Justin Taylor Speaks Out

[TigerWar 82]

AJC College Sports Recruiting

Justin Taylor: Safely signed with Kentucky, speaks candidly on Alabama

10:31 pm February 1, 2012, by Michael Carvell

Ex-Alabama RB recruit Justin Taylor: (AJC)

Ex-Alabama RB recruit Justin Taylor on Crimson Tide: "... As far as pulling the scholarship, I think they did me wrong. I was the No. 7 to commit, that’s all I’ve got to say. I was committed to them for a year. They could’ve handled it better.” (AJC)

After star Atlanta running back Justin Taylor was safely signed by another SEC school on Wednesday, he was ready to speak more candidly about his recruitment by national champion Alabama.

A 5-foot-10, 208-pounder from North Atlanta High School, Taylor signed scholarship papers with Kentucky rather than to wait to sign with Alabama in January 2013, a promise made by coach Nick Saban two weeks ago.

Taylor committed to the Crimson Tide around a year ago, but was informed by Nick Saban in January that he couldn’t sign this year. Saban said it was because of Taylor’s knee injury that cut short his senior season, asking him to enroll next January in a practice known as grayshirting. Speculation became rampant in the college recruiting world that instead it was a reason to oversign at Alabama and then manage the roster to keep as many recruits as possible within the rules.

Your best guess on why Saban asked Taylor to "grayshirt" ...

    Knee injury

    Too many commitments

View Results

“I knew I wasn’t going to Alabama when I met with Coach Saban at my high school a couple of weeks ago,” Taylor said. “When Coach Saban came down, I just had this feeling in my heart. I prayed about it and God told me … and I know this sounds kind of crazy … but God told me that Alabama was not the place for me.”

Taylor ended up picking Kentucky instead of Ole Miss after a whirlwind courtship within the last few days. North Atlanta coach Stanley Pritchett, who is also Taylor’s guardian and a former SEC and NFL running back, was in favor of signing on Wednesday rather than waiting on Alabama’s promises for next year.

“We trusted the coaches at Kentucky,” Pritchett said. “We felt comfortable with them, and they promised to take care of Justin. I think everything turned out well, ultimately. I wanted him to go to college right now because when you’re the first person in your family to graduate from high school, you don’t need to be sitting out. You never know what might happen in December or next year at Alabama.

“I wanted Justin to go ahead and get started in college, and I’ve always told him that. But I was going to support him with whatever decision he wanted to make.”

After winning the BCS championship earlier this month, Alabama finished Wednesday with the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals. The Crimson Tide signed 26 players, including eight from the state of Georgia. Last February, Taylor was the seventh player to commit for Alabama’s 2012 class. From that day for most of 11 months, Taylor wore an Alabama hat virtually everywhere he went.

Within the span of a month, Nick Saban has won both national championships in football and recruiting (AP)

Within the span of a month, Nick Saban has won both national championships in football and recruiting (AP)

“If you look back on it, you see that it was a numbers game [with scholarships], that Alabama really wanted to sit out because of the numbers,” Pritchett said. “It kind of makes you mad, but you also feel good that he didn’t go there. Because if he had gone to Alabama, he would’ve probably just have been another number.”

On Wednesday, Pritchett and Taylor called Alabama assistant Chris Rumph to inform him on the decision to sign with an SEC rival. “[Rumph] asked what Justin was going to do because they wanted to go after some other people,” said Pritchett. “[Rumph] said go ahead and do what you’ve got to do.”

On Wednesday night, Taylor was happy to be finished with a troubling few weeks, and looked forward to playing against his former team, Alabama. “The way they talked to me, they respected me … but as far as pulling the scholarship, I think they did me wrong. I was the No. 7 to commit, that’s all I’ve got to say. I was committed to them for a year. They could’ve handled it better.”

[Jwn@Auburn 0]

I don't think this sort of thing will have that much bearing on many of the big-time recruits that Alabama attracts; I imagine that many of them have the attitude that it couldn't happen to them.

I could be wrong, but I don't foresee many negative repercussions falling down on Bama/Saban from this type of thing, unless the SEC or another governing agency passes regulations against it.

[ww 0]

It is disgusting!  The NCAA needs to look into this, and the Parents or guradians of these athletes need to take notice of how  treats these young men. 

[WhiteTiger 2]

If you are a 3* you need to know going that this may happen. 4* or above you are in good shape.

[Weegle777 78]

Somebody needs to make a DVD and put video clips and sound clips of weeman cursing and raging against the media and on the sideline, put facts on what has happened to many kids who have signed with the turds, and mail them to all of the kids they are recruiting. With our state media, nothing will ever be broadcasted that will put him in a bad light. And when he goes into these kids' homes, he is on his best behavior and spins the prospect of going to bammer to make it look great. Until somebody starts a grassroots effort to expose this chump, nothing will ever happen and they will continue to treat kids and parents like they are just a number.

[telling tiger 156]

If you are a 3* you need to know going that this may happen. 4* or above you are in good shape.

If you are a decent human being, you tell the young man up front, not a year later. It may not have occured to saban ,but the young man has a life he needs to take care of too. He is a scumbag on his best day.

[Weegle777 78]

If you are a 3* you need to know going in that this may happen. 4* or above you are in good shape.

If you are a decent human being, you tell the young man up front, not a year later. It may not have occured to saban ,but the young man has a life he needs to take care of too. He is a scumbag on his best day.

Yep. There is no defending this chump.

[telling tiger 156]

Yep the old boy is quite the man to be such a bag.

http://theauburneagle.com/WEAForum/index.php?topic=44369.0;topicseen

and these are the only one's we know about, yeah quite a man with that process huh? BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I saw this first hand with my friend's son, who had already been playing at bammer, and was strung along for a year by weeman before having his college career almost ruined by that little jerk. It is devastating to these kids, but he does not care at all. weeman and his staff do not see the players as real people. They see them as tools, or as a commodity to be used and they are always replaceable, always expendable. He thinks nothing about what he does to these kids lives and their plans for the future. They are a product to him.

weeman is the worst thing to happen to college football since ESPN.

[keesler 5,961]

If you are a 3* you need to know going that this may happen. 4* or above you are in good shape.

You're pretty much correct. 

Oh, and I would also add that a 3* shouldn't dare get hurt before NSD, that just throws you lower down the ladder. 

[fly757au 0]

You would think that recruits and parents would start to see the pattern. All they can see is some over-hyped shot at an NFL career. I think they miss the fact that guys in the NFL come from ALL sizes of schools. If you are good enough to play in the NFL, you will.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

You would think that recruits and parents would start to see the pattern. All they can see is some over-hyped shot at an NFL career. I think they miss the fact that guys in the NFL come from ALL sizes of schools. If you are good enough to play in the NFL, you will.

"Won't happen to me syndrome". 

[fly757au 0]

You would think that recruits and parents would start to see the pattern. All they can see is some over-hyped shot at an NFL career. I think they miss the fact that guys in the NFL come from ALL sizes of schools. If you are good enough to play in the NFL, you will.

"Won't happen to me syndrome".   

Yea....until it does.....and then it really does hurt your NFL stock.

[auskull 242]

So much for honoring your committment. This practice is ultimately going to cause some adjustments at Bama. Media and public relations will ultimately win this one.

[Auburn4life 24]

Admins need to keep a list on here somewhere of recruits that get screwed or processed by Satan.  Be interesting to look at, and maybe pass on to Auburn staff for recruiting purposes

[DANSBY 0]

If you are a 3* you need to know going that this may happen. 4* or above you are in good shape.

I totally disagree with this.  These kids don't rank themselves.  In this kid's eyes he is a 5 star who can run with the best of them out there and was promised (by Saban) a shot to do this.  You shouldn't "know this is going to happen" just b/c some dude who works for a website thinks you should only have 3 stars by your name.  The ranking system is silly and overrated.  Saban evaluates his own prospects, he evaluated this kid and (like Darius Philon) thought he was good enough to deserve a scholarship to play at UAT, that is what should matter....not star rankings.  Imagine if guys like Nick Fairley, Sen'Derrick Marks, Darren Bates, Darvin Adams, etc... decided to just "accept" the fact that they were only 2 and 3 star players and agreed to take a backseat to more highly rated guys. 

Plain and simple, Saban is a selfish, ego driven jerk who will step on whomever he needs to and will gladly toss kids like this aside in his quest to build his legacy at Bama.  For the fanbase, the wins and championships will serve as justification for the poor way he treats people.  No matter how much they spin it or come to Saban's defense, they know deep down this is a crappy way to treat young people and a poor way to run a program. 

[fly757au 0]

Admins need to keep a list on here somewhere of recruits that get screwed or processed by Satan.  Be interesting to look at, and maybe pass on to Auburn staff for recruiting purposes

I believe www.oversigning.com has it all spelled out.