Signing Day Backlash


I’ve already had enough of watching kids ramble through their ESPN announcements on Signing Day. But there’s also been a backlash to the shirt charade by linebacker Levi Jones. Below is one view.

54 thoughts on “Signing Day Backlash

  1. Flow, why are u recycling your material? You already made your point on this yesterday in the live chat. What’s the use of making a singled-out post of it? Oh yeah, you’re Flow, and you love to beat those dead horses. Do I personally agree with this kid’s reveal? No. Get him in the doors, teach him how to be a respectable man, and coach him up.

    • These kids coming in will be leaving much different young men. Most of them will be better people, matured, and shown examples of how adults act and think. I don’t know of a better example of a mentor than Clay Helton.

  2. He’s a kid with a once in a lifetime opportunity which only a select few get to experience. Plus most of these kids inform the schools beforehand if they will be signing with them or not. By all accounts he comes from a great family and is a good kid. Let him have his fun.

  3. One more player who won’t talk to SW when he gets here. Wonder why you’re outside USC.

  4. Jones called Helton to tell him he was going. I assume that he also called Florida and FSU coaches?

    And if he didn’t, so what! It’s very selfish for coaches to offer then accept commitments months if not years in advance (in order to create recruiting buzz) them tell the kid to go elsewhere, often late in the game, if they find a brighter, shiny object. Also, coaches have the recruits future in their hands. Want to transfer for more PT? Need coaches approval!

    Clay said you can’t win championships without the players, yet the coaches make millions of dollars while the kid will get surgery if he effs up a knee, but once he matriculates through the system, all further medical care and rehab is on his dime.

    Oh yeah, if you are offended, don’t have ESPN cover recruiting announcements. And don’t watch.

  5. Whoever wrote the critique, how does he know Jones had made up his mind a long time ago? I read he did not decide until 12 AM on Wednesday. Coaches usually get an idea beforehand if they have the recruit or not. Most coaches put in a great amount of time and effort on each and every recruit. It is drama until the recruit signs. It It happens to most programs that a kid will flip on singing day. It might be old to us, but to the young man, it is fun to him. Don’t be a sour puss, unless it is Mora, then anything and everything that can happen against ugly is okay with me.

      • Yes, Jones did contact him, but not until a short time before he announced where he was going. I hope the young man did call the other schools and thank them for the opportunity. That is the respectful way to handle that situation.

  6. The Kid gets no pay.
    The Schools make millions.
    If the Kid wants to clown and the network wants to give him 15 minutes then that’s on the adults in the room.

    The Kid gets no pay.
    That network is already making money off that Kid.
    Let alone this blog…

  7. The only time these kids have leverage is during the recruiting process. If Levi hurt the feelings of coaches from FL & FSU too dam bad. Coaches treat recruiting as a business and make hard choices all the time. And those choices often leave a player scrambling to find a new school. Would I prefer these kids not put on a show when announcing their school choice? Sure. But that ship has sailed. By todays standards & norms Levi Jones did not do anything that unusual. Glad he picked USC. Fight On Levi>

  8. Wolfman, if you only want mature, respectful football players who always keep to the straight and narrow, go cover the NFL.

  9. There is a person with the twitter handle,”Fire Scott Wolf?”
    I wonder if it is a former player or coach in Florida.
    Oh well I have seen references to the prank but most were amused. Won’t think about it in September.
    Scott might but I won’t.

  10. We all know these things are coming when some of these kids declare. For those it bothers, why are you watching when you know the prospect might play some games for a second? Personally, it’s no big deal to me.

    As far as the observing coaches go, let ’em twist in the wind. They play all kinds of mind games themselves, every one of them when they feel it suits their purposes.

    Much ado about nothing. It was very kind of Levi to call and let CH know right before what was coming. Even CH remarked that it might have saved him from a heart attack. All in good fun. It’s a young man’s game.

    • College Football Live’s Paul Finebaum today on USC

      -“They are back”

      -“This program is a major contender for next year, and for the next couple of years, i think they’ll start the season in the top 3 or 4, we’ll start the season with USC being back”

      The host said…..
      -“USC is a sleeping giant who just rubbed his eyes to wake up”

      Tom Luginbill said…..
      -“USC lacked in the trenches during the sanctions, but signed the best DT’s yesterday”

      • I saw it. It hurt Finebaum to say it. He’s still trying to get over the fact that CLEM beat BAMA. The Tide is basically his reason for living, though he pretends he likes anything outside of Tuscaloosa IMHO.

        I will say this. Finebaum has the largest ears I have ever seen. That’s a fact. Don’t worry. They’ll all turn on USC in a heartbeat if given the slightest chance.

        I love that. USC has actually forced Finebaum and Luginbill to play nice. It’s been a fantastic four months.

        • For the day after Signing Day on College Football Live it was very cool to see the show start off with compliments about USC. And for the mouth of the south to say that within the first few minutes of the show. Awesome.
          And it was confirmed last night by Tom Luginbill that USC denied ESPN access to having a crew on site for USC. He said they would have loved to have had coverage from USC, and said they were also denied last signing day. Didn’t give reasons why. Very interesting though.

          • That doesn’t make any sense for USC to deny an ESPN film crew at the John McKay Center. None whatsoever, And then no reason given? That doesn’t make any sense either. And if ESPN wasn’t in L.A., it should have been in Seattle. So why weren’t they there? Huskies said no to that too? Ya, sure. Playoff team with the first good outfit in many years says no, don’t come.

            And then if not at USC, why not ucla? The bruins signed a very good class, much better than CU’s. So the bruins said no too, when they would have loved to upstage USC, especially since per Luginbill says USC turned ESPN down?

            I don’t believe Luginbill for a second and I’m sure UW and ucla fans wouldn’t believe him either. Luginbill’s story has more holes in it than a drunk’s memory.

            As it turned out, it didn’t make any difference based on how the show was so studio-oriented.

          • A USC alumn asked him on twitter and that was the answer he gave him. Something behind the scenes perhaps.

          • As for UCLA. Jim Mora made a fool of himself on signing day two years ago when they showed up to campus and he humiliated a kid and his family by to Roquan Smith about a degree that UCLA doesn’t even offer and when he was asked about the situation he was a pr*ck to the media. And they way he’s so confrontational about everything rubs even the most easy going people the wrong way. What kind of coach does that? Why would they want to go through his BS. That’s my view of UCLA/ESPN.

          • Go ahead and believe Luginbill. Your prerogative.

            He’s a liar and comes off greasy half the time. I’m sure ucla wouldn’t want to show off their brand new 50 million dollar football facility which is very far along and I think will be complete later this year. And ucla still let’s Mora be interviewed but says ESPN has to stay away from our so-called most beautiful campus in the world? Ya, sure.

          • Never once said i believe him. Never even indicated i believe. Just simply saying what he told a USC alumn last night. Mora’s a dip sh*t. Probably sh*ts on the ESPN producers and that type of crap doesn’t fly when you run your mouth and have a 4-8 football team.

          • What I’m saying is Luginbill’s twitter is worthless. I call total BS.

            He’s not in charge of any of the these decisions anyway, has no input, and ESPN just looked dumb every time they showed their big map revealing they were at no locations west of CU. He says what he is told and I’m sure ESPN was fending off questions from many through back channels about why 10 schools were included with worse classes than the world’s hottest college team – USC.

            What a joke. Not UW, ORE (brand new coach, great stories, Knight loves publicity), either L.A. school (media center of the universe). Not STAN (another excellent class) nor CAL (new coach), close to where Pac-12 offices are located.

            It’s absurd to think USC would turn down the chance to more fully expose our stupendous class now that our program is in the best shape since pre-Reggie problems. And what, ESPN decides isolated CU is the best single alternative, and no other schools should be rolled in from the entire west? Or all these other schools said no like USC? We’ll just leave out ASU and ARIZ.

            Truth is, ESPN isn’t run well anymore, is losing serious subscribership, has been trying to cut costs and as I posted last week, Fox is starting to clean their clock. Lugunbill’s a tool but according to him, USC won’t cooperate with them any more when it comes to the sport USC is famous for. Who knew? Funny stuff.

  11. Give me the classy way Jalen Phillips committed. No cameras, no hosting at his school, just tweeted it out.

    • Too bad he plays for UCLA. He’s going to have 10 sacks for a losing team that didn’t make a bowl game. What a waste.

      #Toilet Bowl Team

  12. I wonder how Kiffin’s kids feel about you stalking their dad. They’ve had enough

  13. Seriously, get over it. Don’t get b#tt hurt because some 18 year old didn’t pick your school. Don’t give me this didn’t take other kids bs. Its an easy solution. Pick up the other kid and don’t hold him up because you want to leave a roster space open for the “higher” ranked player.

  14. Considering the kids are about to enter 4-5 years of indentured servitude, get told where to go, what time to wake up, etc. While schools, coaches, administrators pocket millions in exchange for services delivered at cost. I’m cool with them doing their thing. College football ain’t crap without the kids who play it. Networks don’t pay hundreds of millions to watch Nick Sabin diagram a play.

    • Some servitude – full free ride, excellent meals, tutors stat no cost, travel throughout the west and midwest. Reality – made the USC roster – a full upgrade to any combine or NFL analyst’s pick list.

      Now as to bel-air tech yeah you’re onto something there.

      How long before Mora goes postal on camera?

      • How many #14 jerseys will be in your stands next year? Everyone except #14 will get paid from that sale. Nike, NCAA, the school. Not the person who gave it value.

        • I wanted to buy a #14 jersey for my nephew for Xmas. Couldn’t find one (obviously because nobody anticipated Darnold’s rise). I’m sure I’ll have no trouble next year. Anyone who argues against the players giving the jersey value are naive at best, fools at worst.

        • What about Jimmah ranting about Rosen playing 5 games? Man what an indelible moment – another blown potential cover for Jimmah….you hear Papadakis and Smith mocking him Wednesday afternoon?

          BTW what dynasty did Aikman create at bel-air tech? He lost twice to USC just askin’

  15. This was the most disrespectful of all signees to the coaches who recruited him. Sorry, but the effort coaches but in was not met wit respect from this recruit

    • Im sure he told those coaches as there is a 3 hour time difference. As of today no one cares

      • He did. He told Helton what he was going to do. I’m sure he told FSU and Florida he wasn’t going to sign with them.

    • BS, the players are all grabbing multiple hats, faking to grab them, and some even throw them away to the side before they put on their hat of choice. How is a shirt some how more sacred. Leave the kids alone… if you don’t care for their antics, stop paying attention!

  16. Great read and perspectives from Jack B. If I may add my belief and insight. I believe ( know) the top executives at ESPN are extremely liberal. It pains them to see USC coming back to the top. Colorado a extremely liberal College and in their minds a better take also Ucla doesn’t have what it takes to take down USC when at full strength. So let’s bolster Colorado sell them as up and coming. You See ESPN is now MSNBC of sports. Facts only get in the way of their agenda.

    • You are so right. I’ve always wondered why ESPN so heavily promotes the SEC south. Foolishly, I followed the $ and billion dollar TV deals and the demographics of college FB viewership. I also did the same foolish thing to answer why ESPN devotes 52 weeks/7 days to the NFL when it’s really just an 18 week sport. How wrong I was. I see it all so clearly now! Liberal ESPN is just promoting the liberal SEC and NFL right under our noses. Soros has outsmarted us again!

  17. MANY TIMES WE HAVE SEEN THEM PICK UP A HAT AND THEN PUT IT DOWN, or maybe some other drama…it is all part of the game…fans and coaches need to remember ..a game…and like the game it has high points and the low ones…get over it…

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