CoachC.
December 12th, 2006, 11:33:43 PM
I'm lucky enough (and good enough :D) to have been asked to coach on a staff for a Senior All-Star game here in Florida. I'm coaching the RB's and QB's. The game is this Saturday and we practice every night this week.
At practice there are usually 3 or 4 college recruiters and coaches coming to see a few specific kids and look at anyone else that may have flown under the radar. Usually it's an assistant and rarely a head coach that drops by.
So tonight, I'm standing on the field working with the punt team and in walks several college coaches. I noticed one right away. It was........the HEAD COACH of the UB BULLS.......Coach Turner Gill!! All the way down here in Florida! He had an assistant with him, as well. (UB hardly ever comes this far south to recruit, so I was pretty shocked to see him).
Of course I introduced myself to him as soon as I could and told him I was from Buffalo. We talked about WNY, about Florida, and of course talked some football. I told him even though I'm a Syracuse guy, I always root for the Buffalo-area teams and think what he's trying to do there is great.
He was there to see one kid specifically, but of course I introduced him to the QB I've coached the last three years (6'5"; 4.2 GPA; 1200 yards passing in the Wing-T offense) just in case. But that's a whole 'nother story.
So, anyway, the kid he was there to see is named Troy Kelly. He's an ILB and a terrific kid. Problem for UB is that Troy already has made a solid verbal commitment to the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, did so months ago, and has made that public knowledge. So, it was kind of odd to see Coach Gill making the trip to see Troy knowing this. But kids do change their minds sometimes -- so until he actually signs that letter of intent, anything can happen.
It speaks a lot of what Coach Gill is trying to do at UB by making a trip this far south to see a kid that has already said he's going elsewhere.
Just thought I'd drop that story on you guys.
By the way, here is Troy's recruiting page if you want to learn more about him:
http://ucf.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=49802&SR=TSN
At practice there are usually 3 or 4 college recruiters and coaches coming to see a few specific kids and look at anyone else that may have flown under the radar. Usually it's an assistant and rarely a head coach that drops by.
So tonight, I'm standing on the field working with the punt team and in walks several college coaches. I noticed one right away. It was........the HEAD COACH of the UB BULLS.......Coach Turner Gill!! All the way down here in Florida! He had an assistant with him, as well. (UB hardly ever comes this far south to recruit, so I was pretty shocked to see him).
Of course I introduced myself to him as soon as I could and told him I was from Buffalo. We talked about WNY, about Florida, and of course talked some football. I told him even though I'm a Syracuse guy, I always root for the Buffalo-area teams and think what he's trying to do there is great.
He was there to see one kid specifically, but of course I introduced him to the QB I've coached the last three years (6'5"; 4.2 GPA; 1200 yards passing in the Wing-T offense) just in case. But that's a whole 'nother story.
So, anyway, the kid he was there to see is named Troy Kelly. He's an ILB and a terrific kid. Problem for UB is that Troy already has made a solid verbal commitment to the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, did so months ago, and has made that public knowledge. So, it was kind of odd to see Coach Gill making the trip to see Troy knowing this. But kids do change their minds sometimes -- so until he actually signs that letter of intent, anything can happen.
It speaks a lot of what Coach Gill is trying to do at UB by making a trip this far south to see a kid that has already said he's going elsewhere.
Just thought I'd drop that story on you guys.
By the way, here is Troy's recruiting page if you want to learn more about him:
http://ucf.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=49802&SR=TSN