http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/04/georgia_signee_says_he_felt_aw.htmlGeorgia signee says he felt "awkward" around Nick Saban, laughed at Gene Chizik
Published: Monday, April 02, 2012, 12:12 PM
By Matt Scalici, al.com
Hamilton, Georgia defensive end Jordan Jenkins was one of the top targets for both Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Auburn's Gene Chizik in the 2012 recruiting cycle, but the Crimson Tide and Tigers weren't able to woo Jenkins away from the home-state Georgia Bulldogs.
According to an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jenkins said that part of what kept him from committing to the Tide was a lack of personal connection with Saban.
"I was a lot closer to Coach (Kirby) Smart than I was with Coach Saban," Jenkins told the AJC's Micheal Carvell. "When Coach Saban is around a bunch of football players, he's more open than he is when it's just you and your family. Coach Saban is a great coach but he's a quiet guy. It sometimes felt awkward being around him."
Jenkins said that his family's lack of confidence in the long-term stability of the Tide coaching staff also played a role in his decision.
"My mom didn't know ... she was always uncertain how long coach Sal Sunseri and coach Kirby Smart were going to be at Alabama. And then, a few days after [I committed], Coach Sal was gone to Tennessee."
Jenkins also commented on Auburn head coach Gene Chizik's recruiting tactics, saying he found them hard to take seriously.
"When coach Gene Chizik was comparing Auburn and Alabama, he put up a slide that showed they had more wins, more this and that ... then he started talking about Florida and how Will Muschamp follows in his shoes. I started busting out laughing. He said 'When I was at Auburn the first time [as an assistant] and after I left, Muschamp came here. Then I was at Texas and after I left, Muschamp came there.' He went on and on. He said 'Muschamp just follows in my footsteps' and it was hilarious the way he said it."
Jenkins was rated the top player in the state of Georgia in 2012 according to 247Sports.
Am I paranoid, or is this spun so that it looks like he's saying he is intimidated by Saban's greatness and was laughing at what a clownish fool Chizik is?
They left out this quote from the
original interview:
She never really got a vibe or real ‘family feel’ for Coach Saban.
Also, this is the full context of the Chizik part:
What was the funniest thing a college coach said to you? “This wasn’t meant to be as insulting as it sounds. When coach Gene Chizik was comparing Auburn and Alabama, he put up a slide that showed they had more wins, more this and that … then he started talking about Florida and how Will Muschamp follows in his shoes. I started busting out laughing. He said ‘When I was at Auburn the first time [as an assistant] and after I left, Muschamp came here. Then I was at Texas and after I left, Muschamp came there.’ He went on and on. He said ‘Muschamp just follows in my footsteps’ and it was hilarious the way he said it.”
Sounds to me like he wasn't saying that any of those things were ridiculous recruiting tactics, but rather that he was joking with the kid about Muschamp following him everywhere he goes (which is true). As for the "more wins than Alabama", I don't see what's so funny about that. I'm sure he wasn't throwing false facts up there. Maybe he was presenting this in a humorous way, but it doesn't sound at all like he's saying he was laughing at how ridiculous the notion is that Auburn has "more wins, more this and that", as the al.com writer seems to be spinning it.
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