Micah Gives ND a "Ten"

[jiggafini19]

Removed.

 

[scooper]

I realize we're not leading yet on this kid, but we've caught up very quickly. There is momentum there. And he has an in-school recruiter in Gordon working on him, I'm sure. I'd sure like to finish and get this kid. He was one of my favorite recruits from day one. I was dissapointed when we dropped off early.

 

[Irish Envy]

Kentucky? Man, talk about some homestate bias. Sometimes that is awefully hard to overcome cause he sure isn't going to play winning football there.

 

[scooper]

His brother plays there. I'm sure that's a big part of it.

 

[IRISHMAN]

right now who do we have a better shot with, gerald mccoy or micah johnson?

 

[scooper]

I'm not sure, but the momentum seems to be with Johnson. Both have friends already committed to ND. McCoy is apparently tight with West.

 

[domerfor life]

Kentucky? Man, talk about some homestate bias. Sometimes that is awefully hard to overcome cause he sure isn't going to play winning football there.

Kentucky is his leader? Kentucky will always be a middle-of-the-road SEC team. I understand that his brother goes there, but come on. Kentucky? He'd be better off with Georgia ofr ND, preferably ND of course.

 

[bigwindbag]

yea really... can you imagine losing someone to Kentucky? unreal

 

[jiggafini19]

Scooper is right. ND just offered him a few weeks ago. Admissions had to cross the t and dot the i with this kid.
ND wouldn't lose him to Kentucky....Kentucky would lose him to ND.

The better odds are with McCoy. After 2006, the D line loses quite a few cast members. I believe McCoy can crack the rotation early and start. At the very least, he'll be rotating in with Laws and Landri.

West can persuade McCoy and Gordon will be in Micah's ear. Good odds to have.

 

[IRISHMAN]

lets not forget back in 1997 ND lost out on Defensive Player of the Year DE dennis Johnson who choose kentucky over ND. dennis johnson also grew up in kentucky.

 

[scooper]

I remember that. UK gave Johnson's father a nice job, if I recall correctly. Johnson had a nice career at UK. He was a first day draft pick, but he had injury and off the field issues that hurt him.

 

[bigdon]

Scooper is right. ND just offered him a few weeks ago. Admissions had to cross the t and dot the i with this kid.
ND wouldn't lose him to Kentucky....Kentucky would lose him to ND.

The better odds are with McCoy. After 2006, the D line loses quite a few cast members. I believe McCoy can crack the rotation early and start. At the very least, he'll be rotating in with Laws and Landri.

West can persuade McCoy and Gordon will be in Micah's ear. Good odds to have.

No one, even Kentucky, thinks he will go there. I believe he is just being politically correct to rate them No 1 at this time.

If he rates the ND visit a 10 I think we have a good shot. My gut feeling is GA. is the one to beat. This guy is so good I could see him playing a lot of positions but to think of a 267 lb LB is awesome. Keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

 

[jiggafini19]

Tim Couch. Could have gone ANYWHERE.

Stayed home.

 

[scooper]

Tim Couch was bought. That has come out in recent months.

 

[jiggafini19]

Tim Couch was bought. That has come out in recent months.

Oh man, I need substance on this one. Link? Story?

Get me something, Scoop. Work is dead because everyone's on vacation already. I could use a good read.

 

[Irish Envy]

Oh man, I need substance on this one. Link? Story?

Get me something, Scoop. Work is dead because everyone's on vacation already. I could use a good read.

UK: Former Coach's Deposition Says He Believes Players Were Paid

A former Kentucky assistant said in a deposition that he heard boosters brag about paying players such as former star quarterback Tim Couch, and that university officials were aware of recruiting violations.

The coach, Tony Franklin, was an assistant from 1997 to 2000, and has made previous allegations about recruiting improprieties in a book, but did not mention Couch by name before. In a deposition in a lawsuit filed by another former assistant coach, taken in August but made public this week, Franklin admitted having no firsthand knowledge or evidence to back up his claim about Couch's recruiting.

University of Kentucky spokesman Jay Blanton declined to comment Friday on Franklin's allegations, saying the school does not comment on pending litigation.

Couch could not immediately reached for comment. A message was left at his agent's office Friday morning.

Couch's brother told The Courier-Journal the claim was "ridiculous."

"There's nothing to it, and there's nothing really more to say about it," Greg Couch told the newspaper.

Franklin's testimony was taken in an Aug. 19 deposition in a federal lawsuit filed against the NCAA by former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett.

Franklin said a UK booster, Lexington businessman Talbott Todd, bragged about giving money to Couch and other players.

A message left at his buisness, Todd and Associates, was not immediately returned Friday.

Couch, who grew up in Leslie County, played for Kentucky from 1996-98 and finished with 8,435 passing yards, second on the school's all-time list. He still holds school single-season records for completion percentage (.671) and passing yards (4,275). Couch is also Kentucky's all-time high school quarterback, with 12,167 passing yards.

Bassett was Kentucky's recruiting coordinator and is the central figure in an NCAA investigation that led to major sanctions. He sued the University of Kentucky Athletic Association, the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference, claiming they conspired to keep him from landing another college job and asked for $50 million in damages.

In Franklin's deposition, he claimed former athletic director Larry Ivy cooperated in the NCAA investigation of the football program and Bassett's recruiting activities because the school did not want a deeper probe that might raise questions about the recruiting of Couch, which occurred under a previous coaching staff.

"Why would Larry Ivy want a huge investigation to come down on the University of Kentucky when he is in personal knowledge of the fact that the biggest recruit in the history of the university was bought," Franklin said in the deposition.

Reached Friday at their home in Florida, Dorene Ivy, Larry Ivy's wife, said he was not commenting about the allegations in Bassett's lawsuit.

Franklin could not immediately be reached for comment.

NCAA sanctions against Kentucky led to a one-season bowl ban and the forfeiture of 19 scholarships over three years. Bassett was sanctioned for recruiting violations and for improprieties involving the operation of summer football camp.

The violations had nothing to do with Couch.

Bassett was banned from coaching at NCAA schools for eight years. He filed a federal lawsuit, claiming the UK Athletics Association, the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA conspired to keep him from landing another job in college football.

Much of the lawsuit against the athletics association, the Southeastern Conference and NCAA has been dismissed. Bassett's fraud claim against the athletics association and a claim that the NCAA interfered with his future contract negotiations were allowed to move forward.

Source: http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3951296

 

[LuckoftheIrish86]

I don't want to sound too harsh but Kentucky!? Must be his brother making a strong impact on him. If Weis Keeps on this guy I am sure he'll be Irish.

 

[BGIF]

The UK story above is from Oct 8, 2005.

 

[jiggafini19]

Taken with grain of salt.

Won't hold it as truth, but it surely doesn't surprise me by any means.

 

[scooper]

Thanks, Svoboda.

It doesn't surprise me, either. They may be the dregs of the SEC, but they are still in the SEC.

 

[adam0033]

Bassett is hated in Central Kentucky. I know people who worked in the AD during Couch's time there and one of my favorite quotes was: "He had a 0.0 GPA"

I just got back from Lexington and got a chance to see Justin Burke (going to NC State) and that kid is for real. Lexington Catholic (where Jake Carney went to HS) has put out some good players in the past few years. Their coach doubles as the arena football coach in town so they run double reverse passes and all that razzle dazzle. Fun to watch.

 

[scooper]

Word is he verballed to UK. Wow.

 

[IrishRocks]

Micah Johnson to Kentucky?

Micah Johnson to Kentucky?

Is this rumor true?

link: http://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=1498&tid=63404593&sid=&style=2

 

[jiggafini19]

Lexington NBC 18 is reporting he's a Wildcat.

http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4172691

 

[Irish Envy]

You win some, you lose some. I really though we had a shot with him. Guess we need to press Toryan Smith harder now.

 

[IRISHMAN]

someone better tell johnson that if he came to ND he would be the starting MLB for the start of the 2006 season.

 

[grantland]

Rivals says, acording to Johnson's coach, the commitment talk is BS.

 

[nayers]

so how do we know for sure?

 

[BGIF]

Rivals says, acording to Johnson's coach, the commitment talk is BS.

Unless there's more substance in the full article, "the hook" only says the announcement is premature. That's a statement about timing not about the destination.

November 28, 2005
Fort Campbell coach: Commitment rumor premature
by Jeff Drummond of CatsPause.com
Rumors have spread like wildfire across the football recruiting landscape that the Bluegrass State's top prospect, Fort Campbell's Micah Johnson, had given a verbal commitment to play for the University of Kentucky. According to his coach, however, that talk is premature

 

[jiggafini19]

Now everything is popping up that he isn't decided yet.

ND is still in with this guy.