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Big-time New Jersey Contingent for Spring Game

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Posted by donmac on Rivals several days ago in response to a direct question by me:

Me: What does the Jersey contingent look like for the spring game weekend? I remember back in the late fall you were helping them coordinate it since you were also coming out for Tony and Terrel. Is there a definite list yet?

donmac: Elijah Shumate '12 and his Dad, Yuri Wright '12. AlQuadin Muhammed '13 DE, Juwaan Jackson '13 LB, Jabril Peppers '14 Corner and the Max Preps 2010 National Freshman of The Year

***************

I'll be adding some profiles to the "Recruiting Futures" sub-forum today. This is a great pipeline we're establishing. I'm not a big fan of a scattergun approach to recruiting. I don't believe we'd ever have the resources or depth of connections for it to make sense for Embree to say, "We're making a commitment to recruiting New Jersey."

However, there are some specific high school programs that play one or two marquee game every year against powerhouses from other states. These types of programs are more "national". There are a handful of these from outside our targeted recruiting geography that we can successfully target. We should do this. Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey is one of the elites among these national high school programs. Great work by Embree and staff.
 
Also, we have offered 5* DE Darius Hamilton of Don Bosco Prep but he won't be able to make the Spring Game/ Junior Day. Don't count him out for an unofficial visit this spring/summer or an official in the fall, though.
 
Wowza. Does anyone know the connection we have to Bosco? Is it just T.Jones or is there something else. I doubt it's the staff because Hawkins got T.Jones.
 
Wowza. Does anyone know the connection we have to Bosco? Is it just T.Jones or is there something else. I doubt it's the staff because Hawkins got T.Jones.

a man named donmac on rivals who i feel could very well commit recruiting infractions in his actions.
 
I believe Coach Brown has a friend on the Don Bosco staff and that's how we originally got in contact with them. When we signed Tony Jones, "donmac" got involved. He is Tony's godfather. From what I can tell, he does a lot of work with kids in the north Jersey projects to help them find athletic scholarships to the private high schools or to college in order to get out of that environment. He also seems to be trusted in the community as a whole, as he has relationships with some families of means like the Hamiltons and also with some of the white kids like Paul Canaveri (fullback he was recommending last year who ultimately signed with Rutgers).

He can be brash. He can be a bit of a self-promoter. He definitely talks up Jersey. He rubs some people the wrong way. I happen to like him. Maybe it's because I grew up in NJ and am more comfortable with guys like that. CO is not nearly as in-your-face as NJ is.
 
He can be brash. He can be a bit of a self-promoter. He definitely talks up Jersey. He rubs some people the wrong way. I happen to like him. Maybe it's because I grew up in NJ and am more comfortable with guys like that. CO is not nearly as in-your-face as NJ is.

I don't disagree with anything you're saying, but I, too have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that there's something untoward about his involvement in recruiting kids to CU. I think it would be prudent to have a compliance officer oversee his involvement.
 
a man named donmac on rivals who i feel could very well commit recruiting infractions in his actions.

Let me start with the fact that I don't know donmac, have never met donmac, and don't have any connection to him. Put these comments in that context.

I would be very careful in implying that donmac is participating in anything that would be a violation. It is not unusual, especially in innercity areas to have certain individuals who combine their interest in sports and desire to help kids improve their lives by taking on the roll of mentors and advisors to athletes who have the talent to go on to the next level but don't have the connections or anyone in their circles who knows the system.

Usually these guys will develop relationship with certain programs and coaches that they like for various reasons and tend to favor those schools in their efforts and recommendations with the kids. Many if not most of the top programs have relationships with one or more of these guys in various parts of the country. It usually works on an I'll steer you my good kids if you will look at my marginal kids. Often it doesn't even involve taking the marginal ones, just using coaching connections to find them a place to play.

Most of these guys do this within the rules. They often spend significant amounts of their own money and time in an effort to help the kids. Their reward is getting to say that they can phone well known coaches and that they have connections to kids who are playing on TV. They also get the satisfaction of seeing kids get an education and hopefully some kids make the pros. It is not unusual when one of these kids does make the pros that he comes back and "takes care of" the guy who helped him get out of the inner city.

At the same time some of these guys do cross the line into violations or even illegal activity. When dealing with a business as big, competitive, and financially lucrative as college football the opportunity is going to be there for some of these guys to get a little more out of it than satisfaction and a picture with a head coach. When this happens often the players don't know that it is going on with the money moving from boosters to the now agents in envelopes of cash or other untracable ways. For more on this look under "common SEC recruiting practices." That said an awful lot of the guys who do this are legit and shouldn't be stained with the corrupt ones.

At this point in time I have not seen or heard anything that would indicate that donmac is doing anything outside the rules or working for any interest other than the kids. If he does, then I hope he gets busted for it but if all he is doing is helping some kids get an opportunity more power to him, especially if that helping means CU has the opportunity to recruit some quality players.
 
I believe Coach Brown has a friend on the Don Bosco staff and that's how we originally got in contact with them. When we signed Tony Jones, "donmac" got involved. He is Tony's godfather. From what I can tell, he does a lot of work with kids in the north Jersey projects to help them find athletic scholarships to the private high schools or to college in order to get out of that environment. He also seems to be trusted in the community as a whole, as he has relationships with some families of means like the Hamiltons and also with some of the white kids like Paul Canaveri (fullback he was recommending last year who ultimately signed with Rutgers).

He can be brash. He can be a bit of a self-promoter. He definitely talks up Jersey. He rubs some people the wrong way. I happen to like him. Maybe it's because I grew up in NJ and am more comfortable with guys like that. CO is not nearly as in-your-face as NJ is.

so... its a jersey thing?
1409-new-jersey-1.jpg
 
Well-stated, MtnBuff.

fwiw, CU has made sure to discuss compliance issues with donmac. He has made sure to refrain from doing certain things now that he's a booster. Before Tony and Terrel signed, he wasn't a CU booster. People with a pre-existing relationship can support a student athlete, which is his current situation. This means that he can buy Tony or Terrel a winter jacket if one of them needs one. However, what he can no longer do is pay for a plane ticket for someone else to take an unofficial visit to CU. He has been educated and has made adjustments.
 
Anyone else thik it´s a little sick we´re already talking about ´14 recruits?
 
Anyone else thik it´s a little sick we´re already talking about ´14 recruits?

I wouldn't call it "sick". It's just the way things go these days. There are middle school kids who are already on some schools' radars.
 
I wouldn't call it "sick". It's just the way things go these days. There are middle school kids who are already on some schools' radars.

I understand it´s the way things go and you have to go with the times and start building relationships early, but 14 or 15 year olds? If this continues parents will be getting scholarship offers for their first born in 20 years.
 
Anyone else thik it´s a little sick we´re already talking about ´14 recruits?

It kind of points to the failure in years past. Not just Hawkins. Barnett didn't like the recruiting game. This staff has a passion for it.

One of the big reasons that Embree wanted to a more focused approach to recruiting is so that he would have the long-term relationships with coaches and programs. If he and his staff are well-known by the California, Texas and Colorado high school coaches (Hawaii, Arizona, Utah & other western states to a lesser extent)... along with developing relationships with some of the better programs around the country (i.e., Don Bosco Prep in NJ, HD Woodson in DC, etc.)... then we'll get in on top prospects early and have a much better shot at them later on. We have been at a huge disadvantage by not having prospects hit our radar until they were juniors or seniors.
 
Bball players have been OFFERED scholarships while in 8th grade. It's definitely harder though to project a kids' talent for football than basketball, but I don't see anything wrong with getting on kids' radars while they're entering their sophomore years of HS. I do see something wrong though if we actually offer a kid that's still a freshman...that's just ludricous is both football and bball.
 
Bball players have been OFFERED scholarships while in 8th grade. It's definitely harder though to project a kids' talent for football than basketball, but I don't see anything wrong with getting on kids' radars while they're entering their sophomore years of HS. I do see something wrong though if we actually offer a kid that's still a freshman...that's just ludricous is both football and bball.

In football, they can't even send written offers until August 1 of a prospect's senior year. It used to be September 1 of the junior year. That's a new rule for this season. I need to check the Recruitipedia to make sure it's accurate.
 
south park epi was hilarious.

anyway. people forget (Bugeaters, at least)......that Dr. Tom pulled a lot of non-caucasians from NJ. Irving Fryer, for one. NU people like to pretend that outside the roiding pioneering they were doing all their good teams were composed of 8th year seniors from Douche, NE who worked their way up as walk-ons. the good ISU basketball teams with Tinsley, Fizer, etc....those were east coast kids.

we should get in on that. and if you will go to Ames, why not Boulder?
 
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