After reading all 12-13 pages of "the Work" thread I really felt compelled to say something to some of yall. Especially to certain cats in particular. First off, I would say about 95% of you actually know nothing about how much we FAILED FAILED FAILED FAILED FAILED miserably in regards to South Florida recruiting in the Dennis and Butch eras. You want to talk to me about losing top talent in So Fla YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT??..Go ask Dennis and Butch about that. You think Al is bad?..Let me take you on a little walk down memory lane..
Go ask Butch about Rickey Sealey (LB out of Miami High) and how he played us in 95' cuz his mama wanted his sorry a$$ brother Norris to play with him so they went to Aub. Go ask about Marquand Manual (UF) and Clevan Thomas (FSU). Go ask about Martavious Houston (AUB). Go ask about Derrick Gibson (FSU), James Colzie (FSU), Sean Key (FSU), Rock Preston (FSU), Lawrence Wright (UF), Corey Simon (FSU), Zack and Henri Crockett (FSU), Samari Rolle (FSU), Troy Saunders (FSU) , Khalid Abdullah (FSU), Snoop Minnis (FSU), Bradley Jennings (FSU) AND ON AND ON AND ON..Remember losing WR Billy Brown out of St Thomas back in 1995 to FSU?! I could literally write an entire thread about the top talent that we lost IN SOUTH FLORIDA ALONE to FSU/UF/AUB year in and out back in the mid 90s and early 00s. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
And if you know anything about recruiting you would know that everyone I just named were NATIONALLY recruited guys. Everyone wanted them. No diamond in the roughs here. And rival schools walked right in Dade and Broward County and TOOK... THEM.... ALL.
And what did Butch do? Did he cry and whine about the **** after COUNTLESS FAILURES that at the time seemed like it would ruin our program and we would NEVER get back to prominence? NO. He used his knowledge, and everything that Jimmy taught him about eyeing talent and went out there and formed the greatest collection of talent in NCAA history. ONE THING we all can agree on is that AL is in the top 5 as far as best recruiters in the country and has an eye for talent. (It remains to be seen if he can develop that talent like Jimmy and Butch could)
I dont understand some of you guys..FRANCHISE, I thought you was an OG. I know this aint your first time at the rodeo. What are you doing? We been thru HELLA battles like this. This aint new stuff. Back in 95', when Sedrick Irvin straight PLAYED us and went to MSU..Did Butch fold? Naw playa..He just went out and got Dyral McMillan and supplemented him with some little known kid named Edgerrin James. KEPT IT MOVING..
ERNIE MCCRACKEN, you named ONE YEAR that we pulled that off. (getting most of the talent in Dade) Here I will help you..we did it only THREE MORE TIMES in the last 20 years! (05, 08, 98-99) Its like you forgot back in 98' when Bryce Bishop and Anquan Boldin straight left us at the alter..What did Butch do? Oh he just replaced them with two kids named Vernon Carey and Andre Johnson AND KEPT IT MOVING.
TP801, come on dude. How you gonna sit back and totally trash the class AND the work that Al has put in KNOWING that this class could be the one to bring our defense back to prominence. You really want me to bring my point home? Go look at FSUs 1998 recruiting class! (dont get me started on their class in 1993) You talk about coming into SoFla and turning **** upside down?! But guess what? The next two UM classes (Jerome McDougle, Andrew Williams, DJ Williams, Jon Vilma, etc) built the foundation for a great DEFENSE that FSU couldnt do nothing with EVEN WITH all those 4 and 5 stars from Dade.
Whats my point? If Dalvin Cook doesnt want to join us..Fine, PETE, you let him know I got two lil' homeboys named Juwon Young and Darrion Owens who are gonna come see him for the next 3 years and wont be backing down either! Johnnie Dixon and Ermon Lane think they would be better served elsewhere? PETE, you tell them I said that Artie Burns, Corn Elder, and Jamal Carter are gonna be diggin in that a$$ EVERY TIME they come across that middle!
Stop all the whining. I get it..We want EVERYONE! (que GIF) But we got what the F we came here for. Great pass rushers, a great QB, a great RB and a cornerstone at DT.
And thats that!
(Drop mic)
