College football is a cutthroat business, particularly in recruiting. Teams and coaches will use whatever weaknesses they can to their advantage, whether they are real or perceived. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin explained part of this phenomenon when comparing his first and second year in the SEC. During the first, he was the newcomer in a system that wouldn't work. In year two, he became the coach who was going to take a job in the NFL any day now.
Urban Meyer is well-versed in SEC politics, if you will, and constantly sparred with Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier (obviously). According to Outkick The Coverage, he has taken his lessons with him to the Big 10.
From FoxSports.com:
Outkick the Coverage has learned from sources in New York that Meyer and Ohio State turned in Florida assistant coach Brian White for an alleged improper "bump" violation related to the recruitment of Curtis Samuel, a running back/defensive back from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Investigations into Ohio State's complaint this spring uncovered no wrongdoing, the sources said, but Samuel subsequently revealed Florida no longer is in his top five schools — while OSU is.
Meyer's willingness to turn in a former coach — one he hired — as well as the program he led for six seasons is unheard of in college athletics. Indeed, no one Outkick the Coverage talked with could recall a former coach turning in his former program and a former assistant coach.
It's impossible to say whether the investigation actually caused Samuel to drop Florida from his rankings or if they may have limited contact with Samuel during the investigation. What is certain is that Meyer used the NCAA like the IRS on his former employee and employer like they didn't put up with his stay-or-go limbo or health issues while he was coaching in Gainesville.
It's a cold move, but if Samuel turns into the Percy Harvin-type player he is projected to become under Meyer's watch, the only thing people will remember are the touchdown celebrations.
