Hope Cal Unleashes Heck on Alabama
- Thread starter BigBlueCatNation
- Start date
Yep me too. The more I see and hear, the more I feel he just used UK. And being a Kentuckian, that's what hurts the most.
We took DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe from Alabama so they could further their career in basketball. Damien Harris made a good choice whether you chose to accept it is a different story. Why would the beat running back in the country come to play for an air raid offense? He wants to go be behind an elite offensive line and win some games to build his brand. Stop being selfish.
Since Cal has been here these are the scores against Bama:
Year 1: W 66-55. W 73-67.
Year 2: L 68-66. W 72-58.
Year 3: W 77-71.
Year 4: L 59-55.
Year 5: W 55-48.
For whatever reason we have not really blown Alabama out any for the most part, and Cal has yet to win down there. That changes this year on the latter, but not sure on the former. It will probably be a close game.
And I'll add to what I said on the football forum about Harris. This type of stuff goes on all the time in recruiting, and today's reaction has shown me a lot of our fans are not ready for big time college football recruiting with their behavior. It reminds me a bit of UK basketball recruiting pre-Cal.
Year 1: W 66-55. W 73-67.
Year 2: L 68-66. W 72-58.
Year 3: W 77-71.
Year 4: L 59-55.
Year 5: W 55-48.
For whatever reason we have not really blown Alabama out any for the most part, and Cal has yet to win down there. That changes this year on the latter, but not sure on the former. It will probably be a close game.
And I'll add to what I said on the football forum about Harris. This type of stuff goes on all the time in recruiting, and today's reaction has shown me a lot of our fans are not ready for big time college football recruiting with their behavior. It reminds me a bit of UK basketball recruiting pre-Cal.
Some UK fans are sounding like our rivals do when we grab up elite talent, in basketball. One of the top RBs going to play for Saban and Bama should come as no surprise to anyone. Stoops and company did everything they could to try and land him, and the fact it was basically between us and Bama should show how the program is going in the right direction. No reason to hate on a kid for picking a college not name Kentucky.
I agree that I can't blame Damien.
However, he punked Mark Stoops and Kentucky.
He has had his mind made up for several weeks and chose to continue to make our coaches feel they had a shot and then tells them close to signing day in front of 95% UK fans.
Kind of a tool move IMO.
However, he punked Mark Stoops and Kentucky.
He has had his mind made up for several weeks and chose to continue to make our coaches feel they had a shot and then tells them close to signing day in front of 95% UK fans.
Kind of a tool move IMO.
Kentucky football versus Alabama football? Sort of like Kentucky basketball versus Mississippi State basketball. Everyone once in a while they may have a good team but otherwise...............Can't blame the kid but he does seem like he stringed the program along. Feel like Bragg did similar when he went out of his way to obtain a scholly offer from Cal.
Good coaches always have a plan B...you NEVER assume that you are getting a guy. You think Cal does not have plan B's when he misses on a guy he wants (rarely happens but it has happened)? Absolutely he does. That is another reason I do not buy this stringing along argument.
So, we are to believe that Stoops and company are so stupid that they were Harris or bust, knowing they were going against Alabama and OSU for his recruitment? I find that hard to believe. Stoops is a good coach and had/has other options. In fact, there is the 4 star RB that was mentioned today on the board...so there are other options that were/are being considered.
You always have a plan B, whether it be in recruiting or life. I don't know how any coach not having a plan B is a recruits fault regardless of when he announces or decided where he wanted to go.
So, we are to believe that Stoops and company are so stupid that they were Harris or bust, knowing they were going against Alabama and OSU for his recruitment? I find that hard to believe. Stoops is a good coach and had/has other options. In fact, there is the 4 star RB that was mentioned today on the board...so there are other options that were/are being considered.
You always have a plan B, whether it be in recruiting or life. I don't know how any coach not having a plan B is a recruits fault regardless of when he announces or decided where he wanted to go.
i thought maybe the OP didn't realize who we were playingf tomorrow but then say mention to Damien Harris and while i don't follow Uk football really , though do want them to win, i would have to be from another planet not to how who he is .
This kid knew he was going to Alabama the moment they offered him. Best of luck to him. I'm sure he tried to give his mind every chance in the world to change, but in the end, he knew Bama was the place for him. I think he just had to make sure that those other Bama backs that just declared did declare. No ill will on my part. It is what it is.
Bledsoe nor Cousins were ever going to Bama. Cousins had been committed to UAB for some time until he was going to go to Memphis St. Bledsoe was pretty much looking at us the whole time.
We got in a recruiting battle very similar with what happened with Harris against Bama. That was with 5 star Trevor Lacey. We lost and he went to Bama. He lasted 2 years and transferred to another terrible coach at NC state.
Look at Bama's class the year Lacey committed. They also had 4 4 stars along with Lacey the 5 star. So it's not like Bama does not recruit well. They have tons of talent nearby in Atlanta and in the state it's just that Bama has sucked since they fired Wimp Sanderson.
No reason for them to be as bad as they are but they are.
At the time we got Bledsoe and cousins we were coming off a NIT loss and had had multiple terrible seasons by Ky standards go.
It's not even the same thing.
Your a 5 star goin to UK you have what a 75% or better at beig a pro? What are the odds at Bama for football?
We got in a recruiting battle very similar with what happened with Harris against Bama. That was with 5 star Trevor Lacey. We lost and he went to Bama. He lasted 2 years and transferred to another terrible coach at NC state.
Look at Bama's class the year Lacey committed. They also had 4 4 stars along with Lacey the 5 star. So it's not like Bama does not recruit well. They have tons of talent nearby in Atlanta and in the state it's just that Bama has sucked since they fired Wimp Sanderson.
No reason for them to be as bad as they are but they are.
At the time we got Bledsoe and cousins we were coming off a NIT loss and had had multiple terrible seasons by Ky standards go.
It's not even the same thing.
Your a 5 star goin to UK you have what a 75% or better at beig a pro? What are the odds at Bama for football?
you can't expect the elite bball players to go to Bama and you can't expect the elite fball players to go to UK but every once in a blue moon it will happen . Just not this time.
No offense, but this is silly. In a perfect world, you'd be correct, but that's not always the case. Calipari is an elite coach and has failed to do this at times. Remember the NIT was mostly to do with having a PG who couldn't handle the pressure of playing at Kentucky, but Cal refused to recruit another PG for fear of scaring off the Harrison twins. Last year, he was all in on Wiggins, so we missed out on a 3 and played James Young in that slot. Remember Mudiay? Cal was all in on him, and we didn't have another target. Cal had to scramble and ended up with Tyler Ulis (great consolation, huh?). You could say that was a plan B, but I don't really think that was ever a part of any plan. It was luck, considering how long Iowa and Sparty had been after him.
Some talents are worth going all in for. Damien Harris falls in that category. So did Mudiay, Wiggins, and the twins.
Back to the topic though, I agree that Harris strung Stoops and Co along since he's apparently known since the Iron Bowl, but it's hard to say what you would have done if you were in his position. Kid was living like a rock star. He probably thought he'd be treated like a Benedict if he committed to Bama sooner. I'm happy for him, and don't blame him one bit for making a business decision. I'd probably have done the same thing. There's a reason Calipari gets the cream of the crop. We're essentially the Bama of basketball. Exposure matters. Bama will be contending for a title or bowl games. UK might not. It is what it is, and it sucks for us.
This post was edited on 1/9 11:53 PM by jarms24
I look at it like the Terrence Jones situation. He was torn between the local school, where his good friend was going to go, and the premier school in the country where he could compete for a title, and have the best chance of showcasing his talents for the pros. Pretty much the same thing applies to Harris.
The only benevolent fans in sports cheer for the Chicago Cubs, and look where that attitude has taken them.
This post was edited on 1/10 2:01 AM by Son_Of_Saul
His fist pump gave it away at the all star game when Barnett picked Bama then lied about it..he can piss off
the Harris decision is different than most football recruitments, in that he is a Kentucky boy, who could have come to Kentucky and been a legend.... But he spurned the home school and will now be basically forgotten in KY and will sit the depth chart at Alabama. He would have started immediately at Kentucky, and would have been the marquee running back in the program for three years.
as far as long term success even after football, he would have been better off picking Kentucky.
as far as long term success even after football, he would have been better off picking Kentucky.
Re: Hope Cal Unleashes Heck on Alabama
ThroughBlue posted on 1/9/2015...
We took DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe from Alabama so they could further their career in basketball. Damien Harris made a good choice whether you chose to accept it is a different story. Why would the beat running back in the country come to play for an air raid offense? He wants to go be behind an elite offensive line and win some games to build his brand. Stop being selfish.
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selfishness is not what is prompting these comments. it's the statement harris made after announcing his choice that he had his mind made up since november. that let everybody know that he was leading stoops on thru the whole process. he would have been more highly thought of had he kept it to himself.
ThroughBlue posted on 1/9/2015...
We took DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe from Alabama so they could further their career in basketball. Damien Harris made a good choice whether you chose to accept it is a different story. Why would the beat running back in the country come to play for an air raid offense? He wants to go be behind an elite offensive line and win some games to build his brand. Stop being selfish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
selfishness is not what is prompting these comments. it's the statement harris made after announcing his choice that he had his mind made up since november. that let everybody know that he was leading stoops on thru the whole process. he would have been more highly thought of had he kept it to himself.
Nick Saban is the John Calipari of Football, he gets what he wants. Damien did what the top prospects do in basketball, they pick what works best for them. I have no ill feelings for his decision, he said he wanted to go where he would have the best chance to win a championship. Kentucky football has a long way to go to be in that discussion. I wish him the best.
Harrow was already on the roster with Teague. He just had to sit out a year for transferring from NCSt. So no, Cal wasn't recruiting a plan B because he didn't want to scare the twins off. He's said this many times. Harrow is more of a plan C or D, imo.
Once again, Mudiay was the only PG that Cal was recruiting in that class, unless you want to count Tyus Jones, who everyone knew was going to Duke. I'm not spinning anything ... Cal wasn't recruiting more than Mudiay because of the same reasons Stoops wasn't recruiting more than Harris. It makes that recruit feel more coveted, and maybe makes them feel a certain sense of obligation to that coach. Not to mention, you wouldn't want to piss them off.