Justin Flowe

So you think nobody outside Florida paid attention to kids who weren’t in the top100?

I really think people are underestimating how much effort went into recruiting even 25 years ago. Sure, you spent most of your time/energy in your own or nearby states, but the big boys weren’t ignoring Florida or saying, if you aren’t in the top 100 I’m not interested. People saw Miami’s success with SFLA kids and were paying attention.

Also, Craphonso is a really rough name to give a kid.
He wasn’t a top recruit… He wasn’t a 3* recruit they didn’t do stars back then, but if they did he certainly wasn’t 5* status either. If he had played at a larger school like Killian, Carol City or MNW he likely would’ve been a prep All-American. I think the point is in todays world he’d be a maxed out 0.9999 recruit back then he wasn’t.

PS I think Craphonso is a cool name lmao
 
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He wasn’t a top recruit… He wasn’t a 3* recruit they didn’t do stars back then, but if they did he certainly wasn’t 5* status either. If he had played at a larger school like Killian, Carol City or MNW he likely would’ve been a prep All-American. I think the point is in todays world he’d be a maxed out 0.9999 recruit back then he wasn’t.

PS I think Craphonso is a cool name lmao
I wonder how cool you’d have felt getting your *** kicked every day by some kid yelling “hey crap honso!” If that we’re my name, I’d have skipped football in favor of boxing or martial arts.
 
Online? ONLINE?? If you kids didn't pay Bobby Burton to send you four magazines and 40 faxes, or figure out a way to get Tom Lemming on the phone to ask him about Miami prospects, or call a few 900 # recruiting hotlines when your parents were asleep, then sit down, I have some stories to tell y'all. ****, getting the CaneSport newspaper every two weeks (cruelty, mailed bulk) with its Miami recruiting lists was the best thing ever.

The godfather of college football recruiting rankings, though?

That would be Joe Terranova. Google him.

"During a recent phone call from his home in southern California, Allen Wallace picked up an old SuperPrep issue that ranked 1,218 different prospects in some form or fashion — the Elite 50, the JUCO 100, All-America teams and the like."

Kids were ranked all the way back before Ed Reed even, it started in the 70s, but got popping in the early 90s. Bobby Burton's National Recruiting Advisor out of Texas (NRA lol), Max Emfinger, Phil Grosz, Tom Lemming, Allen Wallace, Bill Buchalter... whether it was numerical, or stars, or just rankings, they all quantified where each kid was in the pecking order. You can easily apply a star ranking to anyone going back to the early to mid-90's by where they were ranked in today's terms. Which is why anyone who knows what they are talking about and can count a bit understand why journalists and people say Ed Reed was a 2-star. Because he was. Ignore anyone who says otherwise, because they know not what they speak of.

Check out these, mags, and look at Lemming's QB list (last pick). Some of the names there will blow your minds. :)

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So you think nobody outside Florida paid attention to kids who weren’t in the top100?

I really think people are underestimating how much effort went into recruiting even 25 years ago. Sure, you spent most of your time/energy in your own or nearby states, but the big boys weren’t ignoring Florida or saying, if you aren’t in the top 100 I’m not interested. People saw Miami’s success with SFLA kids and were paying attention.

Also, Craphonso is a really rough name to give a kid.
NO Staff in UM History put more time and effort into recruiting than Butch's...especially considering an absolute joke of a budget....
 
Sean Taylor was a highly rated and sought-after recruit. He played all over the field at Gulliver and had terrific film at multiple positions. He was not even remotely under the radar.
Reed would not escape LSU if they had camps and the internet back then. It's a different time those under the radar types are super difficult to find. Everyone mostly knows who the ballers are.
 
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Reed would not escape LSU if they had camps and the internet back then. It's a different time those under the radar types are super difficult to find. Everyone mostly knows who the ballers are.

I’m pretty sure they had camps back then. My uncle was going to the Steve Spurrier UF camp back in the early 90’s. Some of these things aren’t that new. And sometimes players get overlooked no matter what they do. Players get overlooked now. Come on now, Darius Leonard? Diontae Johnson? Kenny Moore? Ali Marpet? Trey Hendrickson? Javon Hargreaves? Matt Judon? Deonte Harris? Guys will continue to get overlooked. Cooper Kupp, etc. I can see Reed getting overlooked now. Especially with college coaches saying they want their DB’s 6’2 or taller. This is why guys will continue be under the radar
 
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I traveled to Ft. Myers to watch this kid play. He was the best HS back I've ever seen play live. I went to 3 of his games. Sat next to one of his English teachers at one game. Kid definitely had some personal issues to work through at the time. She said calling him a handful would be generous. She said a the time they were doing everything they could just to keep him in school.

But

It was a house call on any given play when he got his hands on the football. Kid was a very special talent.Everytime he would score the crowd would yell MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
 
Things that pop to me.

Brock Huard, UW family dynasty, his son is the QB there now.

Bobby Sabelhaus had a huge arm and was a massive Michigan -UF battle. Florida got him, Spurrier ruined him, and Michigan had to scramble last minute to find a QB and offered some lesser-rated kid named Tom Brady.

Justin Fuente, wow me too.

Dan Kendra, another FSU bust.

Quincy Woods was such a nice recruit, I remember thinking he was the guy. Huge USC bust.

Culpepper ends up at UCF cause of grades.

Justin Wilcox, who is from and went to Oregon, is now the HC at Cal, and turned down Oregon after Mario left.

Yep, Mondrial Fulcher, Miami tight end was a top 10 combo QB.

Shaun King ended up at lowly Tulane, and was a 2nd round NFL pick (kicked around for 5 years, didn't have an impact).
Um…Tom Brady 14th ranked pocket passer lol the rankings didn’t have Michigan either, must have swooped up with a bag late.
 
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No, but a 17/18 year old in 1997 was around for our run in the 80s and we weren't too far removed from our last NC, still had the "hey they're a winning program feel"

Yes but the death penalty changed a lot of that. We would have gotten more talented players if not for the probation. Our games were only played locally. Kids knew that.
 
I traveled to Ft. Myers to watch this kid play. He was the best HS back I've ever seen play live. I went to 3 of his games. Sat next to one of his English teachers at one game. Kid definitely had some personal issues to work through at the time. She said calling him a handful would be generous. She said a the time they were doing everything they could just to keep him in school.

But

It was a house call on any given play when he got his hands on the football. Kid was a very special talent.Everytime he would score the crowd would yell MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
He played at my HS....and lived a mile from where I grew up in Cape Coral.....Had a child at an early age. Deion took him to live with him in Texas...and Noel ran away back to SW Fl.....Wish I could take ya back in time to see Freddie Miles...who did his thing in Dade...against wayyyy better competition than Ft Myers, Riverdale, Lely...etc...
 
Yes but the death penalty changed a lot of that. We would have gotten more talented players if not for the probation. Our games were only played locally. Kids knew that.
I wasn't around much football in 97 as I was a child haha, BUT I'm just saying while it hurt, it didn't kill us with everyone, clearly we started pulling in classes with Butch at that time that should have given us 3 straight NCs in 2000/01/02. Can we agree here?
 
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