Everything wrong with the recruiting game…

Yeah, a little immature to play the “public enemy” card regarding two teenagers spurning Miami during the final hour, but I’m in a ball-breaking mood after watching Matt Patchan and Patrick Johnson play the recruiting game and burn the Canes today.

Patchan announced in a Saturday press conference that he’d pledge his allegiance to the University of Florida while Johnson declared for Louisiana State University during today’s U.S. Army All-American game.

Days ago Patchan narrowed down his options to Miami and Florida while Johnson recently eliminated Miami and a three team race remained between Florida, Florida State and LSU.

Johnson’s elimination of Miami came after spending the past six months committed to the Canes while Patchan chanted “Cane since birth” these past few months, due to Matt Patchan Sr. and and an uncle playing for Miami during the Decade of Dominance era in the 80s.

Unlike most, I “get” why these kids get so wrapped up in the recruiting game. Football is a team sport, but this process is all about the individual. It’s a hell of a moment in the sun for a kid barely old enough to vote, see an R-rated movie or drive a car. Who wouldn’t milk it on some level?

Still, I’m amazed with the venom spewed when a kid turns down one program for another. We saw it a few weeks back when highly touted linebacker recruit Arthur Brown chose Miami over Florida, LSU, North Carolina and USC.

Log on to any Canes message board a few weeks ago and a slew of grown-ass men were fawning all over Brown, post after post. The kid was a bona fide genius for believing in Randy Shannon and was going to single-handedly turn things around, cure Cancer, play two positions at once. You name it.

That same day, head over to a Gators, Tigers, Tar Heels or Trojans board and it was Chernobyl. Full on meltdown mode and in each case, more grown-ass men wanting Brown’s head on a platter and calling him a moron for not choosing their respective university.

Today you can flip that script. The Canes contingent praising Brown’s genius is now the same bunch throwing stones at Patchan and Johnson for leaving Miami at the altar and making the “biggest mistake of their lives”.

For the record, I have no issue with either of these kids’ actual decisions. My bone to pick comes with their individual recruiting processes, what they said versus what they did and what I perceive to be a lack of character in both Patchan and Johnson.

Johnson picking LSU isn’t the issue. It’s the double talk and spin job he’s put on the topic which have Miami faithful frustrated. A real man would state the change of heart and has every right to flip flop on a big time decision.

Instead, Johnson chose to blame Miami’s coaches not showing him enough love or contacting him as frequently as he expected. As many 17-year old do, they place blame on others instead of accepting responsibility and let his meddling father stir up a boatload of unnecessary drama.

Besides the recruiting “gurus” bumping their gums during today’s games or on ESPN U, does anyone really believe that Miami’s coaching staff would stop calling their highest profile recruit? Come on now.

Shannon and staff have owned the recruiting world the past half year and will bring home one of the nation’s top classes. Johnson was a priority and if the relationship deteriorated, it’s pretty easy to figure out who stopped calling who and started the game playing. The young man committed way too early, was in over his head, had no clue how to get out and went about doing so in a very classless manner.

Regarding Patchan, he found his way on to the average Canes fan’s radar on Sunday November 11th, the morning after the 48-0 drubbing Virgina laid on Miami in the Orange Bowl finale. Some of Patchan’s post-game gems when being interviewed moments after the debacle:

– “They played terribly. That was extremely tough to watch. Guys after the game – there’s too many guys that just it doesn’t bother them that they lost the game. There’s too many guys now at the U that ‘It’s okay we lost, well what am I going to do tonight?’ Like it doesn’t mean anything. They need to get rid of those type of guys. One of the guys not like that is Robert Marve. Marve’s a high character guy.”

– “Half those guys in Miami uniforms shouldn’t be there. They physically don’t cut it. A lot of those guys were wasted scholarships. That was Miami’s fault in recruiting. You can’t take a guy who doesn’t know how to play football and ask him to do things that are expected out of University of Miami players.”

– “I’ve always been a Cane. I grew up watching them. All I’ve heard growing up was Hurricanes.”

News flash, Matt. Once a Cane, always a Cane will never be argued.

The caveat? Signing on with Miami’s oldest, most hated rival. No one with orange and green pumping through their veins would sellout The U for the orange and blue. Miami is in the Patchan family’s blood and this was Junior’s chance to step in and put this beloved program on his back and lead the Canes to the Promised Land.

Patchan Jr.’s Miami “legacy” will always be that of a blowhard. To come in and run your mouth about all wrong with The U was extremely bold – and borderline legendary if he completed the puzzle, signed with the Canes and pledged to help right all these wrongs he called out. The kid would’ve been all time, old school throwback Miami if he simply had a ‘pretty good’ career.

In the end, lip service. Patchan chose the front runner, citing Florida’s current success. He proved he didn’t have the grit to roll up his sleeves, get dirty and fix all the problems he pointed out two months ago. The kid took the easy way out.

“I wanted talent around me,” said Patchan. “I wanted a good relationship with my position coach. I wanted a good strength coach and I wanted to compete for a national championship every year. I think Florida met all of those the best out of any them.”

As we’re seeing, some of these kids are leaders and builders, while others want to ride that gravy train, living off of their predecessors’ success.

Both Patchan and Johnson proved they’re the latter. They’re the anti-Marcus Forston, Sean Spence, Jacory Harris, etc. Kids that will take pride in putting Miami back on the map and believe in the new coach’s vision. The types of players who know that true success comes when you see a project from start to finish, winding up on top.

For true Canes, it’s not about riding someone else’s wave of success – it’s about creating one’s own legacy. Some of Miami’s best came to town smack dab during the probation era. Santana Moss, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James all got on board in the mid 90s. A few years later, it’s guys like Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson and Clinton Portis signing on during the tail end of the probation era, knowing something special was in store.

Contrast that with some of the kids who signed on in February 2002, a month after the Canes brought home the hardware. Akieem Jolla. Ryan Moore. Marc Guillon. Terrell Walden.

Sure, there were some gems and future first rounders in the ’02 class, but you also see a list of underachievers and non-Miami kids who rolled into Coral Gables simply expecting to be part of championship caliber teams, replacing the stars of yesterday, instead of coming on board for all the right reasons.

The silver lining? Patchan and Johnson aren’t Shannon-type players. Both are talented and both would instantly help Miami on its climb back to the top. That said, if they’re the wrong ‘type’ of kids, they’re never going to fit into this concept of ‘team’ that Shannon is preaching. There’s no room for individuals or frontrunners.

Miami needs the right type of players to right this ship. Shannon and staff know that. Now it’s time for the fan base to let it sink in and realize that character is as important as on the field talent.

Good riddance to any kid who doesn’t ‘get’ what’s going on at The U. The Canes don’t need game players and bandwagoners. Not with a half dozen national champs from Northwestern saying what they’re saying about the legacy of The U. These kids are honored to be part of the tradition and long to put Miami back on the map, where it belongs.

I’ll take a three-star kid with five-star heart over a highly touted double talker any day of the week.

Miami was delivered a small blow today, but it needs to be taken in stride. Don’t sweat the ones who got away when there are 27 kids on board who can’t want to make their presence felt in Coral Gables. More scholarships are available and the right players remain. This is going to be as good a class as Miami has seen in over a decade.

Weeks ago linebacker Lerentree McCray and Miami stopped their talks an some panic set in amongst the fans.

Within days, the Canes landed Brown and a few other linebackers. Now with Patchan and Johnson off the radar, it’s on Shannon and staff to make sure guys like offensive lineman Ben Jones and defensive back Brandon Harris make the right choice in the coming weeks.

Both would absolutely soften today’s blow as solid replacements as well as local ties to the hometown team.

Things will play out the way they are supposed to. The sky is not falling, but Shannon has to close strong this next month. There are some studs still on the board and it’s time to get them to sign on the line that is dotted.

Until then, patience is the name of the game.

Cream rises to the top. The rest wind up in Gainesville or Baton Rouge. Come February, the character kids who are supposed to be in Coral Gables will be on board and ready to begin the rebuilding process while ‘the ones who got away’ are going to miss out on on something very special.

Get on board with The U or get ready to get beat by The U. It’s that simple.

.:Canes305:.

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