As you may have heard, there was a rather big bit of non-college football news that broke very early Friday afternoon.
In a beautifully penned first-person account posted to SportsIllustrated.com, LeBron James confirmed that he was leaving the Miami Heat and returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The stunning move -- dubbed “The Letter” -- comes four years and a couple of days after he burned the city -- and rubbed its face in his talents -- with the televised “The Decision” debacle.
As we’re a college football website, we’ll leave all of the particulars and minutia to the fine folks over at ProBasketballTalk.com. Needless, to say, though, James’ decision and the reaction to it have bled over into this sport.
Below is a sampling of the Twitter reaction from those connected to college football. Batting leadoff, to further mix sports metaphors? Current LSU head coach and Elyria, OH, native Les Miles (Go Pioneers!!!):
From one Ohio native to another, welcome home @KingJames. LM
— Les Miles (@CoachLesMiles) July 11, 2014
https://twitter.com/KirkHerbstreit/statuses/487637344036478977
Hey @KingJames welcome back to the great state of Ohio! #Cleveland #OhioPride #WeAreOne
— Toledo FBV (@UToledoFootball) July 11, 2014
Welcome home @KingJames! Hope to see you in #TheShoe & @TheSchott more often! #GoBucks @cavs pic.twitter.com/BeLjAuh6zB
— Gene Smith (@OSU_AD) July 11, 2014
Love that LeBron is back in Cleveland! Cavs are now my 2nd favorite NBA team. Can't knock off Lakers on my list.
— Charles Bloom (@CharlesBloomSC) July 11, 2014
Love that @KingJames is going back home!
— Jason Baum (@JasonBaumPR) July 11, 2014
There were also several people who noted that, with James’ return, the city of Cleveland will now be the home of not only the King but Johnny Football as well. Among those connecting the former Texas A&M/current Cleveland Browns quarterback to the future Cav were Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury and Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller:
Lebron and Johnny Football in the same city...This is going to be fun.
— Kliff Kingsbury (@KliffKingsbury) July 11, 2014
We’d also be remiss another connection James has to college football: during his sophomore year in high school, James, an all-state wide receiver at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, was offered a scholarship by then-Notre Dame assistant Urban Meyer.
Meyer, of course, is an Ohio native who returned to his home state in December of 2011 as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Last season, James was a sideline guest of Meyer’s for the Wisconsin game.
UPDATED 2:39 p.m. ET: Not so unexpectedly, Urban Meyer has taken to Twitter to welcome LeBron James back to his home state.
@KingJames Welcome home my friend. See you this fall!!! pic.twitter.com/6rj8uwiHCp
— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) July 11, 2014