'12 GA RB Imani Cross (Nebraska Commit)

[UTvols#1]

Me too.I really liked cross.He was the first commit to from what I read.It sucks and I do hope they have better and it doesn't come back to bite us. Was hill that much better?Cross was#19 ranked what is hill?What is pender Davis or others we are looking at?

I really hope the staff knows what they are doing on this one, I really thought Cross be could the type of back we needed w/ our abysmal run game.

I also think its f'd up what the staff did to him, JMO. I know recruiting is a cut throat thing & you need the best players but.

 

[WillisWG]

This is what Cross did this year. He would have looked good in orange but if I had a choice between him or Mike Davis then I going with Davis.



Attempts 166
Yards 1540
TD'S 22
Long Yds 85
Yds/Att 9.3
Yds/gm 171.1
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[VolFan_N_NC]

pretty dirty of UT... wish this kid goes to Vandy and becomes all world.

Just the nature of the business. Better to let him go now so he has time to get into a good situation.

 

[Coastypop]

Me too.I really liked cross.He was the first commit to from what I read.It sucks and I do hope they have better and it doesn't come back to bite us. Was hill that much better?Cross was#19 ranked what is hill?What is pender Davis or others we are looking at?

Better post.....

It comes down to two things 1) HILL is an EE and Cross is NOT, we need someone who came help NOW, Hill has a better chance as Cross would be playing catch up to him
2) we have a limited players we can take... it is a pure numbers game and this staff need a hoss at RB

 

[UTvol1fn]

I really hope the staff knows what they are doing on this one, I really thought Cross be could the type of back we needed w/ our abysmal run game.

I also think its f'd up what the staff did to him, JMO. I know recruiting is a cut throat thing & you need the best players but.

really? what exactly did the staff do to him that was so terrible?

 

[UTvols#1]

Is that not good enough...just asking..

This is what Cross did this year. He would have looked good in orange but if I had a choice between him or Mike Davis then I going with Davis.



Attempts 166
Yards 1540
TD'S 22
Long Yds 85
Yds/Att 9.3
Yds/gm 171.1
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[LazhilUT]

This is what Cross did this year. He would have looked good in orange but if I had a choice between him or Mike Davis then I going with Davis.



Attempts 166
Yards 1540
TD'S 22
Long Yds 85
Yds/Att 9.3
Yds/gm 171.1
[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial][/FONT][/FONT]

Thing is:
Do we have Mike Davis?
Why release a kid when we're not sure we can get someone better?

 

[utvolpj]

really? what exactly did the staff do to him that was so terrible?

it doesn't matter since some will take shots no matter what. This happens all over the country but when UT does it they are terrible people. Ridiculous

one way to get better is through recruiting and this is what the staff is focusing on. Isn't it every UT fan's desire to see a better team on the field?

 

[hixsonvol]

It appears from the article to me that Imani had to approach CTJ about it.

I know kids are told all of the time to look around and that's normal, but the staff shouldn't be chicken $h.t about it. Be straight up and go to the kid instead of making the kid come to you.

I don't mind coaches telling kids to move on, but do it with class.

 

[oakridgevolfan]

Me too.I really liked cross.He was the first commit to from what I read.It sucks and I do hope they have better and it doesn't come back to bite us. Was hill that much better?Cross was#19 ranked what is hill?What is pender Davis or others we are looking at?

Gotta remember that shiz goes both ways!

 

[UTvol1fn]

It appears from the article to me that Imani had to approach CTJ about it.

I know kids are told all of the time to look around and that's normal, but the staff shouldn't be chicken $h.t about it. Be straight up and go to the kid instead of making the kid come to you.

I don't mind coaches telling kids to move on, but do it with class.

you don't know how it went down, so quit making assumptions. you have one side of the story....

 

[UT's#1Fan]

good grief it's not dirty at all. Everyone claims to want UT to get better but when they release a kid 2 months before signing day because they are in on some better prospects all of a sudden people get a conscience. It's part of recruiting, deal with it

I can't let myself be a hypocrite. When a kid decommits from us, I feel the same way for them not holding their commitment to us.... so when we don't hold our commitment to them, I just don't think it's fair to the kid. Just because it's "part of recruiting" doesn’t make it right.

Either way it does not look good for the coaches... sure they may have cut bait with a kid that wasn't as good as other kids on the board (which may be good for the program)... but then you have to ask.. why did they offer the kid to begin with? You just don't throw offers out there for nothing... just like kids just shouldn't commit only to decommit down the road.

 

[abb4]

I really hope the staff knows what they are doing on this one, I really thought Cross be could the type of back we needed w/ our abysmal run game.

I also think its f'd up what the staff did to him, JMO. I know recruiting is a cut throat thing & you need the best players but.

You're kidding right? As much of your life as you spend obsessing over recruiting information and you think it's F'ed up?!? This kid has been "keeping his options open" and looking around on and off since committing, but the staff isn't allowed to do the same? Give me a break.

 

[MiramarVol]

Thing is:
Do we have Mike Davis?
Why release a kid when we're not sure we can get someone better?

Hill and Cross are the same height, weight and speed. Add in the same type of runners. The staff decided that Hill was the better fit. His demeanor, dedication, and support for the team this year in that wishing he could help out now was part of the decision to let Cross go. Yes, Cross was the 1st commit, but he started this by talking about making sure UT was were he wanted to go back in the summer, and talk of visiting other schools. The staff told him, he may have to be re-evaluated by a new coach and he said forget it I'm done. That opens up a slot that we need to use elsewhere.

 

[thomaseusin]

“When I did call him they told me there were other backs they were looking at and at the same time they were interviewing other running backs coaches and I would have to be reevaluated,” Cross said.

This may have been obvious to all based on rumors but the scoop sometimes can be gotten from the recruits themselves.

 

[hixsonvol]

you don't know how it went down, so quit making assumptions. you have one side of the story....

Did it go down differently than what the kid said?

 

[utvolpj]

I can't let myself be a hypocrite. When a kid decommits from us, I feel the same way for them not holding their commitment to us.... so when we don't hold our commitment to them, I just don't think it's fair to the kid. Just because it's "part of recruiting" doesn’t make it right.

Either way it does not look good for the coaches... sure they may have cut bait with a kid that wasn't as good as other kids on the board (which may be good for the program)... but then you have to ask.. why did they offer the kid to begin with? You just don't throw offers out there for nothing... just like kids just shouldn't commit only to decommit down the road.

all this shows is you occasionally glance at recruiting. It happens all the time. People would bash the coaches for not holding him the same as they are now and yes that's hypocritical. If they had waited until he got to campus and then told him they didn't have a scholarship that would be messed up. The way they did it is fine and UT should get better for it.

As for your last paragraph, should UT only hand out 25 offers per year? Schools put out a ton of offers and must take the 25 that best fit their needs to improve their team. If the kid doesn't fit it's better to tell him now and give him a chance to go somewhere else and be happy.

 

[UTvols#1]

What doyou mean.

Gotta remember that shiz goes both ways!

 

[UTVOL02]

This is how recruiting works, everywhere. If you don't like it or can't handle it then don't follow recruiting. Cross was the guy I was most looking forward to seeing next fall due to our lack of a power back but Hill is the same type of back, he's an EE and a step faster. If the staff feels that they can fill Cross's spot with better talent then that's what they have to do. And I'm in 100% support of that decision. It's their job to sign the best recruiting class that they possibly can.

At least they didn't wait until late January/early February like some programs or even worse, sign the kid knowing he likely won't help the team as much as a kid you turned down. How would that go over? Is Dooley suppose to turn down an elite back like Davis or Pender because there isn't room? That's how you lose your job.

Imani will be fine. He still has plenty of options out there and will be much happier, in the end, signing with a team that needs him. Recruiting is a roller coaster, if you can't handle the dips and turns, get off the ride...JMO


Good luck, Imani!

GBO

 

[UTvol1fn]

Did it go down differently than what the kid said?

i honestly don't know, either do you....and even from what Cross said it didn't sound that bad. Pretty typical in the DTD recruiting world...

the kid said he was "a little disappointed"....if he is only a little disappointed and moving on, then why is it so hard for most to understand that this isn't a negative to our program.

 

[volinbama256]

Better post.....

It comes down to two things 1) HILL is an EE and Cross is NOT, we need someone who came help NOW, Hill has a better chance as Cross would be playing catch up to him
2) we have a limited players we can take... it is a pure numbers game and this staff need a hoss at RB

Yes, I agree. People are forgetting we have another big back in Hill coming as an EE. I have a feeling we are in better shape than some think with a better fit for us or we would have not gone out on a limb and let him go.

 

[BruinVol]

good grief it's not dirty at all. Everyone claims to want UT to get better but when they release a kid 2 months before signing day because they are in on some better prospects all of a sudden people get a conscience. It's part of recruiting, deal with it

Yes its part of the business but make no mistake its the dirty part of it by correcting a mistake you made by accepting his commitment in the first place. I am glad the staff did it because in order for them to compete they must do what the competition does. So yes everybody does it but in no way is it anything more than cleaning up the mess you created by making an deal you shouldn't have.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[mooreaj21]

really? what exactly did the staff do to him that was so terrible?

As I said in my post, recruiting is a cut-throat business & I understand that.

I just think its f'd up that they evaluated him at Jr camp back in Feb & took his commitment, went & watched him at his HS spring practice, brought him in for the summer camp & worked him out, when he started wavering Dooley & Joseph called him to firm his commitment up, the staff allowed him to come up for 3-4 games on his own dime, & then they decide they don't want him.

 

[UTvol1fn]

As I said in my post, recruiting is a cut-throat business & I understand that.

I just think its f'd up that they evaluated him at Jr camp back in Feb & took his commitment, went & watched him at his HS spring practice, brought him in for the summer camp & worked him out, when he started wavering Dooley & Joseph called him to firm his commitment up, the staff allowed him to come up for 3-4 games on his own dime, & then they decide they don't want him.

all I have to say is welcome to the real world....it's only going to get harder

 

[WillisWG]

Thing is:
Do we have Mike Davis?
Why release a kid when we're not sure we can get someone better?

Who knows what Davis will do. I have no idea why we offered Watson, not sure what the plan is for him but can't see Watson being an upgrade to Cross.