Arkansas Rb Recruit

pollock · September 24, 2009

http://arkansasvarsity.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=992976

mrsgreengoblin · September 24, 2009

You beat me to it! I was just logging on to post the link to this article.

I totally agree that NT should take a look at him. Seems to be a stud on the field and off the field sounds like he is really turning things around for himself.

hickoryhouse · September 24, 2009

Hell, if Ark St. is looking then we should too. But with Todge being a stickler for good character guys, then I don't know how he would feel about this one. Off the field issues earlier, getting better as time is going on, could be an interesting dichotomy. I would be interested to see what he has to say on the kid though.

Green P1 · September 24, 2009

From a football standpoint this could be a very interesting kid. Sometimes taking "chances" on kids like this pays off, but sometimes it does not. Very interesting situation to keep an eye on.

Edited September 24, 2009 by Green P1

mrsgreengoblin · September 24, 2009

Hell, if Ark St. is looking then we should too. But with Todge being a stickler for good character guys, then I don't know how he would feel about this one. Off the field issues earlier, getting better as time is going on, could be an interesting dichotomy. I would be interested to see what he has to say on the kid though.

Well his current coach has said that he has seen absolutely no issues and that he is polite and a hardworker and the guy has agreed and followed through with all of the new coaches "terms" if you will so that he could play on the team. I think it sounds like he definitely learned from his mistakes. People like that deserve a chance.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 24, 2009

This is in my neck of the woods. It seems I've heard something about this guy . . . I'll get back to you all on that.

UNTLifer · September 24, 2009

Interesting. I used to visit Cave City every year to see my grandmother and still have some family there. That town is smaller than the NT campus and has a population of around 1,000 folks. Sounds like a good kid that made a mistake and has worked hard to become a better person. I would feel comfortable in giving him a shot.

FireFightnJoey · September 24, 2009

Well his current coach has said that he has seen absolutely no issues and that he is polite and a hardworker and the guy has agreed and followed through with all of the new coaches "terms" if you will so that he could play on the team. I think it sounds like he definitely learned from his mistakes. People like that deserve a chance.

I agree. The kid made a mistake and his current coach says its not as drastic as it appears. The environment Todge is trying to create or has created here might be a great fit for this young man. Todge has said it time and again that he has a responsibility to his players and their parents.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 25, 2009

This is in my neck of the woods. It seems I've heard something about this guy . . . I'll get back to you all on that.

It sounds like Thamail failed a drug test at Newport last spring, and Newport has a policy that if you fail you are automatically ineligible for that semester and the following semester. He went over to Cave City with their new defensive coordinator, who had been at Newport before. Obviously, that coach had no problem with Thamail. The head coach at Cave City is originally from Newport as well, so these are coaches they had a pretty good idea of what they were getting and were glad to get it. A friend of mine has met Thamail several times and said he came across as a reasonably respectful kid. But he didn't really think character issues or what happened at Newport are what scared away the big schools--apparently his grades and ACT scores had more to do with it than anything.

Oh, and my friend was at the game of which this article speaks, and he swears up and down that the kickoff return was called back because of a penalty.

eppy4life · September 25, 2009

Oh, and my friend was at the game of which this article speaks, and he swears up and down that the kickoff return was called back because of a penalty.

Does your friend say that he still took a knee at the five? If so, I guess it doesn't matter that it was called back.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 25, 2009

Does your friend say that he still took a knee at the five? If so, I guess it doesn't matter that it was called back.

I guess you could look at it that way, or you could look at it that it doesn't matter that he took a knee because it was coming back anyway.

He says he never saw him take the knee. But I don't see how that article and the quotes from the coach could all be that wrong. I just think everybody in the stands quit paying attention to the return when they saw the flag.