Highly sought after recruit Jamarkus McFarland announced for Oklahoma on Christmas eve over Texas. But it wasn't for a lack of pulling out all stops that Texas lost out. Follow the link to read the NY Times account of this kid's recruitment..... it is and incredible saga that sounds like a script from "Caligula" at some points. And we wonder why these kids are sometimes misguided? www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/sports/ncaafootball/26recruit.html?_r=3&emc=eta1&pagewanted=all Here's an excerpt to pique your interest... from a party the Longhorn faithful brought him to during his recruitment...
That's certainly a very interesting saga. There's a least one point where I disagree with Mom. It's her depiction of Mack's backing off and his explanation for it. My interpretation is much different from hers, i.e., more complimentary toward MB for his assessment of the situation and his ensuing action. I have mixed feelings about the article. I'm sure that this is a good kid with a bright future who along with his Mom has worked hard to overcome some negative family history. On the other hand, as one without a dog in the fight, I do not paint TX in a negative light as the article seems to imply.The parties are put on by people who have no connection to MB or his staff and completely without MB's knowledge. Same with the parties at the other schools. Also, I take the Mom's negative comments about the TX coaching staff with a big grain of salt, given her leanings toward OK. She comes across to me as a very good woman and a great mom, but not the brightest bulb in the room. P.S. Nice job George on the link/excerpt format. You learn well. :wink: (Sorry, moderators. The devil made me say it. :wink: )
Agree Sid....there are big, debauched parties in every big city in the country hosted presumably by alums from some U, some where each and every weekend....ain't no big deal. I just want an invite! :twisted:
Sorry BT but I have a bit of trouble thinking that those kind of parties are appropriate for big money adults to throw for 17 and 18 year old kids. I guess I'm just a prude at heart. I'm not saying they do not go on lots of places, but it just doesn't sit right with me. But it was an interesting article.
Nowhere did I say it was appropriate nor was it stated that it was thrown for the kids.....my guess is that it was a crazy party thrown by somebody, who knew somebody, who knew somebody, who knew somebody, who knew the kids host for that weekend. My point is that there is nothing unusual about a crazy weekend party happening in Dallas or any of the other of big cities around the US. In fact, I would expect that there are many parties that take place in metropolitan areas that would make that one seem tame in comparison......it's a big country. :shock:
recruiting <t>I agree with Bill on this. It's a shame this stuff goes on anywhere. Sounds like the kid didn't know exactly what he wanted. Hopefully he gets his head screwed on right and realizes that there is a lot more to this than his future in the NFL. <br/> <br/> I wouldn't be surprised if he changed his mind again before signing day.</t>
This is pure fantasy, the young man has a deal with the NYT...he has to come up with juicy stuff. Just think about it, was it OU and Big Game Bob who didn't know their star qB at the time was earning 20K in the summer for not showing up for his job at a exotic car dealership? Yeah it was. OU is the school that has been on probation for illegal recruiting not Texas. Mack doesn't need to pull this kind of stuff, not for Jamarkus or Ryan Perraleaux or anybody. Good luck to the kid, but he's a liar of the first class. He no doubt wanted to top Willie Williams.
My point is simply this......I just don't believe that the crazy, wild party was thrown for the benefit of the recruit. I would submit that there was a party, the kid's host was aware of said party, knew someone, who knew someone and ended up at the party. Anybody on this board who thinks that their players - star or no - have not been to a wild and crazy party where scantily clad (or less than) women under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol have been in attendance, at minimum, is living in fantasy land......sounds no worse than Bourbn Street to me....bfd.
I would agree with BT that if there was a party it wasn't a recruiting party setup by Mack or a staff member. It was just a party. This isn't Colorado, and Mack is no Gary Barnett.
Clemson knows how to recruit better than anyone...just ask their 1981 national title team how they got them there. ;o)
"Clemson knows how to recruit better than anyone...just ask their 1981 national title team how they got them there. " Ask Charlie Pell he is the one that can tell you he set Danny Ford up the same way he set Steve Spurrier up. Without him neither one could have done what they did. As proven by their records at other schools.
Outback, Pell had been gone from Florida for 6 years before Spurrier came to Florida. What he did set up was a booster organization but his players were long gone by the time Spurrier got there. As to Spurrier, you forget that he won the ACC Championship while a coach at Duke. That is unheard of. Danny Ford won big the one year, Spurrier won consistently for 12 years at Florida, mostly with his own players.
They had a topic on Tigernet asking what your favorite Tiger FB moment/memory was....I jokingly replied "Danny Ford recruiting practices". Didn't go over so well. :wink:
Danny Ford: compiled a 96-29-4 (.760) record at Clemson, including a 6-2 bowl record. He was the third winningest coach in the country on a percentage basis after the '89 season. Ford also coached 21 All-Americans and 41 players who went on to play in the NFL, during his 11 seasons in Tigertown. During the Pell years, the University of Florida undertook several major facility improvements at Florida Field, including the construction of a world-class training facility (the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. Athletic Training Center), the construction of the South End Zone stadium expansion, and the construction of the first luxury skyboxes. Pell is credited by many with turning around the finances of Florida Football but at the same time condemned for being responsible for NCAA violations that put the Gators on probation for 5 years. Steve Spurrier# Won at least nine games in each of his 12 seasons at Florida, one of only three coaches in major college history with that record. # Averaged 10 wins per season. # Ranked in the top 15 nationally in each of his 12 seasons at Florida, including nine Top 10 finishes, five Top 5s and an average final ranking of 6.8. I stand partially corrected
I have to admit, South Carolina tried to cheat as well but of course we found a way to screw that up as well.
AJ, looks like you did a good job, got any more like these two? Outbound, Danny Ford had a pretty good record. I'm not sure I remember exactly why he left Clemson. If I remember right he was head coach at Arkansas? He didn't set the world on fire there, but I don't think Clemson has done better since he left either? Spurrier was head coach at the Tampa Bay Bandits where he was winning consistently until the league folded. Then he missed on the Florida job when Galhen Hall was interim Head Coach and didn't lose a game that season and was appointed permanent. Spurrier then went to Duke where he won the ACC and when Hall was let go, unfairly in my mind, Spurrier took over at Florida where he was very successful for 12 years. He left to coach the Washington Redskins which I kind of imagine to this day he regrets. When we had the vacancy after Zook was fired there are conflicting stories as to just what happened with Spurrier, bottom line is he ended up at S. Carolina and Meyer ended up at Florida. Spurrier hasn't been wildly successful at S. Carolina. I thought he would do better there. As to Pell, he set a lot of things in motion at Florida that have helped the Gators through the years, all you mentioned above as well as the booster organization. Then we were set back big time with the probation brought about under Pell. But we are now where we are, and my feelings is that we have been blessed with two of the best coaches in the NCAA, first Spurrier and now Meyer. Their approaches are a bit different but both did very well.
Oh, let me add that in Spurriers 12 seasons at Florida he won the SEC 6 times and had the best record his first year but since we were on probation from the NCAA for sins prior to Spurrier we weren't eligible to win that one. When the SEC implemented the Championship playoff Spurrier took his teams to the first five winning four of them. He made two more appearances before he left winning one of them. Appeared in two National Championship games thrashing FSU, my favorite, and being thrashed by Nebraska, a real downer, the year before, the 1995 season. That game with Nebraska is where I got to know AJ, during his younger years, and I think he still likes to say, Nebraska just scored again!
My younger brother was pretty tight with some of the Clemson people when Ford left and he told me some things that I will not post for two reasons. They are on a personal level. I cannot verify and will not spread rumors.