http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/187 Recent articles about the Connecticut Huskies en-us Whether you believe he's a legend in the making or a liar, Urban Meyer stokes passions on all sides. Legend advocates will cite his second-year National Championship and a sophomore Heisman Trophy winner. Liar advocates are lining up against Meyer as stories continue to build, just as bridges linking Meyer to other coaches continue to burn. Consider these recent stories from other sites and sources on Meyer's recruiting tactics. It's unlikely the following schools have Meyer on their Christmas card list. LSU: Florida was ready to take all-star corner Patrick Johnson with what they thought was a bogus test score, but he committed to LSU. How did Florida respond? "Florida flagged my scores," Johnson said. "They called the compliance office." "I'm not upset," Johnson said. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)." FSU (posted on noledigest.com): "While Gator fans will sit and give excuses or spin the details of what is going on, there is no denying that it seems like the UF staff flat-out lies to these kids. "Here is a quote from Trent Pupello (a player they initially compared to Jeremy Shockey), who is looking to leave the program this year: 'Coach (Steve) Addazio (UF tight ends coach) told me to work on my speed,' Pupello said. 'He didn't say that my speed was slow or anything. He just said that everything (at this level) is faster. "'I need to work on speed and getting stronger, which is pretty much what we all need to work on. He said that they need me at tight end, that I'll have an early chance to play and that all of the tight ends will play on the special teams.'" Michigan site (on the recruitment of Daryl Stonum): The University of Florida stayed on the four star pass-catcher well all the way through. Things crescendoed recently after a conversation with Urban Meyer. According to Stonum, Meyer had a compelling reason why he should become a Gator. "He told me that he talked to Coach Carr and Coach Soup and that they told him that I would be a much better fit in the Florida offense than I would be in the one at Michigan," Stonum recalled. "I thought, wow, my coaches are selling me out? I confronted them about it. I asked Coach Carr and Coach Soup about it, and they said they never talked to that guy and that there was no way they ever said anything like that and that they think I should be a Wolverine. I believed them. Right then, I knew just how Florida rolled." Just Funny: You can't tell the story about Jevan Snead enough (recounted in the book Meat Market). The funniest thing I read in it concerned what Urban Meyer told Jevan Snead. Snead had watched the Outside the Lines special on Tebow, which showed Meyer and OC Dan Mullen in the stands. Problem was, Meyer had told Snead, committed at the time, that he was the only quarterback they were going after. When Snead asked Meyer about it, Meyer responded, "We are recruiting him for linebacker." I had heard that before, but got a big kick out of reading it in the book straight from Snead. More LSU from Fox 26 in Houston: "Hempstead's Terrance Toliver, one of the nation's top high school football recruits, says negative recruiting tactics by the University of Florida first had him confused and bewildered. But in an unusual move, two Hempstead High School employees went above and beyond the call of duty to help Toliver make the biggest decision of his life. "After a vigorous early recruiting rush, it came down to LSU and Florida for Toliver, considered by many the No. 1 high school recruit in Texas and the best wide receiver in the nation. He ended up signing a letter-of-intent with LSU on National Signing Day Wednesday, but not before Florida coaches took several shots at LSU, leaving Toliver unsure what to do next. "'Every time (Florida recruiters) came, they just said LSU doesn't qualify their players,' Toliver told FOX 26's Mark Berman Wednesday. 'About (how) their academics are not all that. It kind of had me confused.'" "Eventually a bewildered Toliver asked his football coach Rick Sargent and Hempstead instructional coordinator Tina Johnson to go to Baton Rouge to find out the truth about LSU. The two went last weekend. 'They went and checked (LSU's) academics out and their facilities,' Toliver said. 'They just came back and told me whatever Florida was saying about the academics wasn't true.'" Notre Dame Blog: When Meyer recruited Justin Trattou he did so by the cover of night. Not that it's illegal, but he told Trattou not to tell anyone he was talking with Florida. Keep in mind that Trattou was committed to Notre Dame at the time. Amongst other things, Coach Meyer talked to Trattou about how the 3-4 defense was not a good fit for him and his football future (read: NFL, which is garbage—the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers all use the 3-4). Former Gators assistant coach Greg Mattison's favorite topics about Notre Dame (with several recruits), despite his previous love for the school, included how the weather sucked and the social life suffered. Case in point No. 2: Omar Hunter, same deal as before. Omar was snookered into lying to everyone from Notre Dame coaches and players to likely even his parents, especially his father, who wanted him at Notre Dame due to the academics. Hunter said that he was not talking to other schools, when in fact he was—Florida included—while being a Notre Dame commitment. In the end, Hunter was a fraud himself, but he was not the one who was truly taken for a ride. Coach Mattison recruited Hunter. He had an ax to grind with Notre Dame after leaving South Bend on not so good terms, and he definitely took it to another level with Hunter. Mattison, you see, had an assistant coaching job lined up with the Baltimore Ravens long before this past National Signing Day came around. So when Hunter switched his commitment to UF after initially deciding to attend Notre Dame, Mattison and Meyer did what came naturally. They lied to Hunter about the entire situation, telling Hunter that Mattison was not leaving Gainesville. Just by complete and total coincidence, Mattison ended up taking a job with the Ravens right after National Signing Day. Shocking! And oh yes, Notre Dame assistant coach Bill Lewis, who recently retired as a football coach, told Hunter what was about to happen. Hunter did not listen and signed with the Gators. Urban continues to build the best talent base not located in Southern California. Success certainly breeds enemies, but so does recruiting. Urban Legend or Urban Liar? Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291802 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291802 Athlon's fantasy conference previews continue with the Big East. How will the high-powered West Virginia attack adapt to a new head coach? Rutgers' wideout Kenny Britt is just one of many Scarlet Knight fantasy options in 2008. What about the UConn defense? Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:56:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288260 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288260 I think the biggest draw for this game is already being set up--the pupil vs. the mentor. But the underlying story line--one PSU fans may overlook--is the amazing job Golden has done in Philadelphia since his arrival in 2006. Five years ago, if you said "Temple" and "bowl game" in the same sentence, it was part of a joke. Now, it's a real possibility. Scary, huh? Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:21:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281533 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281533 Athlon Sports continues to profile the 2008 college fantasy season and up next is the Big East fantasy receiver ranks. Cincinnati's Marcus Barnett set a school record with 13 touchdown receptions last season, and this sophomore receiver begins 2008 atop the fantasy receiving options in the Big East. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:37:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281083 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281083 Pitt has hopes of contending for a Big East title in 2008 and running back LeSean McCoy will shoulder the bulk of the carries. After rushing for 1,328 yards year, fantasy owners should expect an even better year from this emerging sophomore in 2008 - and he'll begin the year as the top fantasy running back in the Big East. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:11:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278818 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278818 I continue on with my rankings for Big East defenses. This info should be helpful to those who play in leagues where points are earned based on team play. Some players are mentioned to help out those who play in individual player leagues. These rankings are my opinion and are based on several factors including experience, talent, schedule strength, etc. This is also in no way a reflection of my picks for how teams may or may not finish in the standings or polls during the season in terms of overall and conference records. Thanks to all who view these rankings, and feel free to reference back to my site when the season is on-going. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:26:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277507 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277507 I continue on with my rankings for Big East offenses. This info should be helpful to those who play in leagues where points are earned based on team play. Some players are mentioned to help out those who play in individual player leagues. These rankings are my opinion and are based on several factors including experience, talent, schedule strength, etc. This is also in no way a reflection of my picks for how teams may or may not finish in the standings or polls during the season in terms of overall and conference records. Thanks to all who view these rankings, and feel free to reference back to my site when the season is on-going. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:13:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276824 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276824 Eleanor Roosevelt's Derrick Thomas verbals to the Nittany Lions. Tue, 13 May 2008 11:25:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266452 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266452 Ten of the worst calls from this past season in college football in the link. Any I'm missing? Leave links in the comments. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:05:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/235312 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/235312 Syracuse released their 2008 football schedule today and among the big names making the trip to Central New York this year are the Penn State Nitanny Lions and the Akron Zips. I'll be happy just splitting those games because later on down the road, the brain trust at SU decided it would be a good idea to visit Notre Dame. I know they sucked last year, but so did we. Should be quite the ratings spike for NBC. Here is the complete run-down: August 30 at Northwestern September 6 AKRON September 13 PENN STATE September 20 NORTHEASTERN September 27 PITTSBURGH October 4 Open October 11 at West Virginia October 18 at South Florida October 25 Open November 1 LOUISVILLE November 8 at Rutgers November 15 CONNECTICUT November 22 at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m. NBC November 29 at Cincinnati With 12 games, I suppose we have a chance at becoming bowl eligible, but other than Akron and Northeastern, I'm not sure where we'll find those wins. At least opening day is on my birthday. Let's go Orange! Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:19:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/167982 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/167982 SportProjections.com has released their first version of the college football bowl projections for next season. Where is your team bowling? Visit each team page to get the latest headlines from local newspapers and the best bloggers on the web. Remember to add a profile for other sport fans to discuss the picks. If you're a blogger, add your profile and website address to help your SEO and advertise your site. If you're a fan of a smaller school that doesn't have a group on our site please add your team and rss feeds for the team. If you have any questions how to create it please contact us at sportprojections@gmail.com Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:47:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/167407 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/167407 The Wake Forest Demon Deacons took out the UCONN Huskies in a battle between two schools that are better known for basketball then football. The Huskies scored 10 unanswered points in the first half but then the Demon Deacons returned the favor by scoring 24 unanswered points to win the Meineke Car Care Bowl 24-10...read more @FrontRowSportsReport.com Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:59:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/55751 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/55751 The candidates for the best hair in college football… Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:36:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/55547 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/55547 The Big East Co-champion UConn Huskies travel to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday at 1:00 PM. Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:06:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/54772 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/54772 Taking a look at the upcoming bowl matchups for the end of this week-- Champs Sports, Texas, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Liberty and Alamo Bowls. Fri, 28 Dec 2007 07:03:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/54580 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/54580