This is a big week for college programs all across the country. National signing day is Wednesday. How big? To many folks what happens Wednesday is a lot more important than Super Bowl Sunday. What "happens" is essentially kids make official their college choices after what is often months and months of waffling and using terms like "70 percent committed."
I've asked for some feedback from coaches around the country and here are the 10 biggest reasons why that blue-chip recruit your favorite school is about to sign on Wednesday might actually turn into a bust.
1. "He's a piece of garbage": Every coach will have their own term to describe a bad apple. Most use language I can't repeat here. In many cases that former all-everything recruit has developed a warped sense of self-entitlement after years of being coddled as the "star" recruit. Perspective is lost. The player has been conditioned to think he's bigger than the team. That sometimes translates into police blotter action or at the very least a cancer in the locker room.
2. Bad luck: It's unfair to ever label a kid a "bust" if their career got derailed by injuries but unfortunately such attrition is a big part of sports, especially football.
3. He never made it to college: Lots of coaches will be holding their breath over the next five months while they wait to see if that kid they rolled the dice on comes through academically and can get past the NCAA Clearinghouse.
4. "He's soft": One of the biggest gripes I hear from college coaches is about how recruiting is covered. In many cases, a prospect is evaluated as a blue-chip player based primarily off running a fast time or looking great in shorts and a T-shirt at a combine. If the prospect hasn't been seen being physical on film, the school might be signing a kid who turns down hits and won't be tough enough to get off the bench.
5. "He's stiff": A fast 40 time is great. So is benching 185 pounds 30 times. So are big YouTube worthy, bone-jarring tackles. But if the prospect isn't flexible or doesn't possess the ability to turn and run, you might have a one-dimensional player who probably can't play the position or possess the athleticism to get in position to make those big hits against top college talent.
6. "He's not bright": The player has all the physical tools, but something's missing. He's constantly out of position. He's prone to busted assignments. Can you trust putting him in the game? Certainly not right away and maybe not ever. That is the problem if you've signed someone who proves to not be sharp enough to learn your system. It happens. Kids can look great on film in high school, but unless you've had them in summer camp, spent lots of time with them on a visit or have a lot of faith in their high school or junior college coaches, you may not be sure how savvy a player is.
7. "He doesn't compete": This is one I've heard from coaches mostly at elite college programs who say they occasionally get a guy who for the first time in his life just can't rely on his God-given ability to dominate. The problem emerges when they don't have "the backbone" to fight for a starting job with other guys who have just as much talent. Another coach pointed out that many players can't adjust to becoming a smaller fish in a bigger pond or operate within a team concept after having been the "big dog."
8. "He was a system guy": Think pro scouts are the only ones with this lament? College coaches often wonder -- especially when it comes to wide receivers and quarterbacks -- if one player makes another seem a lot better than he really is.
9. "It's those dang women": Living away from home for the first time can be a challenge. Many players can't handle it. Some have such delicate situations that they have left behind, haven't left them behind at all, or those close to the player make it hard for that kid to flourish in his new surroundings. Others fall in love and might become so tangled up that football, school or both take a back seat.
10. "We screwed him up": It happens. Sometimes a player goes through his career with three or four different position coaches and constantly has to adjust. Or maybe it's a new system or new terminology every other season. Maybe the coaching staff isn't sure where the player fits best and keeps flipping his position. How to you excel through all of that?
Random Stuff
• As expected, offensive lineman Marcus Hall is heading to Ohio State. The nation's No. 13 OT picked OSU over Miami and Tennessee, Bucknuts.com's Bill Kurelic reports:
"Marcus Hall surprised nobody by committing to Ohio State," says ESPN's Bill Conley, the former OSU recruiting coordinator. "The Cleveland, Ohio native has long favored the Buckeyes and it has just seemed a matter of time despite being courted by Miami of Florida. Even though he is listed as a tackle, he could very easily end up as a guard for the Buckeyes. Hall is one of those players from Glenville High School to end up at Ohio State. The Buckeyes recruiting class now numbers in the mid twenties and is destined to be a top ten class."
• Big weekend for Marshall. The Thundering Herd landed some big verbal commitments, writes Anthony Hanshaw.
Among them: Florida RB Andre Booker and North Carolina linebacker Trevor Black, who reportedly also was chased by NC State and Wake Forest. The Herd also got a visit from Florida's Mr. Football, A.J. Graham, a 6-foot-4, 196-pounder who is the nation's No. 33 rated QB prospect and is picking between K-State and Marshall.
This is expected to be Mark Snyder's best class since coming back to his alma mater. It is headlined by smooth 6-3 wideout Aaron Dobson, a rangy target who is likely to make a big impact in the Marshall offense in 2009.
• Mike Leach's team may have gotten drilled by his former boss at Oklahoma in November, but Texas Tech is winning some battles with the Sooners this winter, as ESPN's Billy Tucker explains:
The Red Raiders nabbed Brandon Mahoney, the nation's No. 13 OLB prospect. "Mahoney is the third Sooner commit Mike Leach has plucked away from his former boss in Norman," writes Tucker. "Receiver Eric Ward (Rider, Texas) may have been a big steal on offensive, but Mahoney's impact could even be great as ESPN's No. 13 overall outside linebacker prospects becomes the Red Raiders' highest rated player.
"Mahoney is a linebacker with a great frame and the physical tools needed to develop into a very good college defender, particularly on the perimeter. He is quick to the ball and shows good explosiveness and burst closing in space. Can beat blockers to the point of attack between the tackles and also chase down ball carriers with good range sideline-to-sideline. Will need some added bulk and strength as well as work on his flexibility but we think Mahoney is the complete package on the outside and could quickly become a mainstay on Tech's defense."
• I meant to link to this before. It's Brian Bennett's cool look back at how hyped some Big East stars when they were recruits.
• Johnnie Farms sure does seem to be enjoying the recruiting process. He has committed to three different schools, and none of which were Auburn, the school he visited over the weekend. Michael Carvell has more on his recruitment here.
• Sources say Raymond Cotton, the nation's No. 8 QB prospect, is all set to sign with Ole Miss.
• Apparently there's another saved jersey out there. Standout CB recruit Greg Reid visited UGA and learned the Dawgs No. 24 is his if he wants it, according to the AJC:
"[Richt] was just talking about what kind of person he was, and talking about life," Reid said. "He told me that they would keep a scholarship open for me, and that they would save me Knowshon Moreno's No. 24, which is also my high school number."
• Even though he's caught a lot of heat for prosecuting Penn State football players, Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira is running for a second term as Adam Clark reports.
Madeira cited surveys showing a 95 percent victim approval rating as the basis for his job satisfaction and the reason he chose to run again. "I'm running for district attorney again because I love the job," Madeira said. "There's nothing so satisfying as having a victim look at you in the eyes and thank you."
• Jim Leavitt is close to locking down a terrific recruiting class, Greg Auman writes.
• Interesting post-mortem of the 2004 Big 12 South recruiting class by writer Dan McCarney.
Part that most caught my eye: Texas A&M, Overview: "It's disasters like this that sealed Dennis Franchione's fate in College Station, and helped accelerate the Aggies' recent slide from respectability into mediocrity. One of the nation's largest recruiting classes also was one of the least productive, with a staggering 15 players who failed to finish their eligibility. McGee, who had his moments but was otherwise plagued by injuries and mismanagement, epitomized a class that never lived up to its potential."
• Yogi Roth Journey -- Day 9
"As I meet people along the trip in hostels, on hikes, or in the ocean we talk about various things. Tonight, I had what was one of the most inspirational discussions in my entire life. His name is Alan Vaughan and he is my new hero.
In September 1998, this English-born and soccer-crazed bloke was diagnosed with two failed kidneys and was notified that he needed two replacements. Onto the transplant list and into the organ donor lottery he went. While receiving treatments in his hometown of Birmingham, he met a young student nurse named Kelly Hollier. She was new to the profession and relatively green with experience, but the 20-year-old was full of life, love and passion for helping others. Unbeknownst to Vaughan was how much her passion would influence his life, and ultimately, their lives.
Various tests proved that Vaughan would need to go on dialysis four times per week until he received a new kidney. A minor change of pace for this young and energetic man, who refused to let it affect his life negatively. He continued to work and challenge his mind as he became an employee of Birmingham's NASUWT Teachers' Union as a proofreader for 15 hours per week and remained one of the most positive people to walk through the doors of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England.
Week after week, month after month, and eventually year after year Vaughan remained optimistic and even made a list of where he wanted to travel once he received his new kidney. He and Hollier also began to date as her loving attitude and his constant humor brought the two of them together. It didn't hurt that she was the one by his side as he received dialysis every week. "She couldn't help but fall for me," joked Vaughan in a late night hostel discussion. But fall for him was not the only thing Hollier did for Vaughan. Through her and other doctor's research they found a new treatment that was being utilized in the United States. It was a blood washing procedure and new to the UK, but one that Vaughan wanted to try.
This procedure had the ability to take one person's kidney that has a different blood type and make it universal. Thus, making the blood type irrelevant. Doctors would remove the kidney, strip all of its anti-bodies, and then use that kidney for transplant purposes. Since it was taking an extended period of time to find a donor match for Vaughan, his "Mum" offered her organ for the blood washing procedure.
On the surface, Vaughan finally found the chance he had been looking for, but when he and his family looked into the operation deeper it was discovered to not be as easy as Vaughan and his newfound lady had hoped. It was an expensive treatment that cost upwards of $28,000 and Vaughan's health insurance, National Health Services in England, refused to cover its costs.
Most of us would have hung our heads and thrown our hands up at this point, but not Vaughan, and surely not Hollier.
The nurse decided that the ordinary UK health insurance was not good enough for her potential soul mate.
In a measure that can only be deemed one of poetic justice, Hollier opened an account on eBay entitled, "Buy a Slice of our Happiness."
The description told readers of Vaughan's struggle and how the NHS refused to pay for his procedure and how he would have to continue to wait for a blood type match if he could not come up with $28,000. Like clockwork, the money came pouring in. First was the initial dollar from Australia, then a hundred from Southeast Asia, and then $250 from the United States, and so the story went. While causing quite an uprising in both social realms and the health insurance field, both Hollier and Vaughan became legends and their five minutes of fame was now worth $28,000 as the NHS made an exception and approved the newfound medical procedure.
Thus, in renowned fashion, Vaughan was going to receive the blood washing procedure and begin his life without dialysis. And just when he thought he beat the two organs that caused him so much grief for the past eight years, the surgery failed.
His body wasn't responsive to his Mum's kidney and he had to continue taking 40 pills per day and receiving four dialysis treatments per week. Vaughan was content with where his life stood and accepted his fate as another challenge. His girlfriend still remained hopeful that a transplant match would be found.
One week after his experimental surgery failed, his phone rang.
"Mr. Vaughan, we have a match. You are scheduled for surgery tomorrow."
And on September 23, 2006, almost eight years to the day of his diagnosis, Vaughan received a healthy kidney and began a new life. Since then, he has done everything he said he would do when he was ill. Ranging from traveling Route 1 in California for six weeks last summer to buzzing around the world for the next four months. Vaughan, 30 and currently a restaurant manager outside of London, is living his life the way he always dreamed of -- with great experiences and tremendous passion. He followed the path of competitiveness set by his childhood hero, Jurgen Klinsmann, remained positive, and trusted that he would one day be able to maximize his potential.
So regardless of the pills he will have to take for the remainder of his life or the realization that one of the two kidney's residing in his body isn't working, Vaughan continues to think positively, inspire others, and travel around the world influencing random people in random places. And if Vaughan ever did begin to throw himself a pity party, I do know one young nurse that wouldn't be selling tickets to it on eBay.
Thus, in a four-bedroom mixed dormitory in Easter Island's Kona Tau hostel, Alan Vaughan summarized it quite clearly, "To me, Win Forever is receiving a new kidney after eight years waiting! And now I can fulfill my dream of traveling the world."
You now know what "Win Forever" means to Alan Vaughan, I ask what "Win Forever" means to you?
If you know the answer then upload your video to www.YouTube/WinForever.com or send it to me at Yogi.WinForever@gmail.com.
• I watched "The Wrestler" over the weekend. It was very good. It's not quite as jarring as that documentary that features Jake the Snake Roberts a few years back, but it's still worth checking out.
Bruce Feldman
