'15 LA OT/DT Jerry Tillery (Notre Dame Early Enrollee)

[GBdomer]

Lol I know, poking fun at my own state university.

welp pardon me then lol, carry on

 

[MNIrishman]

In agreement. If I'd been recruited to play football for Ohio state, I'd have been there for every game. But in the end, I know that's not where you're going to be best set up for the future.

 

[GBdomer]

Would you guys trade with LSU, Tillery for Brossette?

 

[GoldenDomer]

Would you guys trade with LSU, Tillery for Brossette?

This second.

 

[ndfi78]

Would you guys trade with LSU, Tillery for Brossette?

No

 

[dwshade]

Tillery over Brossette easily.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I think Brossette is going to be a very, very good college back but I really like having strong lines. It's been so long since we've had that. I still have nightmares of the Clausen years, the young man could flat out sling it and still got sacked a billion times.

 

[jerboski]

Mrs. Tillery had some interesting comments after his visit this weekend, too quote a few:

"“I’m shameless, and like I told Jerry when we were at Ole Miss for the Alabama game, I asked him what would happen if he hurt himself like that guy from Alabama (Kenyan Drake) did that required orthopedic surgery,” said Mildred. “I told him we would be 16 hours from home and there would not be anything we could do about it. He just got very quiet."

“I think the distance and the scenery make it a tough decision. Jerry is a big momma’s boy and somebody has always been there for Jerry. That’s one thing that makes it tough with it (Notre Dame) being so far from home.”

 

[IrishLax]

Mrs. Tillery had some interesting comments after his visit this weekend, too quote a few:

"“I’m shameless, and like I told Jerry when we were at Ole Miss for the Alabama game, I asked him what would happen if he hurt himself like that guy from Alabama (Kenyan Drake) did that required orthopedic surgery,” said Mildred. “I told him we would be 16 hours from home and there would not be anything we could do about it. He just got very quiet."

“I think the distance and the scenery make it a tough decision. Jerry is a big momma’s boy and somebody has always been there for Jerry. That’s one thing that makes it tough with it (Notre Dame) being so far from home.”

Ummmmmmmm.... I'm going to go with "he'll have an excellent degree to fall back on after he heals up for $1000, Alex"... whereas Kenyan Drake is probably headed for JUCO after Saban pushes him out this offseason.

How short sighted or uninformed do you have to be to think that LSU is on any level the correct choice for your child, much less to push going to a drastically inferior school on said child?

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Mrs. Tillery had some interesting comments after his visit this weekend, too quote a few:

"“I’m shameless, and like I told Jerry when we were at Ole Miss for the Alabama game, I asked him what would happen if he hurt himself like that guy from Alabama (Kenyan Drake) did that required orthopedic surgery,” said Mildred. “I told him we would be 16 hours from home and there would not be anything we could do about it. He just got very quiet."

“I think the distance and the scenery make it a tough decision. Jerry is a big momma’s boy and somebody has always been there for Jerry. That’s one thing that makes it tough with it (Notre Dame) being so far from home.”

His parents are that adamant about him staying home? I don't know if we have a chance if this is what we are up against. How did Jerry turn out to be such a thoughtful player with his parents appearing to be so short-sighted?

I'll tell you what would happen if he needed surgery, he'd still have an ND degree and not some lousy LSU paper. (my apologies to the LSU grads).

 

[koonja]

Sorry mom, take a lap. One of the more ignorant perspectives I've heard for choosing a school considering it's LSU education vs. ND.

 

[jerboski]

Ummmmmmmm.... I'm going to go with "he'll have an excellent degree to fall back on after he heals up for $1000, Alex"... whereas Kenyan Drake is probably headed for JUCO after Saban pushes him out this offseason.

How short sighted or uninformed do you have to be to think that LSU is on any level the correct choice for your child, much less to push going to a drastically inferior on said child?

Completely short sighted and looks to me like a parent not wanting to let go. I know we love it when the shoe is on the other foot as far as parents and location however an LSU degree compared to a ND degree is a joke, bit is completely beyond me that his mom doesn't appear to be considering long term benefits of ND over LSU.

 

[GBdomer]

Jerboski where did you read those comments?

 

[jerboski]

Jerboski where did you read those comments?

247, LSU Sonny Shipp

Jerry Tillery takes official visit to LSU

 

[arrowryan]

Mrs. Tillery had some interesting comments after his visit this weekend, too quote a few:

"“I’m shameless, and like I told Jerry when we were at Ole Miss for the Alabama game, I asked him what would happen if he hurt himself like that guy from Alabama (Kenyan Drake) did that required orthopedic surgery,” said Mildred. “I told him we would be 16 hours from home and there would not be anything we could do about it. He just got very quiet."

“I think the distance and the scenery make it a tough decision. Jerry is a big momma’s boy and somebody has always been there for Jerry. That’s one thing that makes it tough with it (Notre Dame) being so far from home.”

Last time I checked, the distance away from home wouldn't change the severity of an injury and you couldn't do anything about the injury whether it happened in your backyard or across the country.

That just sounds like a desperate pitch to keep your kid close to home

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I got excited when Mrs. Tillery started talking about injury-related contingencies (40-year decision, etc.), but that turned to disappointment pretty quickly when I realized she's more concerned about who's going to bring Jerry a plate of cookies to console him rather than how an injury could radically alter his prospects as a professional athlete.

That quote is a depressingly vivid window into the worldview of a parent who doesn't even remotely understand what's at stake in this process.

 

[GBdomer]

He is also vistiting Dartmouth this weekend. I think he wants an elite education but you can tell his parents really want him to stay home.

Next up for Tillery is an official visit to Dartmouth this weekend followed by a return trip to LSU for the Alabama game on Nov. 8. He also has plans to take an official visit to Notre Dame and will be at Texas A&M for an official when the Aggies host LSU on Thanksgiving night, making that five LSU games he has been to this season.

 

[NDohio]

Mrs. Tillery had some interesting comments after his visit this weekend, too quote a few:

"“I’m shameless, and like I told Jerry when we were at Ole Miss for the Alabama game, I asked him what would happen if he hurt himself like that guy from Alabama (Kenyan Drake) did that required orthopedic surgery,” said Mildred. “I told him we would be 16 hours from home and there would not be anything we could do about it. He just got very quiet."

“I think the distance and the scenery make it a tough decision. Jerry is a big momma’s boy and somebody has always been there for Jerry. That’s one thing that makes it tough with it (Notre Dame) being so far from home.”

Wow - JT really seems to be a well grounded, intelligent young man. I am shocked by his mom's statement.

 

[GoldenDomer]

So would his parents not pay him a visit if he snapped his ankle? This is bullshit.

 

[Wingman Ray]

I still have a very hard time wrapping my mind around why a parent would want to pressure his/her kid into staying at a local university that is not very good academically just so they can be close to home. To me, that is the pinnacle of selfishness. Why wouldnt you want to give your child the best chance they have to succeed in life? Before you slam me remember Ryan Perriloux. Talk about his family getting hands up after he signed with LSU. You cant dismiss completely this motivation for the family.

Personally I think it is 50/50 at best he comes. I think that is why BK offered that kid from Utah and that maybe BK knows something. Going THAT many times to see LSU play with a four hour drive is a lot. Especially to a school you are committed to NOT playing for. You do realize the kid is playing friday night and then getting up early Saturday to start that drive and be there on time right?

If he continues to go multiple more times to LSU games and no more trips to ND, I say the ship has sailed.

 

[Rocket 94]

I have a feeling the mother is running cover Jerry while he is still in the State of Louisiana to keep the locals off his back. The mother is a member over on the ND Rivals site and is an educator so I believe she is on ND's side when it comes to the education. She probably wants to keep the pressure off Jerry as the state's top talents normally don't go anywhere but LSU.

 

[Irish#1]

I still have a very hard time wrapping my mind around why a parent would want to pressure his/her kid into staying at a local university that is not very good academically just so they can be close to home. To me, that is the pinnacle of selfishness. Why wouldnt you want to give your child the best chance they have to succeed in life? Before you slam me remember Ryan Perriloux. Talk about his family getting hands up after he signed with LSU. You cant dismiss completely this motivation for the family.

Personally I think it is 50/50 at best he comes. I think that is why BK offered that kid from Utah and that maybe BK knows something. Going THAT many times to see LSU play with a four hour drive is a lot. Especially to a school you are committed to NOT playing for. You do realize the kid is playing friday night and then getting up early Saturday to start that drive and be there on time right?

If he continues to go multiple more times to LSU games and no more trips to ND, I say the ship has sailed.

I'm not trying to justify his parents actions, but not all parents are level headed, mature enough and grounded enough to make the right decision. They may think LSU is as good as ND.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I still have a very hard time wrapping my mind around why a parent would want to pressure his/her kid into staying at a local university that is not very good academically just so they can be close to home.

A couple points here:

• LSU has a strong regional reputation, and its GSRs are well above average. So to a native Louisianan, ND probably doesn't enjoy the reputational advantage over LSU that objective metrics imply it actually holds.
• Lots of people, especially in the South, value in-group loyalty over individual achievement. It takes a certain Bourgeois liberal mindset to accept the argument that, "ND is a better school than LSU; therefore, if you love your child, you will advise him to stick with the Irish."

I think that is why BK offered that kid from Utah and that maybe BK knows something.

I agree that that offer is a very telling sign of how confident the staff is in Jerry's verbal (as well as their decision to continue recruiting him as if he were uncommited).

 

[Wingman Ray]

I dont know but for me, I would love my kid to get out and see more than just the state he/she was raised in. I think it makes a big difference in making them more well rounded. You would be amazed how many people turn down promotions because they wont leave their area.

 

[BobbyMac]

I don't blame JT for taking a look at the rest of the world before he signs. Things have changed since I went through the recruiting process (basketball) back in the day but I know I took every opportunity to look at the schools I was most interested in. A verbal commitment did mean more back then. If you were committed, most communication was done back channel on the down low or you cut it off. That being said, I still took an OV to Purdue after I had verballed. Like Tillery, I felt the draw of both the local state school and an academic program far from home which for me was Princeton. I always knew Princeton was the best choice for me as far as what ND folks call the '40 year decision'. In the end, I rolled the dice and gave a possible NBA career a shot and verballed to Miami U. When Purdue jumped in, I took a serious look at the Boilermakers as it was just 90 miles from home. In the end, I stayed with Miami.

The big difference in my situation and Tillery's was what was coming from the parents. My Mom had leukemia at the time and had EVERY right to ask me to stay near, still she was all for me going to Princeton or Navy who also recruited me hard. She was wiling to sacrifice the ability to see me play in person or to come home on breaks in what ended up being her last year of life, in exchange for an education that would dramatically change my future. That is what a parent should want for their children. I know when my daughter gets her acceptance letter from ND in 7 years, I will not be asking her to stay at home and attend ASU. Nope, not a chance. In fact, I'll pack up and head back to Michiana.

I hope whatever decision Jerry makes, he makes for himself because you live with the what if's for the rest of your life. Princeton, Annapolis, Penn, Cornell and Harvard are all big if's I wonder about often. Those obviously aren't the total package of academics and championship caliber athletics like ND is but the "family" you become a part of is what your life is built on regardless if you become a professional athlete or not.

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[Guest]

I dont know but for me, I would love my kid to get out and see more than just the state he/she was raised in. I think it makes a big difference in making them more well rounded. You would be amazed how many people turn down promotions because they wont leave their area.

When you are a kid, yes this can make sense. Especially if you will be going on a scholarship as this player will.

He can always come back home afterwards if he decides that is his path.

 

[MNIrishman]

A couple points here:

• LSU has a strong regional reputation, and its GSRs are well above average. So to a native Louisianan, ND probably doesn't enjoy the reputational advantage over LSU that objective metrics imply it actually holds.
• Lots of people, especially in the South, value in-group loyalty over individual achievement. It takes a certain Bourgeois liberal mindset to accept the argument that, "ND is a better school than LSU; therefore, if you love your child, you will advise him to stick with the Irish."

I agree that that offer is a very telling sign of how confident the staff is in Jerry's verbal (as well as their decision to continue recruiting him as if he were uncommited).

It's not just the quality of the school in general, but as you often point out, the quality of the school for the athlete. LSU can't hold a candle to ND in any objective metric of academic support for athletics and the results accompanying that. It's not as vague as "ND is better and if you love your child you will send him there." It's more like, "ND will honor your child's scholarship no matter what (especially if he gets injured), will provide him with an actual, respected education, and connect him with an alumni network that will hook you up all over the world." That shouldn't take a "bourgeois liberal" outlook to see, just a pragmatic one.

 

[Cackalacky]

I am seriously sitting here visualizing Alvin Mack at the end of The Program.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It's not just the quality of the school in general, but as you often point out, the quality of the school for the athlete. LSU can't hold a candle to ND in any objective metric of academic support for athletics and the results accompanying that.

You're preaching to the choir here. I'm just trying to help Ray see the other side.

It's more like, "ND will honor your child's scholarship no matter what (especially if he gets injured)...

NOLAIrish has written up some great posts on this subject, but most SEC schools can freely transfer football players from athletic to academic scholarship because the university-wide standard for scholarship qualification is so low. So while they definitely force under-performing kids off the football team, it doesn't look like many are actually pulling scholarships or kicking them out of school.

...will provide him with an actual, respected education...

How much more respected is ND than LSU in Louisiana? It's probably reversed, in fact.

...and connect him with an alumni network that will hook you up all over the world."

If you expect your child to settle down in his home state, what value is a cosmopolitan alumni network?

That shouldn't take a "bourgeois liberal" outlook to see, just a pragmatic one.

The idea that a mother should seek to maximize the worldly success of her children (at the expense of in-group loyalty) is bourgeois and liberal. And I chose such divisive words because there are communities and cultures which reject that idea outright on those very grounds. I don't know if the Tillerys come from such a culture, but it certainly applies to much of SEC country.

 

[connect the dots]

I don't blame JT for taking a look at the rest of the world before he signs. Things have changed since I went through the recruiting process (basketball) back in the day but I know I took every opportunity to look at the schools I was most interested in. A verbal commitment did mean more back then. If you were committed, most communication was done back channel on the down low or you cut it off. That being said, I still took an OV to Purdue after I had verballed. Like Tillery, I felt the draw of both the local state school and an academic program far from home which for me was Princeton. I always knew Princeton was the best choice for me as far as what ND folks call the '40 year decision'. In the end, I rolled the dice and gave a possible NBA career a shot and verballed to Miami U. When Purdue jumped in, I took a serious look at the Boilermakers as it was just 90 miles from home. In the end, I stayed with Miami.

The big difference in my situation and Tillery's was what was coming from the parents. My Mom had leukemia at the time and had EVERY right to ask me to stay near, still she was all for me going to Princeton or Navy who also recruited me hard. She was wiling to sacrifice the ability to see me play in person or to come home on breaks in what ended up being her last year of life, in exchange for an education that would dramatically change my future. That is what a parent should want for their children. I know when my daughter gets her acceptance letter from ND in 7 years, I will not be asking her to stay at home and attend ASU. Nope, not a chance. In fact, I'll pack up and head back to Michiana.

I hope whatever decision Jerry makes, he makes for himself because you live with the what if's for the rest of your life. Princeton, Annapolis, Penn, Cornell and Harvard are all big if's I wonder about often. Those obviously aren't the total package of academics and championship caliber athletics like ND is but the "family" you become a part of is what your life is built on regardless if you become a professional athlete or not.

Well thought out post, woven with some personal experience. Posters should stop the conjecture and supposition about the Tillery decision, the academic subordination of LSU, and just let it be. God's in his heaven, all is right with the world, and Notre Dame is still in the playoff equation!