Weekend Hot Clicks: Penn State Really Botched Eddie George's Recruitment

Eddie George wanted to play running back in college, but Penn State envisioned him at a different position.

Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

Ballroom Tournament

Everyone knows the Battle 4 Atlantis, one of the premier early-season tournaments with several upper-tier programs. No one knows The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. It wasn’t mentioned in Jake May’s early-season tourney roundup, nor did SI writers include it in their tourney predictions article.

In its third year, the eight-team tourney was played at Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium in 2017 and 2018. It was played in a real gym. This year, it’s played in a ballroom: The New Providence Ballroom at the Baha Mar resort in Nassau.

They’re actually playing in a convention room... Are there any seats for anyone to sit? pic.twitter.com/DNPlN0d9EM

— Nick Lorensen (@nlorensensports) November 22, 2019

Out of position

This story isn’t new, but it’s making the rounds again after Eddie George’s guest-picker appearance on College GameDay. Eddie George was born and raised in Philadelphia and played high school football at Abington Senior High School (before transferring to Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia). He wanted to play college football at Penn State, he revealed last year:

“They looked at me and they said, ‘Man, you know what? You need to play outside linebacker.’ I was like, ‘Ah, I want to come to Penn State, but I want to compete at running back.’”

It’s similar to Marshall Faulk’s recruitment. Jack Pierce was Nebraska’s off-campus recruiting coordinator in the 1990s and, like every other program, badly wanted Faulk, a running back and defensive back from New Orleans. Eight years ago, Pierce told a story of how Nebraska botched Faulk’s recruitment:

“The coach who lost Marshall for us shall remain nameless. I brought Marshall to Lincoln for a visit. San Diego State's recruiting him as a running back. LSU's recruiting him as a defensive back. Florida's recruiting him as a defensive back. He was something special on both sides of the ball. But he didn't want to be a defensive back.

“So, I tell all our coaches, ‘Please, while he's here, don't mention defensive back.' So, Marshall comes to campus. We walk upstairs to the South Stadium offices. The first thing this coach, who shall remain nameless, says, ‘Boy, you're going to look good doing a backpedal.' I wanted to kill him. I absolutely wanted to kill him.”

Never too early

The playoff field isn’t locked, nor has the coaching carousel starting furiously spinning, but it’s never too early to look ahead to the 2020 college football season: Ranking the 10 best non-conference games next season.

Bregje Heinen

Bregje is a total BOMBSHELL! https://t.co/tjJEmGlEcK pic.twitter.com/hF070D4Teh

— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) November 23, 2019

Patrick is a large man

Patrick Ewing damn near lost it on his own assistant pic.twitter.com/cPBbr0psbc

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 23, 2019

Yes!

Odds & Ends

Notre Dame wearing throwback uniforms this weekend … The NBA is considering a major revamping of the playoff structure … Mike Brey lost his mind over one of the worst calls you’ll ever see … Kemba Walker left Friday’s game on a stretcher … Grading the NBA’s offseason moves so far … Daniel Craig says he’s done with the Bond franchise … Yankees are refusing to pay Jacoby Ellsbury … Watch College GameDay’s segment on Keanon Lowe.

Gard 1, NCAA 0

ICYMI: After Micah Potter’s third appeal was denied by the NCAA, Greg Gard eviscerated the NCAA’s stupid waiver process:

A fiery Greg Gard goes off on the NCAA. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/JxxVQ5jQha

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) November 22, 2019

Nice catch...

Get Peyton back on the field 😂

(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/XOAyW5BCBB

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 23, 2019

Nice tackling…

Horsing around for a good cause

Basketball legend Alonzo Mourning partners with Guardian Life to showcase that disability is not inability during a game of HORSE with wheelchair basketball star Chris Saint-Remy of CUNY during the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019 in New York.

Stuart Ramson/AP Images for Guardian Life Insurance

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