My stamp on the Harris decision.

[KentUcKy-Kats]

I'm probably gonna get bashed by some for this, but I don't really care.

__________________

It sounds like coach speak, but as a diehard fan I mean it. I want kids
who want to be here, not because their family or friends or whoever else
wants them to be here. They need to want it. Damien obviously didn't
want to be here and you know what, that's okay.

No one should be upset about his decision, or the manner and time in which it was made.
People, that is big time football recruiting. And just think, it could have been worse. He could have waited all the way till national signing day..... It's easy for many of us on this board to say "Hey! How dare he disgrace the home state school!", or "He's from right down the road! Why in the world would he NOT want to play for the Cats?!". Simple. He has his own dreams. And you can't fault a kid for pursuing them in the manner he deems best. Could he have reached them here, yes, but that's not what he thought best for HIM. Not everyone in the state is like the thousands on this board. I'm pretty sure some people on here would sign with UK to catch live hand grenades if it meant getting the chance to wear KENTUCKY across their chest and represent the school......

We're a loyal bunch...and emotional. Man, are we emotional. Some of us have probably
already on some form of social media or this very board voiced the frustrations that
exploded out when another one of our own told us he was going to leave...... but that's not really fair to Damien. We love our state, our school, and no matter how much the national media wants to say we don't, we love our football.... Nobody likes getting picked over. My hope is that those of you that do feel the need to voice a distaste for the situation keep it civil. Remember, he's a kid like we all were at some point in time. How would you have handled all the attention? And keep in mind it easy to say you'd have done things differently...

Having said that, today in my view showed that we are still trending in the right direction. We had our hat in the ring. And folks this is just one of the many big battles we're going to be in. We're getting there.
Yeah, in terms of recruiting, today we lost... but we've also won our fair share since Stoops and staff arrived, and we will win some more.

I want to say congratulations to Damien, and best of luck along the way on your journey. I wish nothing but good health for you and may you reach your dreams. As someone who has left home before to pursue their own I know it is an exciting and also scary road ahead.

Shake it off BBN, we've got some more fights ahead.




This post was edited on 1/9 6:55 PM by KentUcKy-Kats

 

[jnewc2]

Anyone who says this decision doesn't bother them one bit either

A) Doesn't understand how significant it was, or

B) Isn't being truthful with themselves

 

[Brock28]

Great post!

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

Originally posted by jnewc2:
Anyone who says this decision doesn't bother them one bit either

A) Doesn't understand how significant it was, or

B) Isn't being truthful with themselves

Whoever said it didn't bother them? Big difference as opposed at wishing I'll on the kid or thinking that it's anything other than his life...not yours

 

[nodef14]

If this was 2018 and Stoops had time to prove to Harris that this is a winning program then I think we get him. This program is still trying to overcome the Joker mess. To be in the conversation for this type of recruit is kind of remarkable in itself. I know that some say we should expect to land there types of recruits but we still have a lot going against us at this point. We kind of self destructed down the stretch and i'm sure those schools used that against us. "Same ole Kentucky". Beat the Louisiana Monroe but get smoked by LSU, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Stoops has a lot going against him right now but he is still recruiting at historic levels for UK standards . Think about what he can do if he starts winning 8 or 9 games a year. Harris made a decision that he thought was best for him at this time. He will probably enter the draft a little less banged up because of better lines and fewer carries as a freshman. He will be in the national spotlight on a team competing for national titles. They will treat him like a celebrity all year long. He is at one of the one or two biggest programs in the nation and we are just not there yet. Hopefully in three or four years it's automatic for us to get our top in state talent. I

 

[CrustyCat]

Originally posted by jnewc2:
Anyone who says this decision doesn't bother them one bit either

A) Doesn't understand how significant it was, or

B) Isn't being truthful with themselves

I would have liked to have him, for all of the obvious reasons (talented in-state prospects are always desired), but I just don't feel upset about the decision. The fact that Harris seemed to play games and deceive fans/coaches despite knowing a long time ago he was picking Alabama only cements my feelings.

If he had been the #1 DB, DL, OL or LB, I suppose I would have been more upset. I think our RB corps is quite good and what we need is some improved blocking for them.

Plus, it's not like we lost out to UL, WVU, etc. We lost a recruiting battle with the top FB program in the country - it's going to happen sometimes.

Harris put on airs of being a nice, humble kid; good for him, maybe he can major in theater at Bama....