Jones flips to Bama

[Crankdatmustard]

I have no problem with the Kid choosing Alabama over Kentucky. That is 100% fine.

What isn't fine is blabbing all over social media for months of a 100% commitment to UK and even at several different points saying he was shutting down his recruitment.

Seems to me he is lacking guidance from his peers in his decision.

 

[BigBlueCatNation]

I will never get worked up over a commitment again.

They mean absolutely nothing. I may not even watch until Signing Day

I learned that a long time ago

 

[JHB4UK]

Just seems weird to me. I know it is Alabama, but he got an offer from Alabama in April and he has already been on a visit there. Had he changed his mind right when those things happened I would just chalk it up as Bama being Bama. I could just be over-thinking it.

apparently he & his family are there this entire week

strange flip, anyone who could not recognize the kid was still looking around despite his less than honest proclamations was blind. still, figured he would go somewhere where he would play - there, he wont. Bama already has a QB commit from a kid who whipped Jones ass just 4 days ago in the Elite 11 competition. so he just wants to go somewhere, watch a bunch of wins from the sidelines wearing a backward hat & holding a clip board. complete lack of any competitive fire inside his gut is all you can say about the decision given those facts. we should be glad to not be hampered by someone who hasnt the testicular fortitude to take the tough road that it is playing football at UK.

Drew Barker will be the UK quarterback for the next 3 seasons unless he flops like Towles did....then it will go to Johnson or Hoak. Mac Jones would have been a great get for the '17 class, but would not have had a direct impact in helping us win games until his redshirt soph season. so plenty of time for our staff to recruit & sign a replacement who isnt a shrinking violet.

 

[rabidcatfan]

Well, I just hope that Mac understands that the Alabama offense does not showcase its quarterbacks and the only reason AJ McCarron was a household name was because of Katherine Webb. He'll be handing the ball off more often than he'll be allowed to throw it.

 

[UofKBlue]

It boils down to the fact that UK Football needs to show improvement before we start keeping these bigger name recruits. We can all get excited about having a top 25 recruiting class or whatever, but until we actually WIN games, it's pointless. This year it's either put up or shut up for this staff. If they can't show that they can get it done this season then don't expect Stoops and crew to be able to reel in many more bigger name prospects. Simple as that.

 

[Deeeefense]

The contradictory posts on this board are amazing. Before yesterday many were labeling Jones as the second coming. Many were pointing to offers from Ole Miss, Bama, and aTm as a sign that he is a good QB worthy of playing at those schools, but chose UK instead.
Now those same people say he won't get off the bench at Bama. Which is it people?

While it may be a stretch to say he won't get off the bench, the point being made by some here, is that the depth chart and competition between these two schools is day and night different. Kentucky has one 4 star QB on the roster, that is 3 classes ahead of Jones, OTOH Bama has four 4 star QBs right now on the roster, including a freshmen, RS freshman and RS sophomore plus a commitment from a 5th that's higher rated than Jones and much more physically ready to play. And being Bama you can just about bet they will land another elite QB in the 2018 class.

None of that is to say that Jones won't win the job there sooner or later but if you want to boil it down to probabilities I would say he has less than a 20% chance of starting before his RS Junior year at Bama, and probably less than 50% chance of ever starting, whereas at Kentucky I would give him at least a 70% chance, with the possibility he could even start as early as his RS freshmen year.

I think that's what Coach Hinshaw was eluding to in his tweet.

 

[Soupbean]

Just seems weird to me. I know it is Alabama, but he got an offer from Alabama in April and he has already been on a visit there. Had he changed his mind right when those things happened I would just chalk it up as Bama being Bama. I could just be over-thinking it.

Dont discount the elite camp pressure effect. Remember Damien Harris had the same reaction after spending time at the all star game with all the other top guys all going to top schools. Mac did the same thing. He has already been courted by the big guys but his mind only really changed after coming back from elite11. And I know he talked on the phone with Saban recently so all of that just came together I think.

 

[TBCat]

Well, I just hope that Mac understands that the Alabama offense does not showcase its quarterbacks and the only reason AJ McCarron was a household name was because of Katherine Webb. He'll be handing the ball off more often than he'll be allowed to throw it.

Ours hasn't show cased QB either.

 

[BigBlueTuckian]

While it may be a stretch to say he won't get off the bench, the point being made by some here, is that the depth chart and competition between these two schools is day and night different. Kentucky has one 4 star QB on the roster, that is 3 classes ahead of Jones, OTOH Bama has four 4 star QBs right now on the roster, including a freshmen, RS freshman and RS sophomore plus a commitment from a 5th that's higher rated than Jones and much more physically ready to play. And being Bama you can just about bet they will land another elite QB in the 2018 class.

None of that is to say that Jones won't win the job there sooner or later but if you want to boil it down to probabilities I would say he has less than a 20% chance of starting before his RS Junior year at Bama, and probably less than 50% chance of ever starting, whereas at Kentucky I would give him at least a 70% chance, with the possibility he could even start as early as his RS freshmen year.

I think that's what Coach Hinshaw was eluding to in his tweet.

If players followed this logic, Bama would never sign good players because of a loaded depth chart and UK would because of the opportunity to play. As decades of football have proven, it is the opposite.

Jones got a chance to play at the top program in the country and he took it. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Comebakatz3]

apparently he & his family are there this entire week

strange flip, anyone who could not recognize the kid was still looking around despite his less than honest proclamations was blind. still, figured he would go somewhere where he would play - there, he wont. Bama already has a QB commit from a kid who whipped Jones ass just 4 days ago in the Elite 11 competition. so he just wants to go somewhere, watch a bunch of wins from the sidelines wearing a backward hat & holding a clip board. complete lack of any competitive fire inside his gut is all you can say about the decision given those facts. we should be glad to not be hampered by someone who hasnt the testicular fortitude to take the tough road that it is playing football at UK.

Drew Barker will be the UK quarterback for the next 3 seasons unless he flops like Towles did....then it will go to Johnson or Hoak. Mac Jones would have been a great get for the '17 class, but would not have had a direct impact in helping us win games until his redshirt soph season. so plenty of time for our staff to recruit & sign a replacement who isnt a shrinking violet.

It should be interesting to see how this all plays out. They have Tau, who is a rising star by all accounts, and they have Jones now. They also have 4 four star guys on their roster and none of them will graduate before Jones/Tau arrive in 2017. Two of them will be sophomores in 2017, one will be a junior, and one a senior. Anyone could be the guy for Alabama at quarterback this year, and that means that even the freshmen are at play. If that is the case then Jones and Tau may very well have to wait their turn, and that would mean they'd have to redshirt and they'd get two years, all the while competing with one another to try to get that position in 2020, not to mention having to compete with the newcomers as well.

If Barnett, or the other freshman, win the job at Alabama and they play well then I don't see how Jones/Tau both go to Alabama. If they do then at least one of them is making a poor decision because at some point one of them will have to transfer, or they will never play. That is, unless you really want to give both of them one year by having one redshirt and the other one not and then the one that didn't redshirt starts as a senior in 2020 and the one that did redshirt starts as a RS senior in 2021. I'm not saying it would be smarter to go to UK, but Alabama's roster and playing time looks extremely tight and I don't see how going there could be the best decision, especially for two young men.

Also, how many can Alabama sign for this year? Would they really want to take two QBs in this class? The Bama fan that posts here doesn't seem to think it is too logical to do so. So, is Saban kind of collecting them to see which one will end up having a higher ceiling through the year and then plan on telling one to move on or is he really planning on taking two? Just some food for thought.

 

[RammerJammer91]

It should be interesting to see how this all plays out. They have Tau, who is a rising star by all accounts, and they have Jones now. They also have 4 four star guys on their roster and none of them will graduate before Jones/Tau arrive in 2017. Two of them will be sophomores in 2017, one will be a junior, and one a senior. Anyone could be the guy for Alabama at quarterback this year, and that means that even the freshmen are at play. If that is the case then Jones and Tau may very well have to wait their turn, and that would mean they'd have to redshirt and they'd get two years, all the while competing with one another to try to get that position in 2020, not to mention having to compete with the newcomers as well.

If Barnett, or the other freshman, win the job at Alabama and they play well then I don't see how Jones/Tau both go to Alabama. If they do then at least one of them is making a poor decision because at some point one of them will have to transfer, or they will never play. That is, unless you really want to give both of them one year by having one redshirt and the other one not and then the one that didn't redshirt starts as a senior in 2020 and the one that did redshirt starts as a RS senior in 2021. I'm not saying it would be smarter to go to UK, but Alabama's roster and playing time looks extremely tight and I don't see how going there could be the best decision, especially for two young men.

Also, how many can Alabama sign for this year? Would they really want to take two QBs in this class? The Bama fan that posts here doesn't seem to think it is too logical to do so. So, is Saban kind of collecting them to see which one will end up having a higher ceiling through the year and then plan on telling one to move on or is he really planning on taking two? Just some food for thought.

I think the QB competition will come down to Bateman and Barnett, with Bateman winning the job. Barnett hasn't been as consistent as many had expected, and a lot of people believe that David Cornwell will transfer. Our insiders have said that our staff planned to take 2 QB's in this class. They posted yesterday that Tua and his family were aware of this for a few months. If both Tua and Jones sign and Cornwell transfers, we will have 5 QB's on scholarship in 2017: Bateman, Barnett, Hurts, Tua and Jones. Hurts and Tua have the most potential out of those 5. The only thing I can think of is maybe our staff believes that Barnett will transfer? I had always thought that 2018 would be the class that we'd take 2 QB's. We're likely going to land an in-state QB (Jack West) that's a top 5 QB in the 2018 class and has 20+ offers (including from UK), and many thought that we'd be in play for the younger brother of Jared Mayden, a 4-star DB we signed this year. I'm really not sure what's going on.

 

[Comebakatz3]

^^^ Yea, I would think that 2018 would be the year it would make more sense to get 2 guys. Even if Cornwell transfers you still have 5 guys that could start at a lot of places, with 4 of the 5 being sophomores or younger. You'd still possibly have Bateman starting and Barnett and Hurts waiting their turn. You'd still have three solid guys and you could definitely still redshirt both Jones and Tau. So, unless someone else transfers out then it doesn't make much sense to take two in this class.

What kind of room does Bama have in this class? Will it be a big signing class or are they short on spots?

 

[Parabolicsecan]

Didn't Kengera visit Bama? How did he resist?

It was hard but he wanted to help make a program great instead of being part of a great program. Can't blame Jones but I understand the frustration.

 

[RammerJammer91]

^^^ Yea, I would think that 2018 would be the year it would make more sense to get 2 guys. Even if Cornwell transfers you still have 5 guys that could start at a lot of places, with 4 of the 5 being sophomores or younger. You'd still possibly have Bateman starting and Barnett and Hurts waiting their turn. You'd still have three solid guys and you could definitely still redshirt both Jones and Tau. So, unless someone else transfers out then it doesn't make much sense to take two in this class.

What kind of room does Bama have in this class? Will it be a big signing class or are they short on spots?

I'm thinking 26, although I doubt all will qualify.
2QB, 2RB, 4WR, 1TE, 4OL, 3DE, 2DT, 5LB, 2DB, 1S
We lose 16 seniors, will probably have 4 that will leave early for the draft, and a few transfers (my guess is Cornwell, Ronnie Clark, 1 OL, 1 LB, and either Derek Kief or Cam Sims at WR).

 

[DACats86]

It was hard but he wanted to help make a program great instead of being part of a great program. Can't blame Jones but I understand the frustration.

Thank you both. Really looking froward to seeing Kengera play this fall.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Diary]

I am wondering about this tweet. Is he telling UK fans to respect his decision or our staff? Either way until we start winning games this will be the case. Our staff may find those diamonds in the rough, get on them early, get a commit only to lose them to the Bama and LSU's of the world after everyone else sees their potential. At least we lost him to Bama and not Vandy or Indiana like we have in the past.

 

[specialkd24]

Unfortunately that's the way football recruiting goes. You never know who you are going to have until signing day arrives. That is why nobody should get excited about any football player that commits, especially a year-plus ahead of time.

 

[JHB4UK]

Matt Jones just said on his show possibly Saban & his staff yesterday gave Jones a drop dead decision time, here is our offer, take it right now this second or we pull it forever. Kid didnt have the confidence in himself & shrunk at the pressure.

people going off on Hinshaw's tweet, I think the staff was stung because the kid didnt even bother to tell them he was visiting Bama or call & tell he was decommitting.

at the end of the day it is best for all involved he is where he is

 

[CatsFanGG24]

I'm thinking 26, although I doubt all will qualify.
2QB, 2RB, 4WR, 1TE, 4OL, 3DE, 2DT, 5LB, 2DB, 1S
We lose 16 seniors, will probably have 4 that will leave early for the draft, and a few transfers (my guess is Cornwell, Ronnie Clark, 1 OL, 1 LB, and either Derek Kief or Cam Sims at WR).

Derek Kief is a name from the past...remember a bunch of his OH buddies ended up here at UK...seemed like he had an uncle or something who thought he was bigger than UK...maybe that didn't turn out so well.

 

[Blue Decade]

While it may be a stretch to say he won't get off the bench, the point being made by some here, is that the depth chart and competition between these two schools is day and night different. Kentucky has one 4 star QB on the roster, that is 3 classes ahead of Jones, OTOH Bama has four 4 star QBs right now on the roster, including a freshmen, RS freshman and RS sophomore plus a commitment from a 5th that's higher rated than Jones and much more physically ready to play. And being Bama you can just about bet they will land another elite QB in the 2018 class.

Obviously Mac Jones changed his mind and decided that he prefers the more competitive situation you described at Alabama. This is America. It is his right to make his own decisions. His commitment to Kentucky was verbal. He didn't sign anything. It was unfortunate that Jones gave several public reassurances to Kentucky fans before decommitting. But at the end of the day, Jones can pick whatever school he wants. It is funny to see full grown adults bashing a 17 year old kid over his college decision. LOL! Nobody here objected when Chris Westry decommitted from Auburn, Eli Brown decommitted from Vandy, Terrance Jones decommitted from Washington. A lot of people are forgetting that Mac Jones was originally recruited by Shannon Dawson. I'm looking ahead, and I will give Coach Hinshaw a fair chance to earn his money.

 

[StubbornPenny]

I know this is the way football recruiting goes, but... damn. Wow. Huge blow. He acted as committed as any recruit we've ever had. We'd been hyping and counting on this kid for what seems like forever, and now we get a gut check.

As echoed by others, I don't want to hear anything about a player until the LOI is in hand. It's just pointless. Especially when we're going after top tier guys. They're going to flip 80% of the time, so why do we bother acting like anyone is truly committed?

The more years go by, the more I feel like we're just destined to be mediocre to bad forever. Keep Stoops, fire Stoops, who cares? There isn't a change out there that's going to matter. Ugh. Football is basically just and excuse to get drunk around here.

 

[RammerJammer91]

Matt Jones just said on his show possibly Saban & his staff yesterday gave Jones a drop dead decision time, here is our offer, take it right now this second or we pull it forever. Kid didnt have the confidence in himself & shrunk at the pressure.

people going off on Hinshaw's tweet, I think the staff was stung because the kid didnt even bother to tell them he was visiting Bama or call & tell he was decommitting.

at the end of the day it is best for all involved he is where he is

Not surprised. Saban is notorious for doing that, as is Les Miles.

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Matt Jones just said on his show possibly Saban & his staff yesterday gave Jones a drop dead decision time, here is our offer, take it right now this second or we pull it forever. Kid didnt have the confidence in himself & shrunk at the pressure.

Classic Mark Cuban in the shark tank...accept it right now or its gone!!!

If you really like me, you will really like me 5 minutes from now, a day from now, a month from now etc...so many people lose their confidence and worth in those moments.

 

[Parabolicsecan]

Thank you both. Really looking froward to seeing Kengera play this fall.

Cool. Appreciate it. Sometimes these kids feel compelled to commit on the first big offer from the SEC because it is just that. Just wish they would take the time to evaluate all options while they continue to get more exposure before making a decision.

 

[truebluewildcat]

This is a surprise?

I remember discussing this earlier in the year when Bama started seriously sniffing around...

yeah, the kid was all in with uk when we were the only people at his party...then other folks started sniffing around...then Bama...I knew it was over then...

Doesn't take much folks...to flip a kid from UK to Bama...you can be god down there as a bench warmer...

and I'm sure a wink and wave from some pretty young thing in a crimson sun dress wearing a hounds tooth didn't hurt either...

this kid was coming of age when everyone was drooling over Kathrine Webb...I bet dollars to donuts he was watching that game when the cameras covered more of her than the game and the commentators acted as if they've never seen a pretty girl before...

yeah...if i'm a young thrower of the pig skin and that is who i see associated with bama qbs...pretty strong unoffical recruiting tool...forget the titles, legendary coach and program, all the football stuff, etc...

 

[Deeeefense]

If players followed this logic, Bama would never sign good players because of a loaded depth chart and UK would because of the opportunity to play. As decades of football have proven, it is the opposite.

Jones got a chance to play at the top program in the country and he took it. Nothing more, nothing less.

While what you say is true, it doesn't change the numbers. The fact is at least 3 of those 4 stars at, or headed to T-town will likely never see that field at least for the home team.

 

[Parabolicsecan]

Classic Mark Cuban in the shark tank...accept it right now or its gone!!!

If you really like me, you will really like me 5 minutes from now, a day from now, a month from now etc...so many people lose their confidence and worth in those moments.

I know this is the way football recruiting goes, but... damn. Wow. Huge blow. He acted as committed as any recruit we've ever had. We'd been hyping and counting on this kid for what seems like forever, and now we get a gut check.

As echoed by others, I don't want to hear anything about a player until the LOI is in hand. It's just pointless. Especially when we're going after top tier guys. They're going to flip 80% of the time, so why do we bother acting like anyone is truly committed?

The more years go by, the more I feel like we're just destined to be mediocre to bad forever. Keep Stoops, fire Stoops, who cares? There isn't a change out there that's going to matter. Ugh. Football is basically just and excuse to get drunk around here.

Man, this sounds depressing. There are still plenty of good qbs out there that want to play for a 'winning' program. That is the difference. Stoops & Co have just as good a recruiting pitch & facility investment to back it up. We have to start producing.

 

[Blue Decade]

I know this is the way football recruiting goes, but... damn. Wow. Huge blow. He acted as committed as any recruit we've ever had. We'd been hyping and counting on this kid for what seems like forever, and now we get a gut check.

As echoed by others, I don't want to hear anything about a player until the LOI is in hand. It's just pointless. Especially when we're going after top tier guys. They're going to flip 80% of the time, so why do we bother acting like anyone is truly committed?

The more years go by, the more I feel like we're just destined to be mediocre to bad forever. Keep Stoops, fire Stoops, who cares? There isn't a change out there that's going to matter. Ugh. Football is basically just and excuse to get drunk around here.

You believe we are destined to be bad forever? Are you superstitious?

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Man, this sounds depressing. There are still plenty of good qbs out there that want to play for a 'winning' program. That is the difference. Stoops & Co have just as good a recruiting pitch & facility investment to back it up. We have to start producing.

Do you get the vibe that production starts this season? Any different pep in their step this winter/spring/summer?

 

[Blue Decade]

While what you say is true, it doesn't change the numbers. The fact is at least 3 of those 4 stars at, or headed to T-town will likely never see that field at least for the home team.

Those aren't facts. They are opinions. The "fact" is that college is a personal decision.

 

[tammefan]

Those aren't facts. They are opinions. The "fact" is that college is a personal decision.

As the kids say it's a business decision.

 

[Deeeefense]

Those aren't facts. They are opinions. The "fact" is that college is a personal decision.

Personal decisions have nothing to do with math.

 

[mrschwump]

Not surprised. Saban is notorious for doing that, as is Les Miles.

And I don't blame either. Time to crap or get off the pot.

 

[StubbornPenny]

You believe we are destined to be bad forever? Are you superstitious?

No, I've seen about 25 years of first hand evidence (started watching football around 1990) that shows we have a truly good team once every 10 years or so. We never develop a consistently winning or even improving program. We bottom out about once even 10 years too. I see the cycle before my time too. It just sucks to try and get excited about a 1-2 year flash in the pan every decade or so. I think a lot of things like geography, state population, funding, facilities, stadium, basketball, state demographics, and administration have always counted against us when it comes to becoming a great program, and that amount of things are very difficult to overcome. As much as I want to see it, the light at the end of the tunnel gets fainter every year.

 

[Parabolicsecan]

Do you get the vibe that production starts this season? Any different pep in their step this winter/spring/summer?

I sure hope so. Although I can't speak for all of them, I know some kids put in a lot of work during the break and understand the importance of going bowling and believe this is the year it happens.

 

[StubbornPenny]

Man, this sounds depressing. There are still plenty of good qbs out there that want to play for a 'winning' program. That is the difference. Stoops & Co have just as good a recruiting pitch & facility investment to back it up. We have to start producing.

It is depressing. There's plenty of QBs, but very few who have (or pretended to have, right Jones?) a desire to play for UK. Hopefully Gran makes us an exciting offense for talent to play in. Like you said, we HAVE to start producing. Problem is we've had two coaches in 20 years that truly produced. One was Mumme and we all know why that was a sham. The other was Brooks, who turned a F program into a solid B, then Joker took it back to F faster than you can blink. I'd love to see some production, but historically (modern era) we've never really had it.

 

[Blue Decade]

Personal decisions have nothing to do with math.

I like your posts, but I think you might be missing the mark in this 1. Jones didn't make this decision on a calculator. He says this is the chance of a lifetime, so that is what is in his heart. Maybe he becomes a star at Alabama, maybe he doesn't. Who cares? It is his decision to make, and he has made it. He isn't coming to Kentucky. Life goes on. Here is what bothers me. I did not see any Kentucky fans apply your logic when Trey Lyles decommitted for Indiana, Derek Willis decommitted from Purdue, Sacha Killeya-Jones decommitted from Virginia. Nobody here gives a hoot about Mac Jones' future unless it is in Lexington. Some posters openly hope now that Jones gets seriously injured, if you can believe that. A lot of fans view these kids as commodities for their entertainment, nothing else. If the kid doesn't pick Kentucky, they wish he fails it gets hurt. As a former athlete, I find that offensive. I also think Coach Hinshaw deserves a fair chance to recruit his own guy. Jones was a Shannon Dawson recruit. Let's see what Hinshaw does now. He must have known this was a possibility.

 

[mrschwump]

I like your posts, but I think you might be missing the mark in this 1. Jones didn't make this decision on a calculator. He says this is the chance of a lifetime, so that is what is in his heart. Maybe he becomes a star at Alabama, maybe he doesn't. Who cares? It is his decision to make, and he has made it. He isn't coming to Kentucky. Life goes on. Here is what bothers me. I did not see any Kentucky fans apply your logic when Trey Lyles decommitted for Indiana, Derek Willis decommitted from Purdue, Sacha Killeya-Jones decommitted from Virginia. Nobody here gives a hoot about Mac Jones' future unless it is in Lexington. Some posters openly hope now that Jones gets seriously injured, if you can believe that. A lot of fans view these kids as commodities for their entertainment, nothing else. If the kid doesn't pick Kentucky, they wish he fails it gets hurt. As a former athlete, I find that offensive. I also think Coach Hinshaw deserves a fair chance to recruit his own guy. Jones was a Shannon Dawson recruit. Let's see what Hinshaw does now. He must have known this was a possibility.

I'd agree with this, especially the part about Hinshaw and the possibility Jones would move on. These coaches can read these kids much better than we can. I think if truth be known, UK(read Stoops, Hinshaw/Gran, Morrow) are not the least bit surprised by Jones flip.

 

[NCukcat62]

No one wants to be here anymore, our program is a joke. And stoops can't win.

 

[NCukcat62]

My first thought as well... I've been pulling for this kid like crazy during all the events.... Better stop there because what I want to say is not good... But respect? WTF practice that respect thing when Saban sits your ass.

I'll say it. I hope he tears an acl