New QB Spring Leaders

[IronMan70 3,277]

I'm not talking about message board fodder as evidence. Yes, the reporter could not ask about Taylor by name but referred to "recent articles" so Gus could answer it and everybody in the room knew what he was asking about. Gus said "you don't go there", period. That includes Taylor.

And you have every right to take that as confirmation that we didn't recruit Taylor at all after his arrest, but even a modicum of healthy cynicism would lead one to withhold that assumption. To begin with, there is honesty, and then there is college football coach honesty, and rarely the twain shall meet. Remember, if Arkansas State fans think Gus is a one and done kind of guy, then they don't know him very well. Secondly, it doesn't matter what everybody in the room knew he was intimating. He didn't actually have to say it and he will forever have plausible deniability because of that. He wasn't in a court of law and he wasn't asked a direct question.

Oh, one other tidbit: Rodney Garner recruited Taylor to UGA. That's about as much evidence- along with Taylor's quotes and 247's subsequent report- that we were recruiting him as Malzahn's deft quote was that we weren't.

Money post right here

....but no evidence.

[IronMan70 3,277]

The reporter sure didn't have that evidence and when asked directly, Gus denied it and said we wouldn't go there.

FTFY

CBFA (changed back for accuracy)

Word games now ? His answer was direct and to the point. You know what happened as much as I do. Technically Gus couldn't answer a direct question about a recruit, by name, so it had to be about the hot topic of the day, the article, which was about Taylor.

[Mikey 16,643]

I'm with IronMan here. I recall no indication that we were interested in Taylor after his incident came to light. Garner recruiting Taylor to UGA before the incident is entirely unrelated to what happened with AU's recruiting plans recruiting after the incident. Those dots do not connect at all.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

I am a skeptic in general but I have to have evidence before I am going to call a man a liar. There is way too much speculation going on in today's media and fan bases.

Thank you for that. It's one thing to speculate on how and why something happened, but it really bugs me when the conclusion is "he's lying" when the proof is not there. I realize that our culture is shifting to a place where a lie is as common as the truth, but I like to think there are still good men out there who say what they mean and mean what they say.

[McLoofus 35,182]

The reporter sure didn't have that evidence and when asked indirectly, Gus denied it and said we wouldn't go there.

FTFY

Word games now ? You know what happened as much as I do. Technically Gus couldn't answer a direct question about a recruit by name so it had to be about the hot topic of the say, the article, which was about Taylor.

No word games. You keep saying that he was asked a direct question when that is not true. You keep saying that he specifically denied recruiting Taylor after his arrest and that is not true. You don't see it, but I assure you there is a seismic gap there.

By the way, I'm not saying with any certainty that Gus was intentionally misleading. What I'm saying is that you can't say with any certainty that he wasn't.

And Mikey, as I very explicitly stated, Garner recruiting Taylor to UGA is evidence that we were recruiting him as concrete as Gus's ambiguous response to an indirect question that we weren't. As in, it's not.

[Tiger 8,829]

I'm not talking about message board fodder as evidence. Yes, the reporter could not ask about Taylor by name but referred to "recent articles" so Gus could answer it and everybody in the room knew what he was asking about. Gus said "you don't go there", period. That includes Taylor.

And you have every right to take that as confirmation that we didn't recruit Taylor at all after his arrest, but even a modicum of healthy cynicism would lead one to withhold that assumption. To begin with, there is honesty, and then there is college football coach honesty, and rarely the twain shall meet. Remember, if Arkansas State fans think Gus is a one and done kind of guy, then they don't know him very well. Secondly, it doesn't matter what everybody in the room knew he was intimating. He didn't actually have to say it and he will forever have plausible deniability because of that. He wasn't in a court of law and he wasn't asked a direct question.

Oh, one other tidbit: Rodney Garner recruited Taylor to UGA. That's about as much evidence- along with Taylor's quotes and 247's subsequent report- that we were recruiting him as Malzahn's deft quote was that we weren't.

Money post right here

....but no evidence.

The bolded part in McLoofus' post, to me, is all I need to know when assessing the red flags that have been entering the program and how much a coach will divulge about particular topics. I must say I envy your ability to trust, though. But why would Taylor say AU is recruiting him if we weren't? That's so random and weird. Although, I guess he could've been like that one kid who staged an entire signing day announcement. I'm connecting dots here rather than waiting for someone to flat out say it to a beat writer.

[McLoofus 35,182]

I'm connecting dots here rather than waiting for someone to flat out say it to a beat writer.

Yeah, I'm curious how a guilty Gus would've responded to that question. (Hint to several folks other than Tiger: He would've said the exact same thing.)

[Barnacle 9,064]

A lot of people are making assumptions that if Gus wants Jenkins (and Jenkins wants to come to Auburn), that its a done deal. In cases like this, where we are talking about someone accused of domestic violence (and who is under court order to seek counseling, among other things), I promise you that Gus will have to approve that decision with those above him. In cases like this you have to take into consideration what is in the best interest of the University and not just the football team. Although the interests of both are generally the same, in cases like this one, they may not be.

[McLoofus 35,182]

A lot of people are making assumptions that if Gus wants Jenkins (and Jenkins wants to come to Auburn), that its a done deal. In cases like this, where we are talking about someone accused of domestic violence (and who is under court order to seek counseling, among other things), I promise you that Gus will have to approve that decision with those above him. In cases like this you have to take into consideration what is in the best interest of the University and not just the football team. Although the interests of both are generally the same, in cases like this one, they may not be.

Thanks for the redirect. I agree with all of this.

Crap, I already forgot- Is Jenkins still in good standing with Jax State? He is, right?

[IronMan70 3,277]

I'm not talking about message board fodder as evidence. Yes, the reporter could not ask about Taylor by name but referred to "recent articles" so Gus could answer it and everybody in the room knew what he was asking about. Gus said "you don't go there", period. That includes Taylor.

And you have every right to take that as confirmation that we didn't recruit Taylor at all after his arrest, but even a modicum of healthy cynicism would lead one to withhold that assumption. To begin with, there is honesty, and then there is college football coach honesty, and rarely the twain shall meet. Remember, if Arkansas State fans think Gus is a one and done kind of guy, then they don't know him very well. Secondly, it doesn't matter what everybody in the room knew he was intimating. He didn't actually have to say it and he will forever have plausible deniability because of that. He wasn't in a court of law and he wasn't asked a direct question.

Oh, one other tidbit: Rodney Garner recruited Taylor to UGA. That's about as much evidence- along with Taylor's quotes and 247's subsequent report- that we were recruiting him as Malzahn's deft quote was that we weren't.

Money post right here

....but no evidence.

The bolded part in McLoofus' post, to me, is all I need to know when assessing the red flags that have been entering the program and how much a coach will divulge about particular topics. I must say I envy your ability to trust, though. But why would Taylor say AU is recruiting him if we weren't? That's so random and weird. Although, I guess he could've been like that one kid who staged an entire signing day announcement. I'm connecting dots here rather than waiting for someone to flat out say it to a beat writer.

Well actually that Loofus post was to me. However, the answer to the question in your post is an easy one. To create interest in his recruitment after he messed up. They do it all the time. There is no evidence, none, that Auburn tried to recruit Taylor. Message board speculation like yours and Loofs, are not fact. If anybody has it, as I said, I would like to see it.

[IronMan70 3,277]

The reporter sure didn't have that evidence and when asked indirectly, Gus denied it and said we wouldn't go there.

FTFY

Word games now ? You know what happened as much as I do. Technically Gus couldn't answer a direct question about a recruit by name so it had to be about the hot topic of the say, the article, which was about Taylor.

No word games. You keep saying that he was asked a direct question when that is not true. You keep saying that he specifically denied recruiting Taylor after his arrest and that is not true. You don't see it, but I assure you there is a seismic gap there.

By the way, I'm not saying with any certainty that Gus was intentionally misleading. What I'm saying is that you can't say with any certainty that he wasn't.

And Mikey, as I very explicitly stated, Garner recruiting Taylor to UGA is evidence that we were recruiting him as concrete as Gus's ambiguous response to an indirect question that we weren't. As in, it's not.

No, it is true. He was asked a direct question about an article that was about Taylor and Auburn recruiting him. That happened to be the hot topic of the day. You like to speculate and connect dots, connect those dots. Yes, I can say that Gus is not lying or misleading because to this day there is no evidence to the contrary, none, only speculation.

[McLoofus 35,182]

But why would Taylor say AU is recruiting him if we weren't?

The answer to the question in bold is an easy one. To create interest in his recruitment after he messed up. They do it all the time.

I do agree that is a potential reason why Taylor might've fudged the truth.

Message board speculation like yours and Loofs, are not fact.

But an ambiguous answer to an indirect question from a guy who has told at least one whopper of a lie on the big stage is.

[Tiger 8,829]

I'm not talking about message board fodder as evidence. Yes, the reporter could not ask about Taylor by name but referred to "recent articles" so Gus could answer it and everybody in the room knew what he was asking about. Gus said "you don't go there", period. That includes Taylor.

And you have every right to take that as confirmation that we didn't recruit Taylor at all after his arrest, but even a modicum of healthy cynicism would lead one to withhold that assumption. To begin with, there is honesty, and then there is college football coach honesty, and rarely the twain shall meet. Remember, if Arkansas State fans think Gus is a one and done kind of guy, then they don't know him very well. Secondly, it doesn't matter what everybody in the room knew he was intimating. He didn't actually have to say it and he will forever have plausible deniability because of that. He wasn't in a court of law and he wasn't asked a direct question.

Oh, one other tidbit: Rodney Garner recruited Taylor to UGA. That's about as much evidence- along with Taylor's quotes and 247's subsequent report- that we were recruiting him as Malzahn's deft quote was that we weren't.

Money post right here

....but no evidence.

The bolded part in McLoofus' post, to me, is all I need to know when assessing the red flags that have been entering the program and how much a coach will divulge about particular topics. I must say I envy your ability to trust, though. But why would Taylor say AU is recruiting him if we weren't? That's so random and weird. Although, I guess he could've been like that one kid who staged an entire signing day announcement. I'm connecting dots here rather than waiting for someone to flat out say it to a beat writer.

The answer to the question in bold is an easy one. To create interest in his recruitment after he messed up. They do it all the time. There is no evidence, none, that Auburn tried to recruit Taylor. Message board speculation like yours and Loofs, are not fact. If anybody has it, as I said, I would like to see it.

That's fair. That is definitely possible and could see that happening. But really we are just opting to look at it differently. No concrete evidence on both sides. Gus is a master of BSing pressers. He's better than even Chiz at constructing empty sentences.

This article says we are recruiting him and he was going to visit: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/09/auburn_reportedly_recruiting_d.html

This article cites an auburnundercover.com report that we were recruiting him: http://flywareagle.com/2014/09/24/auburn-football-recruiting-update-jonathon-taylor-option/

And this article says, at the end, that Gus actually could have flat out said "yes" or "no" if they were recruiting him but could not have said anything else: http://recruiting.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/25/notebook-auburn-and-louisville-recruiting-dismissed-uga-player/

These articles keep talking about how Thomas was going to take a visit to AU. Did he actually ever do that? I'm assuming not or else that would give us a really clear answer.

[AU-24 3,107]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

[Tiger 8,829]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

It's deeper than that. Opposing coaches go into the living rooms' of these kids we are trying to recruit and telling the parents "look at what kind of characters AU is bringing in to their program. Do you really want your kid surrounded with X, Y, and Z for 4 years?"

Real or not, if the perception is out there others will use it against us. We've already had a problem with this with on or near-campus shootings and one of our players freaking DIED and we brought a kid in who his juco coach did not want him to go back home because he thought he was capable of doing something that would land him in jail for a long time -- or worse.

[McLoofus 35,182]

From the last article:

If there’s any confusion over whether or not Auburn is recruiting Taylor, that’s 100% on Auburn. NCAA rules clearly permit a college to publicly confirm a “yes” or “no” on if they’re recruiting specific athlete. They can’t say anything more publicly until a kid signs, but they can say that.

It's almost as if he wasn't asked a direct question and didn't give a direct answer. I'll be damned.

[AU-24 3,107]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

It's deeper than that. Opposing coaches go into the living rooms' of these kids we are trying to recruit and telling the parents "look at what kind of characters AU is bringing in to their program. Do you really want your kid surrounded with X, Y, and Z for 4 years?"

Real or not, if the perception is out there others will use it against us.

Look at the character traits LSU, updyke U and Thuga recruit. Didn't seem to matter to their recent recruiting classes.

Let's stop worrying and win!

[AUIH1 1,515]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

It's deeper than that. Opposing coaches go into the living rooms' of these kids we are trying to recruit and telling the parents "look at what kind of characters AU is bringing in to their program. Do you really want your kid surrounded with X, Y, and Z for 4 years?"

Real or not, if the perception is out there others will use it against us.

Look at the character traits LSU, updyke U and Thuga recruit. Didn't seem to matter to their recent recruiting classes.

Let's stop worrying and win!

We are recruiting the same recruits as LSU, spuat and uga. What is your point?

wde

[Barnacle 9,064]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

I'm not worried about what people will say if Auburn takes Jenkins. I'm concerned about what would happen if Jenkins were to get in trouble after enrolling at Auburn for anything related to domestic abuse. I'm worried about what I'm communicating to my female students when I recruit guys accused of domestic violence. The reality is that domestic abuse is a hot button issue. Its a talking point on every college campus across America, and schools are taking measures everywhere to ensure that their students, particularly female students are safe. He could be a great kid. He might not have anger management issues or problems with women. He probably wouldn't get in any trouble at all. I'm not arguing that he would, although he is under court order to avoid the accuser, attend school full time and attend counseling. He's not coming without some strings attached, despite the charges being dropped. They were dropped conditionally.

However, if God-forbid he were to be accused, charged, or convicted of domestic abuse by a female student, the University now looks like it is enabling abusers, and knowingly making Auburn a less safe environment for its female students. Thats the narrative. We wouldn't be talking about how this hurt us in recruiting, we would be talking about how this hurts the University because now its having to defend itself to students, faculty, parents, prospective students, not to mention the victim and the entire national media.

Granted, that's a worse case scenario, but what's the best case scenario? We win a couple more football games? Does anyone believe that Eli Jenkins would bring Auburn a title? If you think he would, would you be willing to forgive more serious transgressions?

I just don't get this "win more football games, who cares" mentality. It's not all about winning football games. I didn't even attend Auburn University but looking at this from the prospective of the University, its a bad move.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

I'm not worried about what people will say if Auburn takes Jenkins. I'm concerned about what would happen if Jenkins were to get in trouble after enrolling at Auburn for anything related to domestic abuse. I'm worried about what I'm communicating to my female students when I recruit guys accused of domestic violence. The reality is that domestic abuse is a hot button issue. Its a talking point on every college campus across America, and schools are taking measures everywhere to ensure that their students, particularly female students are safe. He could be a great kid. He might not have anger management issues or problems with women. He probably wouldn't get in any trouble at all. I'm not arguing that he would, although he is under court order to avoid the accuser, attend school full time and attend counseling. He's not coming without some strings attached, despite the charges being dropped. They were dropped conditionally.

However, if God-forbid he were to be accused, charged, or convicted of domestic abuse by a female student, the University now looks like it is enabling abusers, and knowingly making Auburn a less safe environment for its female students. Thats the narrative. We wouldn't be talking about how this hurt us in recruiting, we would be talking about how this hurts the University because now its having to defend itself to students, faculty, parents, prospective students, not to mention the victim and the entire national media.

Granted, that's a worse case scenario, but what's the best case scenario? We win a couple more football games? Does anyone believe that Eli Jenkins would bring Auburn a title? If you think he would, would you be willing to forgive more serious transgressions?

I just don't get this "win more football games, who cares" mentality. It's not all about winning football games. I didn't even attend Auburn University but looking at this from the prospective of the University, its a bad move.

I've got to side with you on this one. With several schools under serious scrutiny, if not actual lawsuits, because of alleged abuse of women at the hands of athletes, the last thing Auburn needs to do is bring in a player who could be considered a threat. The only way I would be okay with them bringing him on board is if his name were to be completely cleared in a manner where there was no question that he was falsely accused.

[AUIH1 1,515]

I understand, but when your job is on the line if you don't win, you will roll with whom-ever gets you the most W's.

Gus has proven he will give second and third chances. It worked with Cam and Nick, it didn't work with Duke.

Please don't worry about what-ever reporter will say what-ever. Some won't compliment AU Reguardless of what we do!

Neither Cam nor Nick allegedly hit a woman.

I trust Gus, if you don't, you have every right not to. This whole thing started with statements like: Jenkins has a history of this...why take a chance on someone with his history etc...

Jenkins does not have a history of this, he has not been a problem child and he has already earned his degree. The police were called by a third party that over heard an argument, not the women. He cooperated fully with police, the same women did not press charges, it was a third degree misdemeanor, not some kind of a felony.

Gus and staff have a very good moral compass (one of the better in the country) I trust Gus on this one, again, if you don't you have every right.

It seems to me people are more worried about: Oh what will the media say? What will the updykes say? What will BSPN say? What will Verne say?

As we all know, the above mentioned will not say anything positive about AU anyway, so who cares?

I'm not worried about what people will say if Auburn takes Jenkins. I'm concerned about what would happen if Jenkins were to get in trouble after enrolling at Auburn for anything related to domestic abuse. I'm worried about what I'm communicating to my female students when I recruit guys accused of domestic violence. The reality is that domestic abuse is a hot button issue. Its a talking point on every college campus across America, and schools are taking measures everywhere to ensure that their students, particularly female students are safe. He could be a great kid. He might not have anger management issues or problems with women. He probably wouldn't get in any trouble at all. I'm not arguing that he would, although he is under court order to avoid the accuser, attend school full time and attend counseling. He's not coming without some strings attached, despite the charges being dropped. They were dropped conditionally.

However, if God-forbid he were to be accused, charged, or convicted of domestic abuse by a female student, the University now looks like it is enabling abusers, and knowingly making Auburn a less safe environment for its female students. Thats the narrative. We wouldn't be talking about how this hurt us in recruiting, we would be talking about how this hurts the University because now its having to defend itself to students, faculty, parents, prospective students, not to mention the victim and the entire national media.

Granted, that's a worse case scenario, but what's the best case scenario? We win a couple more football games? Does anyone believe that Eli Jenkins would bring Auburn a title? If you think he would, would you be willing to forgive more serious transgressions?

I just don't get this "win more football games, who cares" mentality. It's not all about winning football games. I didn't even attend Auburn University but looking at this from the prospective of the University, its a bad move.

All of this. For full disclosure I was not in favor of us signing Cam nor Nick either based on their previous issues. Cam in his one season at AU managed to stay out of trouble though so that is good.

[IronMan70 3,277]

From the last article:

If there’s any confusion over whether or not Auburn is recruiting Taylor, that’s 100% on Auburn. NCAA rules clearly permit a college to publicly confirm a “yes” or “no” on if they’re recruiting specific athlete. They can’t say anything more publicly until a kid signs, but they can say that.

It's almost as if he wasn't asked a direct question and didn't give a direct answer. I'll be damned.

Except that it's not quite as clear as AJC's Carvell trys to make it appear. Of course, AJC and Carvell are not the depository of accuracy for all things AU but in the 3rd article the reporter states exactly what the reporters in the presser said at the time.......

"There’s no doubt," Malzahn said. "You don’t go there."

"He didn’t mention Taylor by name, because coaches are not allowed to discuss individual recruiting targets, but based on Malzahn’s comments, pursuing Taylor doesn’t seem likely."

[IronMan70 3,277]

I'm not talking about message board fodder as evidence. Yes, the reporter could not ask about Taylor by name but referred to "recent articles" so Gus could answer it and everybody in the room knew what he was asking about. Gus said "you don't go there", period. That includes Taylor.

And you have every right to take that as confirmation that we didn't recruit Taylor at all after his arrest, but even a modicum of healthy cynicism would lead one to withhold that assumption. To begin with, there is honesty, and then there is college football coach honesty, and rarely the twain shall meet. Remember, if Arkansas State fans think Gus is a one and done kind of guy, then they don't know him very well. Secondly, it doesn't matter what everybody in the room knew he was intimating. He didn't actually have to say it and he will forever have plausible deniability because of that. He wasn't in a court of law and he wasn't asked a direct question.

Oh, one other tidbit: Rodney Garner recruited Taylor to UGA. That's about as much evidence- along with Taylor's quotes and 247's subsequent report- that we were recruiting him as Malzahn's deft quote was that we weren't.

Money post right here

....but no evidence.

The bolded part in McLoofus' post, to me, is all I need to know when assessing the red flags that have been entering the program and how much a coach will divulge about particular topics. I must say I envy your ability to trust, though. But why would Taylor say AU is recruiting him if we weren't? That's so random and weird. Although, I guess he could've been like that one kid who staged an entire signing day announcement. I'm connecting dots here rather than waiting for someone to flat out say it to a beat writer.

The answer to the question in bold is an easy one. To create interest in his recruitment after he messed up. They do it all the time. There is no evidence, none, that Auburn tried to recruit Taylor. Message board speculation like yours and Loofs, are not fact. If anybody has it, as I said, I would like to see it.

That's fair. That is definitely possible and could see that happening. But really we are just opting to look at it differently. No concrete evidence on both sides. Gus is a master of BSing pressers. He's better than even Chiz at constructing empty sentences.

This article says we are recruiting him and he was going to visit: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/09/auburn_reportedly_recruiting_d.html

This article cites an auburnundercover.com report that we were recruiting him: http://flywareagle.com/2014/09/24/auburn-football-recruiting-update-jonathon-taylor-option/

And this article says, at the end, that Gus actually could have flat out said "yes" or "no" if they were recruiting him but could not have said anything else: http://recruiting.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/25/notebook-auburn-and-louisville-recruiting-dismissed-uga-player/

These articles keep talking about how Thomas was going to take a visit to AU. Did he actually ever do that? I'm assuming not or else that would give us a really clear answer.

Yes, the Al.com article set it off and I remember reading 2 of those articles at the time. They all have something in common. Their only source on AU was the statement(s) by Taylor. After that, the rest of the articles are reporter speculation on, the what ifs, the whys, the why nots, etc. Other than Gus saying don't go there, there is nothing from Auburn. Anyway....

[AU64 10,122]

I don't care what bammers or the other SEC guys say about AU but as an AU graduate I do care how AU is perceived by the public at large. The school has spent a lot of money to raise it's academic reputation and general reputation among universities in the US.

What bothers me is seeing that effort dashed by a few "win at any cost" people willing to sell the reputation of the university in hopes the school can win another football game or two with athletes who could not normally qualify for admittance to Auburn based on their academic accomplishments while in HS...or who manage to keep their legal issues confined to misdemeanor status.

[AUIH1 1,515]

I don't care what bammers or the other SEC guys say about AU but as an AU graduate I do care how AU is perceived by the public at large. The school has spent a lot of money to raise it's academic reputation and general reputation among universities in the US.

What bothers me is seeing that effort dashed by a few "win at any cost" people willing to sell the reputation of the university in hopes the school can win another football game or two with athletes who could not normally qualify for admittance to Auburn based on their academic accomplishments while in HS...or who manage to keep their legal issues confined to misdemeanor status.

AMEN. I agree with you 100%. But you do realize that the AU football program jumped the "don't damage the reputation of the university" shark long, long ago right? In terms of athletics, AU is a football factory and has been for many decades.

wde