How did we not sign Deangelo Williams

[upperdeck_hawg]

I dont remember the recruiting details and how close we came to getting or not getting this guy, but he's looking like a future HOF this year.

[DubHawg]

From what I have heard, either his grandmother or mother was sick and he wanted to stay closer to home, which Memphis was.

[ekyle1]

If I remember right...It was something about he wanted to the same school as his girlfriend....maybe wrong though...

[hog_fan]

He wrote no on his LOI and faxed it in. Zero respect for him for doing that. very disrespectful.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

If I remember right...It was something about he wanted to the same school as his girlfriend....maybe wrong though...

Yeah, the girlfriend thing was what was commonly reported as the excuse.  He actually committed to us late in the process, but then switched at the last minute.  I can't remember if it was him, but there was a recruit's mom who faxed in her son's LOI with her signature but not his making it illegitimate.  That might have been him, but not sure.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

He wrote no on his LOI and faxed it in. Zero respect for him for doing that. very disrespectful.

If true, and considering the coaching staff recruiting him, then I wouldn't be surprised if it was provoked.  Regardless, I agree that doing something like that, if true, is certainly inappropriate.

[bigyellowdog]

He wrote no on his LOI and faxed it in. Zero respect for him for doing that. very disrespectful.

I heard his girlfriend had a big part in him attending Tiger High.  DeanglNO wrote "NO" in huge letters on his LOI.  I almost felt sorry for TCTWF when that happened, however with the Hugger media there is no telling what really happened. 

[woodhog14]

He wrote no on his LOI and faxed it in. Zero respect for him for doing that. very disrespectful.

He didn't do that on purpose. He was interviewed about that and was confused about something on the LOI. Can't remember exactly what it was, but he didn't do it on purpose.

If any of you have seen an LOI, it's like signing loan papers. Lots of legal jargin and several leagal size pages long.

[old hog]

He wrote no on his LOI and faxed it in. Zero respect for him for doing that. very disrespectful.

That's the story I heard. Although, anything coming out of Nutt's office at that time
probably was total BS. Don't think Petrino would let him go that easily

[Drunken Tailgater]

He didn't do that on purpose. He was interviewed about that and was confused about something on the LOI. Can't remember exactly what it was, but he didn't do it on purpose.

If any of you have seen an LOI, it's like signing loan papers. Lots of legal jargin and several leagal size pages long.

[Porkys Revenge]

People use to say it was because he didn't want to compete with DeArrius Howard. I find that very hard to believe. I blame Nutt.

[Drunken Tailgater]

If he was too stupid to figure out to sign his name and wasn't answering a yes/no question, he undoubtedly made the right choice by attending Tiger High.

[moonswine]

I dont remember the recruiting details and how close we came to getting or not getting this guy, but he's looking like a future HOF this year.

He was shipped Fed Ex from Wynne to Memphis.

[Michael Porkleone]

If he was too stupid to figure out to sign his name and wasn't answering a yes/no question, he undoubtedly made the right choice by attending Tiger High.

Looks like you are living up to your name tonight.

[southwesthog]

I love the name...... DRUNKEN TAILGATER... you sound like me on a sat in fay, LR.

[upperdeck_hawg]

People use to say it was because he didn't want to compete with DeArrius Howard. I find that very hard to believe. I blame Nutt.

was dearrius howard in the same class? that means ced cobb was still in school. maybe he was afraid of competition, but still its a bad job of recruiting by nutt to be a running school and lose a rb from your own state to a lower tier school

[JIHawg]

Nutt put all the emphasis on Howard, and DeAngelo was just an afterthought.  We really didn't recruit him very hard.  Additionally, his girlfriend went to Memphis, and his mother wanted him closer to home.

They did send in the LOI with "no" written on it.  Not much class there.

[ballhog88]

If i remember right Darius Howard was a 5 star recruit one of the top running backs in the country. That was also the class with Cedric Houston and he ended up going to Tn. Who would have figured we would get the worst one of the 3.

[upperdeck_hawg]

If i remember right Darius Howard was a 5 star recruit one of the top running backs in the country. That was also the class with Cedric Houston and he ended up going to Tn. Who would have figured we would get the worst one of the 3.

nutt did have a thing for howard. i remember the vandy game in faytteville where nutt kept two future 1st rounders on the bench while howard played the whole game.

[greasy_corner]

I do know for a fact that he was taken care of at Tiger high.  Nothing life-changing, but in the thousands none-the-less.  Friends with the booster that provided it. 

I doubt this was going on before the LOI incident, I think he just saw the log-jam at TB...and Nutt did recruit the Howard harder. 

[ferrellhog]

Howard while mr foottball in aransas and widley recruited weas not a 5 star running back either a high 3 or low 4 star

[rangertaunton]

DeAngelo didnt love the helmet

[RunnerHog]

If i remember right Darius Howard was a 5 star recruit one of the top running backs in the country. That was also the class with Cedric Houston and he ended up going to Tn. Who would have figured we would get the worst one of the 3.

Howard was a 4 star back as was Houston. They both were a year earler than Williams. Williams was also a 4 star.

Oh I almost forgot, Scout, you know the sorry service Odus and Biddy use, had Williams as a one star and Poole as a three star. They are about as useless as Trey and Odus.

[dr_arkansawyer]

still its a bad job of recruiting by nutt to be a running school and lose a rb from your own state to a lower tier school

Isn't that Nutt's legacy at Arkansas?

[hawgwash]

He was the same year as Dedrick Poole from LR Central.  Poole was the big recruit that year.  He never did much for the Hogs, however.

[Hawgrox]

There was a hole in the fence over around Marion...

[sonicbob]

Girlfriend was a major factor and the whole process drove Don Campbell crazy.  He wanted him on the hill.

[LLPL]

I can answer this question in two words/  


BWAIN BWEED

Stay classy

[mj4president]

People use to say it was because he didn't want to compete with DeArrius Howard. I find that very hard to believe. I blame Nutt.

Howard was very highly ranked that year. He was way ahead of Cedric Benson.

[win-streak]

Sucks as an after thought.

[Boarcephus]

was dearrius howard in the same class? that means ced cobb was still in school. maybe he was afraid of competition, but still its a bad job of recruiting by nutt to be a running school and lose a rb from your own state to a lower tier school

The thing I remember is Danny Nutt basically challenging his manhood during the recruiting process saying if he came to Arkansas he'd have to compete.  Looking back, I think that was during a time Nutt was still running pretty good numbers in the public opinion poll and got a little uppity as he's prone to do.

[Hawgvillain]

Howard was very highly ranked that year. He was way ahead of Cedric Benson.

Not sure what Cedric Benson has to do with anything but this is not right.

[longtimeHogfan]

There was a hole in the fence over around Marion...

     Was that the same fence Pete Carroll built around Arkansas during the hootie years?

[Papawhog]

If I remember correctly, he was also told by the Memphis recruiting staff that they would make him their feature back. I also remember many on here, or whatever it was then, saying they would rather have Howard anyway for he was the better back. Figured it was just mad, outburst talk. Remember a lot of discontent on this board over this. Talk of his girlfriend also rumored, as well as his grandmother. Ended up being the real deal at Memphis .... and now. Oh well, CBP will not let anything like this happen.

[elviscat]

Hootie was nutting it on the phone with his girlfriend instead of recruiting.

[razrken]

Nutt was told by broyles to stay clear because we were involved in that NCAA investigation at the time and didn't need to take any chances.

[hogsanity]

I remember the following reasons being thrown around

1.  Girlfriend

2.  Staying close to family

3.  Hogs had too many Rb's

4.  Memphis told him he would be the back, they would get him 20+ touches per game

5.  Other ( payoffs, did not want to compete for pt, wanted to play in a weak league to pad his numbers ).

Who knows why 18 yr olds do what they do.

[dianne fineswine]

I dont remember the recruiting details and how close we came to getting or not getting this guy, but he's looking like a future HOF this year.

One expalanation at the time was that Deangelo's mother was recruited by FEDEX. 

[86jacketstchamps]

Lot's of rumors being discussed here in this case...but the facts are as follows. 

1. UA told him he would be a DB for them as their backfield was full.
2. Williams wanted to compete at RB, and if it didn't work out then he would not mind going to the defensive side.  This was answered with a NO.
3.  Girlfriend had little to no bearing on this at all.
4.  Tommy West told him he would be the feature back, and that he would end up leaving Memphis with yardage record.....Little did he know that would come true.
5.  Nutt's did not recruit him very hard, as they felt he was not the talent that Howard was and they felt his place was on defense.  I will admit that he could really play the corner well, and was a punishing hitter.
6.  The LOI fax with NO written on it did happen, and I for one was disappointed in that response and wished he hadn't done that.  I would say he would agree now that it was not a good choice at the time to handle it that way.

[Boardon Hamsay]

Not sure what Cedric Benson has to do with anything but this is not right.

Perhaps he was thinking of Cedric Houston, who also jumped that fence of Hootie's and headed to Volville. 

[MJ2]

I remember the following reasons being thrown around

1.  Girlfriend

2.  Staying close to family

3.  Hogs had too many Rb's

4.  Memphis told him he would be the back, they would get him 20+ touches per game

5.  Other ( payoffs, did not want to compete for pt, wanted to play in a weak league to pad his numbers ).

Who knows why 18 yr olds do what they do.

I think Forrest City Joe can better tell us what Memphis has been doing to get FB and BB recruits.

[hogvan]

I know people  in Wynne and they said he was not promised that he would get to play by Coach Nutt.  His aunt and mother both had cancer during that time.  He wanted to go to Fayetteville, but Nutt ticked off the coaches here too and they did not push him to go there.  That is heresay of course.   I think the U of A football coaches at that time, really treated the Northeastern part of Arkansas terrible when recruiting.  Nutt loved Darius Howard also, the Landers' winner.  Memphis promised Deangelo the moon and  to get to play his freshmen year and it was closer to his home.  He was not pursued enough out of Fayetteville, I know for a fact.  People here in Wynne couldn't be prouder of him and we were mad for years that Memphis got him. 

[razrken]

This is as plain as it can be stated....broyles told nutt to back off with investigation pending on all the other stuff...thats as factual as it can get.  what was meant by that i was never told but that came from soemone close to the situation mods pm for source.

[TN HOG]

Fed X

[MJ2]

Fed X

They deliver- every time.

[Sivad]

It boils down to:

Nutt is a crappy and lazy recrutier.
Nutt is a poor judge of talent.

[Tusks]

he became part of the college fedex intern program.

[Pignoramus]

Two is doing great in the NFL, as he did in his college career at Memphis.  His college recruitment was certainly interesting to say the least.     

[Big Papa Satan]

Yeah, the girlfriend thing was what was commonly reported as the excuse.

That was not even remotely true. 

I graduated with the girl in high school.  I also had a college course with her a year later, and asked her point blank.  She never went to Memphis State, and had no bearing with him going there.

[hoghearted]

Lot's of rumors being discussed here in this case...but the facts are as follows. 

1. UA told him he would be a DB for them as their backfield was full.
2. Williams wanted to compete at RB, and if it didn't work out then he would not mind going to the defensive side.  This was answered with a NO.
3.  Girlfriend had little to no bearing on this at all.
4.  Tommy West told him he would be the feature back, and that he would end up leaving Memphis with yardage record.....Little did he know that would come true.
5.  Nutt's did not recruit him very hard, as they felt he was not the talent that Howard was and they felt his place was on defense.  I will admit that he could really play the corner well, and was a punishing hitter.
6.  The LOI fax with NO written on it did happen, and I for one was disappointed in that response and wished he hadn't done that.  I would say he would agree now that it was not a good choice at the time to handle it that way.

Man, where you been? You need to post more. A lot more.