If This Guy Was A World Class Math Professor...Not A Peep..."

(WARNING: The following story contains adult language possibly not suitable for children {unless, of course, you're like the parents of that little toddler who was being taught to say f** and b****es and you're a moron})

As should come to no surprise to you if you've read my work, I spent a slightly above average amount of my childhood in therapy.

At this point in my life, the point where I long ago should have stopped blaming everything on a crappy upbringing, I'll spare you the burden of having to read through a lot of psycho babble which is going to, likely, be nothing more than a subliminal presentation of a lot of psycho babble pretty much blaming everything on a crappy upbringing and simply offer you one pearl of R rated wisdom that one therapist, a long time ago, in a plush St. Charles Ave shrink's office far, far down yonder in New Orleans offered me; one that, all these many years later, I recall with some frequency.

"Your perspective in life, " the fifty dollar an hour family fire fighter opined, circa 1968, "depends entirely on whether you're the fuckER....or the fuckEE."

Put THAT coming up after the break, Dr. Phil.

Meanwhile, back at the point.


On Saturday morning, Vanderbilt had 20 commitments and a 2014 football recruiting class that was ranked in the top 25 in the country.

By Sunday night, a day after coach James Franklin left for Penn State, the Commodores had what one recruiting site called three solid commitments.

It’s not uncommon for schools to lose recruits when a coach leaves, but what’s happening to Vanderbilt 23 days before signing day is not normal.

Two Vanderbilt commitments now say they are going to Penn State, and Franklin has offered scholarships to at least six others.

“I’ve never seen it in this volume, quite this fast, of someone trying to pillage their own commitment class for their new job,” said Jesse Johnson of Rivals recruiting site VandySports.com.

“Normally, you’re going to have staffs take some kids. But I don’t think I’ve seen many cases where it seems like the entire class is trying to be taken to the next job.”

“Basically, they’re left with three guys that I would consider really firm commitments,” said Chris Smith of Vanderbilt.247Sports.com. “A lot of them have mixed emotions. All the recruits, they all love Franklin, they all seemed to want to come to Vanderbilt because of Franklin.

“In the end, depending on how the new coaching staff is, they may be able to pull some of these guys back into the class. But it’s going to be open season for Vanderbilt recruiting the next three weeks.”
Vanderbilt athletics director David Williams stated via text message that interviews for the job had not yet begun as of Sunday night. Williams said Saturday that he would move quickly, but not so quickly that he made a mistake.

Vanderbilt offensive line coach Herb Hand is expected to interview for the head coaching job, according to a source.

The recruiting dead period ends on Wednesday, meaning face-to-face contact between coaches and prospects is about to resume. The first big dates for official visits leading up to signing day on Feb. 5 are this weekend.

“They’re probably not going to be able to salvage this weekend regarding official visits,” Johnson said. “But if they got a new coach in place by the end of this weekend, you could salvage the 24th (Jan. 24-26) because that is the big weekend where all the official visits were slated to happen with the commitments.

“For me, the timetable would be Friday to next Monday to have a coach in place. Vanderbilt would like to have two weekends for visits. They’re not going to see a full staff hired, but if the new coach can bring in two to three guys and work with coaches still under contract, it might help them salvage the class a little bit. There’s no doubt it’s going to take hits.”

Louisville, by comparison, hasn’t seen its recruiting class impacted much by Charlie Strong going to Texas, Johnson said.

The Cardinals had two recruits decommit who are being recruited by Strong, but neither has committed to Texas. One other commitment backed out when Bobby Petrino was hired by Louisville and another no longer had an offer.

It was less than two years ago that Franklin stood before a signing-day crowd supporters at Vanderbilt’s Student Life Center and said players who decommitted from his program were not “men of honor” and “men of integrity.”

Several Vanderbilt assistants and members of the strength and administrative staff are expected to follow Franklin, although no one had offered a letter of resignation or informed Vanderbilt of plans to leave as of Sunday afternoon, according to associate director of student athletics Kevin Colon.
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has been offered a position at Penn State, according to a source.
Coachingsearch.com reported linebackers coach Brent Pry and football chief of staff Jemal Griffin have joined Franklin’s staff at Penn State. CBSSports.com reported receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator Josh Gattis was offered a position at Penn State.


The readers comment thread, on both the news site and Facebook, that accompanies this article (written, by the way, by a reporter for the Nashville Tennessean, the daily paper from Nashville, home of, wait for it....Vanderbilt University), is, as you might imagine, chock full of verbal venom and/or pillorying of the fare thee welling Franklin along, alas fairly predictable lines.

Predictably pissed.

Everyone being entitled to their own, yada, yada, notwithstanding (with the exception of that one Rhodes scholar who offered his comparison to a previous backfield backstabbing, this one at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville..."Lane Kiffin done the same thing at Tennessee...he's a coward.."  and, you, sir, are clearly no graduate of Vanderbilt University...or high school, nears I kin figure), here's a thing.

If you're one of the offended, try to imagine this scenario.

You find some one very capable to work with you in your daily occupation.

They are so, so regarding their excitement about your particular work place.

But they express a very passionate desire to have the opportunity to work with you.

Now, before they start their new job, you are offered a much better job, more money, perks, etc.

You give notice at your old job and get ready to take on your new job.

When your passionately interested potential co-worker discovers you are leaving, they immediately inquire as to whether there might be room for them where you are going.

Turns out there is and they want to go with you.

Result: they change their mind about working at the first place and decide to work where you are going.

Or as it's described in numerous sociological and/or vocational research studies:

Shit happens.

If James Franklin "sold" the recruits on the merits of coming to Vanderbilt by full line blitzing the advantages of a Vanderbilt, as opposed to, say, a Penn State, education, then, shame, shame, sayonara boy for poaching.

If, on the other hand, the recruits wanted to come to Vanderbilt primarily for the opportunity to play for James Franklin, then, no harm, no foul.

Or flag, as the case may be.

Again, I refer you to the numerous sociological and/or vocational research study results.

And the way all of this is, regardless of logic, common sense and/or numerous sociological and/or vocational research study results is going to be viewed?

I refer you to the previous observation made by a therapist, a long time ago, in a plush St. Charles Ave shrink's office far, far down yonder in New Orleans.

More to the point...

What's done is done.

Or for that guy who's, bet the line, still pissed at Lane Killen...

What's done is did.