This year’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl is set to take place this weekend and while the game will probably go off without a hitch, the registration process raised some eyebrows yesterday.
Tom Bergeron of Rivals.com penned a little piece discussing what happens when high school superstars descend into San Antonio and there are only so many primo numbers to go around.
The result? Basically everything that is wrong with entitled athletes and a sickening feeling that today’s high school stars are big timing bigger than yesterday’s NFL studs. The most extreme cases? Cornerback Kevon Seymour of Pasadena (CA) Muir and Running back Mike Davis of Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson.
Seymour, annoyed that he was assigned the jersey No. 41, instead of his preferred No. 1, takes his diva-like behavior a step further, literally looking at potential colleges to see if numero uno is available. If not, the school’s chances of landing him diminish.
Seymour has almost two dozen schools courting him, with Florida being the only Sunshine State suitor. A safe bet UM head coach Al Golden isn’t the type of coach for Seymour, nor is the talented corner a fit for the Canes, despite the need for talent at that position.
Plus, wide receiver Allen Hurns already has No. 1 on lockdown, so a safe bet ‘The U’ isn’t anywhere near this kid’s radar.
Davis is a kid that Miami has offered, but according to Rivals, hasn’t visited and doesn’t have a trip booked. The Canes already appear to have Randy “Duke” Johnson and Danny Dillard as the running backs on board for 2012 and are still courting a few others, though a number-obsessed running back doesn’t seem to be a good fit.
Like Seymour, Davis also lost his marbles over the jersey situation in San Antonio. Davis was assigned No. 16, pitched a bitch, was given No. 14 (making him the lone player without a name on his back) and he was still miffed as he didn’t get the desired No. 28.
Conversely, the top-ranked (and apparently LSU-bound) recruit in the nation, quarterback Gunner Kiel, could care less about his number.
“They could give me No. 25 or No. 46 or No. 99 – just as long as they let me play,” said Kiel.
Miami cornerback prospect Tracy Howard, of Miramar, sings a similar tune – especially regarding incoming freshman demanding a number of choice.
“That’s ignorant,” he said. “Why would you think you could just get any number you wanted?,” said Howard. “I don’t think anyone is going to outwork me, but at the same time, if guys have been in the system and are doing the work, they get the number. You get a number, work hard and then you’ll get what you want.”
Howard did get his coveted No. 3 for this weekend’s game, but doesn’t expect that number in college without working for it.
And so it goes here in 2012, a world where articles are literally being written about frustrated high school athletes — welcomed to a bowl-game atmosphere to showcase their skills, given a national television platform to announce their college of choice, given a scholarship to play a game while receiving a free education and again, on the tube every weekend, showcasing their skills and building their NFL resume — yet time is being wasted with this crybaby behavior over jersey numbers.
Makes me sick … and a safe bet it makes Coach Golden even sicker, as well.
Here’s to ‘The U’ recruiting the right type of kids and staying away from any head cases who can’t see the forest for the trees, so laser-focused on the inconsequential. – C.B.