re: How quick are people going to change their tunes if top talent starts signing with HBCs

Follow the money. It will be funny to see the melt down on this board when Deion leaves to take a bigger job and all his 5 stars follow him.

Seriously though, if you are a 5 star athlete, why wouldn’t you want to go somewhere to compete for national championships and enjoy the best facilities, national tv, crowds, tradition, etc?

It’s actually a double negative for them - if they kick arse and dominate at an HBCU, they were supposed to and there will always be the question if they could do it against top college competition. If they don’t dominate, they will be just another 5 star high school player that was a bust because they couldn’t dominate against inferior talent in the swac.

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it is about money

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That’s every top recruit in the country.

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Jerry Rice, Prairie VIew

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Jerry Rice was at Mississippi Valley State with Willie Totten as his QB and Archie "Gunslinger" Cooley as the Head Coach in an early iteration of the run and shoot offense.

Went to the MVSU vs. Southern Game in 1984. Had been reading about this prolific offense from a small HBCU from tiny Itta Bena, MS. Had to see it for myself. Went as a guest of Dr. Jesse Stone, President of the Southern U. System.

Unbelievable game, Rice caught 15 for 200+ yds., Totten threw the ball over 60 times for over 500 yds. and hung 60+ on Southern U.

Southern's band was outstanding.

And believe it or not, I was not the only white person in attendance that night, there were many.

One of my favorite all-time football days, as LSU had beaten USC that day 23-3 in the payback for the 1979 robbery.

Got to meet Jerry Rice through work in the 1990s and had several conversation with him. Even relayed the story of having to go see that game to witness that offense.

The HBCUs playing a higher level of football would be good for the game.

It’s like a Major League Baseball player being sent down to Single A.
I’ve been on many of these campuses and in their locker rooms-many are worse than upper tier high school programs.
Fields with poor irrigation, mold in the shower areas, dilapidated athletic offices, very basic weight and training facilities.

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Instead of traditional football powerhouses. This is a direction I didn’t expect this to al take but it’s plausible. I can definitely see the lore for a young HS player.

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Its very plausible when you consider demographics and consumer marketing. For example, the African American population is a primary consumer of Coca-Cola sugar based products. Why wouldn't Coca-Cola sponsor a HBC and use that to market their brand. Trust me, I worked there and consulted to them, Coca-Cola would do this in a heartbeat to position itself within the African American community. Pepsi / Frito Lay, Beer, automobile, and plenty of other companies. In fact, I think HBCs actually have an advantage withthis type of corporate sponsorship, and Coach Prime figured it out. Although, gambling and gaming is an interesting first pass. Every company that has had some sort of PR issue with diversity is a candidate for this strategy to repair its public image.

Think about this title....... Jackson State University sponsored by Coca-Cola!

Wat