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wonder what ole yellow teeth thinks about the Foster kid's announcement
Phillip’s blog: Change of heart
Phillip Marshall
Maybe Daphne running back T.J. Yeldon would have been a star at Auburn. Maybe he will be a star at Alabama. We really don’t know. That’s really not the point.
When Yeldon announced Sunday he was switching his commitment from Auburn to Alabama, it was a stinging blow to Auburn in terms of perception. There’s no way to deny that. It’ll be interesting to hear if Alabama coach Nick Saban repeats his quote from last year: “I’m old-fashioned. I think a commitment’s a commitment.”
Yeldon had been committed to Auburn for months and had assured Auburn coaches repeatedly that his commitment was solid. In the end, it wasn’t.
No doubt, Yeldon will be accused by some Auburn fans of not being a man of his word. His character will be questioned. And that’s wrong. He changed his mind just like others have changed their minds and jilted other schools to sign with Auburn. He’s a teen-ager. It happens.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS ONE IS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED. Auburn coaches apparently had no clue until shortly before Daphne coach Glenn Vickery, in a very unusual move, sent out a press release. Yeldon’s switch came on the eve of the start of a recruiting dead period. Even worse, numerous posters on Alabama message boards did know about it.
Vickery ought to be ashamed. He and Yeldon’s parents should have at least insisted on Yeldon telling Auburn’s coaches face to face that he was backing out on a commitment he had reaffirmed just days ago.
If I question the motives or actions of anyone, it is the adults more than the 18-year-old.
As much as anything, Yeldon’s flip-flop shows again the difficulty Auburn faces in some parts of Alabama. In some places - Daphne being one - it’s like recruiting out of state, maybe even harder than recruiting out of state. So it has always been. Joe Whitt, a recruiter supreme, stopped even going to Daphne High School in his later years on the Auburn staff.
It can’t be easy to be a high school senior and be pressured every day by your friends and sometimes even adults.
Yeldon’s decision also shows the perception battle Auburn fights daily. Auburn loses two coordinators a year after winning the national championship and is portrayed as coming apart at the seams. Others lose coordinators and it barely makes a ripple.
So what do Auburn coaches do about it? The only thing they can do is keep on working, keep on recruiting the best players they can and keep on winning. No single player makes or breaks a football program or a recruiting class. With or without Yeldon, Auburn appears to be loaded at running back.
I’m not saying Yeldon’s decision doesn’t matter. I’m not saying Auburn fans shouldn’t be disappointed. No doubt, Auburn coaches are disappointed.
But Auburn football will not rise or fall on one teen-ager’s change of heart.
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Saban's daughter kick your a$$.
