Kentavious Thomas decommits

[ShotgunDawg]

We are going with a 2 RB class, and this falls in line with Virgil and others. Our decision, not theirs.

The pay sites have been saying this guy wouldn't be part of the class since before the season.

[Homedawg]

The pieces are starting to take shape.

[HoopsDawg]

We are going with a 2 RB class, and this falls in line with Virgil and others. Our decision, not theirs.

The pay sites have been saying this guy wouldn't be part of the class since before the season.

Yeah, never made sense to take 3 RB's. He will probably end up at Louisville.

[Jacksondevildog]

Robertson has been saying this was in the plans for a while. Faulk and Jones said that it wouldn't happen.

[I seen it dawg]

Hope has a good career wherever he ends up. Unless with the MGKs

[Big4Dawg]

Robbie is saying this was his decision and not ours.

[engie]

Rosey has scooped them on this one. I like Paul better too -- but it's true. Still was dumb on Steve's part to put it out there in advance...

[msstate7]

Robbie is saying this was his decision and not ours.

Backtracking since rose bowl got it right?

[Homedawg]

Robbie is saying this was his decision and not ours.

Sounds better for pr for him and the kid, but incorrect information.

[HancockCountyDog]

Backtracking since rose bowl got it right?

He looks like a damn good RB to me, but I really don't care if it was our decision or his. Im not worried about RB at MSU for one second. If this was another position I would care, but RB? At MSU? Come on man....

On a side note, the fact that Steve was right about this, makes me think we should all run, not walk to church.

[HoopsDawg]

Robbie is saying this was his decision and not ours.

He either has to say that or admit he was wrong. People have a hard time admitting when they are wrong-human nature thought of the day.

[Homedawg]

Rosey has scooped them on this one. I like Paul better too -- but it's true. Still was dumb on Steve's part to put it out there in advance...

This^^^^. When he finally gets some info he has to share it w the world. Problem is, to much of the time the guy is wrong.

[defiantdog]

I knew this would happen when Trey decommited. This sucks cause Thomas can play.

[mic]

Gibson > Thomas.. This isn't that big a deal..
DL and / or OL will get this spot.. Which is a good thing..

[codeDawg]

Gibson > Thomas.. This isn't that big a deal..
DL and / or OL will get this spot.. Which is a good thing..

exactly. Seems like a great kid, but we'll fill his spot with a greater need than RB.

[Irondawg]

Personally I liked his video the best of our big backs. But Gibson is still very very good and I still think Dear ends up at RB so if we are going to lose somebody that was the spot to do it.

I'm going to be very interested to see who fills the spots that open up and see if our new national recognition helps us bring in a surprise high level player (like Fred Ross) late. While I hate making comparisons it is annoying to see our competition up north continually chasing and sometimes getting some 5-star talents. Would be nice to just be in the chase for 1-2.

[maroonmania]

I am just perplexed why we would supposedly take 3 different commitments of kids we weren't sold on (Virgil, Dureoun and Thomas) if that is indeed the case. I sort of understand Virgil given he doesn't really fit our system but the 2 GA guys don't really make much sense. And even with Virgil we knew he was not a prototypical QB for what Mullen wants when we took him so why?

[BrunswickDawg]

Well, I guess I wasted my time this fall writing Trey and Kentavious' game recaps...

[Big4Dawg]

Really weird quote from him:

"Mississippi State doesn't know me and I don't know them," Thomas said. "I know three coaches and we don't talk or anything. It seems like I'm that kid on the sideline that no one knows about, I'm just there. This has been going on since Big Dawg Camp."

[MetEdDawg]

Really weird quote from him:

"Mississippi State doesn't know me and I don't know them," Thomas said. "I know three coaches and we don't talk or anything. It seems like I'm that kid on the sideline that no one knows about, I'm just there. This has been going on since Big Dawg Camp."

If I remember correctly, he tweeted out something along these lines months ago about how he hadn't heard from us in a while. Something seems very odd here. I can't believe that we would hardly ever contact him after accepting his commitment. Something just seems off here IF in fact he's telling the truth and he hasn't had much contact at all with our staff.

[Irondawg]

If I remember correctly, he tweeted out something along these lines months ago about how he hadn't heard from us in a while. Something seems very odd here. I can't believe that we would hardly ever contact him after accepting his commitment. Something just seems off here IF in fact he's telling the truth and he hasn't had much contact at all with our staff.

Right, he said that during a dead period earlier this year and then said they got it all worked out because he didn't realize it was a dead period. His had been an odd recruitment indeed.

[Bothrops]

This is strange indeed. I like our other two guys though, Murphy looks fast for his size in his junior film. He runs really well.

[yjnkdawg]

I am just perplexed why we would supposedly take 3 different commitments of kids we weren't sold on (Virgil, Dureoun and Thomas) if that is indeed the case. I sort of understand Virgil given he doesn't really fit our system but the 2 GA guys don't really make much sense. And even with Virgil we knew he was not a prototypical QB for what Mullen wants when we took him so why?


Reference to Chason Virgil - He had said that Brian Johnson being hired had been a big factor in his commiting to MSU and both being from Texas. So apparently he was Johnson's pick. He also committed before Mullen got Tiano's commitment. I still fill for Chason, as he seemed like a really good kid and I hope he has a great football career.

[Todd4State]

Congrats to Rosebowl for getting this one right for a change. Even Mario Mendoza got a hit two out of every ten at bats.

That said, even though he was right I don't care for how Rosebowl handled it. When you put out information like that too soon, all it does is get fans to turn on a kid- and that's not right. This information could have waited until today. Rosebowl could and should have said that there will be some guys that may not be a part of the class, but they will be revealed later. THAT'S how you handle it.

But my biggest pet peeve with Rosebowl is him playing "coach" or "recruiting coordinator". I think he gets too personal with some of the recruits and there are certain ones he "likes" better than others. And I get that it probably happens in his business, but that doesn't give him the right to put down a kid that he "doesn't like" as much. Like last year- look at the Brandon Bryant saga. I remember at one point him saying "I like JT Gray better anyway"- well guess what? The staff took BOTH of them and now we have BOTH and BOTH are potential starters for us next year. Our safety situation is rough enough as it is- and it would be worse had Rosebowl run off Bryant. He did something similar with Grant Harris last year too- he was bringing up every single defensive line prospect other than Harris and saying that Harris needed to commit soon- all of this despite the fact that our coaching staff was well aware that Harris was going to commit on NSD week after all of his visits. And now Harris is one of our better DE prospects and will probably be a starter before his career is over for us. So, to be straight up honest- I'm usually worried when Rosebowl bashes a recruit and then they go somewhere else.

And now, you may be thinking that I am reaching here, but you have to ask yourself- why didn't Rosebowl treat Derouen, Virgil, Jarvis Wilson, Cam Myers, or Champion the same way? There were all essentially in same boat/situation as Thomas was in. Kentavious was the only one that he consistently mentioned by name. And on top of that, he said earlier in the season that grades were an issue with Kentavious until it was revealed that Thomas made the honor roll at his high school.

[Todd4State]

Reference to Chason Virgil - He had said that Brian Johnson being hired had been a big factor in his commiting to MSU and both being from Texas. So apparently he was Johnson's pick. He also committed before Mullen got Tiano's commitment. I still fill for Chason, as he seemed like a really good kid and I hope he has a great football career.

Dan and Brian need to get on the same page with QB recruiting. I'm guessing that's a "lesson learned" type deal for both of them.

I suspect what happened in Brian probably really like Virgil as a player and Dan said- "So, if we offer him now, you are sure that there is no one that can top him at Big Dawg Camp"? Brian I'm sure probably said yes and Dan signed off on it. And then Tiano showed up and Dan liked him better.

[Todd4State]

This is strange indeed. I like our other two guys though, Murphy looks fast for his size in his junior film. He runs really well.

I really like Tre Turner in the 2016 class. But he plays baseball too.

[Covercorner2]

The kid committed early. Then we acquired better RBs and developed larger needs. Therefore he became less of a priority so we quit "keeping him warm" or communicating with him. Doesn't sound that weird to me. Happens all the time.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Congrats to Rosebowl for getting this one right for a change. Even Mario Mendoza got a hit two out of every ten at bats.

That said, even though he was right I don't care for how Rosebowl handled it. When you put out information like that too soon, all it does is get fans to turn on a kid- and that's not right. This information could have waited until today. Rosebowl could and should have said that there will be some guys that may not be a part of the class, but they will be revealed later. THAT'S how you handle it.

But my biggest pet peeve with Rosebowl is him playing "coach" or "recruiting coordinator". I think he gets too personal with some of the recruits and there are certain ones he "likes" better than others. And I get that it probably happens in his business, but that doesn't give him the right to put down a kid that he "doesn't like" as much. Like last year- look at the Brandon Bryant saga. I remember at one point him saying "I like JT Gray better anyway"- well guess what? The staff took BOTH of them and now we have BOTH and BOTH are potential starters for us next year. Our safety situation is rough enough as it is- and it would be worse had Rosebowl run off Bryant. He did something similar with Grant Harris last year too- he was bringing up every single defensive line prospect other than Harris and saying that Harris needed to commit soon- all of this despite the fact that our coaching staff was well aware that Harris was going to commit on NSD week after all of his visits. And now Harris is one of our better DE prospects and will probably be a starter before his career is over for us. So, to be straight up honest- I'm usually worried when Rosebowl bashes a recruit and then they go somewhere else.

And now, you may be thinking that I am reaching here, but you have to ask yourself- why didn't Rosebowl treat Derouen, Virgil, Jarvis Wilson, Cam Myers, or Champion the same way? There were all essentially in same boat/situation as Thomas was in. Kentavious was the only one that he consistently mentioned by name. And on top of that, he said earlier in the season that grades were an issue with Kentavious until it was revealed that Thomas made the honor roll at his high school.

That's why for the life of me I can't see why people give them money to feed them this shit. That has to be the most hypocritical MSU site of all because if you attack the staff or say anything they deem negative, then you will be banned. But if Steve comes out and says something that they deem "breaking news", they don't care how it effects anything else besides the cred to their sheep. The last straw for me was their support for fatass DeVinner.

[yjnkdawg]

Congrats to Rosebowl for getting this one right for a change. Even Mario Mendoza got a hit two out of every ten at bats.

That said, even though he was right I don't care for how Rosebowl handled it. When you put out information like that too soon, all it does is get fans to turn on a kid- and that's not right. This information could have waited until today. Rosebowl could and should have said that there will be some guys that may not be a part of the class, but they will be revealed later. THAT'S how you handle it.

But my biggest pet peeve with Rosebowl is him playing "coach" or "recruiting coordinator". I think he gets too personal with some of the recruits and there are certain ones he "likes" better than others. And I get that it probably happens in his business, but that doesn't give him the right to put down a kid that he "doesn't like" as much. Like last year- look at the Brandon Bryant saga. I remember at one point him saying "I like JT Gray better anyway"- well guess what? The staff took BOTH of them and now we have BOTH and BOTH are potential starters for us next year. Our safety situation is rough enough as it is- and it would be worse had Rosebowl run off Bryant. He did something similar with Grant Harris last year too- he was bringing up every single defensive line prospect other than Harris and saying that Harris needed to commit soon- all of this despite the fact that our coaching staff was well aware that Harris was going to commit on NSD week after all of his visits. And now Harris is one of our better DE prospects and will probably be a starter before his career is over for us. So, to be straight up honest- I'm usually worried when Rosebowl bashes a recruit and then they go somewhere else.

And now, you may be thinking that I am reaching here, but you have to ask yourself- why didn't Rosebowl treat Derouen, Virgil, Jarvis Wilson, Cam Myers, or Champion the same way? There were all essentially in same boat/situation as Thomas was in. Kentavious was the only one that he consistently mentioned by name. And on top of that, he said earlier in the season that grades were an issue with Kentavious until it was revealed that Thomas made the honor roll at his high school.

THIS and this is really sad, when someone's reporting hurts or is detrimental to a potential recruit, a recruit or a commitment. I guess the name of the game can be described as money (more subscriptions) and maybe some ego factor thrown in as well.

[RiverCityDawg]

You folks that think Rosebowl or any other fan-site guy has an impact on what school a recruit chooses or doesn't choose need to step away from the message boards for a while... You're making the rest of us look crazy.

[engie]

You folks that think Rosebowl or any other fan-site guy has an impact on what school a recruit chooses or doesn't choose need to step away from the message boards for a while... You're making the rest of us look crazy.

Ahhh -- the whole "it doesn't matter" approach. We've got multiple examples of both their parents posting on message boards and the recruits themselves saying it matters. That's more proof than you can come up with in 10 lifetimes "that it doesn't matter"...

[Todd4State]

You folks that think Rosebowl or any other fan-site guy has an impact on what school a recruit chooses or doesn't choose need to step away from the message boards for a while... You're making the rest of us look crazy.

Let's say a recruit doesn't read Genespage. Let's also assume that our fans read Genespage. I think you can agree to that scenario.

OK- here's how it impacts recruiting without a recruit reading the board. Hypothetically- because as engie said there are multiple examples of recruits and their parents reading message boards, but for the sake of argument I'm going to show you how it affects recruiting without a recruit reading a message board.

Our fans see Rosebowl, who is being paid to write recruiting information, say Todd4State will not be in our recruiting class. He has grade issues, and there are concerns about his cutting ability.

Our fans then begin to talk to other MSU fans who ask Paul or Robbie or even say something at the tail gate- "hey, I hear Todd4State isn't going to make it or be a part of the class." Eventually, word gets around to Todd4State who is wondering what the heck is going on and why so many people are saying that he isn't going to be in the class. Todd4State decides that if enough people are saying it, odds are it's true and that he needs to do the CYA method and go to Louisville.

THAT'S how it happens. Now, you may think that is crazy, but that's what can happen.

And you can say, "well, Todd4State should have talked to the coaches". If 50 people are all saying the same thing and the coaches are telling me something different, it's going to make me wonder if I can trust the coaches. And even if the coaches are telling me the truth, it's going to look like MSU people don't want me on the team for whatever reason- so why should I bust my tail for them?

[Todd4State]

That's why for the life of me I can't see why people give them money to feed them this shit. That has to be the most hypocritical MSU site of all because if you attack the staff or say anything they deem negative, then you will be banned. But if Steve comes out and says something that they deem "breaking news", they don't care how it effects anything else besides the cred to their sheep. The last straw for me was their support for fatass DeVinner.

I don't understand why Dan hasn't put a stop to it. Or Stricklin or somebody. All they would have to do is cut off their access.

[RiverCityDawg]

Ahhh -- the whole "it doesn't matter" approach. We've got multiple examples of both their parents posting on message boards and the recruits themselves saying it matters. That's more proof than you can come up with in 10 lifetimes "that it doesn't matter"...

Fair enough. I'll settle for one example where a recruit didn't choose a school because of what Rosebowl, Gene, Paul, Yancy, etc said about them. Not that they didn't hear about something said or didn't like what someone said, but it actually swayed where they went. I'm not taking about the random folks that post extremely derogatory stuff or tweet to recruits and call them cheaters. I'm talking about these "experts" and their bones/tidbits/biscuits predicting/guessing what will happen or their opinion on certain recruits.

[I seen it dawg]

IF it could potentially hurt then why not avoid it? It is kind of like being a kid and the saying if you have to think about whether something is right or wrong then it's probably wrong and don't do it.

[Todd4State]

Fair enough. I'll settle for one example where a recruit didn't choose a school because of what Rosebowl, Gene, Paul, Yancy, etc said about them. Not that they didn't hear about something said or didn't like what someone said, but it actually swayed where they went. I'm not taking about the random folks that post extremely derogatory stuff or tweet to recruits and call them cheaters. I'm talking about these "experts" and their bones/tidbits/biscuits predicting/guessing what will happen or their opinion on certain recruits.

Do you really think a recruiting reporter- especially one that likes to claim that he "helps kids" like Rosebowl would include that in a recruiting story about a guy de-committing? "Well, he claims it was because of what I said in my bones."

And the players are not going to admit that because even if that was the case because it's just a heck of a lot easier to move on. Well, except for maybe CJ Johnson.

Usually it's not what is said directly by a reporter- although Rosebowl came pretty damn close with Bryant last year until Deshea and Hughes patched things up- but it's the collateral damage. See my example in my post above.

[mic]

Rosebowl hurts MSU more than he helps, and it's not even close..

[engie]

Fair enough. I'll settle for one example where a recruit didn't choose a school because of what Rosebowl, Gene, Paul, Yancy, etc said about them. Not that they didn't hear about something said or didn't like what someone said, but it actually swayed where they went. I'm not taking about the random folks that post extremely derogatory stuff or tweet to recruits and call them cheaters. I'm talking about these "experts" and their bones/tidbits/biscuits predicting/guessing what will happen or their opinion on certain recruits.

Experts shape perception. Perception shapes reality. Todd has already broken that down for you about as clearly as it can be done. You are hedging your bet conveniently now. The most "honest" viewpoint recruits can possibly find about different fanbases are on websites exactly like this one. Everyone is kissing their ass to their face. Anyone looking for "reality" in recruiting is going to look online -- while it may not accurately reflect, it's certainly closer than what they are told to their faces. Know how easy it is for these kids to set Google Notifications on their phone and get pushed a link everytime their names are mentioned online? We've got Jason Croom's mom at SPS on the record with that...

[RiverCityDawg]

Experts shape perception. Perception shapes reality. Todd has already broken that down for you about as clearly as it can be done. You are hedging your bet conveniently now. The most "honest" viewpoint recruits can possibly find about different fanbases are on websites exactly like this one. Everyone is kissing their ass to their face. Anyone looking for "reality" in recruiting is going to look online -- while it may not accurately reflect, it's certainly closer than what they are told to their faces. Know how easy it is for these kids to set Google Notifications on their phone and get pushed a link everytime their names are mentioned online? We've got Jason Croom's mom at SPS on the record with that...

Thanks. That's what I thought.

[engie]

Thanks. That's what I thought.

If it was "what you thought", you wouldn't have made your dumb ass comment that required an explanation in the first place.

[HoopsDawg]

I don't understand why Dan hasn't put a stop to it. Or Stricklin or somebody. All they would have to do is cut off their access.

All of those guys can help recruiting. You need to work with them not shut them out. O worked great with yancy and the boys. Freeze does too. Steve and Paul talk to these kids way more than Mullen does b/c of NCAA rules.

[Todd4State]

All of those guys can help recruiting. You need to work with them not shut them out. O worked great with yancy and the boys. Freeze does too. Steve and Paul talk to these kids way more than Mullen does b/c of NCAA rules.

I totally agree with you on this. And honestly, that's how it should be. BUT it's just not like that with us. Our recruiting reporters- all of them- do not openly recruit for us.

Paul is very professional and straight forward. Which is fine- because that's why I enjoy reading his site and what he puts out. Neal McCready sort of serves that purpose for Ole Miss when he isn't going off on a homer tangent like he did on Gus Mahlzahn last year.

Honestly, I think Rosebowl is a little bit intimidated by Yancy. He won't admit it. But I think he knows Gene and scout won't back him- so I don't totally blame Steve. The reason I say that is because Scout obviously caters to Ole Miss more than MSU. Look at how quickly they rank Ole Miss players and how it takes Gene an act of congress to even get them to look at some of our players. Rosebowl was pretty much Ole Miss's rodeo clown during the Army AA debacle of 2011. So, if Rosebowl actually tried to start recruiting for us I could see where it could lead to some problems for him. And if we're all honest with ourselves Rosebowl would probably screw it up anyway if he tried to recruit for us.

[RiverCityDawg]

If it was "what you thought", you wouldn't have made your dumb ass comment that required an explanation in the first place.

I asked for one example and I got a hypothetical "maybe this could happen". You would think it would be easy to pull one specific player out of a list to last 10 lifetimes.

Over the course of all that happens during any given player's recruitment, what Scout, 247 or rivals predicts about their eventual destination, says about their grades or skill level is not even a speck on the radar.

[maroonmania]

And on top of that, he said earlier in the season that grades were an issue with Kentavious until it was revealed that Thomas made the honor roll at his high school.

So is Thomas likely to be a qualifier? Just wondering because I have seen other places on the net where people thought he was going to be a sign and place guy even if he signed.

[Todd4State]

I asked for one example and I got a hypothetical "maybe this could happen". You would think it would be easy to pull one specific player out of a list to last 10 lifetimes.

Over the course of all that happens during any given player's recruitment, what Scout, 247 or rivals predicts about their eventual destination, says about their grades or skill level is not even a speck on the radar.

Jason Croom

[Todd4State]

So is Thomas likely to be a qualifier? Just wondering because I have seen other places on the net where people thought he was going to be a sign and place guy even if he signed.

Paul did say that he was a sign and place possibility. Apparently he made the honor roll recently so I don't if that's class related or what. And it might be that they were going to sign and place him if they thought he needed an extra year to develop and get some action in JUCO.

So, it sounds like it was going to be a wait and see type of situation.

[engie]

Jason Croom

already mentioned and ignored...

[sandwolf]

Paul did say that he was a sign and place possibility.

Wait, so how is this any different than Steve saying that grades might be an issue?

[Todd4State]

Wait, so how is this any different than Steve saying that grades might be an issue?

Because Paul revealed that information today after the fact and instead of calling out Kentavious by name for months on end, he would say something like "2 or 3 recruits are possibly going to be sign and placed."

It's not just about the information that is known. It's also about when it is revealed and the timing that the information is put out to the public.

Rosebowl gets a lot of stuff right- more than he gets wrong. I'm actually not too down on him when he gets things wrong- it happens to everybody, although he tends to face more wrath because the times he is wrong he can't admit it- and desperately tries to make it look like he somehow knew what was going on the whole time.

I think this is a case of him using deductive reasoning more than anything here. We had three running backs committed- and now there is a possibility that Dear may become a RB as well. If you are going to lose a member of a class, it's usually going to come from surplus. That said, I think he is wrong that the coaches were going to cut him. More than likely I believe that Thomas was going to be allowed to stay in the class assuming he made his grades and became eligible. My guess is he freaked out or felt left out because the coaches apparently haven't talked to him in awhile (per Thomas himself) and also probably because of what happened to his friend Derouen, and yes based on what others were saying might happen to him. Normally, if Dan cuts a recruit, he has the position coach call and handle it. That's what happened to Liggins in Oxford and also to Virgil this year. But our coaches are not going to just not talk to a player and then all of a sudden pull a players scholarship where he has no options to go somewhere else.

[RiverCityDawg]

Jason Croom


MZTERRY 193 posts Aug 20, 2011
dawgbone33 said... (original post)
To the poster MZ Terry, I do not know if you are really Jason Croom's mother but from your post it certainly looks like you are.
Going on that, you said this:
"Would he be #4 or 5 going into MSU or much higher at UT? Even a poster here stated that MSU really didn't need Jason. It wasn't a major blow losing him. I respect that, and we felt the same way. He fit the program, but he wouldn't be major there."
I and many MSU fans totally disagree! It would be a MAJOR blow to lose Jason. Here's why. We do not have any WR's with Jason's size & skill on the roster. That's why he was clearly MSU's #1 priority at WR this season, certainly not #4 or #5.
Sure, MSU has several WR's on the roster, but none that can do the things he can do. Other than Jason, MSU has exactly ONE WR taller than 6-2, Joe Morrow, and he's a true freshman. The rest are all the smallish quick type.
Chad Bumphis 5-10, Brandon Heavens 5-10, Ricco Sanders 6-0, Jameon Lewis 5-9, Michael Carr 6-0. Perhaps our 5 best wideouts are all under 6 feet tall and weigh around 200 lbs.
Tennessee, on the other hand, has a lot of WR size & depth. Both Justin Hunter & Da'Rick Rogers are tall WR's, 6-4, 220 lb. type guys. And, are young.
So, in my opinion, Jason Croom fits our program, he's the perfect big WR for the spread offense, and would absolutely positively without a shadow of a doubt be major here.
Now, Tennessee may be in his heart. If so, then I hope he follows it all the way to Knoxville and has a wonderful career. But, I just hope that choosing the Vols wasn't for the wrong reasons. Given their desperate need for TE's and the fact they run a pro style offense, I fully expect Jason to be asked to play TE very early.
I close with this. Watch both offenses this fall. Look at who is out there at WR for both. Watch the situation with the NCAA closely. Don't rule out MSU.
Hey darlin'
The past few days have been crazy... I do sooo appreciate and respect your concern and comments. You've said some things which I won't tell the specific that were never told to me.
There were some underlined concerns that I couldn't work out on my end and I didnt feel at home with MSU. I felt like a visitor.
I'm I apologize to having to compare, but I felt pushed off at many of the schools we visited. Miami, I LOVE their coaching staff... they were very personalable, they showed me everything I wanted to see, they had the stats laid out for me when I walked through the door. Tenneessee did the exact same thing plus some.. it was like they had cameras on the car as we pulled on campus. Whether it was staged or not.. i dont know, but LORD have mercy.... Jason was lagging behind me as I walked in the door. They had spoken to me on the phone but had never seen me prior to; "Hey Ms. Kay" where's are boy, coming on in.. I have this this and this ready for you to review. This day is yours... tell us specifically what you need to know and see right now. we have a schedule but we dont need to follow it to a Tee if thats' not what you want.
Every question and concern that I had regarding my son was answered specifically. I know being a TE is possibility, but I've made it clear where I stand with that without dictating how they run their program.
UT got to know my entire family. they took time to stay in contact with Jason's coach, FBook with me all the time; I pick up the phone and voice my concerns; they're addressed and we move on; they keep their finger on Jason like his father would.
In regards to MSU coaching staff: what I know of them, they're nice professional people, I have only spoken to Mirando I believe 2x on the phone and once for a few minute while I was down there. I spoke to Mullen 1x on the phone and 1x at the end of visit down there, and he fbook me as we got closer to committing day. Knox fbook every couple of weeks and ask how we're doing, but I don't know him either. I have daughter the same age as Mirando....and Jason felt like that's his roadie; let's go hang out... If Jason was their #1 kid they told him that not me or my husband. I dont have that relationship with them. I'm black and white...no gray area for me. I dont know what you're thinking until you open your mouth.
I left the door open for my son swing in the direction he felt most comfortable in. MSU had 90% of what we wanted in a school; no doubt, but the missing 10% were my concerns that could not be addressed.
We had even discussed revisiting both schools before the 18th. So happen we went to Michigan on vacation and passed by UT and decided to drop in unannounced. Looking crazy coming off the road... I told the assistant who I was and bombarded with love; like a long lost cousin... Hey Ms. Kay... "JCROOOOOMM" yelling through the halls.. U didn't tell us u were coming but it's cool.. is everything good.?" We just dropped by because they were right there off the highway we were on and my husband hadn't seen the campus.. no other reason. Dooley came out met my hubby, CB hugged Jason like it's his grandson. TJ made me and my husband like cousins.. Deal closers. I never felt as if they were selling me anything like I felt at many of the other schools that we had visits with.
Now if UT is staging and lying to me... they have a poker face that I need to learn.
I respect MSU fans and appreciate you all so much. Thank you for the concerns.
MZterry

[maroonmania]

Because Paul revealed that information today after the fact and instead of calling out Kentavious by name for months on end, he would say something like "2 or 3 recruits are possibly going to be sign and placed."

It's not just about the information that is known. It's also about when it is revealed and the timing that the information is put out to the public.

Rosebowl gets a lot of stuff right- more than he gets wrong. I'm actually not too down on him when he gets things wrong- it happens to everybody, although he tends to face more wrath because the times he is wrong he can't admit it- and desperately tries to make it look like he somehow knew what was going on the whole time.

I think this is a case of him using deductive reasoning more than anything here. We had three running backs committed- and now there is a possibility that Dear may become a RB as well. If you are going to lose a member of a class, it's usually going to come from surplus. That said, I think he is wrong that the coaches were going to cut him. More than likely I believe that Thomas was going to be allowed to stay in the class assuming he made his grades and became eligible. My guess is he freaked out or felt left out because the coaches apparently haven't talked to him in awhile (per Thomas himself) and also probably because of what happened to his friend Derouen, and yes based on what others were saying might happen to him. Normally, if Dan cuts a recruit, he has the position coach call and handle it. That's what happened to Liggins in Oxford and also to Virgil this year. But our coaches are not going to just not talk to a player and then all of a sudden pull a players scholarship where he has no options to go somewhere else.

You also don't fail to even communicate with a recruit if you truly want him either. If what Thomas is saying is true its almost like we were hoping he would decommit by ignoring him. If he's borderline academically to qualify and was not getting any reassurance from our coaches about his status in our class I can't blame him a bit for not waiting for the shoe to drop. But now that is assuming that he was really not being communicated with by our coaches in a reasonable way and I have no reason to think Thomas would lie about that. When you are "not being shown the love" (as Danley would say) there is usually a good reason for it.

[thf24]

You also don't fail to even communicate with a recruit if you truly want him either. If what Thomas is saying is true its almost like we were hoping he would decommit by ignoring him. If he's borderline academically to qualify and was not getting any reassurance from our coaches about his status in our class I can't blame him a bit for not waiting for the shoe to drop. But now that is assuming that he was really not being communicated with by our coaches in a reasonable way and I have no reason to think Thomas would lie about that. When you are "not being shown the love" (as Danley would say) there is usually a good reason for it.

I'm not sure what to think. I'm pretty sure I remember Thomas tweeting in the spring that the coaches weren't talking to him enough. I could see us using the tactic you describe now, but not so much at that point. Not sure whether to believe that was really our angle, or if Thomas is the type that defines "communication with coaches" as three phone calls a day every day. Unlike some schools in close proximity to us, that just doesn't seem like a game we play or the type of personality we like to recruit. Like I said though, I have no idea what to think and am not making any judgments.