Conner Rafferty OT Robinson HS Tampa

[NAM37]

The mother of Robinson LT Connor Rafferty has confirmed that USF has rescinded its scholarship offer to her son, a first-team pick on the Times' 2012 all-Suncoast team.

 

Tracy Rafferty told the Times early Monday morning that new Bulls offensive coordinator Walt Wells informed Rafferty by phone around 10:30 on Sunday evening. Rafferty's dad, Robin, called Wells back and was told Connor wasn't in the plans of new Bulls coach Willie Taggart's staff, Tracy Rafferty said.

 

"He said it would be in Connor's best interest if he were to pursue other offers at this time," Tracy Rafferty said.

 

"He said that they looked at film and they compared him with other offers they had, and that he was on the list but they didn't think they would get to him. So he said in his professional opinion, it would be in his best interest to pursue any other offers he would have."

 

Tracy Rafferty said her son, an honors student who takes dual-enrollment courses at Hillsborough Community College, has no other offers. He even stopped attending camps after receiving the offer from USF last summer, when Skip Holtz was Bulls coach.

 

National Signing Day, the first day high school seniors may sign a National Letter of Intent, is Feb. 6.

 

"I feel we were blindsided here by this," said former Knights coach Mike DePue, who retired at the end of the '12 season.

 

"(Three) weeks 'til National Signing Day, and we're throwing his name out there again. Maybe this wasn't a good fit for him, but I'm not pleased with the direction this organization's taking. ... Right now, if I were the coach here, (USF) would not be welcome here right now."

 

DePue said this is the second time in three seasons one of his players has had an offer withdrawn by a Taggart-coached program. J.J. Hubbard, leading rusher from the Knights' 2010 team, had his offer withdrawn from Western Kentucky, then coached by Taggart. Hubbard currently is a tailback/return specialist at Division I-AA Gardner-Webb.

 

NCAA rules prohibit colleges from commenting on recruits until they have signed. Rafferty's classmate, two-way Knights lineman Bruce Hector, remains a Bulls commitment but visited Buffalo two weekends ago.

 

Rafferty (6-foot-3, 280 pounds) was wideley considered the most physical player on the Knights' all-senior offensive line, which created lanes for a running game that averaged more than 215 pounds. Robinson (12-2) reached the Class 5A state semifinals.

 

"He's disappointed, but we sat down and prayed about it," Tracy Rafferty said. "We figured there was something else in his future. I want him to keep a positive attitude."

 

 

http://www.tampabay.com/hometeam/blog/usf-withdraws-scholarship-offer-connor-rafferty/16258/

 

Poor kid.

[Triple B]

That is not right.

[FatDaddyBull]

We only get one side of the story, so we'll never know what was said to the kid.

Just hope it doesn't bother his teammate we had committed

[NCBull]

I hope the other OL prospects actually sign...this kid was in the bag.

[nobull.Bulls]

That sucks for the kid, hopefully he lands a scholarship somewhere and we land Kirkland

[Carolina_Bull]

Kid should call Skip at Louisiana Tech and tell him USF just gave him the shaft because Skip was such an awful coach and even worse recruiter.  Seek redress in the form of a scholarship to L. Tech.

[Who'sYourData?]

Maybe this kid just wasn't good enough. No other offers, not even FAU?

 

You have to realize that this kid was firmly committed to USF.  Why would another school bother? 

[USF Bulls Football]

It happens. No disrespect intended, but there are/were about 4 or 5 offers to kids that should have never happened. I'd rather the coach be honest and say you may neer play a down here than figure it out after 2 or 3 yrs and transfer.

[Reliable Source]

I like what Taggart did. Shows we mean business. This kid had to know this was coming. Don't believe everything you read. I am sure we will patch it up with Depue and his successor. If we wanted what Skip was dishing up. we should have kept him.

[Triple B]

I like what Taggart did. Shows we mean business. This kid had to know this was coming. Don't believe everything you read. I am sure we will patch it up with Depue and his successor. If we wanted what Skip was dishing up. we should have kept him.

 

How would he know it was coming if they were going to honor all the offers out there? And wasn't CWT supposed to have personally called or met all the commits a while ago? .... But I guess that could fall under your "don't believe everything you read" heading ....