Class of 2015 DT Steven Clark (AL) Signed LOI

[Phenomenon]

Aren't all those university rankings highly slanted towards medical schools and research dollars that those medical schools command?

 

[Gator Bait]

Why don't you share what programs UF ranks so highly in vs going off an arbitrary internet ranking. This shtick is growing tiresome.

Yes, there's no reason or evidence to back up consistent rankings across multiple sites, despite the fact they explain on said sites how they calculate them. It's definitely arbitrary. Tell you what? I'll stop the "schtick" when you all stop bringing up academics as a reason SU is a better option for Clark than UF because frankly, you all just assumed it was because it's the SEC.

 

[AAM62]

1.) And flying to New York every weekend is? Also, we have alumni from my fraternity do that all the time, every single weekend, and plenty of Gator boosters do the same. Whatever argument involving distance you are attempting to make, New York compared to the state directly below Alabama is a losing battle.

2.) Look who our coach is. Look who his last team was, what stars his players were there, and what they accomplished by the time he left. Then, get back to me. This is not Urban Meyer and his staff of 4/5 star recruiters. This is not Will Muschamp and his nearsightedness and stubbornness to recruit anyone outside the box because he tried to fill Urban's shoes and failed. This is Jim McElwain, who is a coach who has proven experience coaching 2-3 star talent into successful players. You know why he offered Clark? He sees in him exactly what he saw in his old players. That's why. You can spin it as desperation all you want, but it is what it is. I can't make you see it.

3.) It's not even US World and News. Check just about any site. Check world university rankings for all I care.

Those rankings swing up and down all the time. Face facts here, champ, there is better name recognition across the country with a Syracuse degree. Not to mention that we dont pump out thousands of graduates every year because we're private.

P.S. I saw an interview where Joakim Noah said he didnt even go to class. Shafer makes sure the team focuses on academics as well.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Yes, there's no reason or evidence to back up consistent rankings across multiple sites, despite the fact they explain on said sites how they calculate them. It's definitely arbitrary. Tell you what? I'll stop the "schtick" when you all stop bringing up academics as a reason SU is a better option for Clark than UF because frankly, you all just assumed it was because it's the SEC.

Excuse me.. I believe that you are a guest in our house. In my family there is a saying that after three days the fish stinks...so Gator Bait maybe it's time you head on back to the swamp.

 

[Jack_Ball]

The school rankings are meaningless...They're both good schools.. I think it comes down to which coaches he feels more comfortable with and would he rather play DT or C? Hopefully his relationship with Coach Daoust will put Cuse on top and the fact that he takes his 2 & 3 stars and turns them into NFL draft picks...

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Yes, there's no reason or evidence to back up consistent rankings across multiple sites, despite the fact they explain on said sites how they calculate them. It's definitely arbitrary. Tell you what? I'll stop the "schtick" when you all stop bringing up academics as a reason SU is a better option for Clark than UF because frankly, you all just assumed it was because it's the SEC.

No. its because its in Florida. Vandy i s SEC. Nuff said

 

[Gator Bait]

The point on travel, was, that you're still taking a flight if you're going to UF or SU because driving to UF round trip isn't practical. I figured with your consensus higher ranked education you'd be able to figure that out.

This is Jim McElwain, who is a coach who has proven experience coaching 2-3 star talent into successful players. At Colorado State, in the Mountain West. If that's his model for the SEC, he won't be there long. The majority of his players he recruits are going to have to be physically ready to play, in general, 2/low 3 stars aren't. That's your high 3/4/5 stars, you know, the players that SEC programs are known for recruiting.

As I mentioned, people do it all the time. It's 6 weekends a year mixed in with away games and byes. Driving up on Friday and tailgating/camping out is a norm at UF for out of state alum/fans. I don't need to figure anything out, really, but hey, you tried. A flight from Alabama to Florida is also quicker anyway, so whether they absolutely, positively had to fly to both, it's still advantage Florida.

At Colorado State, where a few will be playing on Sundays soon because Mac saw their talent and developed them. Say, isn't that what you guys do? Develop under the radar to go pro? Because judging by your remarks, you'd think SU has a monopoly on doing that and no other school can, especially an SEC one. Did I say Mac would be making that the plan here in general? No. But he came in with two months to fix this class. That's not enough time for a class of 20+ 4/5 stars for almost any coach in that position. Finding under the radar guys who have the talent but aren't noticed because of the stars next to their name isn't desperation, weakness, or whatever you want to call it. When you have a short span of time, what's the better plan? Recruit a 4/5 star kid who is committed to another P5 school or never heard from you until you came calling with NSD around the corner and who is most likely a waste of resources for fruitless efforts? Or recruit a kid who has the talent, lacks the stars due to where he plays HS, exposure, etc. who is committed to a school you think you could flip him from much more confidently? We have our 4/5 star targets, and we have our 3 star ones as well. He's a 3 star on 247 anyway, and plenty of P5 teams have those. If you're making it seem like my justification was implying Mac's plan is to recruit the same type of kids as at CSU, you're mistaken. None of his commits or targets there were even considered.

 

[Gator Bait]

Those rankings swing up and down all the time. Face facts here, champ, there is better name recognition across the country with a Syracuse degree. Not to mention that we dont pump out thousands of graduates every year because we're private.

P.S. I saw an interview where Joakim Noah said he didnt even go to class. Shafer makes sure the team focuses on academics as well.

More recognition? Based on what? Your personal opinion? So private = better? Are you telling me Syracuse is better than universities, like Michigan and UCLA, simply because you have less graduates every year? I turned down ND, Villanova, and BC, as did many other Floridians, because the state of Florida pays the smartest students to not leave the state. Weak argument.

 

[dasher]

More recognition? Based on what? Your personal opinion? So private = better? Are you telling me Syracuse is better than universities, like Michigan and UCLA, simply because you have less graduates every year? I turned down ND, Villanova, and BC, as did many other Floridians, because the state of Florida pays the smartest students to not leave the state. Weak argument.

I don't want to get in to the academics thing but if you turned down ND and B.C. to go to florida, you made a big mistake.

 

[Gator Bait]

Excuse me.. I believe that you are a guest in our house. In my family there is a saying that after three days the fish stinks...so Gator Bait maybe it's time you head on back to the swamp.

I didn't forget. Tell me where I said anything against forum policy in my rebuttal, though? I didn't see sarcasm as against the rules.

 

[oldpinepoint]

I don't want to get in to the academics thing but if you turned down ND and B.C. to go to florida, you made a big mistake.

Disagree dasher, while those schools are excellent is there enough of a difference in education to justify the cost?

 

[gocraz4dasu]

More recognition? Based on what? Your personal opinion? So private = better? Are you telling me Syracuse is better than universities, like Michigan and UCLA, simply because you have less graduates every year? I turned down ND, Villanova, and BC, as did many other Floridians, because the state of Florida pays the smartest students to not leave the state. Weak argument.

We really don't care what your college options were (or if they were really real).

 

[Gator Bait]

I don't want to get in to the academics thing but if you turned down ND and B.C. to go to florida, you made a big mistake.

Pay $50-60k a year, or have UF send me a $1,500 check every semester, avoid debt entirely, and (extremely fortunately for me) have my parents pay for law school when I decide to pursue that option whenever/if I leave my internship in the near future? I'm from an ND family, but it was a business decision.

 

[Bambrewer]

Really no sense arguing this. Steven has said his major would be better suited at Florida they are both fine schools. A degree from either will do just nicely. Either football team will be a great choice. Both trying to get back to the top.

The bottom line is we will win this because he wants to play defense and we will win this because he wants to feel like part of a family... And with all due respect the staff down there hasn't put a family together yet. They may get there but not before next week.

Good luck on the recruitment but we have a secret weapon... Coach Shafer

 

[anglerman]

Really no sense arguing this. Steven has said his major would be better suited at Florida they are both fine schools. A degree from either will do just nicely. Either football team will be a great choice. Both trying to get back to the top.

The bottom line is we will win this because he wants to play defense and we will win this because he wants to feel like part of a family... And with all due respect the staff down there hasn't put a family together yet. They may get there but not before next week.

Good luck on the recruitment but we have a secret weapon... Coach Shafer

Well said! Stop the stupidity about undergraduate degrees , they are all the same. I learned that with my first job, this is a foolish argument and thread hijack

 

[jekelish]

Yeah, the academics argument is pretty pointless, because no matter which school is "better" they're close enough that the difference is negligible. Florida is better at some things, SU is better at others. It appears UF is better for what Steven wants, but that's obviously not the only consideration here.

As Bam said, he wants to feel like part of a family. I have no doubt that Florida's staff will be able to put together that sort of feel moving forward, but they're still so new, and have spent so little time with Steven, that I can't imagine how they're going to be able to top SU in that department at this point in the game.

Who knows what'll happen. But it's not worth arguing what basically boils down to six of one, half a dozen of the other type stuff.

 

[tep624]

As I mentioned, people do it all the time. It's 6 weekends a year mixed in with away games and byes. Driving up on Friday and tailgating/camping out is a norm at UF for out of state alum/fans. I don't need to figure anything out, really, but hey, you tried. A flight from Alabama to Florida is also quicker anyway, so whether they absolutely, positively had to fly to both, it's still advantage Florida.

At Colorado State, where a few will be playing on Sundays soon because Mac saw their talent and developed them. Say, isn't that what you guys do? Develop under the radar to go pro? Because judging by your remarks, you'd think SU has a monopoly on doing that and no other school can, especially an SEC one. Did I say Mac would be making that the plan here in general? No. But he came in with two months to fix this class. That's not enough time for a class of 20+ 4/5 stars for almost any coach in that position. Finding under the radar guys who have the talent but aren't noticed because of the stars next to their name isn't desperation, weakness, or whatever you want to call it. When you have a short span of time, what's the better plan? Recruit a 4/5 star kid who is committed to another P5 school or never heard from you until you came calling with NSD around the corner and who is most likely a waste of resources for fruitless efforts? Or recruit a kid who has the talent, lacks the stars due to where he plays HS, exposure, etc. who is committed to a school you think you could flip him from much more confidently? We have our 4/5 star targets, and we have our 3 star ones as well. He's a 3 star on 247 anyway, and plenty of P5 teams have those. If you're making it seem like my justification was implying Mac's plan is to recruit the same type of kids as at CSU, you're mistaken. None of his commits or targets there were even considered.

Then what was the point of bringing up the profile of kids he recruited at CSU? You basically have just proven in a long winded way what I posted in my very first post - that Florida doesn't typically recruit under the radar kids, that their recruiting plan generally is targeting high 3 star/4 star/5 star kids, and that will be Mac's recruiting plan going forward if he's going to be successful in the SEC. Which means in his very next class, he's going to have far more "physically ready to play from day 1 kids" than we will, and the odds are much higher that Clark will get recruited over next year at UF than at SU. He'll be given the time to develop here and be successful, because odds are based on our track record, we aren't going to have recruits in the queue ready to play from day 1 at DT - at UF, don't bank on it. You may have 8 OL now but I seriously doubt that you're not going to have a big OL recruiting class next year.

It's a 4 hour flight from where Clark lives in Alabama to Syracuse. It's a 3 hour flight to Gainsville. The air time is negligible. It's an 8 hour drive, which is not practical, regardless of how you want to spin it. How many alums do you know that drive in from practically Tennessee on a Friday evening for a Saturday game?

 

[Gator Bait]

We really don't care what your college options were (or if they were really real).

1.) You responded to tell me you don't care.

2.) It serves a purpose. "Florida isn't that smart. Florida gives out thousands of degrees every year." Counterexamples to that statement is all. My close friend turned down Stanford for the same reason. It's not petty or braggadocious.

I'm aware I'm not making any friends on here, but I've said what I have on Clark. You know my opinion either way. Adamantly defending my school as an academic institution is a matter of pride. I'm outnumbered here. I'm not here to convince you, "Wow, he's right. My school is academically inferior." Not what I'm trying to do at all. Knocking me for making points to counter people who think SU is better because of academics, though? I'm not going to roll over in that debate any more than SU will for UF over Clark.

 

[Toga]

 

[OrangeAl]

I never dreamed this thread could be turned from tense to boring, but it has been. :noidea:
Let me tell you about my own college choice, blah, blah, blah...

 

[alphaorange]

If I'm a player in this position, I have to wonder if the reason I'm being wooed isn't because they are having trouble filling the class because of the coaching change. I'd have to wonder if I would be recruited if UF had a full recruiting cycle. I suspect the answer is no, I would not be recruited by them, and I would have to think they will try to recruit over me next year. Now, if I am very confident that I can play with the big boys from the start, it's not a problem. If I have to develop, it probably won't happen there, as someone more ready will step a head of me and take my opportunity. Past history can be a very good predictor of the future.

 

[Consigliere]

1.) You responded to tell me you don't care.

2.) It serves a purpose. "Florida isn't that smart. Florida gives out thousands of degrees every year." Counterexamples to that statement is all. My close friend turned down Stanford for the same reason. It's not petty or braggadocious.

Even coming from a lower ranked academic school I know how to spell braggadocios. ..;-)

 

[gocraz4dasu]

1.) You responded to tell me you don't care.

2.) It serves a purpose. "Florida isn't that smart. Florida gives out thousands of degrees every year." Counterexamples to that statement is all. My close friend turned down Stanford for the same reason. It's not petty or braggadocious.

I'm aware I'm not making any friends on here, but I've said what I have on Clark. You know my opinion either way. Adamantly defending my school as an academic institution is a matter of pride. I'm outnumbered here. I'm not here to convince you, "Wow, he's right. My school is academically inferior." Not what I'm trying to do at all. Knocking me for making points to counter people who think SU is better because of academics, though? I'm not going to roll over in that debate any more than SU will for UF over Clark.

I did respond to tell you I do not care and I will do so once more.

You joined a Syracuse forum, read multiple posts, and are now butthurt because a recruiting competitor isn't kissing your arse. Like I said, we truly do not care about you or what you say. I don't know your opinion on Clark, I haven't read enough of your posts to know.

I knocked you for trying to prove your point with a completely anonymous and subjective couple of sentences that you got into a bunch of other schools and chose Florida. Nothing about that proves anything because I can simply say I got into Harvard, Oxford, Yale, MIT, and Stanford but I chose Syracuse. My school is the best school academically in the world then, right? It's not petty, but it could easily be complete bull****. I'm not sure how they teach you to prove your points down there at Florida but your so-called evidence is hot garbage.

Whether Florida or Syracuse gets Clark, I wish him well. Your argument point will still be stupid whether he chooses SU or not.

 

[Gator Bait]

Then what was the point of bringing up the profile of kids he recruited at CSU? You basically have just proven in a long winded way what I posted in my very first post - that Florida doesn't typically recruit under the radar kids, that their recruiting plan generally is targeting high 3 star/4 star/5 star kids, and that will be Mac's recruiting plan going forward if he's going to be successful in the SEC. Which means in his very next class, he's going to have far more "physically ready to play from day 1" than we will, and the odds are much higher that Clark will get recruited over next year at UF than at SU. He'll be given the time to develop here and be successful, because odds are based on our track record, we aren't going to have recruits in the queue ready to play from day 1 at DT - at UF, don't bank on it.

It's a 4 hour flight from where Clark lives in Alabama to Syracuse. It's a 3 hour flight to Gainsville. The air time is negligible. It's an 8 hour drive, which is not practical, regardless of how you want to spin it. How many alums do you know that drive in from practically Tennessee on a Friday evening for a Saturday game?

My point is exactly what you're saying. "Florida doesn't typically." You can't group Mac into what Florida typically does. He's not either coach. My "long-winded way" served a purpose that went completely over your head. Going forward? Sure. He can't do that this year, with only two months to work with. Guys committed to FSU, UGA, and Tenn. are committed to FSU, UGA, and Tenn. You can't assume he will be recruited over. If he has the ability and potential you all talk about, it will show. He's not being recruited as a body. He's being recruited for the exact same reason you want him, albeit at a different position. We don't need him at DT. Our defense sells itself. Our offense doesn't. We haven't been pulling in monster OL under Muschamp in case you haven't noticed. The odds of him getting a chance to play there are pretty decent.

What site are you looking at? 3 hours? I'm guessing 1 and 2 for FL and NY. There's no way it's 4. It's 3 from where I live in SFLA to IL. It's not practical because you say so? It sounds like something you just want to believe isn't to make your point without any actual evidence or experience with that. Tennessee? None personally. Georgia and Alabama? Several. Why Tennessee anyway? You have to drive all the way through Georgia just to get into the state.

 

[IHeartSUFball]

1.) You responded to tell me you don't care. 2.) It serves a purpose. "Florida isn't that smart. Florida gives out thousands of degrees every year." Counterexamples to that statement is all. My close friend turned down Stanford for the same reason. It's not petty or braggadocious. I'm aware I'm not making any friends on here, but I've said what I have on Clark. You know my opinion either way. Adamantly defending my school as an academic institution is a matter of pride. I'm outnumbered here. I'm not here to convince you, "Wow, he's right. My school is academically inferior." Not what I'm trying to do at all. Knocking me for making points to counter people who think SU is better because of academics, though? I'm not going to roll over in that debate any more than SU will for UF over Clark.

You don't have many friends do you?