Leave Ron Zook Alone
National Signing Day, which one sportswriter ridiculously compared to the Super Bowl and the first two days of the NCAA tournament, has come on gone.
On that day of days, I read any number of stories from newspapers across the country about any number of recruits to any number of schools. Without a doubt the biggest surprise was the draft class that Illinois and Ron Zook were able to snag on Wednesday. I read a story in the New York Times in which former Michigan State coach John L. Smith essentially accuses Zook and his staff of recruiting violations.
"Where there's smoke, there's probably fire," Smith told The Times.
The main question is how could a program like Illinois, void of a rich football tradition of any kind, recruit four-star kids from Metro areas, other than Chicago? And since there's no reasonable answer.. he must be cheating.
While I don't think Zook is the most competent coach on the planet, the guy is one helluva recruiter. Even when he took over a Florida program that wasn't fantastic when Spurrier left to coach the Redskins, the guy still pulled down impressive recruiting classes year after year after year, classes that included Chris Leak, Dallas Baker and other members of the Gators team that won the National Championship.
In a story today in the Chicago Tribune, Zook wonders aloud who these rumors may have come from. And he's got a pretty good feeling that they started with a man who tucks half of his stomach into his pants — the snot-sicle king himself, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.
Notre Dame and Illinois competed for many of the same prospects including Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson. Weis just couldn't seem to understand why anyone would want to go to Champagne when they could wake up the echoes at Notre Dame.
Until something is proven that demonstrates Zook's guilt, I think the reality appears to be that Zook is a fantastic recruiter. He had a good track record at Florida and it appears that it's continuing at Illinois.
Here's a link to the Tribune article today.
On that day of days, I read any number of stories from newspapers across the country about any number of recruits to any number of schools. Without a doubt the biggest surprise was the draft class that Illinois and Ron Zook were able to snag on Wednesday. I read a story in the New York Times in which former Michigan State coach John L. Smith essentially accuses Zook and his staff of recruiting violations.
"Where there's smoke, there's probably fire," Smith told The Times.
The main question is how could a program like Illinois, void of a rich football tradition of any kind, recruit four-star kids from Metro areas, other than Chicago? And since there's no reasonable answer.. he must be cheating.
While I don't think Zook is the most competent coach on the planet, the guy is one helluva recruiter. Even when he took over a Florida program that wasn't fantastic when Spurrier left to coach the Redskins, the guy still pulled down impressive recruiting classes year after year after year, classes that included Chris Leak, Dallas Baker and other members of the Gators team that won the National Championship.
In a story today in the Chicago Tribune, Zook wonders aloud who these rumors may have come from. And he's got a pretty good feeling that they started with a man who tucks half of his stomach into his pants — the snot-sicle king himself, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.
Notre Dame and Illinois competed for many of the same prospects including Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson. Weis just couldn't seem to understand why anyone would want to go to Champagne when they could wake up the echoes at Notre Dame.
Until something is proven that demonstrates Zook's guilt, I think the reality appears to be that Zook is a fantastic recruiter. He had a good track record at Florida and it appears that it's continuing at Illinois.
Here's a link to the Tribune article today.
posted by Patrick Donohue @ 9:39 AM
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