(Yeah, this will end well in the comments section.)
As a talented football player at Gainesville High School, it would stand to reason that Florida would’ve had a big advantage in landing linebacker Kevin Nelson.
When Nelson opted instead to give a verbal to in-state rival Miami, the 2010 recruit was the subject of verbal needling from the UF faithful in the area. And, according to Nelson -- stressing “according to Nelson” -- some allegedly shoddy treatment from the hometown college football program as well.
Speaking to the Miami Herald, Nelson -- who by then had given a verbal commitment to the ‘Canes -- said he attended a Florida home game in 2009 with other recruits but, after the game, was the only one not allowed in the locker room by UF coaches. Even though, Nelson said, then-LB Brandon Spikes invited him.
“Grimy, two-faced and disrespectful,” Nelson was quoted as saying of the Gator coaches by the Herald.
This is the second time Nelson has levied a “grimy, two-faced” blast at the program and its coaches, with the first coming in the immediate aftermath of that November game.
Nelson also stated that some of the UF defensive coaches attempted to talk him out of his commitment to Miami, telling him that “Miami hasn’t won any ACC championships since going to the ACC and that Randy Shannon is going to leave after this year, and that I might not get any playing time.”
First of all, and taking his comments at face value, this just seemingly confirms what’s been rumored all along: rival coaches were using Shannon’s contract status against the Hurricanes on the recruiting trail. Although Shannon received his well-deserved extension earlier this offseason, shame on the university for allowing his contract situation to linger as long as it did and possibly have an impact on UM’s 2010 recruiting class.
Secondly, if Nelson thought he was taking some abuse before, what does he think is going to happen when he goes back to Gainesville now after blasting the staff with some pretty derogatory words?
Ear muffs, my man. Ear muffs.
Oh, and Miami and Florida are next scheduled to take the field on September 7, 2013. That would be Nelson’s senior season -- or redshirt junior season, depending on how things play out -- and, needless to say, he’s already counting down the days until game time.
“I can’t wait to play them suckers, for real,” Nelson said back in November. “I know it’s a long time from now. I just can’t wait ‘till we play these suckers. They are just disrespectful.”