Mind numbing UCF/USF drivel, et al

[813knight]

funny the difference between the Louisville paper and Orlando paper version of this story....w/ D. Smith's immaturity and ego I doubt he gets close to beating out Godfrey, he's about to be humbled in a big way.

You're actually happy about having a disgruntled player who'll be sitting behind another player for the next 3 years?

I'm just happy it could upset those loon fans at Louisville

By Iliana Limón, Orlando Sentinel

11:13 p.m. EDT, June 2, 2011

Kentucky star quarterback DaMarcus Smith says he wants to go to UCF instead of Louisville after all, according to his mother.

Smith, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback who shined at Louisville's Seneca High School, has been part of an epic recruiting process. He has changed his mind four times, wavering between the Cardinals and the Knights.

Smith was rated the No. 11 quarterback in the 2011 recruiting class and a four-star prospect by Rivals.com. He passed for 3,227 yards and 32 touchdowns during his senior season, earning first team all-state honors.

"DaMarcus is going to honor his letter of intent and he's going to be a Knight," Smith's mother, Daytonya Ward, told the Orlando Sentinel Thursday night.

Michael Fluellen, Smith's high school teammate who was recruited by Kentucky and Marshall, told the Sentinel Thursday night he also plans to enroll at UCF this summer.

Smith first committed to hometown Louisville in December 2009. Smith planned to enroll at Louisville in January 2010 following his senior season, but he was two classes short of qualifying academically.

He took a recruiting visit to UCF a week before National Signing Day and Ward said he fell in love with the school.

"He wanted to commit right away, but I told him he had to wait and really think about his decision," she said.

Ward said the city of Orlando, the new facilities on UCF's campus, the coaches and his future teammates all made him feel comfortable with the idea of leaving home.

On Feb. 3, Smith held a press conference at his school and announced he had signed a letter of intent to play for UCF.

"Throughout this process, I really haven't given myself a chance to be recruited by anyone else because I've been loyal and committed to the University of Louisville," Smith said during the press conference streamed live online by the Louisville Courier-Journal. "As I gave them an opportunity and I opened up to [uCF], I began to fall in love with this university, with the coaching staff and the environment in Orlando."

Shortly after his announcement rumors began to circulate that Smith was having second thoughts about his decision.

UCF coach George O'Leary said Smith visited the school in early March and reaffirmed his commitment to the Knights.

"He left me saying he was 100 percent a Knight," O'Leary said, alluding to rumors dating back to February that Smith was unhappy with his decision and planned to ask to be released from his letter of intent. "But every time he goes back to the Louisville area, it seems to be questionable what's taking place there."

O'Leary said Smith's mother contacted him on March 28 and asked for a release from his letter of intent. O'Leary denied the request.

Ward said Smith filed an appeal with the National Letter of Intent board, which was scheduled to review it in late June. She said she will contact the board Friday to rescind Smith's request. He hopes to enroll at UCF for the second summer session that starts June 23 if his final two high school course credits are approved by the NCAA.

Smith's mother said she is confident this ends a long recruiting process for her son.

"I told DaMarcus if he wants to play next season, he can't change his mind again," she said.

Ward said Smith had the final say on where he attended college and ultimately chose UCF after spending a lot of time thinking about his future.

She said a family illness was one of the big reasons her son wavered on his commitment to UCF. Ward said the health of the relative, who she did not want to identify, has improved and made Smith feel more comfortable with the idea of leaving home.

She said Louisville fans, who were disappointed when Smith chose UCF over the Cardinals, put a lot of pressure on her son.

"They're very passionate about their team and they said some terrible things about me, his mother, and really pushed him," she said. "It was a very difficult process for him."

She stressed quarterback competition at Louisville and UCF had nothing to do with his decision. Ward said current UCF starting quarterback Jeff Godfrey hosted Smith on his official visit and said he looked forward to competing against Smith, pushing each other to get improve.

"DaMarcus is a competitor," she said. "He has played against the best and he would never back down from a challenge."

Smith's recruitment also has been the subject of considerable scrutiny beyond Louisville and Orlando.

Smith was one of three recruits mentioned in articles published by the New York Times and ESPN.com questioning UCF's recruiting practices. The players were recruited by both UCF and Louisville. The media outlets alleged UCF may have been relying on Ken Caldwell and Brandon Bender, two figures potentially tied to professional sports agents, to steer football and basketball players to the school. Caldwell and Bender have denied they did anything that violated NCAA rules.

UCF has been contacted by the NCAA and launched an internal review of its recruiting practices.

Ward said she feels confident about her son's future at UCF, regardless of what Louisville fans and national media outlets report about the school.

"I'm just excited to be part of the UCF family," she said.

ilimon@tribune.com or 407-650-6353. Read Iliana Limón's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/knightsnotepad.

[813knight]

just making the postseason is great for the UCF Baseball program, about a month ago I didn't think we would even get in...good to see the program back

[UCFChad]

I haven't had a chance to view the box score. :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO

[South_Florida_Flip]

We sucked this season and you still couldn't take the series from us.

[UCFChad]

We sucked this season and you still couldn't take the series from us.

[/quote

The bottom line is that we are in the post season.

[flsportsfan83]

I haven't had a chance to view the box score. :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO

Im still looking for UCF in the Big East standings. I thought you said you would be BCS by now.

[bulldozier1]

“In his heart, he really wanted to be a Cardinal,†Smith's mother Daytonya Ward said Friday. “But as of this fall, he is going to be a Knight.â€

My question is, how much did it cost

them for him to change his mind?

[South_Florida_Flip]

We sucked this season and you still couldn't take the series from us.

The bottom line is that we are in the post season.

You're not anymore.

[South_Florida_Flip]

My question is, how much did it cost them for him to change his mind?

Had to be more than what UL was offering.

[Guest nybullsfan]

“In his heart, he really wanted to be a Cardinal,†Smith's mother Daytonya Ward said Friday. “But as of this fall, he is going to be a Knight.â€

My question is, how much did it cost

them for him to change his mind?

In his heart, he really wanted to be a Cardinal, but in his wallet, he wanted to be a Knight