First its one thing to have sour grapes about losing recruits. It’s another thing to cry about it to the media.

Secondly, people like to call recruiting a crapshoot, but if you look at Scout and Rivals recruiting rankings (and ignore everyone else’s, including and ESPECIALLY ESPN’s) you cannot deny the ridiculously high correlation between high rankings and impact players. For every dud you name, I can name 10 that panned out.

Here’s the thing, a lot of coaches sour grape about not getting recruits. Remember Charlie Weis’ (another blow hard with no results) comment about “if you’re looking, we’re looking”. If you verbal to Texas and take a trip elsewhere, Mack Brown threatens to and sometimes withdraws the schollie offer. Urban Meyer plays the religion card with recruits. Lou Holtz told recruits that dissed Notre Dame that they not only made a four year mistake, they made a lifetime mistake. Les Miles cried about USC committing secondary violations when they signed Joe McKnight (OK, USC probably did, but, nonetheless…). Woody Hayes and Bo Schemblecher were famous for their tantrums when a top recruit chose another school.

And, as we agree, who knows what’s going to happen on the way from 18 to 22. I harken back to 2003 when Whitney Lewis was the much more coveted recruit than Steve Smith. Who washed out both physically and academically and who just played in his first Pro Bowl?

Larry, if you want to join the rest of the media bashing Kiffin for doing what 95% of the other coaches do, fine. Bashing him as a loyal Bruin only shows you can be a hypocrite. I know you’re better than that.