Posted on Sun, Jan. 31, 2010
Sharrif Floyd relieved recruiting is over
By Mike Jensen
Inquirer Staff Writer
Every recruiting trip, Sharrif Floyd got the VIP treatment. He'd earned it. After tearing apart the competition at various scouting combines, the George Washington High senior was generally rated the top defensive tackle in his class nationally.
When Floyd visited one big-time football school, the defensive-line coach even carried his bags.
"Don't get used to this," George Washington head coach Ron Cohen remembers telling Floyd. "If you go to this school, I wouldn't want to be you the first day. You'll pay the price, believe me."
Floyd plans to sign a letter of intent Wednesday with Florida - choosing the Gators over Ohio State, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with serious recruiting heat also coming from Southern California and Penn State, and dozens of other scholarship offers.
Consider Floyd an expert on the recruiting process, on the tricks of the trade that coaches use as well as all the peripheral craziness - like the claim that Florida coach Urban Meyer had a dream that he was coaching Floyd, that he told Floyd the dream was a sign from God.
"That never came out of my mouth, and never came out of his mouth," said Floyd, who made a point of tracking down the source of the rumor.
The hardest part of the whole process?
"Not committing early, sticking it out to the end," Floyd said as he sat in Cohen's office last week at George Washington. "Because you get a lot of phone calls - a lot of reporters, a lot of 'we want you' type of speeches. Going through it as long as I did, I'm happy I did, because you can sniff out a lot of B.S., and there's a lot of it in this game.''
Although Floyd announced his decision earlier this month, two Florida assistant coaches visited the school on Wednesday. These days, oral commitments aren't always worth much. For instance, USC tried to get back in with him this month after Lane Kiffin took over for Pete Carroll.
"They said, 'Sharrif, come on, come be the best defensive tackle in California, and maybe the country. Come start for us,' " Floyd said. "The whole nine yards. But I didn't pay it any attention. I let them go through the whole spiel. I didn't disrespect them. They're doing their job. I understand that.''
There was reason for other schools to test Floyd's commitment to Florida since Meyer had originally announced last month that he was stepping down for health reasons, before the Gators' coach switched to taking a leave of absence. Now, Meyer seems to be back full time.
When Meyer had announced he was stepping down, Floyd already had made up his mind that he was going to Florida, although he wouldn't announce it for two more weeks. Floyd didn't tell anybody but his closest circle that Meyer's move made him switch gears. He decided he'd go to Ohio State, he said. But he didn't announce that either. And the more he thought about it, he said, the more he didn't want to choose a school based on a head coach.
"I switched back,'' Floyd said. "I'm going to be a Gator, with or without Coach Meyer. I love the guy. But if he's going to leave because of his health and no other reason, I respect that. I agreed with the fact that he was going to take that leave of absence, but that's nothing to worry about now. He's back in the office, and coaching the spring game.''