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NC prep player gets "catfished" in commitment to Florida
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:33 am
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:33 am
quote:
Friday at a ceremony in front of family and friends, Gaines committed to what he thought was a scholarship offer to play for the University of Florida.
What followed is the reality that has become modern-day recruiting. Gaines was a pawn in a game for someone who had no affiliation with the school.
For the past month and a half, Gaines had thought he was communicating on social media with a member of the Gators coaching staff. He said just minutes after he committed on Friday, that person was Florida assistant coach Brad Lawing.
But that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Gaines – according to Nash Central athletics director Michael Mosley – was catfished.
He wasn’t talking to Lawing, he was talking to someone who was posing as Lawing.
So while Gaines smiled next to his mom and dad with a blue Gators hat on Friday, thinking that he would be playing college football at Florida, the Gators coaching staff was on a plane to Knoxville unaware of the news. When they landed, sources close to the program said that they were shocked.
None of them were expecting Gaines, a three-star recruit with other offers from Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Miami, to commit to the Gators.
Full story.
That's a pretty shitty thing to do to somebody.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:38 am to Augustus
I hate people some times. I feel so sorry for this kid.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:39 am to FalseProphet
quote:
I hate people some times. I feel so sorry for this kid.
I agree, but he does have some solid offers so he hopefully will get to play college ball at a big 5 school
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:40 am to Augustus
I don't get what somebody gets out of putting somebody through an extensive and elaborate hoax like this.
I just don't get it...
I just don't get it...
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:43 am to KosmoCramer
quote:
He didn't take a visit?
Easily could have gone to a camp in the summer, and this guy started talking to him telling him they had decided to offer and he jumped on it.
I didn't read the whole article
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:44 am to KosmoCramer
I agree that this is a shitty thing to do to anybody, let alone a kid...but surely this kid didn't think that the entire recruiting process was done start to finish without so much as any personal interaction (visit, phone call, etc.), huh?
I mean, who would recruit someone solely via electronic media without so much as a phone call?
I mean, who would recruit someone solely via electronic media without so much as a phone call?
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:49 am to CocomoLSU
From what I understand from the VT side, is that he is one of the first D1 athletes from his school.
So, neither he nor the coaches know how the recruiting process works.
I know that VT called him up on Saturday and said, if you still want to talk we are still interested.
So, neither he nor the coaches know how the recruiting process works.
I know that VT called him up on Saturday and said, if you still want to talk we are still interested.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:52 am to tccdc
quote:
From what I understand from the VT side, is that he is one of the first D1 athletes from his school.
So, neither he nor the coaches know how the recruiting process works.
That sheds a little light on things, but I don't really know how it works either, but I damn sure would expect to talk to the coach at some point or meet him face to face. I mean, it almost sounds like it was a "UF coach started following me on Twitter...I'M IN!!!" situation.
And I'm not trying to make fun of the kid so much as I'm sort of surprised that zero contact was made on either side and this kid, his family, and his school all assumed the ride to UF was legit.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:53 am to tccdc
quote:
I know that VT called him up on Saturday and said, if you still want to talk we are still interested.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:53 am to CocomoLSU
Agreed. I feel terrible for the kid and whoever did this is a borderline sociopath, but it's extremely odd for this kid to commit without having non-social media contact with a coach.
Did the perpetrator call or text him and pose as a Florida assistant?
I understand that he and his coaches might not know the recruiting process if he's the first D-1 athlete from his school, surely they'd know it by now if he's getting recruted by the likes of Va. Tech and Miami, right?
Did the perpetrator call or text him and pose as a Florida assistant?
I understand that he and his coaches might not know the recruiting process if he's the first D-1 athlete from his school, surely they'd know it by now if he's getting recruted by the likes of Va. Tech and Miami, right?
This post was edited on 10/6/14 at 11:55 am
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:54 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
And I'm not trying to make fun of the kid so much as I'm sort of surprised that zero contact was made on either side and this kid, his family, and his school all assumed the ride to UF was legit.
The article did say this:
"Mosley said that Florida coaches expressed on Friday that they still have interest in Gaines (they did after all verbally offer him last spring when they passed through Nash Central High) but that interest isn’t to the point of accepting a verbal commitment."
So maybe he had contact with coaches a ton before?
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:55 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
I mean, who would recruit someone solely via electronic media without so much as a phone call
It really does happen.
Probably not at a big school like Florida, but players have taken offers from coaches and schools that they have never talked to personally, face to face.
Usually not one of the big three sports.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:56 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
That sheds a little light on things, but I don't really know how it works either, but I damn sure would expect to talk to the coach at some point or meet him face to face. I mean, it almost sounds like it was a "UF coach started following me on Twitter...I'M IN!!!" situation.
And I'm not trying to make fun of the kid so much as I'm sort of surprised that zero contact was made on either side and this kid, his family, and his school all assumed the ride to UF was legit.
I know that he either camped or has been on a non-official visit down there.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:56 am to bigpetedatiga
Will Muschamp needs to honor that commitment. Then hire whoever was doing the catfishing. Sounds a like a great recruiter.
Posted on 10/6/14 at 11:58 am to Augustus
That is pretty shitty thing to do, not sure why anyone would want to do this.
I do remember few years back a kid did the opposite of this and had a big ceremony and had hats laid out on table and picked school in front of the entire high school. I think he picked Utah or UCLA, but they didn't offer him, think he didn't even have a scholarship offer from any school. Haha
I do remember few years back a kid did the opposite of this and had a big ceremony and had hats laid out on table and picked school in front of the entire high school. I think he picked Utah or UCLA, but they didn't offer him, think he didn't even have a scholarship offer from any school. Haha
Posted on 10/6/14 at 12:02 pm to vanburenboy
quote:
That is pretty shitty thing to do, not sure why anyone would want to do this.
People are horrible. That is all there is to it.
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