Recruiting Report Update

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Cyrus Commits to Alabama; Auburn Fans Explore New Lows

By the Presumptive Heir

There was a day and time when National Signing Day was actually one day, the first Wednesday in February.   Over the past few years, it seems that the day stretches into weeks for some of the nation’s highest-rated prospects.  In 2008, Terrelle Pryor waited until the middle of March to announce he was headed to Ohio State.  The next year saw Bryce Brown wait an extra month and a half to commit to Tennessee.  Last year’s number one prospect, Seantrel Henderson, verbally committed to USC on NSD, but chose to wait until the last possible moment to sign his letter of intent in the hopes that USC’s sanctions would be handed down before he had to finalize his decision.  Henderson ultimately wound up at the University of Miami after USC got hammered by the NCAA and released him from his LOI.

There is a major difference between the recruiting journeys of the above-mentioned players and that of Cyrus Kouandjio: they all signed with the team to which they verbally committed.  On February 2^nd, in front of a nationwide television audience, Kouandjio committed to Auburn University.  On February 5^th, Kouandjio faxed his signed letter of intent to the University of Alabama.  On NSD, I made the observation to the Commissioner that Cyrus had made numerous bad choices: choosing the Barn over Alabama, failing to discuss that decision with his family, and announcing that choice on national television.  Fortunately for Cyrus, the one good decision that he made (not signing his LOI) could essentially act as a “Get Out of Jail Free Card”.  That’s precisely what happened.

Kouandjio’s story is rather bizarre.  His brother and fellow offensive lineman, Arie, committed to Alabama in 2010 and redshirted his first year.  During Arie’s recruitment it was assumed by many that he and Cyrus would be making their decisions together, as they wanted to play college football together.  After Arie, a 4 star prospect in his own right, signed with the Tide, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Cyrus would join him the following year.  Cyrus chose not to commit verbally so that he could enjoy his official visits to other schools.  While Iowa, USC, New Mexico, and Maryland (his home state school) were all on his list, most “experts” remained convinced that Alabama would get his signature.  Late in the process, Cyrus eliminated USC and Maryland… and added Auburn.  This is where the plot thickens.

The Barn booked Kouandjio for his final official visit on January 28^th.  Kouandjio’s parents accompanied him on his visits to Iowa and Alabama, but not to Auburn.  The following Wednesday, the awkward press conference occurred, culminating with Kouandjio placing an Auburn cap on his head.  It appears from the video that everyone in the room was stunned by his choice.  ESPNU came back to DeMatha High School a couple of minutes later to interview Cyrus.  Unlike most players, Cyrus did not wear his Auburn hat during the interview.  He was asked multiple questions about his choice, and Cyrus delivered mumbled responses that gave no indication that he was really sure why he made that choice.  Within a couple of hours, word broke that Cyrus was having second thoughts and had not sent his LOI to Auburn.  He would later say that he simply “blurted out a name” and was never sure of his decision.  The obvious question is “Why say anything?”  But trying to understand the thought process of an 18 year old is an exercise in futility.  Kouandjio’s family released a statement letting the press know that Cyrus wouldn’t make a decision until the following day.

Kouandjio retreated from the limelight to consult with those he trusts most: his parents, his brother, and his high school coach.  His coach and his father both spoke with the media during the days following NSD.  Jean-Claude Kouandjio continually spoke of Cyrus’s confusion; his coach continually spoke of getting Cyrus on the phone with the Auburn coaching staff.  While the elder Kouandjio's concern appeared to be about his son’s well-being, the coach seemed more interested in the well-being of Alabama Polytechnic.  Cyrus reported that he spoke with his brother, asked for a family vote, and even consulted his thousands of Facebook followers.  Late Saturday afternoon, and with no fanfare whatsoever, Cyrus Kouandjio faxed his signed letter of intent to the University of Alabama.  Before he switched his account to private, Kouandjio’s final posting on Facebook was a simple message: “Roooollllll Tiiiiidddeee!”

Those are the facts as we know them.  I’ll get to a little editorializing after updating the signing class:

Cyrus Kouandjio, Tackle (DeMatha HS – Hyattsville, MD)

Scout:  5 Star, #1 OT, #2 Overall

Rivals:  5 Star, #1 OT, #4 Overall

ESPN:  5 Star, #1 OT, #3 Overall

Kouandjio is a monster.  There is no other way to put it.  At 6’7” and 325 lbs (with room to grow), he is physically as good as it gets for a left tackle.  He has quick feet, great burst off the snap, and uses all of his bulk to dominate his defender.  His game isn’t completely developed yet, as he comes from a run-oriented offense at DeMatha HS, so he’ll need to work on his pass blocking. But his run blocking is top notch.  Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy have to be salivating at the prospect of running behind this behemoth.  Kouandjio will compete with Aaron Douglas for the starting left tackle position this Fall.

What is going on in Lee County?

As I pointed out in Friday’s blog, Kouandjio isn’t the only Bama commit to have flipped back and forth between the Tide and the Barn during the recruiting process.  Brent Calloway was a year-long Bama commit before suddenly committing to Auburn in January.  Calloway ultimately signed with Alabama after mulling over his decision with his family.  Both Calloway’s and Kouandjio’s parents, along with the grandmother of Auburn signee Greg Robinson, have expressed displeasure over the recruiting tactics of the Barn coaching staff.  In particular, they weren’t fond of the desire of the Barners to get the kids to visit the Village sans parents.

Jean-Claude Kouandjio told the press about Auburn’s late push to sign his son.  He describes only one phone call and one brief in-home visit by Head Coach Gene Chizik.  But Trooper Taylor was supposed to be in charge of Auburn’s recruiting of Big Cyrus.  Surely Taylor would be in somewhat regular contact with Cyrus’s parents, right?  When asked how much contact he’d had with Taylor, Cyrus’s father answered “None.”  Taylor seemed intent on not talking to Cyrus’s parents.  Perhaps Taylor, and other Barn coaches, are telling kids things they wouldn’t want the parents to hear.  What those things might be, I don’t know, but they are not likely to be be very good.

Greg Robinson’s grandmother actually did get to speak with Trooper Taylor.  While her grandson did sign with the Barn, she was very candid in her displeasure.  She said the Auburn coaches she spoke to “weren’t very intelligent”, and of Taylor she claims he “got a lot of lies in there when he was talking.”  She was also very upset about the coaching staff bringing her grandson in on a visit without any parental supervision, and without even telling his family where he’d be.  “They were wrong for doing that.”

Beyond that, a very interesting report came out about Auburn’s recruiting success.  Chizik was asked about what set Auburn apart from her peers.  Chizik proudly explained that while his rivals tell prospects that “They’ll sit until they prove they’re ready to play,” he promised recruits that “They’ll play until they prove they shouldn’t be playing.”  Think about that for a second.   If that were true, how is it possible that Auburn is losing 24 players on their two-deep?  Is it possible that all of these Juniors and Seniors only started because the incoming players “proved they shouldn’t be playing”?  Further, shouldn’t a recruit assume the next logical step in the process: that he’ll be playing as a Freshman if he doesn’t blow his shot, but then he’ll inevitably lose his spot to an incoming Freshman the following season, assuming that the newcomer doesn’t mess up?

Something smells in Barnville, and it’s not just the cow patties.

I also want to include a special note about the class of Auburn fans.  While there are plenty of crazy Bama fans out there, I have trouble believing that many would sink to the depths that many Barn fans did following Kouandjio’s commitment to Alabama.  Before Cyrus had to close his Facebook page to public access, I counted numerous threats on the lives of Cyrus’s parents, numerous hopes the he suffers a career-ending injury, racial slurs that wouldn't be said by Mel Gibson on a bender, and numerous diagnoses that Cyrus is in fact mentally handicapped.

Social media have become ubiquitous, but for goodness sake,18-22 year old kids don’t need this nonsense. I hope that Alabama fans will think before they tweet!