LOL the byu sweet spirit analogy cracked me up. But ya know what, BYU is like one of those sweet spirits that if you wait a few years, they turn into really beautiful girls. Then you are kickin' yourself if you dropped them for the smokin' hot girls that end up taking you threw the ringer. Just like I think USC does to most their recruits. They entice so many stud athletes to go there and only 11 guys can play on each side of the ball so if you have 100 5 star athletes then you'll just be buried on the depth chart. So pretty much you just got played by the hottest girl around and dumped flat on your face. When you could have stayed with the girl that was safe, had the brains, morals, and though shes a sweet spirit now, she has potential to be gorgeous (BYU). BYU from a few years ago reminds me of that girl you knew in jr. high that was a definite sweet spirit but then when you get into high school they blossom into gorgeous girls. We went from awful before bronco, to a top 15 program in the country with bronco at the helm. And you know what...I am enthralled with the potential of T'eo but more than anything I want to beat USC for this recruit that they very highly covet. So many times as a cougar fan, my heart has been broken when USC stole one of our prized recruits. And trust me, If you land Te'o...Other amazing recruits will follow. I have seen the way people are drawn to this kid. Hes likable and amazing. He'd be a BYU legend forever and could be a major contributor in future recruiting.

domanater wrote:

j2b03 wrote:

So he has only gone to two camps: BYU's and a all-poly camp which was in Utah.:unsure:
Is it just me or am I missing something...Doesn't this just scream that he is only interested in BYU? What am I missing here?
If every college in the world wants this kid and he has only gone to 1 schools camp, that being BYU isn't that clear.
OR
is that he has already chosen USC and just wanted to be sure there wasn't something at BYU he may be missing.
I wonder why this hasn't been talked about more explicitly in our threads, I have seen it mentioned but it seems odd to me.
What am I missing here?

I don't think you're missing a whole lot. The Te'o family alone is a very spiritual upright group; I can't imagine that they don't see eye to eye with Bronco.

However, imagine the pressure when you're the top player in the country.... USC has to be tempting but in the end, we're going to get our guy. The Te'o family is going to be BYU through and through.

Doesn't Pete Carroll just remind you of satan? The way he virtually buys recruits (because in his eyes money and fame is everything and he instills that in his recruits) and the way he has led them away from serving missions...Idk what it is but the man is a rat that will promise a young man the world if they come to USC, even though he can't give them everything that he promises (Though we know he breaks the rules and gets cars and houses for players on their families).

WACoug wrote:

I am going to go on record and say that I think Manti picks BYU. I think we are all a little leery of getting bucked off like we did with Kaveinga.

When does USC send Kaveinga to visit with Teo to tell him the way it is?

I'm thinking we've got him, but could lose him. If we're BSC bustin' this year, we keep him.

for years there has been a running joke that usc players have to take a cut in pay when they go to the nfl. still, i don't believe sweet pete "gets" extra perks for the players, he has to stay clear of that because he needs "plausible deniability". perks have to come in the back door.

i also think there is a "sea change" going on right now at the bigger programs, regarding players leaving for missions. over the past two years, there has been a noticeable increase in top end lds talent. if a program hopes to land one of those recruits going forward, they are going to have to make allowances for those players (who want to) to leave for a mission. i think manti te'o has had a lot to do with that phenomenon.

given everything i know about the kid, were the coach at whatever school he chooses, try to pull a bait and switch on him, he will leave anyway. by the way i also know that x sua'filo has received the same type of assurances regarding mission services as well.

i see this as both a positive and a negative. positive: because it is good pr for the missionary program, and good for the kids as well. negative: because byu will have more competition for recruits that were locks before. i guess if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best....on the field, and now for recruits.

splitbamboo wrote:

WACoug wrote:

I am going to go on record and say that I think Manti picks BYU. I think we are all a little leery of getting bucked off like we did with Kaveinga.

When does USC send Kaveinga to visit with Teo to tell him what way it is?

I'm thinking we've got him, but could lose him. If we're BSC bustin' this year, we keep him.

Oh, yeah--isn't Kaveinga going on a mission? If so, we'll get another crack at him as well...

WACoug wrote:

I am going to go on record and say that I think Manti picks BYU. I think we are all a little leery of getting bucked off like we did with Kaveinga. I don't know Manti but everything I have heard about him tells me he is no Kaveinga. I get the impression that his priorities are different from Kaveinga's and that he is much more mature than Kaveinga. I may be way off base but I think that Manti is a Cougar.

It would be sweet if it happened, no doubt. One could argue him as the biggest recruit ever to land at BYU at any position for what it would mean to get such a phenomenal talent AND beat USC for him.