FLORIDA FOOTBALL: FOOD FOR A MAN'S SOUL
Future Florida Frosh Ribbed by Rivals
![AAFC038~Karl-Malone-John-Stockton-1-Posters[1].jpg](http://www.orangeandbluehue.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/AAFC038~Karl-Malone-John-Stockton-1-Posters[1].jpg)
Eloy Vargas and Kenny Kadji share more in common than they might realize. Both were snubbed for the McDonalds and Jordan All-America games. Both stand a lanky 6-10.
And both have moved down on the recruiting food chain. In the latest Rivals250 rankings, Vargas (American Heritage) slipped from 3rd to 9th in PF rankings. Kadji (Pendleton) went from 3rd to 5th. The worst part: both were demoted from five stars to four. But might this be a blessing in disguise?
Consider the ’04s, my friends.
Corey Brewer, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah were all four-stars when they arrived to Gainesville; Brewer, the sole McDonalds guy, was considered the star of the class. Horford was 6-8 and weighed 211 pounds; if anything, more small forward than big man. Taurean Green, the only guy from the Sunshine State, and Cornelius Ingram (yes, Cornelius Ingram!) rounded out a good, but not great recruiting class by Rivals standards.
But despite lacking five-star guys like Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rajon Rondo, the group was the core of a Gator team that won two national championships.
In stark contrast, the Kentucky Wildcats, who had the #1 freshman class at the time, reached zero Final Fours. They earned one SEC regular season and one SEC tournament title, considered mediocre by UK standards. After their junior year, Coach Tubby Smith voluntarily left the program. Only two prospects, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, were around to witness the turbulent 2008 that birthed the “Alley Cats”
If this gives the Dynamic Duo a chip on their shoulder, so be it.
Together, they could be even more dangerous - maybe even Stockton/Malone dangerous.
It’s not wrong to dream, is it?
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13 Comments so far
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I think it was determined on the fact Scouts Inc. realized they would be playng for Billy D, which of course drops anyones talent level…
By Daniel on 04.25.08 1:32 pm
Ha ha, very funny.
By Vincent Gagliano on 04.25.08 1:54 pm
You know as well as I do that all that recruiting hype is just that, hype. How many players have you heard that were can’t miss and ended up as busts? Then you have the Tom Brady’s of the world. It’s like that in every sport. Half of that crap on Scouts is based on NBA potential, which really has little to do with college basketball. So I wouldn’t let it bother me too much.
By Daniel on 04.25.08 2:01 pm
Maybe jeff malone dangerous…
By Daniel on 04.25.08 2:02 pm
Jonathan Mitchell, Adam Allen and Alex Tyus were all 4 star recruits. Need I say more about how worthless those ratings are? Those guys are just grasping for something to do until high school football cranks up again in the fall.
Also, basketball is over - let it go. Let’s focus on current sports.
Gymnastics placed first in the early session yesterday and will compete tonight in the Super Six for the national championship in Athens.
Softball is a ridiculous 53-2 and riding a 26 game winning streak. They have logged 18 shutouts and have a team ERA of 0.96. They host Auburn in a 3 game set this weekend.
Baseball welcomes UGA to town for 3 games and will try to stop the bleeding after dropping 2 of 3 to lowly SEC doormat Kentucky (couldn’t resist a dig at Danny Boy).
Tomorrow is the NFL Draft where Derrick Harvey will become the latest Gator great to be drafted in the 1st round.
…and you are writing about some website’s downgrade of next year’s already signed basketball recruits?!?!!?
By skigator93 on 04.25.08 2:18 pm
Dude, who cares about gymnastics? We have won a billion cheerleading tourneys in a row but I don’t care. Vince is actually from Kentucky, so he only cares about football as a go-between. There is no offseason, just the basketball preseason.
By Daniel on 04.25.08 2:48 pm
Tell you what Ski.
If gymnastics and softball do very well and win national titles, I’ll write my congradulations.
You might be a bit irate about this, Ski; but personally, I’m the kind of guy you really look up to*.
Warning: not necessarily a figure of speech.
By Vincent Gagliano on 04.25.08 3:15 pm
I feel bad for you Dan, if that UK basketball team is all you have to look forward to each year! Personally, I think you should jump on the UK cheerleading bandwagon…or maybe you just prefer watching men run around in baggy shorts as opposed to hot girls in short skirts. To each his own.
Happy Birthday Vince. As a current UF student, you should really take advantage of watching the minor sports at UF. They are a lot of fun and a great way to put off studying for your MMC2100 class on a sunny Sunday afternoon!
What do you mean by look up to you?
By skigator93 on 04.25.08 9:27 pm
I’m 6 feet 4 1/2 inches tall.
I could have been another Jason Kidd if I wanted to.
By Vincent Gagliano on 04.26.08 10:01 am
No wonder you are so married to basketball then. You tall guys…
By skigator93 on 04.26.08 12:54 pm
Then again, NFL quarterbacks aren’t exactly midgets either.
Consider Peyton Manning (6-5), Big Ben (6-5), and Tom Brady (6-4)
By Vincent Gagliano on 04.26.08 12:58 pm
We considered Vince’s physical stats when we recruited him here at O&B Hue. He has the height to run the point or at least see over the o-line for those zone reads and crossing routes. But as it turned out his “pen” was mightier than his “sword.” We ended up sticking him on the editorial staff
By GatorPilot on 04.27.08 9:03 am
Softball team won the outright SEC regular season title today with a sweep of UT in Knoxville over the weekend.
It’s the 5th SEC title this school year - all in women’s sports.
By skigator93 on 05.04.08 8:31 pm
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