Re: Rueben Randle Randle is going to shock everybody on National Signing Day and announce that he is going to Auburn
Re: Rueben Randle I understand what you mean by that, but I believe he is a must as well. However, you are right about what this class does for LSU. This could produce 2 NCs. I also agree with the Dude, wherever he goes, the guy has handle his recruitment very well.
Re: Rueben Randle The only thing I have against what McNothin did was leaving LSU on the hook for so long knowing he was USC all the time. He even said he was just toying with LSU. You just don't do that to the home state school if you have any respect for the staff and the many fans that you grew up with. Sheppard has been very open and honest from the start, McKnight .....well......
Re: Rueben Randle Shepard committed early, is proud of his choice and lets people know. McKnight never wanted to go to LSU but he still went the route of televising his announcement with the hats and pulling the "surprise" hat from under the table. If you are going to play that game then you have to expect lumps with it.
Re: Rueben Randle I hate the whole hat thing and wish it would stop. It promotes a "big head" attitude by the recruits making them think they are college football stars before they even see a snap. It reinforces the whole self-important showboat ideology in a team sport. I know they are still young, but someone should point out that it borders on poor character. Just have a little class and pick a school like every other college student. As you probably can surmise I am old school and proud of it.
Re: Rueben Randle What difference does it make when he decided and when he announced? There is some law against this or is it just the dashed hopes of an obsessive fan? Would love to see this quote from McKnight himself, and not an internet rumor. I find it highly unlikely. More like he kept LSU "in it" to avoid the very backlash he got anyway. Again, it does not matter how he chose to announce. It is a free country and Mcknight is not public property. If he had committed to us and decomitted at the last minute, I would understand your angst. Kind of like RP did to Texas?? LSU fans didn't seem to have a problem with that at all. And I would not characterize what McKnight went through as "lumps". Nor should they be expected. And what about Debose? Rumors say that he will sign with LSU, but he is directly quoted as saying that Florida is still in it. Will Florida fans have the right to treat him and his family as McKnight was treated? Every indication is that he will wait until signing day? Or how about Loston? I can go on and on. Recruits can choose to announce whenever they want, an go wherever they want because this is a free country. Point being, McKnight did not do anything wrong, no matter how you spin it. He merely chose a college to go to, and it wasn't one that benefited you personally. If you harbor some resentment about that, it's your problem to fix, not his.
Re: Rueben Randle McKnight didnt deserve the treatment he received nor do we know the real story. He was 17/18 years old and grown men said terrible things about him because he didnt choose their school, or football team. Some people need to grow up. He was probably polite throughout the process and waited until signing day so he could avoid the immature comments that would certainly have come from the mouths of all those necks.
Re: Rueben Randle Well said. I cant imagine a kid not wanting to go to LSU, but some dont dream of being in Purple and Gold. Its great to have the internet to follow recruiting but for kids it can be a bad thing. I agree with McKnight, I think he waited so that he wasnt bombarded all year with hate mail and threats. Its sad that people cant accept the fact that NOT every La kid wants to don the Purple and Gold. On the other hand Id hate to lose a kid of Ruebans caliber to Satan!
Re: Rueben Randle McKnight kept LSU in it out of respect. Many of the heartbroken could've avoided that had they just listened to what the kid said himself many times off the record. Such as in the dome walking off the field after winning state saying "I want to get away." "Not staying around here." So on and so forth. He gave every indication that he would NOT be going to LSU, short of just eliminating the school from contention. The heartbroken have to look at the fact that their man crush chose to date someone else. Their problem, not his. Good thing too... And as far as the hat thing. I guess it could be considered a form of showboating, but it's up to the school the recruit chooses to bring those kids back down to earth. It's no different than the NFL draft, when the rookies are showcased like livestock at a 4-H show. The veterans break the rookies quickly. I get the feeling the upperclassmen have their own means of introducing the rookies to their school. To say they don't deserve their moment in the spotlight is absurd considering they're thrust into it by recruiting services...and people like us with our man crushes. The schools capitalize on their celebrity, why can't they (within moderation of course)? Recruiting classes like this are part of the reason schools like USC are pre-season top 3 every year. This recruiting class is the reason LSU will probably be a pre-season top 10 team next year. Nature of the beast.
