Keith Holcombe flips to Alabama [Archive]

Big4Dawg

07-30-2013, 03:24 PM

"I wanted them to hear it from me in person so I could look them in the eye and let them know it was a firm commitment until I get a better offer."

"Of all the places I visited, besides Alabama, I was most comfortable at Mississippi State. It was the best fit for me, besides Alabama, and the main thing with my decision was finding a place where I felt at home, well, unless Alabama offers and I can stay at home. For me and my family, we all though that best fit was at Mississippi State."

bocfarm

07-30-2013, 03:24 PM

Tough luck on that one...he's gonna be a beast

The Croom Diaries

07-30-2013, 03:29 PM

Mullen's recruiting...LOOKIN GOOD

If we can't go into the two-time defending national champions back yard and steal a recruit from the best recruiter in the country, then who needs Mullen? I mean, who cares that they have as many national championships as we do bowl games, we are Mississippi State and should get each recruit we offer.

Yeah, that's pretty sound logic.

Coach34

07-30-2013, 03:30 PM

Mullen's recruiting...LOOKIN GOOD

The kid's Dad played at Alabama...shit happens

Lots of good-looking LB prospects left

engie

07-30-2013, 03:31 PM

It's a linebacker... We will be just fine at the position... Hate to lose him, but it is what it is...

Lock up Gerri Green and we're fine...

ckDOG

07-30-2013, 03:35 PM

I assume the staff knew this was likely and has been preparing for the de-commitment. 4 star legacy that lives in Tuscaloosa. Yeah, that one is going to take a Bama offer when it's out there...

TexasDawg

07-30-2013, 03:36 PM

Mullen's recruiting...LOOKIN GOOD

From Holcombe:

"I appreciate the opportunity Mississippi State offered me and they really did a great job in the recruiting process. I want to thank Coach Collins and Coach Mullen and the staff for all they did to make me and my family feel welcome. I made some really good friends and met some great people (at MSU)."

"Like I said previously, it has always been my dream to play football in the SEC. Since I've grown up here in Tuscaloosa and my dad played for Coach Bryant, to put on the same uniform as my dad did is something I can't even put into words.When that opportunity presented itself, it was one I couldn't refuse. I realize I am extremely lucky to be in this situation and I appreciate my family, my teachers and my coaches for all they have done to help me reach this point."

"My complete focus is now finishing my senior year at Hillcrest the right way, both on and off the field."

Still blame Mullen?

MarketingBully01

07-30-2013, 03:47 PM

ShotgunDawg

07-30-2013, 03:47 PM

Is it me or does it seem like every recruit in Alabama has a relative that played for Alabama? Even when I have no idea that a kid has a relative that played for Alabama, it seems you then later find out that they do.

Tough luck on this one, perhaps we will get Malik Newman for the same reasons. Stuff like this hopefully evens out in the long run.

rtdawg

07-30-2013, 03:48 PM

Sucks....It's July so maybe Bama will end up not having room for him.

camsu

07-30-2013, 03:49 PM

So we have Cooper -- working on Green and hoping to flip Moore. Still have 2 or 3 others on the Board. LB still looks to be a huge positive this yr. I actually think this helps with Moore and we will get 3

engie

07-30-2013, 03:50 PM

mic

07-30-2013, 03:51 PM

Class statement by the kid..
Only issue I have is he shouldn't have committed to us so soon.

mic

07-30-2013, 03:59 PM

we are deep at LB and talented for the next few years.. Like Engie said lock up Green and Holcombe spot probably goes to Shareef White now..

Coach34

07-30-2013, 04:05 PM

White is a pretty damn good consolation prize

mic

07-30-2013, 04:09 PM

White is a pretty damn good consolation prize

I bet he commits before the season starts..

Dawg61

07-30-2013, 04:11 PM

They can have him if we can have Marlon Humphrey

601Dawg

07-30-2013, 04:23 PM

White is a pretty damn good consolation prize

Not sold on a 5'11" LB he just doesn't seem to fit the mold of LBs we have had from KJ White Cam, mcKinney, Beni, Wells, Richie, Dez Harris

Todd4State

07-30-2013, 04:34 PM

The real question is what took idiot Saban so long to offer him? If we had got him and he turned into a beast like most think he will, that would have looked very unfavorable on Saban more then Mullen. It's like Freddie Millons choosing to play at Alabama instead of MSU. I still don't know how we lost him...Point being, if a player is in your back yard and he is a great player, you have to go after him.

Saban assumed that he could get him at any time probably. Holcombe pretty much forced his hand. Good move on Holcombe's part if you ask me.

Coach34

07-30-2013, 04:35 PM

Not sold on a 5'11" LB he just doesn't seem to fit the mold of LBs we have had from KJ White Cam, mcKinney, Beni, Wells, Richie, Dez Harris

You just dont like the number of stars by his name...he is obviously not thru growing yet.

Todd4State

07-30-2013, 04:36 PM

Not sold on a 5'11" LB he just doesn't seem to fit the mold of LBs we have had from KJ White Cam, mcKinney, Beni, Wells, Richie, Dez Harris

Just because he is 5'11" doesn't mean he can't play. White is a MLB and a darn good player.

Saltydog

07-30-2013, 04:40 PM

I realize our baseball program doesn't have the lore of Bama football but just saying...........You win some, you lose some.........

HancockCountyDog

07-30-2013, 04:50 PM

White is a pretty damn good consolation prize

He was one of the in state kids that we were going to pass on. I'll be surprised if we offer him to be honest. I've heard that him and the kid out of Grenada both have CUSA talent, not SEC talent. They seem to be a January offer, not a summer offer.

HancockCountyDog

07-30-2013, 04:54 PM

Saban assumed that he could get him at any time probably. Holcombe pretty much forced his hand. Good move on Holcombe's part if you ask me.

Anybody that is even .000001% blaming Mullen on this one, simply has an agenda. This isn't Aeris Williams leaving us for Bama, this is kid who probably has attended more Bama games than Saban. It sucks for us, but lets give Mullen some credit for finding this guy before everyone else did.

If anything our fan base should be happy that so many of our commits are desired by other programs. Its when we have no problems hanging onto players that we should be worried. Hence my comment about White, Id rather wait.

msstate7

07-30-2013, 04:57 PM

Class statement by the kid..
Only issue I have is he shouldn't have committed to us so soon.

Exactly. Does he understand what a commitment is? Hell do any of these recruits?

Majors42

07-30-2013, 05:00 PM

The real question is what took idiot Saban so long to offer him? If we had got him and he turned into a beast like most think he will, that would have looked very unfavorable on Saban more then Mullen. It's like Freddie Millons choosing to play at Alabama instead of MSU. I still don't know how we lost him...Point being, if a player is in your back yard and he is a great player, you have to go after him.

The deal with Freddie was his high school (also mine for a time) was an Alabama fan. Coach Friend's son also played football at Alabama in the 90s. At least three players from chuck friends time at SHS went to Alabama. We would have lost jason clark as well to Alabama or South Carolina if not for some last second recruiting.

msstate7

07-30-2013, 05:00 PM

msstate7

07-30-2013, 05:02 PM

The deal with Freddie was his high school (also mine for a time) was an Alabama fan. Coach Friend's son also played football at Alabama in the 90s. At least three players from chuck friends time at SHS went to Alabama. We would have lost jason clark as well to Alabama or South Carolina if not for some last second recruiting.

Will friend is coach friends son. Played with will and for chuck at Neshoba central. Lost 2 state championship games

Todd4State

07-30-2013, 05:03 PM

I realize our baseball program doesn't have the lore of Bama football but just saying...........You win some, you lose some.........

A little bit different- Holcombe's Dad wasn't Joe Namath. That's about the equivalent of what Rafael Palmeiro is to MSU baseball except a LOT less cooler.

Vandelaydawg

07-30-2013, 05:07 PM

Mullen's recruiting...LOOKIN GOOD

well done Eric...just as your benching Frazier rant. Can't wait for the hat trick

Political Hack

07-30-2013, 05:07 PM

sucks to lose a defensive stud, but it makes sense for him to go to Bama. Wish him the best.

ShotgunDawg

07-30-2013, 05:12 PM

I realize our baseball program doesn't have the lore of Bama football but just saying...........You win some, you lose some.........

Palmeiro's son didn't have an offer from MSU. Have you ever seen the kid play?

HancockCountyDog

07-30-2013, 05:14 PM

sucks to lose a defensive stud, but it makes sense for him to go to Bama. Wish him the best.

Am I the only one that actually doesn't wish him the best?

If we are being totally honest, I don't want to see him go on to be a two time All American at Bama? I mean, f*ck that. Just being honest. I mean I don't want him to get injured or anything, but I would rather him be a 2nd or 3rd team player that never really does anything and he regrets his decision.

I mean, he is playing for Bama. I can't be alone in actually thinking this.

EnterpriseDawg

07-30-2013, 05:17 PM

Not sold on a 5'11" LB he just doesn't seem to fit the mold of LBs we have had from KJ White Cam, mcKinney, Beni, Wells, Richie, Dez Harris

Sam Mills was a damn good LB that was part of the dome patrol. They were considered by ESPN as the best LB core in the history of the NFL. Sam Mills was only 5'9....just saying.

Big4Dawg

07-30-2013, 05:18 PM

I'm with you Hancock. I hope he rides the bench at Bama his whole career.

Dance with the one who brought you.

Todd4State

07-30-2013, 05:27 PM

Am I the only one that actually doesn't wish him the best?

If we are being totally honest, I don't want to see him go on to be a two time All American at Bama? I mean, f*ck that. Just being honest. I mean I don't want him to get injured or anything, but I would rather him be a 2nd or 3rd team player that never really does anything and he regrets his decision.

I mean, he is playing for Bama. I can't be alone in actually thinking this.

Well, no one is saying that they hope that he becomes the second coming of Clay Matthews III. It's just that some understand his decision and there is no ill will there.

When it's someone like Kalio trying punk MSU for the sole purpose of making us look bad- then that's very different.

CadaverDawg

07-30-2013, 05:37 PM

Mullen's recruiting...LOOKIN GOOD

You're better than this, Eric.

I see it as a big positive to Mullen's recruiting. We used to battle Central Florida for recruits back in the Croom error, but now we are finishing 2nd to Bama who will likely win ANOTHER title this year. Nothing to be ashamed of here. Hate we lost him, but when it's to Bama you just shrug your shoulders and say, hell of a try.

EnterpriseDawg

07-30-2013, 05:38 PM

Well, no one is saying that they hope that he becomes the second coming of Clay Matthews III. It's just that some understand his decision and there is no ill will there.

When it's someone like Kalio trying punk MSU for the sole purpose of making us look bad- then that's very different.

I honestly think he knew our class was a small one and if he was to play in the SEC he needed to commit or risk losing a spot. Once he had the offer he really wanted he jumped at it. At least it was done in July and not Dec-Feb.

The Croom Diaries

07-30-2013, 05:49 PM

Am I the only one that actually doesn't wish him the best?

If we are being totally honest, I don't want to see him go on to be a two time All American at Bama? I mean, f*ck that. Just being honest. I mean I don't want him to get injured or anything, but I would rather him be a 2nd or 3rd team player that never really does anything and he regrets his decision.

I mean, he is playing for Bama. I can't be alone in actually thinking this.

Have we not been over this? We need to treat all recruits and their families with respect regardless. Either stay positive or bit your tongue until after signing day. NSD is still 6 months away, you absolutely never know what could happen. If there is any reason why he might still end up at MSU I'd be glad to accept his signature on a LOI. There is no need to burn bridges at any point. Always stay positive during recruiting and take the high road. Whatever you have after NSD is fair game, but lets not wish failure or lack of success for anyone who doesn't wish to attend our school.

Saltydog

07-30-2013, 06:06 PM

final list.

Dawgowar

07-30-2013, 08:15 PM

It's July....Juuuuu-lyyyyyyyy. Sorry, not getting on this roller coaster of 18 year-old egos and middle-aged melodrama until two weeks out from signing day. Seriously, sarcasm or not, you are busting on a very unfinished product (this class) and on a kid who might change his mind three or four more times.

JohnGalt

07-30-2013, 11:30 PM

Look, (notice how when people, or particularly politicians, say "look" what they actually mean is: the gusto of my next comment will certainly quash any future debate?) we got used again like the Toby Johnson situation last year. It happens.

You swing from the heels on the long-shot scenarios like these and hope that one in five work out.

TUSK

07-31-2013, 07:55 AM

this offer was similar to the Sunseri offer... a political move on SABANS part... hopefully holclcome overachieves too.

Political Hack

07-31-2013, 08:35 AM

The kid is 17-18 years old and wants to play where his dad did. Makes total sense to me. Recruiting is a stupid BS game, and he played it perfectly. Smart guy. Kudos to him. And I truly hope he has a great and fulfilling college career and never regrets his decision for a day.

Outside of the very few kids who have purposely tried to hurt or damage the program, I've always felt like that. State will sign 25. The other SEC schools will sign around +/-300. When I see a kid get one of those 300-350 spots, I'm happy for them.

ghostofjackie

07-31-2013, 09:36 AM

Not to mention they're the best program in the country, definitely isn't on Mullen

May not be on Mullen, but it's definitely not a positive. I'll save my judgement on this class for after signing day, but it's not looking good. Right now we are 13th in the SEC in recruiting rankings in Mullen's 5th year. I won't be happy until we are consistently in the top 8.

engie

07-31-2013, 10:10 AM

May not be on Mullen, but it's definitely not a positive. I'll save my judgement on this class for after signing day, but it's not looking good. Right now we are 13th in the SEC in recruiting rankings in Mullen's 5th year. I won't be happy until we are consistently in the top 8.

You are going to be unhappy this year. We've literally got 10 scholarship seniors. So, if, by chance we try to "win" recruiting, we are going to have to drop 10+ players from the current roster. I'm going to lose my mind the first time an MSU fan throws the "Mullen is losing control of the team!!11!" line due to attrition after complaining about recruiting...

We will never recruit consistently in the top 8 in today's SEC. The Big6 and aTm are basically givens to outrecruit us more often than not. However, we've FINISHED in the top 8 on the field in each of the past 3 years -- and we're recruiting better now than we had been with those players that allowed it to happen in 2010, 2011, 2012. if that doesn't make you happy, you are destined to always be bitter as an MSU fan...

Not meant for you personally, but sometimes I can't notice the difference between MSU and OM fans. GOT TO WIN THE RECRUITING!!1!1 Fire Cutcliffe because he doesn't win recruiting against Jackie!!1!1 Nevermind that Cut was 44-29(25-23) in the SEC at Ole Miss. A very vocal faction of MSU fans are following the same exact ridiculous path...

Political Hack

07-31-2013, 10:21 AM

You are going to be unhappy this year. We've literally got 10 scholarship seniors. So, if, by chance we try to "win" recruiting, we are going to have to drop 10+ players from the current roster. I'm going to lose my mind the first time an MSU fan throws the "Mullen is losing control of the team!!11!" line due to attrition after complaining about recruiting...

We will never recruit consistently in the top 8 in today's SEC. The Big6 and aTm are basically givens to outrecruit us more often than not. However, we've FINISHED in the top 8 on the field in each of the past 3 years -- and we're recruiting better now than we had been with those players that allowed it to happen in 2010, 2011, 2012. if that doesn't make you happy, you are destined to always be bitter as an MSU fan...

Not meant for you personally, but sometimes I can't notice the difference between MSU and OM fans. GOT TO WIN THE RECRUITING!!1!1 Fire Cutcliffe because he doesn't win recruiting against Jackie!!1!1 Nevermind that Cut was 44-29(25-23) in the SEC at Ole Miss. A very vocal faction of MSU fans are following the same exact ridiculous path...

the sooner our fans stop looking at stars and rankings, the better. OM has won the hell out of the recruiting rankings lately, but we've dominated them on the field of play. Why? Because we fill our needs better, find better, harder working talent, and development them to be the better football players. The rankings mean nothing... look at John Banks, McPhee coming out of high school Autry coming out of high school, Gabe Jackson, etc...

then look at Templeton Hardy, Antonio Hargro, Marvin Byrdsong, etc... it's not even close to an exact science.

The Croom Diaries

07-31-2013, 10:31 AM

You are going to be unhappy this year. We've literally got 10 scholarship seniors. So, if, by chance we try to "win" recruiting, we are going to have to drop 10+ players from the current roster. I'm going to lose my mind the first time an MSU fan throws the "Mullen is losing control of the team!!11!" line due to attrition after complaining about recruiting...

We will never recruit consistently in the top 8 in today's SEC. The Big6 and aTm are basically givens to outrecruit us more often than not. However, we've FINISHED in the top 8 on the field in each of the past 3 years -- and we're recruiting better now than we had been with those players that allowed it to happen in 2010, 2011, 2012. if that doesn't make you happy, you are destined to always be bitter as an MSU fan...

Not meant for you personally, but sometimes I can't notice the difference between MSU and OM fans. GOT TO WIN THE RECRUITING!!1!1 Fire Cutcliffe because he doesn't win recruiting against Jackie!!1!1 Nevermind that Cut was 44-29(25-23) in the SEC at Ole Miss. A very vocal faction of MSU fans are following the same exact ridiculous path...

Well said. Some fans just want to bitch but don't actually have a clue what is going on.

State fans just need to get over the stars listed by the names. Damien Robinson, Dee Arrington, and Joe Morrow were all 4 stars that have all yet to prove that ranking. Meanwhile Gabe Jackson, Benardrick McKinney and Dillon Day are all proving they sound have been the 4, or maybe even 5 stars. If we get 2 & 3 stars in who have a good attitude, good work ethic and a killer instinct then I fully believe our coaching staff can make them into a 4 star by their junior and senior year if not sooner.

ghostofjackie

07-31-2013, 01:03 PM

No. I know what's going on. And like I said, I will reserve judgement until after signing day is over. Obviously, we have less room to sign guys this year than most teams do, but I still want to pick up a few big time guys. I know folks don't like to look at rankings (and they are not everything) but it gives you a rough overview of how we recruit as a whole. Player development is more important than picking up guys that already have big time talent, but it's a lot easier to develop a bunch of 4-5 stars into SEC caliber guys than it is to develop a bunch of 3 stars. I'm talking about the big picture here, not individuals storylines.

Maybe I should have said "I won't be happy unless we crack top 8 in the SEC every few years". I think we have the facilities and the fan base to be a school that can do that. Rankings don't matter shit when it comes to W's and L's on the field, but they do show us how a team recruits on average and over the span of a few years. Mullen is great at evaluating talent, but he has yet to show me that he can consistently recruit up to the standards our program is capable of.

Dawg61

07-31-2013, 01:27 PM

If you redshirt a bunch of players each year eventually you don't have enough scholarships to sign a full 25 each year. That's not a bad thing. That's a very very good thing. Mullen has built depth by redshirting 3 years in a row now. His plan is working. Now you just have to be smart enough to realize we will never have a top 10 recruiting ranking because we don't have the room to sign enough guys to warrant a top 10 ranking. Look at Tennessee. They have 23 commits right now good enough to be ranked #1 in recruiting. Yea that's great for them for this class and the ability to say they are ranked #1 but it's JULY and maybe 4 or 5 of those guys even see the field NEXT YEAR. We on the other hand can look forward to about 25 redshirted guys the past 2 years seeing the field THIS YEAR.

The Croom Diaries

07-31-2013, 02:20 PM

Maybe I should have said "I won't be happy unless we crack top 8 in the SEC every few years". I think we have the facilities and the fan base to be a school that can do that. Rankings don't matter shit when it comes to W's and L's on the field, but they do show us how a team recruits on average and over the span of a few years. Mullen is great at evaluating talent, but he has yet to show me that he can consistently recruit up to the standards our program is capable of.

According to Scout we finished 7th in the SEC in 2012 and 9th in 2013.

According to 247 we finished 9th in the SEC in 2012 and 11th in 2013.

According to Rivals we finished 10th in the SEC in 2012 and 11th in 2013.

So I guess look at Scout and it will make you feel better. I guess that's why fans are Genepage get so wooly. But in 2012 we had a average score of 8.66 so that's pretty close to your requirement.

Think about if you are a recruit and you go see Mississippi State. For years you see a stadium that has open endzones. Then you visit Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas and they have bowled in stadiums. Then you visit a couple of Sun Belt and CUSA schools and they don't have bowled in. Then you come back home and sit down and think about it - MSU's stadium was much more like the little schools than the conference they are in. Finally we are closing that in and we have the facilities to back it up. But when you combine our lack of tradition and weak stadium (due to poor decisions by many past ADs in my opinion) it's amazing how we ever crack the top 10 in the SEC, especially now that there are 14 teams, which there are in both the last two years.

I'm not going to expect to see Mullen do something that has never been done at MSU, and that's bring in a truckload of highly touted recruits. For one, if we get a truckload of them they are probably going to destroy our program with bad attitudes, lazy work ethic and getting into trouble. At MSU you have to get the right guys and develop. You can take a few chances but not a bunch - that's one of the things that destroyed Stansbury. Maybe we'll hit on a breakout player or two, but I definitely don't expect MSU to break into the top half of the SEC recruiting more than once or twice a decade.

Todd4State

07-31-2013, 02:58 PM

the sooner our fans stop looking at stars and rankings, the better. OM has won the hell out of the recruiting rankings lately, but we've dominated them on the field of play. Why? Because we fill our needs better, find better, harder working talent, and development them to be the better football players. The rankings mean nothing... look at John Banks, McPhee coming out of high school Autry coming out of high school, Gabe Jackson, etc...

then look at Templeton Hardy, Antonio Hargro, Marvin Byrdsong, etc... it's not even close to an exact science.

It's because those web sites don't evaluate a players character or work ethic. They just look at who can jump higher and who can run faster. I'm not saying that all of the the 4-5 star guys are like that- in fact the ones that have the whole package- the talent and athleticism to go along with the work ethic and character- those are the guys that end up at Alabama. Because those schools evaluate that. And I think we evaluate it too.

If those web sites actually did evaluate work ethic and character somehow, guys like Nick Brassell and Tobias Singleton would probably be three star guys. At best.

HancockCountyDog

07-31-2013, 03:26 PM

According to Scout we finished 7th in the SEC in 2012 and 9th in 2013.

According to 247 we finished 9th in the SEC in 2012 and 11th in 2013.

According to Rivals we finished 10th in the SEC in 2012 and 11th in 2013.

So I guess look at Scout and it will make you feel better. I guess that's why fans are Genepage get so wooly. But in 2012 we had a average score of 8.66 so that's pretty close to your requirement.

Think about if you are a recruit and you go see Mississippi State. For years you see a stadium that has open endzones. Then you visit Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas and they have bowled in stadiums. Then you visit a couple of Sun Belt and CUSA schools and they don't have bowled in. Then you come back home and sit down and think about it - MSU's stadium was much more like the little schools than the conference they are in. Finally we are closing that in and we have the facilities to back it up. But when you combine our lack of tradition and weak stadium (due to poor decisions by many past ADs in my opinion) it's amazing how we ever crack the top 10 in the SEC, especially now that there are 14 teams, which there are in both the last two years.

I'm not going to expect to see Mullen do something that has never been done at MSU, and that's bring in a truckload of highly touted recruits. For one, if we get a truckload of them they are probably going to destroy our program with bad attitudes, lazy work ethic and getting into trouble. At MSU you have to get the right guys and develop. You can take a few chances but not a bunch - that's one of the things that destroyed Stansbury. Maybe we'll hit on a breakout player or two, but I definitely don't expect MSU to break into the top half of the SEC recruiting more than once or twice a decade.

Have they released the adjusted rankings for what the classes really should be after the bears lost out on several players due to academics, Hello Snoop dogg.