McNeal goes south

I made sure to DVR the Army All-American game yesterday so that I could see if we'd be welcoming Michael Carter and Bryce McNeal into the Gopher Nation fold. We won't be.

Micheal Carter will be going to West Virginia. I can't even imagine the thought process that goes into deciding to go to West Virginia over Florida... much less Minnesota.

I have to admit that the Bryce McNeal signing doesn't surprise me. At least, not his decision to not sign with the Gophers. I never really felt like McNeal was going to give the Gophers a real look. It seems to me that Bryce McNeal decided that he was going to take advantage of the recruiting process and get everything out of it that he could. Making a trip down the street to take a look at Minnesota was just one more step in that process.

Buck Bravo has a fantastic commentary on McNeal's choice to go to Clemson, and seems to take a slight shot at Bryce in the process... something that I have NO problem with. I really couldn't have said it any better than Buck, so I'm going to quote a couple of my favorite points from his post.

"While Bryce McNeal is a solid four star recruit who would have likely developed into a top target for the Gophers as a wide receiver, he will probably never be the primary wide receiver at Clemson. Clemson already has a dangerous young wide receiver corps..."

But here, friends, is where Buck really makes it burn.

"While a commitment to Minnesota would have been great public relations for both McNeal and the Gophers, he is by no means a “can’t miss” recruit. He would have been a great addition to the Gopher football team, but Bryce McNeal is no Michael Floyd. Six years from now, Bryce McNeal will probably have retained his ability to walk around both South Carolina and Minnesota without being bothered or recognized by anyone at all."

I'm sure that Bryce McNeal will go on with his life, probably never think too much of any of the comments that anyone has to say about his decision to spurn Minnesota, or much about Gopher fans in general. Chances are, unfortunately, he'll probably never read Buck's comments (and that is by NO MEANS a shot at Buck). He'll probably go on to Clemson and really enjoy his college experience, and heck, he might even be part of a team with some real success.

But Bryce McNeal will never enjoy the celebrity and focus, or having an offense built around his talents, that he would have here at the University of Minnesota. So, in the words of Dan Barreiro...

"WE DON'T NEED YA!!!"