Designed to make Alabama look bad? I guess that’s why LSU and Tennessee were also used.

No one at this site has roots for or against an SEC team.

Thanks for reading,

John

I agree that the SEC should have allowed standing NCAA policy (28 signee limit) to continue, since it was just implemented last year. At least let it go into effect in 2013 so that recruiting classes with early commitments could adjust to the new rule.

What disappoints me about Ward’s post is that it fails to distinguish the actions of Nick Saban vis-a-vis those of Miles and Dooley. In both of the other cases, the recruit was simply told to go find someplace else to play. That’s not the case here. If anything, Saban should be given some credit for trying to find another way of honoring his commitment. There’s no evidence that Dooley or Miles did anything of the kind.

But since schools are prohibited from discussing specific recruits, bloggers and other people on message boards and talk radio seem to think it’s quite Ok to publicly rebuke Alabama and Nick Saban.

“Coach Saban said he wished he would’ve been able to tell me this in August instead of now. He said the only reason he can’t sign me is because he can’t sign 26 people. They can only sign 25 people. He said he was going to sign me with the next class. BUT HE ALSO SAID HE WOULD SIGN A PIECE OF PAPER TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE KEEPING THEIR WORD – THEY ARE GOING TO SIGN IT AND THEY WANT ME TO SIGN IT TO MAKE SURE I KNOW I STILL HAVE MY SCHOLARSHIP.” (CAPS are to illustrate Taylor’s comments that were left out – not because I am keyboard yelling.)

Now tell me again how Nick Saban is “…no longer willing to honor the scholarship,” to Taylor. Saban is willing to honor it, just not with the 2012 class. Perhaps it is you who should pay closer attention to what you read. For me, Mr. Ward’s opinion piece did not get any better with the third, fourth or fifth reading.

“Coach Saban said he wished he would’ve been able to tell me this in August instead of now. He said the only reason he can’t sign me is because he can’t sign 26 people. They can only sign 25 people. He said he was going to sign me with the next class. BUT HE ALSO SAID HE WOULD SIGN A PIECE OF PAPER TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE KEEPING THEIR WORD – THEY ARE GOING TO SIGN IT AND THEY WANT ME TO SIGN IT TO MAKE SURE I KNOW I STILL HAVE MY SCHOLARSHIP.” (CAPS are to illustrate Taylor’s comments that were left out – not because I am keyboard yelling.)

Now tell me again how Nick Saban is “…no longer willing to honor the scholarship,” to Taylor. Saban is willing to honor it, just not with the 2012 class. Perhaps it is you who should pay closer attention to what you read. For me, Mr. Ward’s opinion piece did not get any better with the third, fourth or fifth reading.

If you think telling a kid two weeks before signing day that his 11-month commitment is now kaput is what the SEC presidents had in mind with their new rule, then it’s you who fail to grasp what Josh was talking about.

By the letter of the law, this is fine and dandy. By the spirit of the law, it’s not even close. Josh states pretty clearly that — in his opinion — the current rules don’t go far enough to protect kids from having the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute.

The bottom line is this — if this story had been penned about Kentucky or Auburn or Timbuktu State, you wouldn’t have come here and defended the other school’s tactics. In this case, Josh makes it ridiculously clear that — in his opinion — schools (Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are listed) shouldn’t be allowed to sign kids and then tell them to grayshirt OR tell them at the last minute that they really don’t have a scholarship offer. If your son had this happen to him, you’d understand just how nasty college recruiting can be. But you’re looking at it from a fan perspective, not a plain ol’ “human” perspective.

If schools offer scholarships and then pull them at the last minute — based on no wrongdoing by the player — that’s a bad system. The SEC tried to fix it. It didn’t go far enough in Josh’s opinion.

Instead of sending us to read IBleedCrimsonRed.com and the pennings of an anonymous writer known as GulfCoastBamaFan, you probably should have actually read what Josh wrote in the first place.

John

If you think telling a kid two weeks before signing day that his 11-month commitment is now kaput is what the SEC presidents had in mind with their new rule, then it’s you who fail to grasp what Josh was talking about.

By the letter of the law, this is fine and dandy. By the spirit of the law, it’s not even close. Josh states pretty clearly that — in his opinion — the current rules don’t go far enough to protect kids from having the rug pulled out from under them at the last minute.

The bottom line is this — if this story had been penned about Kentucky or Auburn or Timbuktu State, you wouldn’t have come here and defended the other school’s tactics. In this case, Josh makes it ridiculously clear that — in his opinion — schools (Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are listed) shouldn’t be allowed to sign kids and then tell them to grayshirt OR tell them at the last minute that they really don’t have a scholarship offer. If your son had this happen to him, you’d understand just how nasty college recruiting can be. But you’re looking at it from a fan perspective, not a plain ol’ “human” perspective.

If schools offer scholarships and then pull them at the last minute — based on no wrongdoing by the player — that’s a bad system. The SEC tried to fix it. It didn’t go far enough in Josh’s opinion.

Instead of sending us to read IBleedCrimsonRed.com and the pennings of an anonymous writer known as GulfCoastBamaFan, you probably should have actually read what Josh wrote in the first place.

John

This is PULLING an offer:

http://georgia.247sports.com/Article/UGA-pulls-offer-from-committed-prospect-10512

http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2009/07/21/carver-columbus-coach-bans-uga-recruiters/

Pulling and delaying are not the same thing. But my guess is you are deliberately ignoring that or you are just to stupid to realize the difference.

And perhaps I should have used the word foolish instead of fool, yet the fact remains that the new signing rules are not understood by Mr. Ward, as evidenced by this article.

Yes, because being in Knoxville means someone’s a Tennessee fan. I happen to be in the Knoxville area, too, and I’m told everyday that I’m a Bama fan by UT and Auburn fans… and a UT fan by Bama and Kentucky fans… and UT fans who know I’m from Kentucky label me a UK fan. I also lived in Columbus, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina… so I must be an Ohio State and UNC fan, too.

This site was started because I wanted a completely UNBIASED spot for SEC coverage. And judging from the hate mail I get every day telling me that we LOVE all 12 schools and HATE all 12 schools, I think we do a damn fine job of providing legit SEC news and objective opinions. You find one anti-Bama story on here and I’ll find you another one that’s pro-Bama. Same for every other school. We view each issue on its own, regardless of the school involved.

Josh — who’s not a UT fan, either, by the way — simply wrote his opinion on the story. You’re the one who called someone you don’t know “a fool” and now you claim that there must be bias involved. Apparently you didn’t see that Josh also included Tennessee and Derek Dooley in the story.

Of course you didn’t. You see only what you want to see through your crimson lenses.

Well, here’s the question — in terms of national coverage, why is it that only an Alabama site is saying Saban’s in the right here? Maybe the bias belongs to you and your Bama site rather than to the rest of America.

Coaches and schools do this type of stuff often. It stinks. Only someone dressed in their school’s footy pajamas would claim that it’s A-OK. Legal? Yes. Fair to kids? Nope. And that was Josh’s point. Too bad you couldn’t grasp it without crying that someone must hate Alabama if they write something about a topic that makes Bama (and LSU and Tennessee and others) look bad.

Yes, because being in Knoxville means someone’s a Tennessee fan. I happen to be in Knoxville, too, and I’m told everyday but I’m a Bama fan by UT and Auburn fans, and a UT fan by Bama and Kentucky fans. UT fans who know I’m from Kentucky label me a UK fan. I also lived in Columbus, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina… so I must be an Ohio State and UNC fan, too.

This site was started because I wanted a completely UNBIASED spot for SEC coverage. And judging from the hate mail I get every day telling me that we LOVE all 12 schools and HATE all 12 schools, I think we do a damn fine job of providing legit SEC news and objective opinions. You find one anti-Bama story on here and I’ll find you another one that’s pro-Bama. Same for every other school.

Josh — who’s not a UT fan, either, by the way — simply wrote his opinion on the story. You’re the one who called someone you don’t know “a fool” and now you claim that there must be bias involved. Apparently you didn’t see that Josh also included Tennessee and Derek Dooley in the story.

Of course you didn’t. You see only what you want to see through your crimson lenses.

Well, here’s the question — in terms of national coverage, why is it that only an Alabama site is saying Saban’s in the right here? Maybe the bias belongs to you and your Bama site rather than to the rest of America.

Coaches and schools do this type of stuff often. It stinks. Only someone dressed in their school’s footy pajamas would claim that it’s A-OK. Legal? Yes. Fair to kids? Nope. And that was Josh’s point. Too bad you couldn’t grasp it without crying that someone must hate Alabama if they write something about a topic that makes Bama (and LSU and Tennessee and others) look bad.

John

Changing to 25 limit has NOTHING to do with greyshirting. Get your facts before you spout off. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT WORKS. Taylor said the offer was good in another class. Which entirely different from “pulling” an offer. Which by the way Georgia recently did.

There is also nothing, nothing, nothing to keep Taylor or any other committ from changing this mind on NSD and going somewhere else. NOTHING.

TAYLOR IF YOU READ THIS: and I suspect you will, no ne has ever been hurt by greyshirting for Alabama. (John Parker Wilson, William Vlachos). If you receive a better offer, then take it and we wish you well. Otherwise, we would love to have you.

Changing to 25 limit has NOTHING to do with greyshirting. Get your facts before you spout off. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT WORKS. Taylor said the offer was good in another class. Which entirely different from “pulling” an offer. Which by the way Georgia recently did.

There is also nothing, nothing, nothing to keep Taylor or any other committ from changing this mind on NSD and going somewhere else. NOTHING.

TAYLOR IF YOU READ THIS: and I suspect you will, no ne has ever been hurt by greyshirting for Alabama. (John Parker Wilson, William Vlachos). If you receive a better offer, then take it and we wish you well. Otherwise, we would love to have you.

As far as Mr. Ward, the earlier statement you made (which I can no longer seem to find), “Josh Ward hosts a daily, three-hour radio show in Knoxville, Tennessee,” explains a lot. The fact that I can no longer find that comment explains a lot more.

John Pennington from MrSEC.com, here… I appear weekly as the SEC analyst for CSS’ “SportsNite” (gets into 13 states) and I do radio on 15-20 stations across the Southeast each week. I’ve worked in television for 20 years and radio and newspaper since high school. I also have seven Emmy Awards in a closet.

Josh Ward hosts a daily, three-hour radio show.

Mike Mitchell spent a decade in television and has authored a book.

When it comes to traditional media, I think we’ve been “carried” quite well.

Thanks for reading,

John

John Pennington from MrSEC.com, here… I appear weekly as the SEC analyst for CSS’ “SportsNite” (gets into 13 states) and I do radio on 15-20 stations across the Southeast each week. I’ve worked in television for 20 years and radio and newspaper since high school. I also have seven Emmy Awards in a closet.

Josh Ward hosts a daily, three-hour radio show in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mike Mitchell spent a decade in television and has authored a book.

When it comes to traditional media, I think we’ve been “carried” quite well, thanks.

John

By the way, of what SEC school are you a fan?