There are two separate realities dominating my state of mind and heart today, as we watch "Early Signing" play out on ESPN, YouTube and all the rest...
(1) Our Gators appear so far to have the #4 class in the SEC--itself the conference grabbing the lion's share of the top recruits compared to everyone else: While Bama and UGA are solidly out front courtesy of a preponderance of 5-Star players (the Tide have so far grabbed something like 1/4 of the #1-rated prospects at their resoective positions!), the rating system has the supposed #3 class, LSU, relatively just slightly ahead of us with a few more 5-stars than us, while meanwhile WE have already outlanded them in the total count of "very good ones" (ie. basically, a significantly few more players in our class than theirs thus far, just many of them 4-Star recruits)--which is preferable, I think, given our situation, with so many leaving for the pros and a bunch more (in many case with Billy's strong "encouragement") entering the transfer portal.
Not as strong nor as hopeful as we might have sensed building just days ago--but not so dire either...
(2) But this does bring us to squarely facing the reality of a wide open "dereliction of duty" on the part of so many out there in College Football in permitting an environment with ZERO RULES: "Open Season", with no consequences for the most blatant disregard of ethical standards now dominating the most extreme "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!" landscape.
It's a fact, a done deal at the moment; no denying nor avoiding it now...
And I find it SICKENING.
We know who the worst offenders are, "the usual suspects" once again throwing their excrement-laden standards all over the college football environment--only THIS time there are as I say neither "rules" nor apparently anyone ready or willing to point fingers or name names...and yet:
We all KNOW who they are.
Hell, we GATORS are getting it from behind right here in our own state from "Public Enemy #1".
For the moment, it seems, we will just have to take it and move on, somehow "Rise above".
Perhaps there will be eventual justice of some kind; karma will somehow bring a leveling. (Note: First sign already here by late in the first day of this "Early Signing Period"?
=Cormani Maclain's "no show" at his own Signing Party, leaving his family baffled and in the lurch, and STILL having neither shown, explained--nor SIGNED, by the way...Stay tuned? Not me...might not be the last such "confusion" for those guys either. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.)
Man. I hope so--but for the moment I hold out little hope. All we can do for now is grit our teeth and support our Coach as he tries to navigate this mine field of lies and corruption while trying to build a winner, doing things "the right way"--the best he can given the current rules AND lack thereof.
Let us see what the coming weeks bring--in terms of finishing this recruiting cycle AND in turning now more and more to the transfer portal. ("Murch" from Wisconsin, though? So there were apparently problems with the Coastal Carolina kid's academic qualifications--But stepping from a flashy young gun slinger to a low-profile game manager? This one's supposed to be level-headed, efficient and an outstanding leader and "locker room guy") Remember: they must be careful in the allocation of resources from here...Time, money, effort invested "here" means less is available over "there", and that's a fact, one which can have dire consequences when the bills come due.
Just ask Jimbo and aTm.
Not that I have any real concern that OUR Coach will pull a bad faith boner like THAT one!
But it warns of the restrictions that are involved, the boundaries and the kinds of no-holds-barred backroom lies and maneuvers on the dark side that must be negotiated and preferably avoided along the way.
I believe there will HAVE to be a serious reevaluation of the whole mess, some kind of "coming together among men of honor" for charting a fair and reasonable new course for how this is done, what henceforth will and will NOT be tolerated. I just hope it doesn't take some accelerating crescendo of absurdly despicable behavior that somehow gives the whole sport a black eye before enough folks stand together and say, "ENOUGH!!!".
(1) Our Gators appear so far to have the #4 class in the SEC--itself the conference grabbing the lion's share of the top recruits compared to everyone else: While Bama and UGA are solidly out front courtesy of a preponderance of 5-Star players (the Tide have so far grabbed something like 1/4 of the #1-rated prospects at their resoective positions!), the rating system has the supposed #3 class, LSU, relatively just slightly ahead of us with a few more 5-stars than us, while meanwhile WE have already outlanded them in the total count of "very good ones" (ie. basically, a significantly few more players in our class than theirs thus far, just many of them 4-Star recruits)--which is preferable, I think, given our situation, with so many leaving for the pros and a bunch more (in many case with Billy's strong "encouragement") entering the transfer portal.
Not as strong nor as hopeful as we might have sensed building just days ago--but not so dire either...
(2) But this does bring us to squarely facing the reality of a wide open "dereliction of duty" on the part of so many out there in College Football in permitting an environment with ZERO RULES: "Open Season", with no consequences for the most blatant disregard of ethical standards now dominating the most extreme "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!" landscape.
It's a fact, a done deal at the moment; no denying nor avoiding it now...
And I find it SICKENING.
We know who the worst offenders are, "the usual suspects" once again throwing their excrement-laden standards all over the college football environment--only THIS time there are as I say neither "rules" nor apparently anyone ready or willing to point fingers or name names...and yet:
We all KNOW who they are.
Hell, we GATORS are getting it from behind right here in our own state from "Public Enemy #1".
For the moment, it seems, we will just have to take it and move on, somehow "Rise above".
Perhaps there will be eventual justice of some kind; karma will somehow bring a leveling. (Note: First sign already here by late in the first day of this "Early Signing Period"?
=Cormani Maclain's "no show" at his own Signing Party, leaving his family baffled and in the lurch, and STILL having neither shown, explained--nor SIGNED, by the way...Stay tuned? Not me...might not be the last such "confusion" for those guys either. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.)
Man. I hope so--but for the moment I hold out little hope. All we can do for now is grit our teeth and support our Coach as he tries to navigate this mine field of lies and corruption while trying to build a winner, doing things "the right way"--the best he can given the current rules AND lack thereof.
Let us see what the coming weeks bring--in terms of finishing this recruiting cycle AND in turning now more and more to the transfer portal. ("Murch" from Wisconsin, though? So there were apparently problems with the Coastal Carolina kid's academic qualifications--But stepping from a flashy young gun slinger to a low-profile game manager? This one's supposed to be level-headed, efficient and an outstanding leader and "locker room guy") Remember: they must be careful in the allocation of resources from here...Time, money, effort invested "here" means less is available over "there", and that's a fact, one which can have dire consequences when the bills come due.
Just ask Jimbo and aTm.
Not that I have any real concern that OUR Coach will pull a bad faith boner like THAT one!
But it warns of the restrictions that are involved, the boundaries and the kinds of no-holds-barred backroom lies and maneuvers on the dark side that must be negotiated and preferably avoided along the way.
I believe there will HAVE to be a serious reevaluation of the whole mess, some kind of "coming together among men of honor" for charting a fair and reasonable new course for how this is done, what henceforth will and will NOT be tolerated. I just hope it doesn't take some accelerating crescendo of absurdly despicable behavior that somehow gives the whole sport a black eye before enough folks stand together and say, "ENOUGH!!!".
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