Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which has explored hiring an outside consultant to spice up things. Recent events have convinced me otherwise. But I had to try after a previous plan fell to pieces when some kid’s dad insisted I seek assistance from esteemed J-schools in the ACC.

I guess the best move for my career right now is to hop on my bike and take a long ride to clear my mind. What could possibly go wrong?

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words … sheesh, just stay away from motorcycles, OK?

Drew said:

Interesting article about the Big Ten’s gentleman’s agreemet. It’s true the SEC doesn’t have such an agreement. Their agreemet is with the NCAA to look the other way.

And we are off!

overtheSEC said:

The last violator of the “gentleman’s agreement” only lasted three years. http://bit.ly/xpBXG4

I always thought that was a better dig than the “guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil” submitted by Joe Tiller. And no one in that triad lasted very long, did they?

Dirty Frank said:

The “gentleman’s agreement” thing is nonsense. Until there’s an early signing period (and I’m not a big fan of the idea), you recruit your targets until February. If the kid changes his mind, that’s his prerogative.

Thompson “flipped” because he committed early and then the OSU offer came. That’s going to happen. This is why you shouldn’t worry much about recruiting until the high school season starts unless you’re a top 10-15 program (in terms of brand).

I’d agree with the gist of your comment and, after all, aren’t we watching teams break written rules? So what of an unwritten rule, right? But that thing has been in place for a long time, so part of me kind of wishes people would respect it. But you’re right … it’s pointless. Can’t row against the raging rapids.

SheikYbuti said:

It would be nonsense, except for the intended third-party beneficiary of such agreements, which is the poor kid who committed early to end the madness and enjoy his last year of high school. Sometimes, you’d just like to tell the telemarketer “no” and not have to worry about being called back and asked, “Are you sure?”

Agreed, though I really do wonder how many kids who flip either hurried into or later came to realize a mistake. WVU has a few of those kids. Under the gentleman’s agreement, none of those kids would be rescued from an error they could fix. On the other hand, which is your hand, there sure is a large number of kids who have something on their minds and in their hearts and pick early and stand by it and decline persistent overtures all the way to the end.

Baren Von Redonkulus said:

What Frank said. So a guy from Ohio (who Wisconsin was able to grab because of a scandal) can’t change his mind because the situation changes? In addition, you’ll note that UW was never going to get Kyle Dodson. He ended up choosing between OSU and USC.

Remember Greg Jones, stud MSU linebacker? He was originally a Minnesota verbal. MSU was also recruiting Adolphus Washington this year long after he’d verbaled to OSU. There is, and was, no ‘gentleman’s agreement’. If you hear that a kid from your state is interested in your school, you call the kid and ask him yourself. Period.

Also, note that Barry Alvarez apparently feels the same way that I do. (https://twitter.com/#%21/schadjoe/status/165469356212502528) Bielema’s penchant for butthurt simply isn’t a factor in Meyer’s plans. Funny how OSU can’t call kids from Ohio but Wisconsin can run up 80 points on Indiana and pretend to know what a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ looks like.

Sorry about your luck with Thompson, WVU, but I think it’s a different story with Ohio guys. We’re going to keep calling Ohio guys who show interest in OSU.

Three things: 1) The name is tremendous. 2) The last point is particularly strong, especially with Urb on campus. 3) Butthurt! Again! We’re not laughing at you, honest. Please, hang around, Baron.

SheikYbuti said:

Are you planning on signing copies at the Fishbowl?

Of course. And if you buy one from the Fishbowl you get a free beer! Not sure they’ll extend that after they sell all their copies and I begin slinging mine, but that’s twice I’ve given your all free beer. I have more stunts up my sleeve, too. The spring game could be interesting.

Rich R. from A-squared:

Would somebody tell Petrino the only way out of that mess is to hold hands and sing a few bars of Josh Groban?

Hmm, not sure it applies. Sure, Petrino was safe as he stayed still and waited there in silence, but didn’t things change when Jeff Long came and sat with him a while?

Irish Bill ATL said:

First off, thanks Mike for all of the videos. Its cool to watch snippets of practice.

Secondly, who the eff  is William Marable?  Walk on?

And did I read that our favorite special teamer – good ole Cecil Level – is now battling for a spot in the secondary?

Yep, Marable is a fifth-year player from Virginia Beach and he’s a walk-on who gets reps on special teams because he’s here and he’s apparently good at it. And Cecil is repping more now than before because of the injury to Pat Miller. I’m interesting to see what happens there because he was a pretty fair player at WVU Tech.

The 25314 said:

I don’t care if the kid wants to go to UNC, but that’s an absurd argument by Mike Switzer about VT only being 2.5 hours away. That is the closest UNC will ever play to Charleston, and UNC will only play at VT twice in four years. Meanwhile WVU plays 2.5 hours from Charleston 7 times a year.

As for away games, by the time you drive 7 hours to Atlanta, or 16 hours to Miami, or 5 hours to Durham, or 6 hours to College Park, you could have flown to Austin.

Absurd. I don’t even have a problem with the article for the baseball or basketball players. It’s not as applicable for football players because the season is shorter and, to be frank, Austin beats the hell out of College Park. The quote had a tinge of pettiness, actually. I would have been far more comfortable if he explained why his son wasn’t headed to WVU.

overtheSEC said:

Does location matter when choosing a school? Yes. Is it really that much of a bigger deal where a kid is 5 Saturdays a year as opposed to where he lays his head at night and where he plays the majority of his games? I just don’t see it. There are other factors here that played a large part. I’d be more concerned if we lost this kid to a Big 12 or a Big 10 school.
Anything else I’d say at this point would just be regurgitation of Sheik’s excellent points.

Oh yeah, forgot about those points …

SheikYbuti said:

If the kid is serious about obtaining a solid, name-brand education, then UNC is a fine choice for him. Football-wise, it’s likely to be a disaster from the standpoint of team success. NCAA sanctions are overwhelmingly likely to propel the Tarheels to a bunch of 3-9 seasons (even in the ACC), whereas I think the opposite (or better) is on the immediate horizon for the Mountaineers. I do not doubt, however, that he will get more playing time in Chapel Hill, which probably also factored into his decision. It’s cause for a small tinge of melancholy when we don’t attract the state’s best players, but we are beyond the point where any such failure makes a competitive difference in our program. We just don’t produce very many Randy Mosses or Curt Warners. I’ll take the occasional Reed Williams and Scott Gyorko and be very, very pleased.

Bang. I hope it was clear I was pretty amused by the quote. Again, I liked the story and the angle and even the support. Mr. Switzer’s words seemed a little misplaced. But maybe that’s just me … or not?

hershy112 said:

I agree with most of you on here. I just don’t buy it. It would make sense if the kid wasn’t from WV and lived 2-2.5 hours from Morgantown.

The Chase Fischer argument is pretty weak too. He was committed to Marshall until Herrion came in. What does Herrion coach? Defense and rebounding. What does Huggins coach? Defense and rebounding. What does the ACC do? Shooters and no defense or rebounding. Perfect fit.

Bingo and it’s worked out OK for him, and I don’t think WVU was ever really involved, either. To me, the point was there are so many more games and opportunities to see a son play his sport in basketball or baseball.

overtheSEC said:

They’re just going down their list

ACC selling points over WVU:
Weaker conference
Bill Stewart
No BCS bowls since Rodriguez left
No BCS wins since Rodriguez left
Pitt and Syracuse programs are on the decline
No conference away games in Eastern Time Zone

Noted.

pknocker40 said:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out another important item on the ACC>WVU list:

Sundresses

Testify!

Casto said:

This may come off as harsh, but I honestly don’t care if an in-state kid goes someplace else as long as we are doing well as a program. The kicker from Morgantown went to Syracuse, but we ended up OK.
Priority List:
1. Win Games.
2. Win conference.
3. Win National Title.
67. Make the in-state kids happy.

Not harsh at all. I think it’s real and more now, as a Big 12 school suddenly obsessed with recruiting the southwest, than ever. I think the only thing that keeps everyone from agreeing with you and nodding their head aggressively is that the state is so small and proud and not possessing a robust crop of Division I talent that it’s a bummer to lose one when one like this doesn’t come around too often. Also, No. 171. Beat Syracuse!

Simple Jack said:

Unc has one of the nicest campuses in the country, superior weather, and superior academic prestige. I’m disappointed he didn’t choose wvu, but I would be offended too if seemingly everyone in the country was beating down my door for a year before my home state showed any interest.

Also, signing day is 10 months away. Anything could happen.

Right … so why not just say that? Unless Mr. Switzer really believes he’s saving gas money. And yes, 10 months away. Anything could happen.

glibglub said:

That’s right. Urban Meyer could still flip him.

Gentlemen agree.

Wayne said:

I was taken by the comments about roles in the different offenses. It seems that UNC promised Switzer a role that includes slot receiver, running back and kick returner. Other schools were apparently only looking at him as a slot. I also read that PSU coaches were sure that they had him until the UNC visit. I think that UNC might have just promised him what he wanted or made him feel more special.

Whoa! What if it was just that simple? And, again, why not just say that?

lowercase jeff said:

sundresses are amazing.

Moving on.

Sheik Ybuti said:

Yes, transfers can be nasty, but who is to say that the so-called 2nd QB that you bypass recruiting (because you want to avoid transfers) wouldn’t have been the one who stuck? It seems inevitable that, once in awhile, this policy is bound to work to the school’s detriment. The Longhorns are in just this sort of mess right now because they put all their eggs in a single basket with an all-world QB recruit who turned out to be a bust.

Good point, and I thought about this because I wondered how I missed it before, so my only retort is that I guess WVU’s way minimizes the risk for potential loss/damage. I figure you’re more likely to suffer by bringing in more and consistently losing one than you are likely to gain by bringing in more and every so often identifying a winner because you’ve invited more possibilities. I guess you just have to make a plan and follow it.

Jeff in Akron said:

Maybe I’m crazy, but there is a degree of irony in all of this to me. Holgorsen and his new staff seem to accentuate the positives, or at least downplay any negative. The staff seems to take everything in stride and any development that arises they find a way to make it work in their favor.

Nehlen couldn’t get past all of the trees in WV, P-Rod always saw WVU as lacking in some form or another, and Stewart just wanted to find his blind squirrel. All perpetuated the title of Mike’s book.

The irony? Hologorsen and Co. may actually see WVU for what it is, an excellent oppporunity with work to be done. The same work that exists at every NCAA football school. I know it is still early in his tenure, and Holgorsen still has land mines to navigate. Still, Holgorsen and his staff seem to approach everything with a no-nonsense aproach, or eyes wide open. The uncanny part in it all, they get the players to see the same thing.

I think this stands on its own, but I want to add one thing: I marvel at the number of players who talk about how easy it is to deal with these coaches. Young or old, they make it sound like learning is so easy. This is especially true on defense, where the guys say the coaches learn how and what the players can learn and wrap their coaching around those discoveries.

Foul Shot said:

What about the other wildcard with Forsythe, or is that swept under the rug already?

I doubt it’s been, or will be, forgotten, but I suspect it will be forgiven. It’s not an offense that will get him banished.

The 25314 said:

“So, when Doc needed a RESPECTED OFFENSIVE mind to take a look at Marshall’s struggling offense and offer an evaluation, he contacted Mullen.”

I like to pretend Chuck Landon is in on the joke.

This seems to contradict the rumors that Mullen and Holliday didn’t get along.

Mullen, as an analyst of offense, is probably quite good. Mullen as a teacher and motivator of offense is not.

Mullen is being paid buy UNC Charlotte, WVU, and Marshall. You think about that.

Yes! No secret here, but I always liked Jeff and thought the world of conversations I had with him. So, yes, I absolutely believe he could watch, absorb, analyze and then describe. I just find this odd because it’s absolutely true they did not get along at the end together. Also, WVU paid Mullen_ the full sum soon after he was fired, so he’s just getting paid by two schools to not coach football. Nice work, all the same.

Karl said:

“Invaluable.” “Such a smart move.” ”Money well spent.” That guy is the worst kind of example of a media member willing to say anything to suck up to the people they cover in order to gain access. It speaks poorly for that paper that this man still has a job, especially given the whole debacle with his accusations against the WVU coaching staff. They’re lucky they didn’t get sued for that.

I sometimes wonder why WVU didn’t pursue libel. I do. The best I can think of is that perhaps WVU didn’t want to go through depositions … but really, what’s there to hide that we don’t already know or wouldn’t get to know? Details, I guess, but so what? And just plead the fifth, right? And yes, I’m bitter. That would have been fun.

PatWhite said:

*Stares at press box.*
*Throws hands up in the air*

I know, right?

Birch said:

“What you need to do is put your WR in motion twice, then take that little guy over there and run him straight up the gut. Repeat 2 more times. Punt. Something will shake out.”

Possibly fourth-and-manageable.

overtheSEC said:

“…and whatever you do, don’t EVER throw the ball downfield unless you find yourself down 15 with under 9 minutes to go on your own 4 yard line.”

“…just because a player played out of his mind for 2 3/4 seasons, and against teams like Oklahoma and Georgia does NOT mean you need to feature that player in your scheme going forward”

So … time doesn’t heal all wounds? But laughter is still the best medicine. Which is it?

SheikYbuti said:

The betting line for September 1 just moved 4.5 points in WVU’s favor.

… I actually checked. Not true. And yet Quint Kessenich just broke into Masters coverage to report it.

Rugger said:

Doc must have a couple of three star QB’s he needs to run off.

Oh, come on!

Wayne said:

I’m confused, I thought that today was April 5 not April 1.

You guys!

pknocker40 said:

As Bill Stewart puts in a call to Huntington: “What’s up, Doc? Not gonna ask me about kickoffs? Kickoffs.”

Seriously!

Casto said:

Seriously. Maybe Dusty can come in and run the off-seasoning conditioning program.

That will, uh, round them into shape.

JP said:

Next, Doc will consult with former Clemson d-coordinator Kevin Steele. I can’t wait to read Mullet Boy’s breathless coverage of this well-respected coach’s visit to the Shewey Building to dispense his wisdom to the clueless men in green.

Enjoy the weekend!