Valentine Thread: Set to visit this weekend....maybe.

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Valentine Won’t Visit Miami This Weekend; LSU Commitment Imminent
Posted by: Brandon Odoi in Football Recruiting 1 hour ago 0 188 Views



(Miami, Fl) The annual battles to win recruits, turn to war’s at the end of January every year. This year is no different as 2014 DT Travonte Valentine has decided that he will not take an official visit to Miami this weekend, virtually sealing his impending commitment to LSU on National Signing Day next Wednesday.
Shortly after an in-home visit with LSU coaches, the Miami target and former verbal commitment Valentine told a source informing CaneINsider that he will not visit Miami this weekend for an official visit as previously planned.
“Coach Miles just left with Corey Raymond,” he told a source. “It went great,” Valentine said of the in-home visit.
Valentine, fresh off an official visit to Baton Rouge this past weekend hosted Tigers’ head coach Les Miles and defensive backs coach Corey Raymond in his mother’s Brevard County home Wednesday evening. Valentine, when asked, said the difference between LSU and Miami was the family feel.
“LSU felt like home, chillin with my homeboys [John] Battle, Rashard Robinson and [Maquedius] Bain,” he said. Battle is a South Florida native who has verbally committed to be a part of the Bayou Bengals 2014 recruiting class out of Hallandale High School. Robinson and Bain are also native South Floridians who are freshman members of the LSU squad.
Though not originally from South Florida, Valentine has developed relationships with those players and in the end, they were too good to pass up.
“I’m wearing No.50,” Valentine told a source of his decision to play at LSU.
Tra Valentine Valentine Wont Visit Miami This Weekend; LSU Commitment Imminent
Travonte Valentine, via Mike Tunsil on Facebook
It’s the number he selected to play with at LSU and the number he donned while on his official visit last week.
A separate source told CaneINsider earlier in the week that Valentine silently committed to play for the Tigers in mid-November. After backing away from his verbal commitment to the Hurricanes during the first of the year while playing in the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio, TX, Valentine has given Miami a chance but the Hurricanes had too much ground to make up as of now. In the world of recruiting its hard to rule any possibilities out. Every situation is fluid till the ink dries on the paper.
Valentine will make his decision public on February 5th, national signing day during a televised announcement at his high school, Champagnat Catholic.

This is the shady **** I hate about SoFla recruiting. Kid supposedly committed to LSU while still committed to the Canes. Grow a pair and decommit first. Wouldn't be your first second or third time doing it. I thought it was weird when someone asked CT99 after football season ended if he had been working out with TV and he said TV had never called him about it. Whatever have fun being the next Glen Dorsey.
 
Mom wanted Miami the whole time; step dad is really close with Hurlie, now won't visit because of family reasons.

Came on an unofficial just to hang out with Moten the week before his official to L$U, now won't take his official.

L$U history, their giant need for DTs, Genron's history. Not hard to see what went down here
 
And we will keep losing kids as long as we don't play the game$$$$$$. Period. Pay me 150k yearly, hand me some bread and let me go to work. No way UM misses on a top kid at a position of need in OUR backyard. Alfraud, you listening?!?!?

Of course that miserable sack of **** Golden Showers is the only person to like this stupid *** post. Ban me I don't give a **** both these posters suck fat ***** and shouldn't be on this board. One is in favor of committing large NCAA violations and the other not only condones it but fills every single thread with the same stupid anti UM academics bull****.
 
"A separate source told CaneINsider earlier in the week that Valentine silently committed to play for the Tigers in mid-November."

Don't believe that.
 
IF TV got paid, why would his parents want him to visit UM this weekend?

Certainly they'd be aware if a payment was made or promised.
 
IF TV got paid, why would his parents want him to visit UM this weekend?

Certainly they'd be aware if a payment was made or promised.

Why? And, why would his parents wanting him to visit Miami mean they were unaware of a promised payment if there was one? I can think up reasons that would explain all of that. They'd be speculation, but no more than trying to read their reported desire as a contradiction of the rumor. It could be as simple as keeping up appearances. Why would TV string things out if a payment was arranged some time ago? Maybe the same reason.

I have no clue whether money changed hands, but the folks involved give the rumor more legs than otherwise would be the case. The rest is window dressing.
 
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"A separate source told CaneINsider earlier in the week that Valentine silently committed to play for the Tigers in mid-November."

Don't believe that.

Is there a particular reason why? Just curious why to reject one piece of information/rumor as opposed to another.
 
Do not be naive - LSU is renowed for paying for visits and a commitment... It does explain his one visit man crush on his new teammates, His parents seem to be involved in this process so you have to assume that that they are aware / involved in LSU payouts. This is where I have issue... I was taught integrity and class by parents and passed this on to my kids... I assume money trumped this. SAD.
 
LOL at all of those that "can't believe this". Dude has been gone for months and his handler clearly is in it for himself.

I have a hard time understanding how this works. What exactly does a 'handler' do for the a recruit that the recruit's parents cannot do? It would make more sense to me if TV was a foster child or his parents weren't really in the picture but it seems that both his mother and stepfather have been very involved from the get go. I guess that it is hard for me to say because I will never have a child get recruited to play D1 football at a big time program (I have daughters) but I would hope that I made **** sure that some guy wasn't going to benefit off of my kids and MY signature by steering in a certain direction. This decision would be one that both my child and myself made as a family, not some guy collecting a check or other benefits. I just don't get it.
 
LOL at all of those that "can't believe this". Dude has been gone for months and his handler clearly is in it for himself.

I have a hard time understanding how this works. What exactly does a 'handler' do for the a recruit that the recruit's parents cannot do? It would make more sense to me if TV was a foster child or his parents weren't really in the picture but it seems that both his mother and stepfather have been very involved from the get go. I guess that it is hard for me to say because I will never have a child get recruited to play D1 football at a big time program (I have daughters) but I would hope that I made **** sure that some guy wasn't going to benefit off of my kids and MY signature by steering in a certain direction. This decision would be one that both my child and myself made as a family, not some guy collecting a check or other benefits. I just don't get it.

Exactly. Well stated. His parents are involved. If education is on the checklist, LSU is out. If they're convinced the NFL is a given, then LSU holds and edge. I don't believe the sudden "teammate bond" story at all... So, assuming his parents are guiding him, what's going on? they have to buy in and handling the handler as well. They had to sign off on the paid commitment... Recriuting has become a big money cesspool.
 
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The kid has to the make the best decision for him. Put yourself in his shoes.

One one hand you have an SEC powerhouse known for developing monster DT's that get drafted. They are losing their 2 starting DTs and you might be the only DT that they sign this year. One the other hand, you have a program that has question marks defensively, plays in a less prestigious conference, and are also bringing in several DTs including 2 JUCOs that you have to compete with. Not really a difficult decision if you ask me.

IF any of that had crap to do with his decision, it would be fine. Of course Miami has two DTs in the NFL Hall of Fame(I think LSU has only 3 players in HOF and none are defense). A third party is behind this and it is for pay. That sucks. TV wanted Miami but someone else wanted money. Kid has been shoped around like a big field hand at the New Orleans slave market in 1840. I like this kid. He is probably 1st round anywhere, unless he get sloppy and smokes too much weed. Where is that more likely?
 
Al gave it the old college try and that's all that really matters. You win some, you lose some.

Not that I have a problem with the effort, but when you make $2+ million a year, trying is not all that matters. And as far as DTs go, we just seem to lose some. And by some I mean a lot.
 
Al gave it the old college try and that's all that really matters. You win some, you lose some.

Not that I have a problem with the effort, but when you make $2+ million a year, trying is not all that matters. And as far as DTs go, we just seem to lose some. And by some I mean a lot.

That's an antiquated view of the measurement of success, my man. Evolved people realize that the only thing we can control is effort. It is only fair to judge people by things they can control. As effort is all Al can control, the only way we can fairly judge him is by the effort he puts into this job. I give him an A+!
 
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