Jeff Whitaker Opts for Auburn
Georgia was his third choice.
When you expect the worst, your only options are to be proven correct or pleasantly surprised.
Go 'Dawgs!
about 2 years ago
T Kyle King
63 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
For whatever it might be worth . . .
. . . Twitter reports that my mention of Jeff Whitaker’s choice of Auburn over Georgia was the second such announcement to go out on Twitter, two minutes after AUTigerWire and four minutes before RecruitingAJC, even though a Google search taking me to the Journal-Constitution’s website is where I got it (and, apparently, where AUTigerWire got it, as well).
I mention that in light of recent constructive criticisms. That is all.
Go 'Dawgs!
People have been talking about this situation like Whitaker was committed to Georgia and left for Auburn.
There’s a reason why they call it uncommitted. I suppose its ok to be upset about missing out on a kid who may or may not pan out in college, but the doom and gloom is getting ridiculous (and by that I don’t mean Kyle’s reasoned pessimism, but the idiotic fatalism as if nothing can ever get any better you see on some of the national, regional, and internet media outlets).
As I recall we were upset at some players we didn’t get last year, one went and made quite an impression at FSU, others redshirted, and some we’ll never hear from again. Getting or not getting one player is not going to elevate or decimate the whole class.
Not to belabor the point on the recruiting rankings (and not that I don’t think there is a correlation between highly rated recruits and success), but they aren’t the end all be all.
Example:
Georgia signs 3 different players in 2002 —
Player A – 5 Star LB/DL
Player B – 2 Star DB
Player C – 4 Star QB
If you guessed player B was the NFL starter and Super Bowl Champion Tim Jennings, you’d be right.
Player A was Marquis Elmore, who if my numbers are right recorded 8 tackles at Georgia in addition to embarrassing legal run ins.
Player C was Joe Tereshinski (the #10 QB in the country according to Rivals). We all know how that turned out.
I realize I am sort of all over the place here, but I hope I’ve sort of made my point without making too big an ass of myself. Jeff Whitaker — best of luck. You’re gonna need it when Ben Jones comes to eat you for breakfast.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
Sort of....sort of...sort of....
Just think of it as intentional repetition like in poetry.
I’m chasing the proverbial dragon of college recruiting. I like it….it’s gonna cause some passionate but poorly worded writing…. and chances are it’s gonna be a helluva come down.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
They are all "uncommitted" as far as I'm concerned
When committed means you are still taking trips and entertaining offers from other schools, you aren’t committed. Get them signed on the dotted line and on the practice field. Then I’ll start paying attention to them.
Oh, and pessimism WOO HOO!!
I agree....
I just meant the “hurt”, if you can call it that, would be more legitimate if he had said again and again that he was coming here just to switch at the last minute.
But acting like its a huge recruiting disaster because a kid who never said he was coming here says he’s not coming is just sort of short sighted and pathetic (and thats what many of our fellow fans are doing right now on the boards of which we do not speak).
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
How could anyone in their right mind choose Auburn over UGA?
I understand all the kids who cannot get in/don’t get recruited by UGA and have to settle for Auburn, then move to Atlanta, put 4 pieces of AU flair on their vehicles and proclaim Auburn to be the greatest place on earth, but how could anyone who had the option choose to go slumming?
You are going to be second fiddle in TWO states for the rest of your life.
Oh well, you had your chance Jeff, now prepare to be 0-8 versus your two rivals.
Fixed it for ya
… settle for Auburn, then move to Atlanta Acworth, put 4 pieces of AU flair on their vehicles and proclaim Auburn to be the greatest place on earth, but how could anyone who had the option choose to go slumming?
by NCT on Feb 1, 2010 5:21 PM EST up reply actions
Why did Britney Spear at her peak marry Kevin Federline...
Deep down, most people are idiots.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
Not saying Whitaker is BTW....
Just that not everyone can be as enlightened as those of us that chose Athens.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
This is why I tried to present it as a statement of fact in which fans would be interested
I didn’t even include an “I hate Auburn” because it’s just two schools recruiting a kid they believe will be a good player at the college level. The kid had options and he made a choice; I will be rooting against his team throughout his entire college career, but not against him personally. Any number of factors go into the college selection process, and I don’t begrudge him his choice.
Frankly, it’s hard for me to understand this whole process, both because I’ve never been a very highly touted athlete and because I literally cannot remember a moment at which I didn’t know I’d be attending the University of Georgia. It was a certainty in my life for as long as I can remember; I no more chose where to go to college than I chose to breathe, even though both theoretically were things I could have elected not to do, had I been sufficiently foolish about my future.
Go 'Dawgs!
As a recruited athlete....
at Clemson (shudder) — though not highly touted….although how highly touted can you be in soccer — I feel for the kid. There’s a lot of pressure to make the right decision. I didn’t have to the burden of choosing against a home state school since Georgia only has a club team. Nonetheless, he seems like a classy kid and I’m sure it was a tough decision and he had people from both sides in his ear.
I hope he’s successful at Auburn and don’t doubt that he felt more comfortable there although I suspect that comfort comes from the fact that they run a 4-3 which is what he was most used to from high school.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
Me, too
Actually, I was recruited a good bit by UGA and a little bit by a few other schools, but not for being a highly touted athlete. There were personal, handwritten notes, dinners, and calls, but UGA was the only school that had a trustee who gave me a gift subscription to a literary magazine. Know your target, indeed.
None of it mattered a whole lot. It always was between the University or the Trade School. Between the academic tales of terror from my brothers’ experiences on the Flats and the connection I felt to UGA through my folks (and, as it turns out, vice versa) meant I was going to be a Bulldog, no question. But the attention was nice. I can’t imagine what these athletes go through and what it does to a young ego.
by NCT on Feb 1, 2010 9:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Arguably the worst moment in the history of sports broadcasting....
I’d say Whitaker is gonna shave his head…. but I think he already has that covered.
Hopefully he doesn’t get out of the Auburn limo wearing a short skirt.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
The beauty of that moment . . .
. . . was Todd Blackledge’s attempt to wrap his brain around it. Go back and listen to it again, and you’ll be able to track Mike Patrick’s non sequitur as it penetrates Blackledge’s head, layer by layer, and he struggles to make sense of it. If memory serves, the progression runs something like: “What?” “Britney who?” “Is she here?” “Then why do we care?” He’s really, really trying to give Patrick the benefit of the doubt and figure out a way to believe his partner hasn’t just said the dumbest thing ever. I gained new respect for Blackledge in that game, which was a hard sell after New Year’s Day 1983.
Go 'Dawgs!
Top recruiting classes can be a forecast of good years to come
however, top recruiting classes do not equal rings. Furthermore, top recruiting metrics are usually based on who got the most high ranked players. A team could get the #1 QB in the nation and that “add points”, but, in the case of UGA, we dont need the #1 QB this year, so it’s not a lose. For recruiting to translate to wins and rings, it’s about the coaches ability to properly identify weak areas, and properly identify college potential. Furthermore, a team that is fairly loaded, like UGA, may lose some top recruits because they already know they are in the que versus starting their freshman year. Many great players go to smaller schools so they start for 4 years.
I, too, like to losely follow recruiting, but making the top 5 in recruiting doesn’t mean you win, it is only a small metric of potential to win.
"I look forward to developing an aggressive, physical, attacking style defense that offenses will not look forward to playing against." - Coach Grantham
horrible editing. daggumit.
"I look forward to developing an aggressive, physical, attacking style defense that offenses will not look forward to playing against." - Coach Grantham
I look at recruiting like fantasy football
You’re gonna get some good players, you’re gonna get some that don’t pan out.
Its silly (not to offend anyone) and not to be taken entirely seriously, but getting obsessed with it can be a fun way to pass that time.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Feb 1, 2010 4:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Good way to look at it.
Really, if a school can get 3-4 studs out of every class, they will have a phenomenal team.
Kyle, you need a new avatar
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
And maybe a new signature: "Oh, bother" That would be great after every loss.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Feb 1, 2010 4:57 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Eeyore was an optimist
All right, not really, but there’s a difference: Eeyore lived in the endlessly pleasant Hundred Acre Wood, a blissful dreamscape where every problem (e.g., Pooh getting stuck in a tree) opened the door to a subsequent positive development (i.e., the tree in question being filled with honey).
I, by contrast, am here in Bulldog Nation. The football team is ranked No. 1 to start the 2008 season . . . and proceeds to endure back-to-back seasons with embarrassing losses, no championships, and atrocious defense, ultimately resulting in the firing of nearly our entire defensive staff. The men’s basketball team changes coaches and plays with a new energy and purpose . . . only to lose one nailbiter after another and go winless on the road. The women’s basketball team torpedos Tennessee . . . only to drop three straight in conference play. The women’s gymnastics team wins five straight national championships . . . and changes coaches, then loses three in a row, including one to a team the Gym Dogs had been 64-0 against previously.
Eeyore had no reason to be dour. I do. I’ll try to work on it, though.
Go 'Dawgs!
Yeah but his hovel keeps getting knocked down
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
For the love of God, don't "work on it."
Tankertoad has already crossed over into the optimistic realm. We need somebody to keep fighting the good fight for the pessimists.
Stay vigilant!
I'm doing my best to be downbeat
I think my basic sense that, over time, everything will move from bad to worse is rooted in the scientific and the historical. The second law of thermodynamics charts a downward course for all things (don’t look now, but I think I just quoted Tom Baker in “Logopolis”; I told you “Doctor Who” would be next!) and fatalism has been ingrained in us as Southerners by experience.
(Deep down, I believe our innate preference for defensive football in the Southeastern Conference traces back to the War, as our “three things can happen with you pass and two of them are bad” attitude toward offensive maneuvers is a lesson learned in a harsher form at Gettysburg. Maybe that’s why, when some fans predict an SEC East championship for Georgia in 2010 based upon recent upheavals in Gainesville and in Knoxville, my response to their elated cries of, “Just look at our division!” is: “I have no division.”)
Still, it requires a concerted effort on my part to forget the fact that the man to whom those four words first were spoken also told us, “It is history that teaches us to hope.” Funny you mention “the love of God,” though; what was it Aeschylus had to say about the coming of wisdom to us through His awful grace?
Go 'Dawgs!
I don't think you should have to work on it.
Your came to your pessimism though reason and with logical justification.
I on the other hand came to my optimism through a prism of childlike wonder, hero worship, and an against all odds mentality.
Perhaps those to opposing approaches account for my continued shift towards the dark side.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
Wow.... that is just rife with mistakes
You
, on the other hand,
two
I have the recruiting fever, I tell ya. And its slowly rotting my brain.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
You've got the fever . . .
. . . and the only cure is more cowbell.
Last week, the theme was “Star Trek.” This week, it’s “Saturday Night Live” sketches. Next week, I’m thinking of going with “Doctor Who.”
Go 'Dawgs!
You know . . .
you win some, you lose some, and some choose Auburn for it’s stark anti-urbanist art scene. (h/t Spencer Hall)
I’ll be back tonight to talk about a defensive lineman who actually will be matriculating in Athens.
Speaking of recruiting classes....
… I don’t think it is surprising that the 2 most dominant teams of the last 2-3 years (Bama and UF) have had top ranked recruiting classes during that same time frame. I didn’t have an issue with our defense, but our recruiting that has put us in a position to have some players that take plays off and seemingly have more drive off the field than on it. Coaches at other SEC schools are getting equally talented players but seem to always get the players who have drive (the Tebows and Ingrams of the world). We may be recruiting them too, but when we are losing out on the players with heart and being forced to surrender our schemes to talent alone, we will lose every time. I don’t see any change on that front as we haven’t made a change in how or who we are recruiting. Da’Rick Rogers recruitment is a class example. Why are we recruiting a kid who appears, by all things reported, to not have the FULL desire to play for GA?
Rogers may go to Tennessee...
But if he does so it will be because his unofficial “brother” is going there (among other things unconfirmed allegations about Nance’s dad buying him a car) not because of a failure in recruiting on Georgia’s part.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
i read the other day that he has been up there the past couple of weeks with his friend. i’m not feeling good about this one.
"Dum spiro spero"
by Bravely going forward on Feb 2, 2010 12:06 AM EST up reply actions
Nance's dad CAN buy him a car...
He is somehow a “part legal guardian”. Maybe Kyle could explain what in the hell that is, but apparently the monetary issue has already been addressed by the NCAA. We just lost Telvin Smith as well (picked FSU). My question is, when Rogers, already committed, showed he wasn’t all that interested in GA itself, why was he still being recruited? 5 star or not, GA needs more than anything, players who don’t put themselves above the program. Make your visits before you commit. If you commit, you better not waver…if you do, there could be consequences. That is the attitude I would like to see Richt take.
In short, we need players like AJ...
Who commit, stay committed and never waver. He committed early and never wavered. We don’t need players like Da’Rick. When he wavered, we should have pulled up camp and left him.
I don't follow recruiting very intensely, but . . .
I wonder, if you looked back, how many playmakers on our team these last few years “wavered” during their recruitment. Does Orson Charles’ holdout last winter count as “wavering”? Choosing a college to play DI-A football is a big deal; I think players are smart to look at all their options. There’s something to be said about making a commitment and sticking to it. But players like this year’s Garrison Smith, who grew up a UGA fan, committed when he was offered, and never looked anywhere else, are the exception, I think, not the rule. Most players are above all looking for programs that will serve their needs (playing time, exposure, avenues to the League), and I don’t blame them for it.
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
Orson Charles never "wavered"
He didn’t commit anywhere til after signing day. Go back and reread about his recruitment. Most players don’t commit early. More and more are doing it, and more and more are screwing the school over when they back out. Why do you think there is a push for an early signing period like they have in other sports? If it is a big decision, it is about time they took it seriously. I applaud Telvin Smith, I applaud Jeff Whitaker because they waited, listened and made the best choice for them. Da’Rick has done nothing but waste UGA’s time and possibly cost us chances at other WRs if he does, as it appears from his comments the other day, sign at UT. GA doesn’t need players who think that they are bigger than the program before they have even signed. If we get him fine, but we have wasted a lot of time that could have been spent elsewhere had he not started this mess. Yes it happens, but it shouldn’t, and GA should take a stance that limits it.
Telvin Smith picks FSU
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We iz DOOOOOOOMED!
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
If I may quote Tom Cruise from "Cocktail" . . .
. . . “All things end badly. That’s why they end.”
That’s from memory, and it’s, like, a 20-year-old movie, so don’t crucify me if I didn’t get it verbatim.
Go 'Dawgs!
To the extent crucifixion might be warranted, it is not for misquoting (possibly) a movie, but for quoting any Tom Cruise movie not called Risky Business, Top Gun, or Taps. Cocktail? Frankly, I’m surprised and disappointed — I might even be a little hurt (I need some time).
by NCT on Feb 1, 2010 9:01 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
In my defense . . .
. . . any film featuring Elisabeth Shue in her heyday has at least some merits.
The opening scene of “Adventures in Babysitting” (like the opening scene of “Patton”) was Oscar-worthy all on its own.
Sigh. I miss the ’80s.
Go 'Dawgs!
That quote is allowed
I’m not even sure that I’ve ever seen Cocktail, but I know that quote and use it regularly. If Eeyore is our new spirit animal, then that should be the new Dawg Sports motto.
Shue was super hot in Leaving Las Vegas...
And that’s a movie that made me want to kill myself.
She even made me sit through Hollow Man.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Feb 1, 2010 10:57 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I believe that was
“And Then He Kissed Me”, and her song and dance were inspired by an impending date with boyfriend Bradley Whitford of later West Wing fame.
by NCT on Feb 1, 2010 10:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You know it, my friend!
The scene is available here, by the way.
Also among the notables: Vincent D’Onofrio as Thor.
Go 'Dawgs!
Hmmmm
I didn’t think my alma mater let their boys go to Auburn. In fact, I don’t recall a single Auburn fan in the entire area. Sure you have your occasional nerds, but most all of the WR area goes UGA (well except for those Northside Chickens – never any telling what they’ll do.)
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
podunkdawg I never . . .
knew you were a Demon. Of course, Warner Robins did have a decent tailback who went to Auburn some years back, guy named Brooks. Jimmy Brooks, maybe? I think he may have chosen Auburn because, allegedly, he was not a great student.
Oddly, there have been multiple Northside Eagles who played in Athens recently (Abry Jones being the latest), and safety Quentin Banks is a former Houston County Bear, but I cannot recall any recent Warner Robins alums who played in the Classic City. Certainly I have to be forgetting somebody.
Yes Sir - Class of 1990.
Back before there even were Houston County Bears. I know there have been some Chickens (I would never insult an eagle that way) that played for us and it was awfully hard to accept. The Demons have not been churning out many great players the last several years. I’ve not seen a whole slew of them going off to play at big schools, but then I haven’t historically followed recruiting closely, so maybe I just missed it.
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Also FYI -
We will never be the “Rockin’ R’s” to me no matter what the school board says, we will always be the WRHS Demons.
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Ya know MD
anyone who is not a WRHS alumni will probably see that first sentence and think it’s an insult. But I read it the same as if it had said, “I never knew you were a Bulldog” (as I know it was intended to read.)
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Speaking of Northside
Didn’t Patrick NIx, AU quarterback, paly HS at Northside? And wasn’t his father the HS coach at the time?
DWWD -- WDE!
Chickens are part of my I Hate list...
right up there with Florida, Auburn, Tech, NY Yankees, NY Mets and a few other teams =)
I also dislike communism, lazy people, people who abuse other people etc etc etc.
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Some would say . . .
this explains your disdain for Northside:
also dislike communism, lazy people, people who abuse other people.
But I only say that because I have a brother who played at Northside. Sorry couldn’t resist.
Coach Nix just retired from Northside . . .
but I believe Patrick played for his father at Etowah H.S. in Alabama, not at Northside. I could easily be wrong about that though.
man, auburn’s doing something right on the recruiting trail. they’re getting a 5 star quarterback and a 5 star running back this year, along with all these other guys.
"Dum spiro spero"
by Bravely going forward on Feb 2, 2010 12:16 AM EST reply actions
Moneyhats
J/k … But seriously, they pay players in that hummer limo
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Feb 2, 2010 12:23 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Thing is, we really couldnt get a 5 star QB this year, because it is very likely they get redshirted and then compete with two other guys
but, if you go to Auburn, the door is wide open. If I was a top QB and didnt have a particular emotional/family/educational tie or reason I would probably pick Auburn over several other schools as well. Not sure who UF is getting for QBs, but it would be there, Auburn and LSU.
So it gets back to recruiting what you need or what you think you will need or what you think a player’s potentional is, as well as we never really will know honestly why someone goes where they go. I suspect, but don’t know, that those guys went to Auburn because they have a reasonable chance at a lot of starts – not because they are in love with Auburn.
"I look forward to developing an aggressive, physical, attacking style defense that offenses will not look forward to playing against." - Coach Grantham
J.W. is a good kid
No hard feelings. He made his commitment the right way. I must wish him best of luck with everything that matters in life.
But football doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, so I now get to hate Auburn that much more.
That is 100 per cent the right attitude!
First in war, first in peace, first and thom in the hearts of his countrymen. Well done, sir.
Go 'Dawgs!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Dawg Sports
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
