The Long Snapper (2/3/10)
? You should be by now. If not, you’re useless. You’re a half-fan. Sure we’ll share a drink come game time. We’ll debate game performances around the water cooler (do offices even have these anymore?). We’ll cheer with you as our favorite player rumbles to the end zone. But today, we are completely different animals. You are going about your day as planned. I’m seeing how many times I can hit the refresh button in a single minute. If you want the updates, odds are you already know where to look. But if you want to get them via me, continue to come back to this site throughout the day, become a fan of the
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Signing Day has had some definite intrigue in years past. If you don’t remember the story of Kevin Hart, go ahead and get caught up. It’s a good one. But there was a year when Florida was directly involved in an interesting situation. In 2000, Jonathan Colon signed letters of intent from Miami and Florida. Technically, he should’ve ended up with the Hurricanes because they received their LOI back first, but Colon had actually signed that letter the night before and Miami decided not to pursue the issue. Colon ended up with the Gators.
If there’s one bad thing about Signing Day, it’s the theatrics. And no I don’t mean the theatrics created by the media (how else would those like me get their fill?). I mean the ones some of the recruits feel the need “perform” to announce their decision. Marcus Lattimore pulled one of the biggest bait and switches of recent memory when he had former Auburn star Stephen Davis bring him a bag with two hats. Of course the hat on top was an Auburn one, but the one hiding behind it, the one that Lattimore put on his head, was that of South Carolina. I can’t imagine Tiger fans are too happy with their former running back Davis at the moment.
Florida commit Mack Brown has been told some tall tales from opposing head coaches throughout his recruiting, and the latest one is great. One of the coaches still pushing hard to reel in Brown has told him Urban Meyer will leave the Gators after Signing Day to, get this, become the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s just say if that happens I’ll pay a little more attention to Cowboys’ games next fall. If you don’t believe coaches lie to recruits, you were born yesterday. If you don’t believe 99.99% of all coaches do it, you’re still in the womb. And if you believe Urban Meyer will be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for the upcoming NFL season, well, I don’t know exactly what you are, but enjoy fantasy land.
Coordinator salaries are hitting new highs that could change the landscape of the college game over the next few years. Why take a shot at being a first-time head coach at a smaller program or in a smaller conference when you can earn just as much money being the coordinator of a national power? As each SEC program brings in more money, expect assistant salaries to rise. The latest is Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. In 2009, Smart made $360,000 and received $72,000 in bonuses. In 2010, he’ll get $750,000. Not a bad raise if you ask me. It’ll only be a matter of time before the coordinators in the big conferences make more than half the head coaches across the country. The top programs are doing everything they can to ensure they stay on top. This is just one step.