Don’t get me wrong…I got chills today, watching the video of super-stud Florida prep safety Lucas Thompson commit on national TV for the Pirates. For the Pirates to get on the short list for a guy who ESPN rates as the 6th best safety in the country is a great accomplishment for Coach Ruff and his staff, but to actually land one of these guys is outstanding.
And, unfortunately, has me wondering if it is for real. No doubt, Thompson committed…we see it on video, but how solid is that commitment if he is still going to take three more visits this month with the last one being to hometown Miami?
Getting the commitment was big and it aligns to what Coach K was saying about this possibly being our best ever recruiting class. I spoke to Lincoln Riley today as well and he echoed the sentiment that this is going to be a special class. We still have a few lines in the water to hook possibly another one or two big fish before it is all said in done (think Imani Cross and Jemal Marcus), but I am concerned about Thompson.
He is currently re-taking core classes to erase previous GPA-impacting courses that have left him, currently with an all-too-tight 2.6 overall, which makes his efforts on the SAT/ACT almost impossible given the sliding scale.
And, there is this point, he has openly stated that he loves the University of Miami. It was previously his number one choice until the U received verbals from 5 defensive backs and received the news that they are likely to be hit with more NCAA sanctions.
This article, written today online at the Orlando Sentinel doesn’t sound so encouraging to me, especially the last paragraph, but he is ours until we hear otherwise.
Stay on him Ruff…don’t let him get away!
A Port of the Pirate Nation 
Thanks. Always think of that S. Logan quote to the effect of, “people lose their jobs over 4 and 5 stars”. No harm here for Ruff of course – I like the exposure and we have a lot to offer – especially once this BCS mess finally goes “deep 6” (hopefully). Have a nice weekend.
Thanks for stopping in! Net effect, IMO, is totally positive even if he bails. That really makes him look bad, not ECU. I hope he does come here because like many before him…he can get where he wants to go via ECU. He looked really happy in the video once he snapped that hat on. Please do drop in more and ever feel free to quote the enigmatic Coach Logan…that is always a fun read.
pirate r = pr = pirate rudi (shhhhhh….). Not sure what happened with the ID last comment. Be careful of that Stephen character as well. Listening to the hoops game now – we got some work to do this 1st half.
Definitely a lot of questions as to why he would commit on the national stage if he doesn’t intend to keep that verbal. Either way, it was great exposure and can’t hurt with the possibility that some of our other big-time recruits were watching…great job by Ruff and LR to get him to this point at the least…now hopefully they can finish him and a few others off.
You know Stephen…that is a great point about committing on a national stage and after watching the vid again…he sure does look happy once that cap snaps on. He sounds pretty sure, it is his surrounding crew that is probably making this more of a drama. On another front, I am hearing we are very, very close to locking up a another very talented player who would also be a “wow” get.
Sorry friends but I don’t believe it. I am really getting the feeling this is a kid that’s going to get pressured to backpedal. That said, I’m glad we’re getting the talent. I just hope our coaching staff is up to the task of maximizing it. In my mind, we had as much talent as just about all of the C-USA teams we played this year (w/the possible exception of Houston) yet we couldn’t win games. Jury is still out on this staff as far as I’m concerned. If they don’t deliver this year, I think TH may need to go in a different direction.
On another note, can you provide any insights into the future of the BCS?
I agree Ed…I think he is going to get immense pressure from his friends and family to go to Miami or another “name” school. I think the staff is a good recruiting staff which as it becomes wider known, will make our early verbals even more of a prime target of other name schools. The staff has to find a way to lock in the top talents and that will make them a “great” recruiting staff.
On your other point, I believe this is, indeed, a make or break year for this staff. It would be nice in their 3rd year if they can have a chance to do so with a “normal” number of injuries on either side of the ball, just so we can know for sure what we have in this staff. And if they deliver – i will happily jump on the bandwagon.
I will say that I am glad that there will presumably be an injection of more experience – both from a wisdom and varied experiences perspective – joining the staff for this year (if the names that everyone expects to be announced as staff additions are accurate).