Mom hated son's college, hopes for best in NFL

[COJacket]

Bits of a Bleacher Report story:

“Landon Collins’ mother, April Justin, became a polarizing figure three years ago for her blunt disagreement with her son’s nationally televised decision to hop across LSU’s state borders to play for rival Alabama.

At LSU, I was convinced he could play immediately, wind up a Freshman All-American and build the momentum to be a first-rounder after his junior season.

At ‘Bama, I was worried he’d be buried on Nick Saban’s notoriously deep depth charts.

Miami was a long shot, but at least he had a better chance of playing as a freshman. He used to fawn over Sean Taylor highlights on Youtube before every game in high school (and ended up wearing Taylor’s number, No. 26, at Alabama), but Miami was ACC, and the SEC was where he belonged. The culture, the physicality and the competition would better prepare him for the next level.

Alabama won a national championship in Landon’s freshman year, but he played special teams and backed up a junior on defense. If the starter (Vinnie Sunsheri) hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in Landon’s sophomore season, he would have sat that season as well, and who knows if he’d be entering the draft this year.

Landon’s recruiting process compelled me to educate myself on recruiting for Gerald and advise other parents about how to navigate the recruitment of student-athletes through my Momma Knows Best Recruiting Summits.”

Two comments: love the continuing myth about the SEC vs ACC; and rumor has it that Momma Truitt was the first to join the Recruiting Summits.

 

[MidtownJacket]

The good news here is that we picked off two of the "stronger" SEC teams in beating the bulldogs^2.

As we keep winning these things will take care of themselves. Imagine the Mommy summit storyline of go to a school that prepares you to be successful if football doesn't pan out; honors their commitment to players who get hurt before they even get here; and oh yeah tick off a couple of 10 win+ seasons.

 

[Architorture23]

if you're from Lousisiana, you most likely do belong in the SEC. Because you probably can't read.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Tuitt

 

[00Burdell]

So the mother's first and primary concern was the young man's draft prospects. In other words, to her, college was nothing more than the minor league of the NFL.

Then I agree with her 100% - her son belongs in the SEC - that's where futures, both bright and dim, go to die.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Great post, Burdell. That is my point. If a kid does not value the education at least to the same level as the FB program, he is PROBABLY not right for GT.

 

[Architorture23]

So the mother's first and primary concern was the young man's draft prospects. In other words, to her, college was nothing more than the minor league of the NFL.

Then I agree with her 100% - her son belongs in the SEC - that's where futures, both bright and dim, go to die.

You have to play the odds. In actuality, the odds were that even with some bogus "college education" her son's likelihood of success probably wasn't all that great. For him, it might have actually been more likely that he be a successful pro football player than a successful businessman, or whatever.

The NFL has, for all intents and purposes, forced people to go to college if they ever want to play professionally. So she was doing what she had to do. I don't really blame her. If was a mediocre or below student of lower-than-average intelligence, but a heck of a DLineman, I'd go to wherever I thought could get me paid in the League with as little a chance of me flunking out as possible.

 

[inGTwetrust]

Being a mediocre student is a choice; not a birth right. If he wanted the best chance at long term of success but still the best chance of being a pro, I would go as far away from a factory as you can.

A school like Alabama cares about your success for 3 maybe 4 years. They generally don't prepare you for the next 40 nor do they give a ____ what happens to you after you are gone from the 85.

That mom sounds like a great role model in preparing her son for adversity. Easiest route my ***.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Bet she is on Nick Saban's Xmas card list lol. You reap what you sow Saban. Another reason to be glad we are different / more difficult than most (maybe all) of the big programs. Our players and players' families are classy. Yes there may have been an outlier here or there, Reuben Houston to name one, but the vast, vast majority are great kids we can and should be proud of.

 

[inGTwetrust]

Btw arch...my last line wasn't towards you. I just get frustrated when these guys supposed mentors aren't looking out for the best interest of them.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

and rumor has it that Momma Truitt was the first to join the Recruiting Summits.

My understanding was that Mrs. Tuitt believed that Stephon was running around with a bad crowd of kids and hangers-on here in Atlanta and that would only continue if he stayed here and went to Tech. She wanted him to be in a hayseed town like South Bend but still at a good academic school (by rep) so that he would have a better chance to succeed in growing up. Do I know for a fact this is true? No, I suppose I don't but it is what I believe came out after the fact.

If my version is the case then I still think she made the wrong decision. That is because I think she underestimated the impact of a CPJ run football program at Tech (with the likes of Derrick Moore) as well as the demands that classes and peer pressure at Tech would put on her son; all of which would have worked toward getting him on the straight and narrow.

Still, my impression of Mrs. Tuitt is very different from the impression Landon's mom has made on me.

 

[GaTech4ever]

If your son has the athletic ability of Landon Collins and his academic floor is still a school like Alabama, then yeah my main concern is where is he going to get the best opportunity to reach his dream to play in the NFL.

If your son has extraordinary mathematic abilities and has the athletic ability of a D3 player, then my main concern is where is he going to get the best opportunity to further his academic career.

If my son has issues leaving home, I'm going to look at the school that makes him feel most comfortable and is in close proximity to him. This can obviously go on. I just don't get why GT fans love to consistently tear down other schools academically, especially the SEC. Are we just assuming Landon Collins didn't care about school because he cared more about his NFL future? What are the chances he's a millionaire without football? If he gets hurt and can't play a down again, a degree from the SEC won't bury him like some like to think.

 

[cuttysark]

Or perhaps he just wanted to get away from his Mother as part ot his college decision. Alabama is a very good school academically but obviously cannot compare to GT in Engineering; Computer Science; etc.

As far as football Alabama might have the best resume' in college gridiron history along with USC west so you cannot argue with his decision to go play for Saban. At any rate it was an interesting point and just establishes that this is still the offseason.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I did not go to Tech . . . but what I don't get is Tech fans who refrain from tearing down SEC and other football factory programs that make use of young men for their athletic gifts while intentionally failing to provide them with a decent education and meaningful degree.

It is odd to me since Tech is probably the institution of higher education most distinctly not like that as can be found at the BCS level. It is a legitimate point of pride that Tech fans should have when they compare their schools athletic programs to those of many or most other programs. Especially those in the SEC. It is also one of the most important selling points for Tech to potential recruits and their parents. When selling oneself why would one ever dwell on anything they think makes them seem like the competition? You start with what makes you most distinctive and attractive first and foremost. The whole point is to differentiate yourself.

And, yes, the University of Alabama is a pretty darn mediocre university. Just because it is a "huge state school" does not mean it automatically deserves anything beyond moderate local respect.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

$$$$$$$$$$$ > $$$$$$$$

 

[GaTech4ever]

I did not go to Tech . . . but what I don't get is Tech fans who refrain from tearing down SEC and other football factory programs that make use of young men for their athletic gifts while intentionally failing to provide them with a decent education and meaningful degree.

It is odd to me since Tech is probably the institution of higher education most distinctly not like that as can be found at the BCS level. It is a legitimate point of pride that Tech fans should have when they compare their schools athletic programs to those of many or most other programs. Especially those in the SEC. It is also one of the most important selling points for Tech to potential recruits and their parents. When selling oneself why would one ever dwell on anything they think makes them seem like the competition? You start with what makes you most distinctive and attractive first and foremost. The whole point is to differentiate yourself.

And, yes, the University of Alabama is a pretty darn mediocre university. Just because it is a "huge state school" does not mean it automatically deserves anything beyond moderate local respect.

I don't think it's necessary to tear down other schools' reputations when differentiating GT as an academic institution. Tech speaks for itself in my opinion. If our coaches want to use other schools in specific recruiting circumstances ("You won't get the education at Bama as you will here Justin.") then that's different. I get where you're coming from, I am just more of the opinion that those schools' reputations will speak for themselves (including Tech's). I think a lot of times GT fans are spoiled by our academic standing and don't realize that other schools are putting out quality alums as well.

 

[Declinometer]

#ToyaGraham!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I don't think it's necessary to tear down other schools' reputations when differentiating GT as an academic institution. Tech speaks for itself in my opinion. If our coaches want to use other schools in specific recruiting circumstances ("You won't get the education at Bama as you will here Justin.") then that's different. I get where you're coming from, I am just more of the opinion that those schools' reputations will speak for themselves (including Tech's). I think a lot of times GT fans are spoiled by our academic standing and don't realize that other schools are putting out quality alums as well.

Then I think to some extent there is some talking past each other going on since you say some Tech fans "don't realize that other schools are putting out quality alums as well." Do you specifically mean football and basketball player alums? Because when I speak about Tech vs. a factory school so far as academic reputation I most definitely have in mind the general approach and caliber of education provided to student athletes at Tech compared to the "just keep em eligible" attitude rampant at so many schools (hence called factories). So I am thinking of "Tech" when speaking on this as maybe more precisely as "Tech as a athletic program and its relationship to the general academic mission of the Institute taken as a whole" or some such idea.

Harvard can even laughingly claim to put out quality drop outs like Bill Gates. So I was not trying to treat of a university's overall academic reputation as a college/university but always have in mind that college in relation to the manner in which it runs its revenue sports.

(Well, except when I tacked on the mean comment about Bama. But I was of course also thinking of it in terms of comparison to all such places of higher education and not just "big state schools with BCS football" or something else which makes the comparison more narrow.)

 

[GlennW]

Bits of a Bleacher Report story:

“Landon Collins’ mother, April Justin, became a polarizing figure three years ago for her blunt disagreement with her son’s nationally televised decision to hop across LSU’s state borders to play for rival Alabama.

At LSU, I was convinced he could play immediately, wind up a Freshman All-American and build the momentum to be a first-rounder after his junior season.

At ‘Bama, I was worried he’d be buried on Nick Saban’s notoriously deep depth charts.

Miami was a long shot, but at least he had a better chance of playing as a freshman. He used to fawn over Sean Taylor highlights on Youtube before every game in high school (and ended up wearing Taylor’s number, No. 26, at Alabama), but Miami was ACC, and the SEC was where he belonged. The culture, the physicality and the competition would better prepare him for the next level.

Alabama won a national championship in Landon’s freshman year, but he played special teams and backed up a junior on defense. If the starter (Vinnie Sunsheri) hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in Landon’s sophomore season, he would have sat that season as well, and who knows if he’d be entering the draft this year.

Landon’s recruiting process compelled me to educate myself on recruiting for Gerald and advise other parents about how to navigate the recruitment of student-athletes through my Momma Knows Best Recruiting Summits.”

Two comments: love the continuing myth about the SEC vs ACC; and rumor has it that Momma Truitt was the first to join the Recruiting Summits.

Link?

 

[vamosjackets]

I don't think it's necessary to tear down other schools' reputations when differentiating GT as an academic institution. Tech speaks for itself in my opinion. If our coaches want to use other schools in specific recruiting circumstances ("You won't get the education at Bama as you will here Justin.") then that's different. I get where you're coming from, I am just more of the opinion that those schools' reputations will speak for themselves (including Tech's). I think a lot of times GT fans are spoiled by our academic standing and don't realize that other schools are putting out quality alums as well.

That is not the issue. All of these BigStateUniversity schools have some really good programs. The issue is that they have made junk degrees just for the purpose of athletics. AND, then they steer their athletes toward these majors. Please look at the majors of the athletes at the factory schools and then look at the majors of GT athletes. The easy major at GT is Business management ... and it's a top 25 business degree in the nation. This is a degree that's worth a ton over the course of your life. It adds significant value to you as a person. The majors at these other schools will include the likes of Sports Studies, Leisure Studies, Field Turf Management, Housing, General Studies, AFAM (at UNC), College Studies, etc. These degrees aren't worth the paper they're written on. They are an exploitation of the student athlete. The SA gives a tremendous amount of effort to the school and in return doesn't receive a valuable education which will serve him in the future.

That's the obvious jacked-up crap that factory schools do, and for that alone they deserve every bit of the criticism we can give them. It's completely pathetic.