“That’s the world that we’re in.”

Sure, we’ve all heard the story of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie offering a scholly to a ninth grader, but did you know that there’s an SEC football coach who’s done the same thing?

Raise your hand if you’re surprised.

… Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer said most coaches agree it doesn’t look ethical to recruit someone 14 or 15 years old, but he won’t shy away from it.

“It’s almost like everybody else is, so you have to,” Fulmer said. “That’s the world we live in. Ninth-grader is a stretch, but recruiting sophomores is real. That’s where we are.”

Fulmer said he once offered a scholarship to a ninth-grader, offensive lineman Jeff Smith, who became an All-SEC standout en route to a standout NFL career.

“I kidded Jeff that he came to our summer camp so many years that we owed him a scholarship,” Fulmer said. “When he was in the ninth grade, he was 6-3, 280 pounds. He could run, move his feet and was a good person. So I offered him…”

Advertisement

Georgia’s ten most memorable plays of 2007, #3

Georgia vs. Florida, October 27:

Georgia at 11:41			GA	FLA
1st and 10 at GA 28		Knowshon Moreno rush for 4 yards to the Geo 47 for a 1ST down, Florida penalty 15 yard face mask on Wondy Pierre-Louis accepted.	28	24
1st and 10 at GA 47		Matthew Stafford pass complete to Mikey Henderson for 53 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.	34	24

On the first play after stopping Florida on downs, Georgia handed the ball off to Knowshon for a small gain, at which point one of my friends sniffed, “that’s not what Spurrier would have done if we’d have turned the ball over there.”

Nope, he’d have called something like this.

Mike Bobo, I think I love you.