The fourth-quarter courtship of Virginia Tech commit Brady Taylor heated up over the weekend. The Bishop Ready standout was hosted by Pat Elflein (who was also a 3-star recruit and from Columbus). Taylor visited Ohio State, and it's assumed the damn thing was done by Urban Meyer. However, this looks like it will come down to Brady's mother.
Yes, Brady Taylor's flip could hinge on Urban Meyer's ability to sell Ohio State to Mama Taylor. She was out of town while her son visited, and Urban Meyer is set to meet with her today. Unfortunately for you, Hokies fans, I think I've seen this porno before. It doesn't end well for you.
Birm dropped some notes on Ohio State recruiting (both in 2014 and 2015) over here.
KAM WILLIAMS: RED SHIRT. Former four-star recruit Kameron Williams, who battled mono earlier this season, will redshirt according to Thad Matta during his press conference yesterday.
Aaron Craft was also in attendance and stressed things are tough right now:
Aaron Craft on a 3 game L streak: "Not many guys have been through this, on any level... It's tough to figure out where to go from here"
— Mike Young (@MYoung11W) January 19, 2014
The men's hoops team plays Nebrasketball tonight in Lincoln on BTN at 7:00 PM. Kyle will fall through in a few hours with a preview.
TONY BROWN PINCHED. Tony Brown was a five-star cornerback out of high school, and also a one-time Ohio State target. In the end, Ohio State couldn't pry him out of Texas and he chose and early-enrolled at Alabama over LSU. His collegiate career, however, is not off to a hot start: Brown was arrested for failure to obey and resisting arrest over the weekend.
He posted the $1,500 bail and was released yesterday.
You may be a light-weight bigshot on campus, Tony, but trust me when I say: there's no point in messing with people who have the power to arrest you. (You probably realized that as soon as the pepper spray hit your retinas, though.)
This off-season just keeps on giving.ON DUMB JOCKS. Myron Rolle is a former Florida State/Tennessee Titans safety. With the recent accusations regarding UNC athlet literacy (or, illiteracy in some cases), Rolle weighs in on the issue in the sensible fashion you'd expect from a former Rhodes Scholar:
I, someone who "supposedly" had much mental bandwidth, even had to take the minimum credit hours (12) during the season because focusing on my football craft while studying deoxyribonucleic acid was too taxing. So I applaud said unsung student-athletes for being champions in the classroom, which leads to being champions in life. I think many smart people would struggle to balance the time commitments and demands of a NCAA Division 1 sports program alongside their academics.
It's easy to talk about the "moral issues" of admitting underprepared student-athletes to colleges. However, it is interesting to note that there were no articles about the athletes coming from broken homes, failed schools and growing up in a culture where sports is viewed as their only way out. Frankly, the fact that a student in a bad environment turned to sports and tried to better himself speaks to that person's commitment and drive to be more.
Lest you think Rolle is an "all problems, no solutions" kind of guy, he did offer an idea I found interesting:
Instead of just bashing student-athletes, here's what we could do: explore the interests of these student-athletes who supposedly only read at a 4th-grade level. If Whitney likes football, ask him why he does. If his answer is because he can make money, then place him in a curriculum that focuses on monies earned/managed/invested through sports. If Beverly likes basketball because she loves seeing her family's reaction to her game, then place her in a curriculum that speaks to family development. I believe Whitney and Beverly, once illiterate, will now engage their minds more in studies that appeal to their genuine interests. They love their sport so find the point of germination within that sport that may sprout a career beyond the playing field.
Love ya, Myron, but this makes too much sense to ever happen in the NCAA.
LANE KIFFIN WAS TURNT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. I don't really care for Lane Kiffin, and I openly detest karaoke. Yet, this tweet from Alabama's Bo Scarbrough's mom made me smile:
Lol...first time doing karaoke last night with @Lane_Kiffin kinda fun I liked it...RollTideRoll
— uneak (@dsuneak) January 19, 2014
First Nick Saban is caught out in these streets doing the Electric Slide. Now Lane Kiffin getting saucy and singing karaoke with a five-star recruit's mom? (It's a law you have to be saucy to karaoke, btw.) THE HELL IS GOING ON IN ALABAMA.
THOSE WMDs. Austrian Game of Thrones-styled NFL promo is awesome... The secret life of Ross Ulbricht, Eagle Scout/international drug dealer... Emojis are coming for your freedom... A Soviet soccer propaganda poster... What is considered the first photograph of a Presidential inauguration... Ridiculously 90s photograph of 90s NFL QBs... A very interesting Seahawks tattoo... We in Columbus just *get* romance... Meanwhile, in Kiev... Five winners from Saturday's East-West shrine game... Vin Diesel as Sonic the Hedgehog? We're not that blessed... Fair enough, Celine... A fantastic James Earl Jones/Darth Vader anecdote... Ohio: Still a smoker's state... Suriname's President is a wanted drug trafficker...
