That is the big issue. It really came to a head this year if you believe the story that Tuttle is apparently spreading. LEO went out the door in the locker room this year and now you have nothing to sell.
"Back in the day" when some thug somewhere did a thug thing, everybody said "you can't have over 100 guys on a football team and not get a few bad apples."
It was true then and still is - and you can't get 100+ LEO guys either.
Football is about football - not loving the guy who took your spot.
Play winning football, and most of your team will love most of the rest of your team.
That's the best you're gonna get.
Lose and everyone is miserable.
Duh.
And LEO is not going to change the impact of playing time or the lack thereof. Ever. Anywhere.
Kids want to play. All LEO does make them feel WORSE when they decide they want to leave. Now, they aren't just seeking playing time, which is what ALL kids do - now they have put up with the idea/feeling that they ALSO aren't loyal to the idea that they aren't supposed to care who gets the glory and aren't supposed to feel bad if the "best man plays" rule puts them on the bench - they are supposed to jump for joy for their brother who is better, and THEY CAN'T.
It was always a pipe dream.
Kids are willing to wait at 'Bama
They are not willing to wait at middle of the pack (or worse) lesser schools.
They'd rather play at a Fun Belt school than ride LEO pine at IU, or Wildcat pine at Kentucky.
And with uncontrolled NIL and "don't unpack" Portal rules, ONLY Bama and the Perennials can play this game.
We bench kids who fumble.
We recruit over kids every year.
It's "big boy" football.
LEO just makes us loo like a bigger hypocrite than Ahia State.
"I love you - hit the bench" just makes most kids want out faster than normal.
It's OK to care about kids. Every coach should. But to sell it as DNA and talk bout how it makes us different, then look and act like you play by the same rules as everybody else? It just doesn't work the way it looks on paper.
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