to produce more of the same. The most dependableaspect of Florida's talent base has been the defense, which has produced a few good players (Kearse, Peterson and Sheppard) and a litany of solid ones(defensive end Alex Brown, safety Marquand Manuel and linebacker Channing Crowder). If it weren't for the total number of draft picks,Florida might not be in the top 10 at all.
10. Purdue
Draft picks since 1999: 32
First-round picks: 2
Highlights: QB Drew Brees, T Matt Light, LB Shaun Phillips, C Nick Hardwick, LB Rosevelt Colvin, DE Chike Okeafor
Lowlights: LB Gilbert Gardner
Skinny: Probably one of the more surprising schools, considering the lack of first-round picks and the comparatively small number of NFLpicks over the last 10 years. But coach Joe Tiller had a knack for producing solid, underrated players who often blossomed as they matured on the NFL level.Brees will always be known as the best player of Tiller's tenure, but players such as Light, Colvin and Okeafor all played pivotal roles on Super Bowlteams. While the Boilermakers offense typically drew the most attention, it was the talent around the skill positions that kept it on the NFL's radar.
"A lot of good linebackers," an AFC general manager said. "Almost none of them were guys that would measure out or [test] out athleticallyand you would be saying 'Whoa.' They were good players, mature seniors, who knew how to prepare and played their [butts] off. … Some of the offensiveguys could be tricky [to evaluate]. The defense was always real straightforward. You had a lot of middle-round guys who could step in and contribute, andprobably had a little [room] to get better."
BEST OF THE REST (Number of NFL players over the past 10 years in parenthesis)
Notre Dame (4
: Only three first-round picks and a generous number of low- to zero-impact talent on the NFL level. Defensive end Justin Tuck is the only major star to emerge from this program in adecade.Virginia Tech (4
: Four first-round picks in a lukewarm collection of talent. Its two biggest stars - quarterback Michael Vick and cornerback DeAngelo Hall - both came with character issues.LSU (46): Nine first-round picks with several of the potential superstars (JaMarcus Russell, Devery Henderson, LaRon Landry) still finding their way in the NFL. A few years from now thiscould be a top five NFL producer.
Nebraska (45): Lost most of its luster and only produced two first-round picks in the past 10 years. Still, it has offered some underratedtalent: defensive end Mike Rucker, safety Mike Brown, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and kicker Josh Brown to name a few.
(Matthew Emmons/US Presswire)
Wisconsin (43): An NFC coach noted, "When [Barry Alvarez] was the coach, they had the worst conditioning of any major school."Nine first-round picks and some superb offensive talent (wideouts ChrisChambers and Lee Evans and tackle Joe Thomas) is tempered by super busts (tackle Aaron Gibson, defensive tackle Wendell Bryant and defensive end Erasmus James). Oklahoma (40): Produced quite possibly thebest player in the NFL in Minnesota Vikings running back AdrianPeterson. Also produced a ridiculous string of defensive busts (defensive end Dan Cody, cornerbacks Andre Woolfolk and Derrick Strait, and linebackers Torrance Marshall, Rocky Calmus and Teddy Lehman).
Cal (36): Six first-round picks, including shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha and rising quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Also produced character concerns in Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson
Virginia (35): The high picks are worth the wait. Only six first-rounders over the past decade, but they all look like big-time NFLplayers: defensive ends Patrick Kerney and Chris Long, running back Thomas Jones, tight end Heath Miller, and offensive tackles 'Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert.
Arizona State (33): Five first-round picks and some nice offensive line talent in offensive tackles Marvel Smith and Levi Jones. But they haven't produced a defensive player of consequencesince Terrell Suggs in 2003.
Iowa (31): Another underrated Big Ten program. Only three first-round picks, but a wealth of Pro Bowl talent - safety Bob Sanders, tight end Dallas Clark, guard Eric Steinbach, defensive end Aaron Kampman and kicker Nate Kaeding.
- 11,430
- 1,975
What Team's D-Line did he hold down?
- 7,137
- 481
Old Country BuffetOld Country Buffet
Florida Sports Buzz: UM football is spurned by UF; UM rejects FIU
/*
* Tell JavaScript how much of each type of content there is
*/
storyVideoCount = 0;
storyVideoBoxCount = 0;
storyVideoOldTypeCount = 0;
storyAudioCount = 0;
storyPhotoCount = 1;
storyPhotoGalleryCount = 0;
storyGoogleMapCount = 0;
storyMapBoxCount = 0;
Buy Photo
Alex Ehrenzeller, a UM student, pretends to be bitten by a Florida
gator statue outside the stadium on Saturday, September 6, 2008, in
Gainesville. The game, won by UF 26-3, will not be played again until
2013 when the teams will renew their rivalry at Dolphins Stadium.
CHARLES TRAINOR JR. / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Photo
WEB VOTE
Do you think UM should play UF in every football season?
var c_name = "mi_polls";
var c_value = "903=0;";
var c_days = "5";
var c_path = "/";
var already_voted;
var cookie = readCookie(c_name);
if (typeof(cookie) == 'string')
{
cookie = unescape(cookie);
var p_array = cookie.split(';');
var found = 0;
var new_val = "";
for(var x=0; x
Florida Sports Buzz: UM football is spurned by UF; UM rejects FIU
/*
* Tell JavaScript how much of each type of content there is
*/
storyVideoCount = 0;
storyVideoBoxCount = 0;
storyVideoOldTypeCount = 0;
storyAudioCount = 0;
storyPhotoCount = 1;
storyPhotoGalleryCount = 0;
storyGoogleMapCount = 0;
storyMapBoxCount = 0;
Buy Photo
Alex Ehrenzeller, a UM student, pretends to be bitten by a Florida
gator statue outside the stadium on Saturday, September 6, 2008, in
Gainesville. The game, won by UF 26-3, will not be played again until
2013 when the teams will renew their rivalry at Dolphins Stadium.
CHARLES TRAINOR JR. / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Photo
WEB VOTE
Do you think UM should play UF in every football season?
var c_name = "mi_polls";
var c_value = "903=0;";
var c_days = "5";
var c_path = "/";
var already_voted;
var cookie = readCookie(c_name);
if (typeof(cookie) == 'string')
{
cookie = unescape(cookie);
var p_array = cookie.split(';');
var found = 0;
var new_val = "";
for(var x=0; x
- 1,951
- 30
No college program produced more NFL draft picks over the past 10 years, and no team had a larger single haul than the Buckeyes' monstrous 14-pick class in 2004.
How Ohio State didn't win more national championships over this span is anyone's guess
Low blow
- 245
- 10
How Ohio State didn't win more national championships over this span is anyone's guess
Low blow
Cuz sweater vest's playbook is about as exciting as oatmeal. Please tell me how they couldn't win it with guys like Teddy Ginn, TroySmith, Hawk i could keep goin on.
3
39478
Guest
^^^^^I have to agree. Tressell's offense is just isn't that great.
And yes, I know Smith won a Heisman, but so did Eric Crouch...
And yes, I know Smith won a Heisman, but so did Eric Crouch...
- 4,857
- 14
Freddie Brown from USC is transferring here
- 6,807
- 2,211
The next great FSU LB. Better get with it
All-American
- 43,670
- 8,680
Originally Posted by jville819
The next great FSU LB. Better get with it
All-American
I'm mad that they won't let that boy grow to his natural weight/size though
At the end of the day, I think Nigel Carr ends up better than Nigel B.
- 1,951
- 30
Originally Posted by dr funk 13
^^^^^I have to agree. Tressell's offense is just isn't that great.
And yes, I know Smith won a Heisman, but so did Eric Crouch...
Im content with coach Tressel's offense. Im not pleased with coach Bollman's playcalling at times however.
The offense isnt that sole reason we only have 1 nat'l title the last 6 yrs though.
- 6,807
- 2,211
