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An ill wind blows
Illinois' highly rated class leads to whispers
Published February 8, 2007
'Nasty" was the word of the day.
And not "nasty" as in the way Charlie Weis promised his Irish would play when Notre Dame hired him.
This was a day in which whispered accusations gave way to outright hostility, a day on which two prominent recruits dissed Notre Dame, and Illinois was left defending its recruiting practices after signing a top-15 class.
The tone was set early by a New York Times story headlined: "Illinois Has Rivals Fuming About Its Recruiting Coup."
Fired Michigan State coach John L. Smith questioned how a school whose team went 4-19 over the last two seasons could attract such a top-notch class, telling the newspaper: "If they had a winning program and all of that, it would be a different deal. If they had the greatest facilities in the world, then maybe they could sell them. But what are they selling?
"Where there's smoke, there's probably fire," added Smith, whose Spartans were the Illini's only Big Ten victim this season.
Northwestern even entered the fray, with Wildcats receivers coach Kevin Johns telling the New York Times: "We're recruiting two different types of character, two different types of kids. They can get in almost any kid that they want. We have to go through academic admissions."
Illinois coach Ron Zook downplayed the controversy, saying during an interview on ESPNU: "Today is a day for our players. I know this: If that's all [the Times] can find after all the time they spent, that just makes you feel that much better about the program."
In December Zook told the Tribune: "There are no skeletons in our closet."
During a Wednesday conference call Zook said accusations of "impropriety … the notion that not all was up to snuff [are off base.]
"For people to say those things. … One, we're not going to have people like that in our program. Two, if you get to know our people, you'll realize they are not that way," Zook said. "For the most part we know where [the accusations] are coming from. It's a shame for people to throw things out there and try to take away from a great university and program."
Illinois officials wouldn't acknowledge it, but there's little doubt they suspect Notre Dame is behind the accusations.
The two teams battled over the last few months for three prominent recruits: Washington, D.C., receiver Arrelious Benn; Simeon defensive end/receiver Martez Wilson and Hubbard running back Robert Hughes.
Benn and Wilson signed with Illinois; Hughes is bound for South Bend.
Notre Dame contends Benn gave one of its coaches an oral commitment months ago that wasn't publicized. Those are considered "silent" commitments.
Last week Justin Trattou, a defensive end from Ramsey, N.J., who had committed to Notre Dame in May, switched to Florida. A key factor in his decision was Greg Mattison, Florida's co-defensive coordinator and former Irish defensive coordinator.
The Irish lost two more players Wednesday: Greg Little, a receiver from North Carolina who committed to the Irish in November, announced he would play for the Tar Heels.
Nothing, though, can top the tale of Chris Little, a 6-foot-5-inch, 342-pound lineman from Georgia who's not related to Greg.
Little committed to Florida State on live TV during the Jan. 6 Army All-America Bowl. Then he switched to Notre Dame, explaining that he was confused about his mother's preference. On Wednesday he declared he would attend Georgia.
"All's fair in love and recruiting," CSTV analyst Tom Lemming said, "but I've never seen anything like this. Some kids are more of a pain than they're worth. The self-entitlement of some players now is completely out of control.
"Committing early now just means that one school is the leader. It's a bull's-eye and tells the other coaches which school they should bad-mouth."
For his part, Weis said the word "commitment" needs to be redefined in recruiting.
"If you're married," he said, "you shouldn't be looking at other women."
Weis said he would push for the creation of an early-signing period, so players who commit early would not be hounded by rival coaches. Weis would like that period to culminate with an Aug. 1 early signing date.
Even if the American Football Coaches Association cannot gain approval on that from the NCAA, Weis said he would change the way he solicits commitments in the future.
"No soft verbals, no silent verbals, no quiet verbals, OK?" he said. "Either you're committed or you're not committed. … I think we have to define exactly what the rules are."
But Notre Dame took a shot from Benn in that regard. He told the Washington Post in a story published Wednesday that Irish assistant Peter Vaas, whom the school let go after the season, peppered him with text messages and phone calls after he had committed to Illinois.
Benn provided one such text message to the Post dated Dec. 17. It read: "FYI, ILL is telling Robert Hughes that they will build their offense around him. Didn't they tell you that? Coach Vaas."
Weis' reply?
"You ask me if coach Vaas sent him texts. Sure he sent him texts," he said. "You probably could go ask the kid if he committed to us beforehand too—see what he says to that one. It comes down to those silent verbals, all that other type of stuff.
"I don't think coach Vaas was trying to do anything unethical. … [Benn] should wish him well and not point a finger."
Speaking of pointing fingers, ESPNU analyst Mike Gottfried angrily defended Zook over the New York Times story. Gottfried apparently remains close to Zook, whom he hired as his defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 1981 and at Kansas in 1983.
After calling the story a "cheap shot," Gottfried held up a copy and said, "This is not true. The Bill O'Reilly [program] on Fox [News], he has been after the New York Times all year about getting on President Bush … inaccurate facts and all that. This is inaccurate also.
"What has happened is there's a Midwest university that's out there that has lost some players to Illinois. They're crying, they're complaining: 'There must be cheating going on because why wouldn't the players come to our school and why are they going to Illinois?'
"I wouldn't wrap dead fish in this paper, the New York Times. I don't care about it, and it's wrong."
It was that kind of day.
tgreenstein@tribune.com
Illinois' highly rated class leads to whispers
Published February 8, 2007
'Nasty" was the word of the day.
And not "nasty" as in the way Charlie Weis promised his Irish would play when Notre Dame hired him.
This was a day in which whispered accusations gave way to outright hostility, a day on which two prominent recruits dissed Notre Dame, and Illinois was left defending its recruiting practices after signing a top-15 class.
The tone was set early by a New York Times story headlined: "Illinois Has Rivals Fuming About Its Recruiting Coup."
Fired Michigan State coach John L. Smith questioned how a school whose team went 4-19 over the last two seasons could attract such a top-notch class, telling the newspaper: "If they had a winning program and all of that, it would be a different deal. If they had the greatest facilities in the world, then maybe they could sell them. But what are they selling?
"Where there's smoke, there's probably fire," added Smith, whose Spartans were the Illini's only Big Ten victim this season.
Northwestern even entered the fray, with Wildcats receivers coach Kevin Johns telling the New York Times: "We're recruiting two different types of character, two different types of kids. They can get in almost any kid that they want. We have to go through academic admissions."
Illinois coach Ron Zook downplayed the controversy, saying during an interview on ESPNU: "Today is a day for our players. I know this: If that's all [the Times] can find after all the time they spent, that just makes you feel that much better about the program."
In December Zook told the Tribune: "There are no skeletons in our closet."
During a Wednesday conference call Zook said accusations of "impropriety … the notion that not all was up to snuff [are off base.]
"For people to say those things. … One, we're not going to have people like that in our program. Two, if you get to know our people, you'll realize they are not that way," Zook said. "For the most part we know where [the accusations] are coming from. It's a shame for people to throw things out there and try to take away from a great university and program."
Illinois officials wouldn't acknowledge it, but there's little doubt they suspect Notre Dame is behind the accusations.
The two teams battled over the last few months for three prominent recruits: Washington, D.C., receiver Arrelious Benn; Simeon defensive end/receiver Martez Wilson and Hubbard running back Robert Hughes.
Benn and Wilson signed with Illinois; Hughes is bound for South Bend.
Notre Dame contends Benn gave one of its coaches an oral commitment months ago that wasn't publicized. Those are considered "silent" commitments.
Last week Justin Trattou, a defensive end from Ramsey, N.J., who had committed to Notre Dame in May, switched to Florida. A key factor in his decision was Greg Mattison, Florida's co-defensive coordinator and former Irish defensive coordinator.
The Irish lost two more players Wednesday: Greg Little, a receiver from North Carolina who committed to the Irish in November, announced he would play for the Tar Heels.
Nothing, though, can top the tale of Chris Little, a 6-foot-5-inch, 342-pound lineman from Georgia who's not related to Greg.
Little committed to Florida State on live TV during the Jan. 6 Army All-America Bowl. Then he switched to Notre Dame, explaining that he was confused about his mother's preference. On Wednesday he declared he would attend Georgia.
"All's fair in love and recruiting," CSTV analyst Tom Lemming said, "but I've never seen anything like this. Some kids are more of a pain than they're worth. The self-entitlement of some players now is completely out of control.
"Committing early now just means that one school is the leader. It's a bull's-eye and tells the other coaches which school they should bad-mouth."
For his part, Weis said the word "commitment" needs to be redefined in recruiting.
"If you're married," he said, "you shouldn't be looking at other women."
Weis said he would push for the creation of an early-signing period, so players who commit early would not be hounded by rival coaches. Weis would like that period to culminate with an Aug. 1 early signing date.
Even if the American Football Coaches Association cannot gain approval on that from the NCAA, Weis said he would change the way he solicits commitments in the future.
"No soft verbals, no silent verbals, no quiet verbals, OK?" he said. "Either you're committed or you're not committed. … I think we have to define exactly what the rules are."
But Notre Dame took a shot from Benn in that regard. He told the Washington Post in a story published Wednesday that Irish assistant Peter Vaas, whom the school let go after the season, peppered him with text messages and phone calls after he had committed to Illinois.
Benn provided one such text message to the Post dated Dec. 17. It read: "FYI, ILL is telling Robert Hughes that they will build their offense around him. Didn't they tell you that? Coach Vaas."
Weis' reply?
"You ask me if coach Vaas sent him texts. Sure he sent him texts," he said. "You probably could go ask the kid if he committed to us beforehand too—see what he says to that one. It comes down to those silent verbals, all that other type of stuff.
"I don't think coach Vaas was trying to do anything unethical. … [Benn] should wish him well and not point a finger."
Speaking of pointing fingers, ESPNU analyst Mike Gottfried angrily defended Zook over the New York Times story. Gottfried apparently remains close to Zook, whom he hired as his defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 1981 and at Kansas in 1983.
After calling the story a "cheap shot," Gottfried held up a copy and said, "This is not true. The Bill O'Reilly [program] on Fox [News], he has been after the New York Times all year about getting on President Bush … inaccurate facts and all that. This is inaccurate also.
"What has happened is there's a Midwest university that's out there that has lost some players to Illinois. They're crying, they're complaining: 'There must be cheating going on because why wouldn't the players come to our school and why are they going to Illinois?'
"I wouldn't wrap dead fish in this paper, the New York Times. I don't care about it, and it's wrong."
It was that kind of day.
tgreenstein@tribune.com
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