I'm confused. Just a few weeks ago you were hammering one of our recruits you felt was a grade risk. (Dickson)
Now you praise another recruit who was a grade risk?
I'm glad for the change in approach but am confused how/when it changed.
I'm wasn't hammering the recruits, I was criticizing the staff. At a time when the staff is having such difficulties recruiting in Texas because supposedly parent, recruit of high school coach has ever heard of Charlie Strong, I am astonished the staff has been putting so much time into chasing recruits who have little, if any, chance of being on the roster on the fist day of the season. To me, chasing recruits who are highly likely never to be on the team sounds like a questionable use of the staff's resources. However, knowing the board as I do, I am sure I am about to get quite an education on why chasing recruits who won't be on the roster for a day, let alone ever contribute in a game, is an indication of greatness and the most creative use of resources in the history of college sports.
I'm happy for the kid. I think it is a great thing to take young people, challenge them past what they believe their capabilities are and to watch them understand what they are truly capable of, given the right leadership, the right mentors and the right resources. If a kid has trouble qualifying, I am concerned he will be able to remain eligible, but that is Randa Ryan's concern at this point.
College is about growth as an individual and as an intellectual. UT is known for being at least slightly more challenging than many other programs. Not every athlete should commit to UT because not every commit is the type who will thrive under some of the pressures being on the 40 Acres brings. It is the job of the staff to match the personality of the athlete to the demands of the program. So far, there have been some glaring failures by the staff in this regard. Right now, we are looking at starting the season with 78 scholarship players. That is not the Texas standard. I'm not hammering the players or even the recruits who failed for this. The staff has to assume full responsibility for this failure. Hopefully, this is something that doesn't get repeated. Like I said, this isn't the Texas standard.
There is no reason that the decision has not been made. The NCAA makes a boatload of money, so the least they can do is to hire more temps if they can't get this done at a faster pace.
