For most people, if you grow up playing sports you quickly realize you will not be a professional athlete or for that matter a college star. I harbored aspirations of playing Division 3 basketball before an ankle injury derailed that dream. Even though I recognized that Division 1 programs would never come calling and that I could only be an intramural participant I followed recruiting avidly for both college football and basketball. I remember Beano Cook touting Ron Powlus as the next Notre Dame hero who would win 2 Heismans. I remember the epic recruiting battle for Ron Curry between Virginia and North Carolina before he ultimately settled on the Heels. And I remember when Adonal Foyle went to Colgate over all the big time suitors that sought him. Colgate even had a lottery for the right to room with him. Thus I imagined where I would go if I had the talent and where I would take my 5 official visits. At that time in the early 90’s Barry Alvarez was resurrecting the Wisconsin football program and that playing for the Badgers was an attractive possibility. Colorado was just a few years removed from the national title and a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains was an alluring option to spend 4 years. I do not recall where else I would have visited at that time but every few years I put myself back in the shoes of an 18 year old and compile a list of where I would go today.
First of all there are the schools and programs you grew up with and liked for whatever reason. Geography, colors, lineage, crowds, weather, cheerleaders, education; you get the idea, you already have a built in list as you progress through your high school years. (For the sake of this article I am removing Boston College as a choice as I would probably head there still despite the atrocity that our main athletic programs have become.) Then there are the schools that appear on the national stage and are sexy and exciting since they are new. The Houston Cougars fall into this category. With a list that has been concocted over years and the hot girl that just shows up that makes you turn your head (Houston) a list is developed, refined and then committed to.
The first school I would visit is Washington. Go UDub! Frasier Crane’s favorite team. I have always liked the Huskies, something about their unique colors and playing right on Lake Washington. Its beautiful! It's been a long time since the Don James and Steve Emtman days but it appears Chris Petersen has the Huskies back on track. That man can coach. He sustained and advanced Boise State after Dan Hawkins left for the supposed greener pastures of Colorado. Now he has brought hope back to the Northwest not seen since Kenny Wheaton changed the direction of 2 programs. I would be hard pressed to name a player on this team but come Friday night I will be eagerly anticipating the Stanford game and discerning if the Huskies are a true up and comer and if I would want to be a part of that. If the program appears on the right track and Petersen is not looking to go anywhere then the Huskies will be in the running for a visit all the way to the end. Plus it’s Seattle. Mt. Rainier, Pike Place, the Space Needle, Puget Sound are just many of the attractions outside of the allure of Husky Stadium and helping turn around the fortunes of a program.
As I have aged I have traveled extensively and lived in various parts of the country. Growing up in Massachusetts the idea of leaving the area to explore another part of the country was exciting and tantalizing. Wake Forest was a school I visited and almost went to. Now that I live in NC the adventure has dissipated but what does remain is Duke Football. Sorry Wake. You have to listen to Duke if you value a superior education and want to play at a high level. Would you have really pictured Duke beating Notre Dame in South Bend 10 years ago? Now while Notre Dame has started this year listlessly that’s immaterial to the perception of the program and how they recruit. Notre Dame attracts enough talent to compete at the upper echelon of college football every year and beating them at any point is news especially when it continues to validate Duke as an option. Their home crowds are sparse, they lack tradition and it appears Duke football exists to discuss Duke basketball at tailgates but imagine leaving that campus with a degree? Nuff said. Duke is on the list of visits.
Now that I have brought education into the equation let's run through the other academic schools that compete at a high level that have at least caught my eye; Notre Dame, Stanford, and Northwestern. Again, how can you say no if Notre Dame comes calling? It would be very tough to say no but the fact is it’s in South Bend. There is nothing else to do there. Great school, great campus, great stadium, great fans but it’s an hour and a half away from anything. I’ll pass. I am sick of Stanford. They get every athlete that does not play a big time sport. Hi Tiger Woods, Katie Ledecky, Michelle Wie, Janet Evans, Jenny Thompson, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Eric Heiden, you get the drift. This school is successful in everything and it makes me sick. Plus, according to the adage, 9 out of every 10 women in California are hot and the 10th goes to Stanford so that’s not selling me. Plus they have McCaffrey so that will affect my playing time therefore it’s a non-starter on so many levels. So I will not be taking my talents to Palo Alto and all things being equal they are probably OK with that. As far as Northwestern will they ever take the next step? In the perception is reality category Pat Fitzgerald is generally mentioned as a really good coach but has he sustained his success? They will have a 10-3 season and then go 5-7. Maybe that’s what the expectation should be at Northwestern. They are 1-3 this year, they are a team I like to root for, it's situated in Chicago and a degree would be great, although something is missing and I cannot quite put my finger on it. However, I might have signed in 1995 with Darnell Autry leading the Wildcats to the Rose Bowl and Charlton Heston leading the charge for Wildcat alumni. However, at this point none of those schools can topple the Dukies.
Rounding out my top 5 would be Michigan, Navy and Georgia. Jim Harbaugh has the Wolverines back and being on the team that topples Ohio St. and pushes them off their perch would be special. It’s been too long since Michigan has been where they should be and with the right leadership it should be sustained. The overarching concern with Michigan longer term is the coaching succession when Harbaugh bolts back to the NFL but spending the next 4 to 5 years in Ann Arbor is worth exploring. Navy is just cool. They have an excellent program, you spend your life on boats, you travel, you serve your country, you graduate to an awesome career, you just can’t go wrong. Although if Army can beat them once every 15 years and make the service game worth watching that would be great. The Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis days will never be back but come on Army lets field one competitive team a decade. And as far as Georgia goes the appeal is the school itself and my favorite SEC team. I have always liked them. I know nothing about Kirby Smart and if he is someone I would want to play for but that can be assessed during the visit.
I won’t commit until late in the season and maybe a team comes out of nowhere that breaks into my Top 5 but right now it’s:
1)Washington
2)Navy
3)Duke
4)Michigan
5) Georgia
Trivia Question – Who is the only Georgia back to win the Doak Walker award?
posted by oceanjay @ 6:12 PM
2 Comments:
Any major SoCal school, Hawaii, Miami. Obvious reasons that need no explanation. Or none that I care to share here. :)
Can you still have mainframe in your name? And I think we all know what you are thinking.
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