This Is What I Get For Momentarily Slipping Into An Interest In Recruiting

Regular readers know of, or have at least read and then forgotten my disdain for all things recruiting.  Over the past four or five years, I’ve slowly pushed myself, through much wailing and gnashing of teeth, away from that table of horribleness.  This year, I almost made it without becoming interested in the recruitment of any players.  But, alas, I fell off the wagon about two weeks ago and found myself reading stories about a player Ole Miss was recruiting.

Jeremy Liggins is 6’4″ and weighs 270 pounds.  He probably outweighs 75% of SEC defensive ends on teams not named Alabama and LSU.  Only, he is not a defensive end, tight end, or offensive tackle.  He is a quarterback and 18 years old, and a three-star prospect (or three Cameron Poe Roundhouse Kicks to the Face), who, until recently, was being heavily recruited by just about everyone.

After narrowing his schools of interest, Liggins made it clear that LSU, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State were the only schools still in the running for his services.  Then, after an official visit to LSU two weekends ago, he announced that he would decide between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and that his decision would be formally announced at a restaurant on the Square in Oxford tonight.  Surely, this meant Ole Miss was a lock since he played high school football less than ten minutes from the Square and would be making his announcement in front of Ole Miss fans, right?

WRONG.  SO SO SO SO WRONG.  As is the case with recruiting, there is only one recurring theme and that theme is THERE ARE NO RECURRING THEMES.  Both LSU and Ole Miss recruiting people reported earlier today that Liggins will announce that he’s going to sign with LSU on Wednesday.

While not a program-crushing loss for Ole Miss (IT’S HARD TO CRUSH SOMETHING THAT’S NEAR DEATH AMIRITE?), it’s a tough one because of Liggins’ location and it seemed like Ole Miss was in the lead for him the whole way.  Oh, and Ole Miss needs all the relatively talented warm bodies it can get after a 2-10 season and a coach given a month and a half to slap together a recruiting class.  However, what will upset me the most out of this, is if LSU does not award him with the #6 jersey (Rohan Davey) or the #2 jersey (JaMarcus Russell).  The husky-to-fat quarterback tradition must live on!