College football rivalries are not to be taken lightly, and that is something that high school recruits typically learn sooner rather than later. If Florida recruit James Hearns didn’t know that before the weekend, he does now. Hearns, one of the consensus top-10 linebackers in the nation, grew up in what is known to many as “Seminole Country.” Despite that, he has decided to play out his college career in Gator country rather than attending Florida State.
On Saturday, Hearns attended a football camp that is run by FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher and the rest of the Seminole staff. He earned himself an early exit from the camp when he decided to do the “Gator chomp.”
I just got ejected for throwing up the gator chomp at Fsu camp
— James Hearns (@JamesHearns21) June 16, 2012
After the 18-year-old sent out the above tweet, FSU fans began blasting him while Florida fans were praising what they believe was a heroic act. Now, the debate centers on whether or not the FSU staff was out of line. You have a kid who has yet to even enroll in a college who decided to make a harmless hand gesture that aggravates Seminole fans, players, coaches, and alum. Were they teaching Hearns a lesson by giving him the boot, or simply turning him into an overnight Twitter celebrity? I’m sure the former was the intended outcome, but the latter is what they got.
H/T Prep Rally
Photo credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE
