'15 FL DE Marques Ford (FORMER UT commit)

#1,277
#1,277
Sandvol said:
Who would have ever thunk we'd be turning away 4 star defensive linemen.
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I have been thinking about this since yesterday. We withdrew his scholly, this seems to be the case from everything we can gather. My question is did we turn him away or the coaches make a decission to withdraw his scholly. The coaches had given him a scholly offer based upon what they knew about him and his on the field play making abilities in high school.

We know that he came to campus this past weekend. This would have been the first time the coaches would have gotten to see anything off field in reality. This is just total conjecture on my part, but did something happen that raised a lot of red flags with the coaches possibly? Did they see something that worried them long term? Only the coaches will ever know for sure. But I do not see CBJ bringing him in last weekend with the intent to then hammer him this week. I think CBJ would have given him a no go before the trip, both for his sake and the benefit of the other recruits not bonding even more with him. The timing of it all seems odd unless it was all unplanned, then as the saying goes ish happens. JMO TIFWIW
 
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#1,278
#1,278
Wonder how many people compared to now would've cared if this happened a month ago, before Marques was a late add to the UAAA game and was a mid-range 3 star recruit. The timing absolutely sucks for the kid, but I'm just interested as to what the general response would've been.

It would've been similar to Rocky Reid, IMO. Some (a few) people really hurt by it, but most understood why the split happened.
 
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#1,279
#1,279
SigNu_VolFan said:
Wonder how many people compared to now would've cared if this happened a month ago, before Marques was a late add to the UAAA game and was a mid-range 3 star recruit. The timing absolutely sucks for the kid, but I'm just interested as to what the general response would've been.

It'd would've been similar to Rocky Reid, IMO. Some (a few) people really hurt by it, but most understood why the split happened.
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Truth.
 
#1,280
#1,280
Exiled said:
I think the offer was pulled for a second WR in the class...Camion Patrick. Timing sure makes it seem so.
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I'm pretty sure his status will not be determined until at least May. Wouldn't make a lot of sense to drop a guy like Ford in the hopes that Patrick "might" be able to be a '15 recruit. Because of how late his status will be determined they could bring him in as a blueshirt regardless of Ford.
 
#1,281
#1,281
Vol Catdaddy said:
we actually pulled the scholly from this kid. recruiting is a dirty business.
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It really is a business. I hate it for Marques, but anybody who says that a scholarship is a "free ride" has never been on an athletic scholarship.

The time that is required and the extra time that is expected is unbelievable. Everybody on the team earns that "free" tuition and then some. I just wish they would all at least come out of it with a degree, because only a few will go on to make a living playing a sport.

At this level it is cut throat. Get better or get out because they are looking each year for somebody better to take your spot. No matter how good you are.

We haven't been good enough or deep enough to have to cull many in the last few years. Especially quality players. Tough decisions for Coach Jones and staff, but that is why they get paid the big bucks.
 
#1,283
#1,283
griffdog14 said:
his replacement better be a ******* superstar.
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Kyle Phillips is a Superstar and is how this started. It came down to having to part with either Taylor or Ford because staff decided DE was the position they could afford to let a guy go at with Phillips/Butcher enrolled and Mixon moving to DE. If you notice Taylor recently came public that he informed Va Tech coaches that he is 100 percent signing with TN and his recruitment was shut down. both Ford and Taylor are great prospects but Taylor projects higher on the staffs board. He shut down recruitment to keep his spot and Ford became expendable.

I hate it for the kid but the more I think about it he isn't a kid that won't have a chance anywhere. He will go to a really nice school and play big time football. When your recruiting at an elite level these things happen. We just got used to Dooley where you were lucky to have a 4 star
 
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#1,284
#1,284
Dust10 said:
I really don't think we should look at it like a long snapper got his spot. I'd look at it like 5 star Kyle Phillips got his spot.
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And, someone else in addition to Phillips has probably also come available. Despite Ford's high rating, the coaches feel these late additions are more vital to the program's future success.

It doesn't take a genius to understand some folks confidence or feelings about CBJ have been "shaken" for lack of a better word due to how this has played out. Others understand difficult decisions sometimes have to be made, regardless of whether it gives everyone the warm & fuzzies 100% of the time.

There is a reason certain folks are hired as CEOs or in this case, Head Coaches. They have the fortitude and focus to consistently zero in on what is best in the long term, no matter how difficult, unfair or even harsh certain decisions may be.

CBJ was hired to build this program to succeed. Let the man do his job...I'm sure he understands better than any of us the risks in every decision he has to make.
 
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#1,285
#1,285
SigNu_VolFan said:
Wonder how many people compared to now would've cared if this happened a month ago, before Marques was a late add to the UAAA game and was a mid-range 3 star recruit. The timing absolutely sucks for the kid, but I'm just interested as to what the general response would've been.

It'd would've been similar to Rocky Reid, IMO. Some (a few) people really hurt by it, but most understood why the split happened.
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I'm sure (in fact I'd bet your house on it) that if Ford was asked to look elsewhere so we could get two top OT's that most everyone complaining will still be mad and wanting to fahr Butch, they will argue that an extra DE is more important than any OT.
Then they'll want to Fahr Butch because he didn't sign any OT's.
 
#1,286
#1,286
Montrell Hardy said:
I'm pretty sure his status will not be determined until at least May. Wouldn't make a lot of sense to drop a guy like Ford in the hopes that Patrick "might" be able to be a '15 recruit. Because of how late his status will be determined they could bring him in as a blueshirt regardless of Ford.
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You may be right. I was basing my thought off of the timing. CP gets an offer yesterday (and all indications are that he will commit to us) and MF gets his offered pulled. Gets us the 2nd WR in the class that the Coaches have been working for (Newsome and Jefferson both gone now) and it appears that Kelly will be taking the final RB spot as well.
 
#1,287
#1,287
Montrell Hardy said:
I'm pretty sure his status will not be determined until at least May. Wouldn't make a lot of sense to drop a guy like Ford in the hopes that Patrick "might" be able to be a '15 recruit. Because of how late his status will be determined they could bring him in as a blueshirt regardless of Ford.
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Yes we can blueshirt Lovinggood, Perry, Bruce, Patrick, and Zach Stewart. None of those guys have an HC in home visit or Official. We couldn't do that with a Ford or Newsome. So that is why we have room for the others and not them two
 
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#1,288
ALLVOL24/7/365 said:
In case some of you do not realize it, long snappers are one of the most valued positions in the NFL. It is one of the position that you can have a long, if unheralded career at, because the NFL values it so highly. If you are a really good LS you can play for years in the league.

Stoops gave a scholly to our "walkon long snapper" last year. He went to Ravenwood, same school as Van Jefferson, who is probably going to be a Sooner now. They were taking pictures together out in Norman this past weekend. I think I read somewhere that CUM is giving one to a LS up at tosu this year. Some people seem to value them.

It is a position that goes unnoticed unless there is a screw up. Then it may very well have cost a game. A missed extra point, blocked punt, cause a 15 yard punt or a snap over the head of a punter and lose a game when the outcome of one single game can keep you out of the NC playoff.

Before anyone ask or thinks it, I have no personal interest in this position. I am just looking at a 12 game regular season and I have seen enough games changed over the years by bad snaps to see the value of the position. I would rather see one LS scholly that pans out than one that is wasted on 11th receiver that never sees the field.
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This. GOOD Long Snappers are getting scholarships at an increased rate.

https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1368224

High-school football: Long snapper becomes niche position that players can call their own | The Columbus Dispatch

I'm pretty glad that VN doesn't have a say in our Recruiting.
 
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#1,292
#1,292
So, incredibly talented kid who's worked his arse off to maximize his talents to accomplish great things on the field at this point.....to be arguably the #1 player in the country, doesn't deserve to be rewarded with a scholarship.....because his father has done the exact same things throughout his life, has achieved great success in his NFL career and beyond and has been awarded accordingly? Is this really the message we want to send?

This thread belongs in the political forum.
 
#1,293
#1,293
I just hate this kid had scholly pulled and has been committed to us all this time. I don't blame coaches its a tough business.
 
#1,294
#1,294
The solution would have been to not make Ford a situation at all. If CBJ felt it necessary to recruit over a rock-solid commit who called UT and the coaches "family," I wish we could have done it earlier than two weeks before NSD.
 
#1,296
#1,296
Ford's scholarship is not going to a long snapper. But even if it was this is a position of need every game. Where as a 3rd string OL or TE probably won't play.

Long Snappers directly effect every punt, extra point and field goal attempt. Years ago you wouldn't even use a scholarship on a kicker, but times have changed if you want a good one. Same with Long Snappers.

The NFL carries LS on their active roster and they only have 53 active and only 40 suit up for games. So with 85 scholarships to use 1 for a high level long snapper is probably worth it.
 
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#1,297
#1,297
I would argue that a single scholarship for a long snapper is more valuable than a single scholarship for a DE at a position that is already well stocked.

Riley will likely play 50+ games at Tennessee. If his snap speed is as good as advertised, that gives the punter a fraction of a second more time to get the ball off, which means the chances of a punt/field goal/extra point getting blocked go way, way down.

Might not mean much in a single game, but over the course of an entire four year career, that's well worth a scholarship. Butch emphasizes special teams and he's probably overjoyed knowing that he won't have to worry nearly as much about punts getting blocked through 2018.
 
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