Ross P to Alabama - For Real

This is all well and good for now...however I'm pretty confident he will eventually end up at iowa state. I have an acquaintance who is a big Isu fan and the momentum they have achieved by improving in nearly every department of the program other than wins is going to be hard to ignore if they offer.
 
Me personally, I'd want to go to a place where you can say you were part of the building process or you had a hand in the turnaround, a place where you could be one of the first bricks laid and not just another brick in a foundation someone else already built. Maybe its always been that way, but Ive noticed it happening a lot more in the past 15 years. I wouldn't blame RP because he's just following a sports culture he's grown up knowing.

This is easy to say when you are on the sideline. A great example would be Matt Gatens. Great BBall player who will be forgotten by most in 10 years because he played on crappy teams. Should he be admired because he was "dedicated" to Iowa? Certainly. Was it the best move for his career as a basketball player? Absolutely not.

It makes for a good touchy-feely hometown hero story when they stay here, but the reality is Ross felt his best opportunities are at Alabama. The only thing I think is fair to be critical of Ross for is his premature verbal to Iowa. And the only thing I can say about that is thank God the choices I made in high school weren't being judged by the masses.
 
Even for a 17 year old this is an awful decision. First off he will never be welcome in this state again as the turn coat he is. He has disgraced his name and his home. The welcome Ben Brust is nothing compared to what he will see.

As far as Alabama goes I predict that he will never see a national championship there and maybe not even a bowl game. This is based on the abnormally high level of blue chippers in the last few classes. This is on par with that Miami used to get. Something stinks again and Alabama will get what they got coming to them for what they are doing. Where as Iowa is a clean program that wins new years day bowl games with a lot of young talent to support him. Along with a coaching staff that consistently develops great offensive linemen. He should reconsider and go with his home state that has treated him so well.
 
I agree. I grew up an Iowa hoops fan in the biggest kind of way (this was during the Tom Davis years), and if I had ever had the talent to play D1 hoops and had gotten an offer from the Hawks, I would have been 100% an Iowa commit.

But during the Lickliter years, when things were horrible, I don't think I would've wanted to play for those losing teams if I had better offers. Winning absolutely does matter, and I agree with Jon that this may not have happened if the program hadn't gone downhill so fast in recent years.

So, when he committed in January, we hadn't gone 4-8 in Fall 2012?
 
Even for a 17 year old this is an awful decision. First off he will never be welcome in this state again as the turn coat he is. He has disgraced his name and his home. The welcome Ben Brust is nothing compared to what he will see.

As far as Alabama goes I predict that he will never see a national championship there and maybe not even a bowl game. This is based on the abnormally high level of blue chippers in the last few classes. This is on par with that Miami used to get. Something stinks again and Alabama will get what they got coming to them for what they are doing. Where as Iowa is a clean program that wins new years day bowl games with a lot of young talent to support him. Along with a coaching staff that consistently develops great offensive linemen. He should reconsider and go with his home state that has treated him so well.
Yet another absolutely moronic post by Hawknick. Again. I really hope you are trolling.
 
This wouldn't have happened 5 years ago, but after below average seasons, this is the reality. I'm over RP, but this is very concerning to me that we have now lost the lusted for a in-state OL to come to Iowa. That worries me and so does the future of Iowa football under KF.

Actually, it DID happen 5 years ago. David Barrent. And if Ross's fate ends up similar to Barrent's, nobody can blame KF.
 
This couldnt be more wrong.

As somebody in a different Ross P thread pointed out, Iowa loses 2 offensive linemen in a matter of 3 minutes last year against PSU and goes winless the rest of the season.

Iowa's starting 5 on the OL is often very good. The depth is what kills them though if somebody goes down. You arent ever comfortable with losing highly rated kids, especially those that grew up an hour and 15 minutes from Iowa City and is supposedly a big Hawk fan.

The good news, whoever replaces one of our injured starters is at least probably committed to the team and staff. And can be trusted when they say they will give their all, try to do better, will study the playbook extra hard, etc.

OWLPAORWWM is right. We may have dodged a land-mine here.
 
I don't think this has very little to do with Iowa's record despite Pat Harty's ramblings. This has to do with a kid wanting a chance to win a national championship and its probably very hard for some kids to say no to Saban and Alabama. I mean you have a chance to win multiple national titles. What other schools can offer that?
Iowa will be fine. I know they are still in on another 4 star OT and it looks like their are a few good olinemen in next years Iowa high school class. I think if this were a skill position it would be a bigger loss.
 
So...you're saying...if Iowa was 9-3 last year (just a few plays away, per many in that thread), Saban stays away?

OK. I'll bite. So, please explain.

Saban may or may not stay away (but at 4-8, he's much more likely to try). If IOWA is 9-3, the future looks a whole lot brighter in black and gold. As it stands..the gap between IOWA and Alabama is clearer and wider than ever...and hard to ignore if you're a top recruit...or a coach who wants RP
 
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This is just college football. You have to be relentless on the recruiting trail. That is who Saban is. Committed players only matter to the top 10 programs in the country. Meaning, most committed players aren't switching from a top 10 program...unless its to another top 10 program. Everybody else's committed list is up for grabs. It's just another reason I dislike college football more every year. And it's not poor Iowa. KF has done the same thing. It's just a complete free-for-all.

I'm not a big fan of his or Alabama, but as for Saban, he IS at the top of the mountain. Yes he gets the best players, but that is because he is the best recruiter. He's the best motivator in the game. Psychologically, his team is on a different level than anybody else in the country. Google Kevin Elko. Saban's teams are a step ahead mentally. And his team executes at the highest level in college football. His game plans are second to none. Now, are all these things easier to do with the talent he has? Sure. But Saban is unmatched in college football right now.

Add to Saban one of the best traditions in college football, and that is why Ross P is heading to Tuscaloosa.

How do you explain Saban's mediocre success at Michigan State, or less-than-stellar performance at Miami/NFL?

I'll give you a hint: ""best recruiter" is a code.

What KF SHOULD have done if show Ross video of Saban throwing his DB under the bus after the 2005 Cap One Bowl.
Then again, KF wasted more time on RP, probably, than he did Seantrel Henderson. He's gotta be getting tired of dealing with this crap.
 
Knock it off with the name calling you don't see me coming on here calling people morons just because I disagree with them. Show some common courtesy for once. If you want to challenge me on my knowledge of Iowa Hawkeye football good luck.
 
All due respect, this is stupid.

If Ross wants to sign on the dotted line for the Hawks in early February then you take him. Maybe Iowa goes 7-5 or 8-4 this year and the program gains some momentum and he wants to be a part of it. You dont turn kids away with Ross' talent that want to come to Iowa just because you may have been a little butthurt in August.

No, you don't "take" him. There is no good reason to bail on the recruiting process in new directions. He made his choice.

<<You don't turn away a kid with Ross' talent>>

We didn't turn him away. It was the reverse. And the energy for recruitment needs to be turned elsewhere. It can't be wasted on this kid. And if he DOES show interest, it is either because he sucked his senior year, 'Bama got "something better" or he got injured. We can't be looking ahead if we keep him in even our peripheral vision.
 
This is all well and good for now...however I'm pretty confident he will eventually end up at iowa state. I have an acquaintance who is a big Isu fan and the momentum they have achieved by improving in nearly every department of the program other than wins is going to be hard to ignore if they offer.

If Pollard announces the South Endzone expansion, all bets are off. In all honesty, if that happens we should look into doing what Drake did with their football program.
 
No, you don't "take" him. There is no good reason to bail on the recruiting process in new directions. He made his choice.

<<You don't turn away a kid with Ross' talent>>

We didn't turn him away. It was the reverse. And the energy for recruitment needs to be turned elsewhere. It can't be wasted on this kid. And if he DOES show interest, it is either because he sucked his senior year, 'Bama got "something better" or he got injured. We can't be looking ahead if we keep him in even our peripheral vision.

Think you are going a bit overboard here. Imagine if Saban didn't "take him" after he committed to Iowa?? It would be silly to turn away talent, because they maybe decided too early, and then changed their mind.
 
YOUR WORD IS YOUR BOND! For those who have never heard this before ask your father/grandfather what it means.

Ok, so let me get this straight, you want a kid of made a mistake by committing too early to keep his word. How is that going to play out? If the kid can't keep his "word", why do you think he would give it his all if he did still come to Iowa? Clearly he wants to play at Alabama so he should go to Alabama. He made a mistake committing early, he is allowed to make mistakes I mean he is a kid at all.
 
I sincerely expect to see all of you who are up in arms now to be coming down on Ferentz if/when he brings in a decommit from another school. Those guys are land mines and have poor character; we can't have that in our program.
 
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