A Marve-lous recruiting weekend…

Tampa area quarterback recruit Robert Marve visited The U this past weekend and word is things went swimmingly.

I’ve heard from a few people connected with the program that Miami’s staff expects a commitment out of Marve. Does that mean he’s 100% coming to Coral Gables? No.

17-year olds are prone to changing their minds and being wishy-washy during the recruiting process. That said, sitting here today one would think that Marve is leaning towards The U. He loved the trip and the Marve family was pleasantly surprised with the University of Miami.

Classroom sizes. Facilities being in much better shape than they were led to believe. Randy Shannon being the class act he is. Marve is still set to visit Hawaii at some point and is slated to meet with Miami’s new offensive coordinator Patrick Nix on Thursday. Nix is heading to Tampa to meet with Marve face to face as the two only spoke by phone during Marve’s recruiting visit.

:OTHER NEWS RELATED TO THE U:

>>> Former Miami QB recruit Nick Fanuzzi committed to Alabama today. Word is Fanuzzi wanted to be the only QB recruit brought in by the school he signed with. Makes you wonder what Nick Saban and Alabama have told him. For Fanuzzi to commit weeks before signing day, it has to at least hint towards the fact Bama doesn’t expected to get Marve.

>>> Marve wasn’t the only recruit in town this past weekend. Other notables were Jermaine McKenzie, Allen Bailey, Brandon Hicks, Demarcus Van Dyke and Joseph Nicolas. A little background on the big five:

McKenzie is a four-star wide receiver prospect out of Bradenton, FL. Not only is he high on The U, reaffirming his commitment, but he’s already showing that brash Hurricanes receiver attitude. Word is McKenzie is the kind of player already in the ear of other recruits, selling them on the program and telling them what they all can do if they head to Miami.

Don’t really know much about Bailey’s visit, but the fact he’s visiting his in state power this coming weekend doesn’t sit well. The 6-foot-3, 260 pound linebacker prospect out of Darien, GA visits the Bulldogs this coming weekend and recent history shows that the hometown kid visiting the hometown school for his final visit, usually winds up there. We’ll see.

Hicks is out of Jacksonville, FL and has Miami, Florida and Clemson on his radar. His trip to Coral Gables this past weekend was his last before signing day. He visited UF in early December, but many think he’ll wind up a Gator. Hicks is a four-star recruit and measures out at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds.

Although Van Dyke is out of Monsignor Pace in Miami, he still has a soft verbal to Florida. Van Dyke visited The U over the weekend and word is the trip went well. Florida is still the team to beat, but DVD has flipflopped between both programs over the past few months and Miami got his last visit. Will this create a “hometown kid to the hometown school” effect which has been the case in the past? We’ll see.

Nicolas is supposedly 50/50 right now after visiting The U this past weekend. It’ll come down to Miami and Rutgers. Nicolas is a 6-foot-2, 195 pound safety out of Homestead Senior High. His family would like him to stay home and come signing day, we’ll see which way he goes.

Hopefully McKenzie got in his ear a bit.

>>> Orlando Franklin recommited to Miami this past weekend after flirting with the prospect of signing with Florida State, Georgia and Florida Atlantic. The 6-foot-6, 330 pounder will bolster a Hurricanes offensive line which needs the help.

Franklin was a prized recruit for the Canes last year. He took summer classes at UM, but the NCAA Clearinghouse ruled him academically ineligible, citing two English courses he took while living in Canada.

>>> Some parting thoughts here regarding recruiting. I’ll do my best Jerry Springer and leave you with these “final thoughts”.

I’m reading a lot of message board posts and have traded a ton of emails lately with Miami fans and college football fans in general. Everyone seems to have some “inside scoop” regarding recruiting. Someone talked to this guy’s mom’s hairdresser’s veterinarian and he’s a “lock” to come to said school. Fans will then toss rose petals at the recruit’s feet and will kiss his ass as he’s in the process of choosing a school.

Godforbid he chooses elsewhere, the fan base becomes and angry lynch mob and is out for blood.

I’ve seen this twice the past two weeks, first with Nicolas and today with Fanuzzi. Some Rutgers fans were emailing me with glee as they thought Nicolas was a lock to Piscataway. Now that he’s wavering on that commitment and might stick with his hometown Canes, Scarlet Knight faithful are trashing the kid. Same with Fanuzzi. Now that he’s Bama bound, some Miami fans are calling him a mama’s boy and comparing him to former nightmare Miami QB, Brian Fortay.

Give it a rest, people. At day’s end we’re talking about 17-year old kids here. Don’t believe all the hype. Minds change and things said in the heat of a recruiting weekend don’t always pan out.

If you’re a recruit in Miami this past weekend and Canes fans are welcoming you with open arms everywhere you go, what are you really gonna tell these people when asked if you’re coming to The U?

This place sucks. I’d never come here.

These kids are having fun and are soaking up the process just like you, me and anyone we know would. College football is big business and the recruiting game has also become big business with the likes or Rivals, Scout and other recruiting gurus. Just because these kids are being interviewed online, on TV and in newspapers – it doesn’t make them mature, pro athletes. At day’s end, they’re still teenagers. They’re worried about zits, prom and where the party is on Friday night.

We’re weeks from signing day, when all questions are answered. My advice? Same as the search for a new offensive coordinator; worry about the result, not the process.

The kids who are destined to sign with Miami will be here. Quit hanging on their every word, dissecting their player-speak and reading between the lines.

It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to. Try not to lose your mind along the way, U hear?

.:Canes305:.

Comments

comments