Red River Recruiting

[osugrad21]

Good read here...found this on a few boards but originally posted by Brutus on OZone

NYTimes

Inside the Red River Recruiting Rivalry

Michael Stravato for The New York Times
Jamarkus McFarland, a top defensive prospect from Lufkin, Tex., put an end to months of aggressive recruiting on Thursday.

By THAYER EVANS
Published: December 25, 2008
LUFKIN, Tex. ? This college football season ended with Oklahoma and Texas once again demonstrating the intensity of their rivalry. The teams and their fans lobbied hard for the precious Bowl Championship Series points that would ultimately clear a path for the Sooners to compete for the national title against Florida.

Michael Stravato for The New York Times
The process often divided Jamarkus McFarland and his mother, Kashemeyia Adams, who received offers to influence her son.


But there is one place where the tension between these programs has long run even deeper: on the recruiting trail. And while the debate unfolded over the teams, another battle quietly raged in this quaint East Texas town.
The fight was over Jamarkus McFarland, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle from Lufkin High School who is considered the state?s best defensive prospect this year and one of the nation?s most promising players. He is also a top student and the president of his class.
The effort to recruit him took a turn at precisely 12:01 a.m. on Christmas, when McFarland, 18, decided to commit to Oklahoma. On Thursday, he called the Sooners? defensive line coach, Jackie Shipp.
?I want you to coach me for the next four years,? McFarland told him.
?What did you say?? Shipp said.
?I want you to coach me for the next four years,? McFarland repeated. ?Isn?t that what you wanted for Christmas??
Shipp told McFarland to hold on, then he began screaming. McFarland?s decision ended a grueling recruiting process, although he cannot sign a letter of intent with the Sooners until Feb. 4. Coaches from Oklahoma and Texas are not allowed to comment on McFarland until then.
Since July, he and his family have provided a reporter for The New York Times with exclusive access to his recruitment, a journey that often divided McFarland and his mother. They endured frequent telephone calls and e-mail messages from reporters and coaches, tears of frustration, restless nights and Internet rumors suggesting impropriety.
McFarland?s mother, Kashemeyia Adams, said she received numerous offers, including one for an interest-free loan for a former classmate, if her son were to choose Texas. She said she did not believe the offers were affiliated with the Texas football staff.

Cont...

 

[Twofifteen]

Wow. I imagine that's got the Horns fans in an uproar. I've gotta say, I really don't like momma's tone.

 

[NightmaresDad]

Very interesting read.......

Can you imagine JT showing off his own house in such a way as to say "look at what I've got!"

On the other hand, it must be a nightmare sometimes for the recruiting coaches to deal with the parents - especially the ones who think that their kid is the only recruit that the team has.

And....where do all those kids at USC get all that money?

 

[sandgk]

Spot the University (SMU, Baylor, Texas Tech, UT?) and try to win a prize (recruit).

Along the way, McFarland was wined and dined. He visited the house of the president of Oklahoma, where he was promised a spot in the prestigious President?s Leadership Class. He rode in a Hummer stretch limousine in Los Angeles. He attended parties, including one in Dallas, where he said there was free alcohol, drugs and young women taking off their clothes.

More awesome revelations follow:

But the best summation of his experience might have come from a paper he wrote for his English class comparing Oklahoma and Texas. The paper, “Red River Rivals Recruit,” includes a description of a wild party hosted by Longhorns fans at an upscale hotel in Dallas after the Oklahoma-Texas game on Oct. 11.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Good grief. The whole process is just so absurd. I don't envy coaches having to deal with recruits and parents, recruits having to deal with parents and coaches, nor parents having to deal with coaches and recruits.

The whole thing is just so silly.

(Writes the guy who checks the recruiting forum first on his visits to BP )

 

[sphincter]

Young women taking off their clothes? ...wait, so why doesn't he want to attend UT?

 

[Jaxbuck]

Good grief. The whole process is just so absurd. I don't envy coaches having to deal with recruits and parents, recruits having to deal with parents and coaches, nor parents having to deal with coaches and recruits.

The whole thing is just so silly.

(Writes the guy who checks the recruiting forum first on his visits to BP )

The thing that bothers me the most when I read or hear about how they try and entice these kids is that I wasn't a better football player coming out of high school.

 

[osugrad21]

Plausible deniability.

That is how today's recruiting functions. Coaches rarely have a clue about specifics in unsavory recruiting practices...but they are aware something is happening.

True story...a few years ago, kid becomes a national prospect. He came from little to nothing and Mom struggled to keep food on the table with menial jobs. Out of the blue, local millionaire calls the kid to offer him a summer job...legit job, fluffy but legit. Kid eagerly accepts. Immediate recruiting conversations occur and the man lets it be known that he is a "fan" of a certain school that is actively pursuing the kid. Eventually, the booster wants to meet Mom...tells her there might be a nice job for her in his company and she could fly to all away games with him on his jet...you know, if her son would happen to commit to his favorite school of course. No pressure though, he really just wants the best for the kid...loves seeing local kids make it, makes the town proud, etc. The job was always coming "soon". Kid commits elsewhere and ends his recruitment...changes his cell phone number to avoid persistent coaches. The booster tells him he needs his new number for work purposes...coaches from his school start calling again that night. When NLOID comes and the kid sticks with his commitment, the man stopped taking calls...no job for Mom and no more summer/break job as the position was "eliminated".

 

[Gatorubet]

So Urban's still got a shot?

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Plausible deniability.

That is how today's recruiting functions. Coaches rarely have a clue about specifics in unsavory recruiting practices...but they are aware something is happening.

True story...a few years ago, kid becomes a national prospect. He came from little to nothing and Mom struggled to keep food on the table with menial jobs. Out of the blue, local millionaire calls the kid to offer him a summer job...legit job, fluffy but legit. Kid eagerly accepts. Immediate recruiting conversations occur and the man lets it be known that he is a "fan" of a certain school that is actively pursuing the kid. Eventually, the booster wants to meet Mom...tells her there might be a nice job for her in his company and she could fly to all away games with him on his jet...you know, if her son would happen to commit to his favorite school of course. No pressure though, he really just wants the best for the kid...loves seeing local kids make it, makes the town proud, etc. The job was always coming "soon". Kid commits elsewhere and ends his recruitment...changes his cell phone number to avoid persistent coaches. The booster tells him he needs his new number for work purposes...coaches from his school start calling again that night. When NLOID comes and the kid sticks with his commitment, the man stopped taking calls...no job for Mom and more job as the position was eliminated.

Is this the guy who offered Rhett Bomar the job at his car dealership?

 

[pnuts34]

Is this the guy who offered Rhett Bomar the job at his car dealership?

Man that's a story happening everyday! I don't know why some people are surprised by this story don't any of you remember Willie Williams from a couple years back? The LB from South FL with all types of accolades on the field but couldn't keep his nose clean off the field. He had a diary in a newspaper and told of all of his visits to U of Miami, FSU and UF. These types of stories happen ALL of the time! He got Game was a movie made in 1998 where they talked about trips like this, sure its bball but its the same aspect of recruiting. I bet there are NUMBERS of players going to OSU that have stories like this as well.
Do you really think that people just started giving Clarett money when he won the NC? Or that money was just being given to Troy Smith when he became a starter? Come on, every team does this same thing, its just that bigger schools do it more and get away with it more often. This story just happens to be about Texas and Oklahoma, it could easily be scUM and OSU, UCLA- USC or even Alabama A&M and Hampton!

 

[osugrad21]

Is this the guy who offered Rhett Bomar the job at his car dealership?

Nah but like Pnuts said, the stories are everywhere...the whole process is fascinating to watch as every little loophole is discovered and exploited.

They know ways to get around the rules. I sat in a meeting with a prominent D1 coach who came to visit our school...he was not allowed to talk to our player yet but the kid was in the office also. He gave the whole school presentation to the coaches but had his back to the kid so they never made eye contact. "Coach, I want you to make sure to tell ______ that we can guarantee him...."

 

[stxbuck]

Spot the University (SMU, Baylor, Texas Tech, UT?) and try to win a prize (recruit).



More awesome revelations follow:

To quote Mr. McFarland from the article "the girls were romancing each other"-that is a new one!

 

[stxbuck]

Man that's a story happening everyday! I don't know why some people are surprised by this story don't any of you remember Willie Williams from a couple years back? The LB from South FL with all types of accolades on the field but couldn't keep his nose clean off the field. He had a diary in a newspaper and told of all of his visits to U of Miami, FSU and UF. These types of stories happen ALL of the time! He got Game was a movie made in 1998 where they talked about trips like this, sure its bball but its the same aspect of recruiting. I bet there are NUMBERS of players going to OSU that have stories like this as well.
Do you really think that people just started giving Clarett money when he won the NC? Or that money was just being given to Troy Smith when he became a starter? Come on, every team does this same thing, its just that bigger schools do it more and get away with it more often. This story just happens to be about Texas and Oklahoma, it could easily be scUM and OSU, UCLA- USC or even Alabama A&M and Hampton!

I think a lot of the $$$$ pressure comes on kids who come from a poor/inner city background and are vulnerable to financial inducements. I have known the families of two tOSU recruits-one's mom was a secretary at my dad's work-and I never heard or noticed any of this craziness-these kids were both from stable, middle class families.

 

[stowfan]

Plausible deniability.

That is how today's recruiting functions. Coaches rarely have a clue about specifics in unsavory recruiting practices...but they are aware something is happening.

True story...a few years ago, kid becomes a national prospect. He came from little to nothing and Mom struggled to keep food on the table with menial jobs. Out of the blue, local millionaire calls the kid to offer him a summer job...legit job, fluffy but legit. Kid eagerly accepts. Immediate recruiting conversations occur and the man lets it be known that he is a "fan" of a certain school that is actively pursuing the kid. Eventually, the booster wants to meet Mom...tells her there might be a nice job for her in his company and she could fly to all away games with him on his jet...you know, if her son would happen to commit to his favorite school of course. No pressure though, he really just wants the best for the kid...loves seeing local kids make it, makes the town proud, etc. The job was always coming "soon". Kid commits elsewhere and ends his recruitment...changes his cell phone number to avoid persistent coaches. The booster tells him he needs his new number for work purposes...coaches from his school start calling again that night. When NLOID comes and the kid sticks with his commitment, the man stopped taking calls...no job for Mom and more job as the position was eliminated.

Kinda reminds me of the innuendo, that a booster of an unnamed school up north gave Crable a job washing his truck fleet, and Crable never got his hands wet.