woy1509
Star
- Jul 24, 2008
- 20,308
- 3,655
The Motion
After dropping off Christina following their date, Sean Joseph dialed an 865 number and let the recipient know his own news. The man that answered understood, but promised that they'd be in touch again.
The quarterback turned off the radio and drove in silence on the way back home. He refused to believe this day was coming, but if it weren't for his bias, then he should have expected it. There was no way someone could hold onto their job for that long with such poor performance, even if it meant losing one of the biggest parts of their future because of it.
Sean Joseph remembered the time he first met Coach Ray. He was immediately impressed by the man's confidence, and the fact that he drove all the way up to Everett just to personally invite him to his summer camp was telling. He was the first one to truly show that he wanted him for him, and not for his last name.
"You wanted to see me, Coach?"
"Sean Joseph! Yes, come right in and take a seat."
The young quarterback took a seat near Coach Ray's desk, wondering why exactly he was here. "So how am I doing out there?"
"How are you doing!?" the coach let out a hearty laugh. "You tell me, son. How are things going?"
"Well I feel like I'm throwing the ball well, and the group of receivers are the most talented I've ever played with, and..."
"That's all fine and dandy, but I want to know how you've been," Coach Ray said, interrupting him. "How's living back here in Tennessee? How's the recruitment coming along? Have you met a summer fling down here?"
Sean Joseph could feel his jaw slowly dropping, but he picked it back up before answering. "Oh, it's nice to be back in the state; you know it's been a while. The recruitment's been kind of hectic...Syracuse and Miami have been contacting me the most, but I'm nowhere close to a decision."
"And..."
"And what?"
The coach chuckled and shook his head. "You didn't answer the last part of the question, Sean Joseph."
"Oh," the quarterback said, slightly embarrassed from being caught. "No sir, no fling out here. I have a girlfriend back at home."
"Cheerleader?"
Sean Joseph was confused as of why Coach Ray was digging more into his personal life, but he nodded to answer the question.
"How long have you two been together?"
Now the quarterback had to laugh. "Coach, do you have a daughter that you want to set me up with? Seems awfully like it with these questions."
"Nope, no kids. Not yet, at least. So what have you been doing during your time here away from the field?"
There was no way Sean Joseph was going to tell Coach Ray about the constant partying with Mike and his fall enrollee Seth. "Just watching film, mainly. Only trying to get better."
Again the Tennessee head man laughed. "Bullshit! I might not have kids, but I know what you kids do when you're given an ounce of freedom. Have you gotten good turnouts for parties?"
The quarterback stared at Coach Ray in disbelief. "Coach, what's this about?"
Sean Joseph's tone wasn't one that was anger or irritation, but rather of interest. He assumed this was some sort of recruiting pitch from the coach; however, this was nowhere near the same as all the other pitches he had heard.
Coach Ray sighed. "Listen Sean Joseph, I didn't need you to come in here so I could critique you on your playing performance this week. I just want to get to know the young man I'll have starting for me in 2028."
The quarterback's ears perked up after the starting guarantee. That was something he hadn't heard yet.
"This week has already shown me you're the best high school quarterback I've ever scouted, and have the potential to be the one of the best the game has ever seen. There's no use talking about your skills on the field. I want to see what you are outside of it."
Sean Joseph was amazed by the praise he was receiving. Ray could see that after a week of camp drills?
"Being the quarterback at Tennessee - hell, any SEC school - is a gift and a curse. The media can eat you alive if you can't handle them - look at Johnny Manziel. But there's also guys like Marvin Vetters and Aaron James who turned that exposure into something worthwhile. The extra stuff like girlfriends and parties, that shit doesn't bother me. As long as you conduct yourself the right way on and off-the-field, then there's no doubt that you'll bring this program back to greatness and serve as an excellent ambassador for the University of Tennessee."
Once the coach was done speaking, the quarterback only had one thing to say.
"You didn't mention my father once, Coach."
Coach Ray smiled. "There was no point to bring him up. You know that your father and I are good friends, but you're going to be much bigger than he is."
Of course, with him out of the fold in Tennessee, it was almost a given he wouldn't recommit there. Would Sean Joseph consider following Ray if he picked up a job at another school? It was hard to say. The only head coaching jobs he would most likely receive would be from the lower-tier of FBS, and the quarterback wasn't going to go to a school that didn't have an automatic berth into the BCS bowls. Maybe when he was a regular prospect in his early days, but not as the number one signal-caller in the nation.
Sean Joseph finally arrived at home soon after and was greeted by his father on the phone. Ethan had the Hyndman tape up on the big screen and a notepad full of scribbled thoughts on the coffee table. He saw his son walk through the door and quickly hung up the phone, scrambling to get back to his work.
"Who was that?" the quarterback asked out of curiosity.
"Someone with Tennessee," Ethan answered. "They wanted to know your status after the news. Did you talk to them?"
Sean Joseph nodded. "Guess I should have saw it coming."
"Don't worry about it. These things happen to a lot of recruits. You know that Nick and I are friends, and you knew that I didn't care too much for committing to UT because of just him."
"It wasn't only because of Coach," the quarterback muttered.
Ethan held his hand up to stop his son. "Tennessee's a fine school and you should still consider them. Your connection with the coach should be big in the decision making process, but I'm just saying it shouldn't be the only thing. Who knows? Maybe you'll connect with another one of these coaches once they start visiting again. You didn't give many of them any time to know you after your initial commitment."
Sean Joseph sighed, knowing that his next coming weeks would be filled with random visits from coaches all across the country. It would be nice to get to know these guys and figure out where he'd fit in with their program, but at the same point he wanted to have his commitment sealed away from the get-go so it wouldn't distract him on his pursuit for a state title.
"Can you stick around for a sec?" Ethan asked his son as he turned to walk upstairs. "Wanted to talk to you about something."
The quarterback sat down, but immediately stood back up when his phone started to vibrate. He checked to screen to see a 614 number calling him, and saw his father usher him away; knowing this wouldn't be the best time to talk to him. Sean Joseph sighed once again, knowing these phone calls would become a common theme, and answered as he walked up to his room.
...
"Tough break dude," John said in between bites of his cheeseburger. "I don't even want to joke about it now because it actually happened."
Sean Joseph shook off his tailback. "It's cool. It sucks because you guys know how much I wanted to play for the guy, but maybe that wasn't the right situation for me anyways. I'm not sure if I could even single-handily turn around a team that's been getting dropped like that."
"But I can," Mike chuckled, drawing rolling eyes from his friends.
"You and Seth could have been the best receiving duo in the SEC," the quarterback said, feeling bad for his friend from Davidson Academy who would be going through a coaching change. "But then again, you have no one to throw you the ball."
"I'll make any quarterback I play with better," the receiver huffed, taking a drink from his soda.
"So do you have any favorite now?" Bryson asked.
"I haven't really thought about it," the quarterback shrugged. "Ohio State was the first to call me, but I can't see myself playing there anyways."
"Well you had some contact with other schools prior to committing, right?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. There were a few I really liked too. But again, I just thought I was going to Tennessee and that was that. It's going to be weird going through this process for a second time."
A familiar sound rang through the five's ears, as Sean Joseph's phone started to ring.
"Five bucks on Miami," Thomas said, nudging Bryson.
"I want on in this! Give me Colorado," Mike butted in before his fellow receiver could answer.
"Florida State."
"I'll take Pitt then."
The four looked at John like he was crazy. "Pitt!?"
Sean Joseph rolled his eyes at the four and answered the call. "Hello? Coach Campbell? Yeah, I have time to talk. You're on campus!? Yeah, I'll be there in ten minutes."
Bryson smirked and held his hand out. "Pleasure doing business with you guys."
...
"It's nice to see you, Coach Campbell. Surprised that you would come out to PA in the middle of the season, though."
"Please Sean Joseph, we're hosting Kentucky this week!" the Florida State head coach chuckled. "I can make time for our number one target."
George Campbell took over as the Seminoles head coach about eight years ago after some brief struggles in the SEC. Now he has Florida State as the perennial power that they used to be under Bobby Bowden, with this year's group sitting pretty as the third ranked team in the BCS.
"Glad to hear that," Sean Joseph smiled as he shook the man's hand. "So I'm guessing you want to tell me a little about your program and where I fit into it?"
Coach Campbell nodded. "The program speaks for itself, Sean Joseph. We've been a BCS team the past three seasons and have a great shot at a national championship berth this year. Florida State was the best program in college football way before you were born, and we'll be right back at that point after a title."
The quarterback nodded, briefly remembering how great the Seminole program was in the 90s through some research.
"You'll definitely have a shot at the starting job as soon as you step on campus. Perry Tyree graduates in the spring and should be taken in the first three rounds of the draft. We brought in a four-star kid named Andrew Gutierrez out of our own backyard last year, but from what I've seen out of you, you shouldn't have any problem taking it from him."
...
"...so basically you're saying I'm still your top choice?"
The man on the other line sighed. "Do I have to repeat myself, Ethan? Of course you are."
Ethan smirked, realizing that he was this close towards landing his first college job. "Just wanted to hear it again, Matt."
"I have to ask though...have you heard yet from the NCAA?"
That raised the hair on the back of the coach's neck. After flying out to Indianapolis to state his case to the NCAA committee, he hadn't heard one peep from them. He wanted things to be solved as soon as possible, because the longer they waited, the more he felt like he wasn't going to get off easy.
"Not yet, but like I've been telling you, I'm sure it's not going to be anything."
"Good," Matthew huffed. "How's your son doing?"
"He's a little bummed after the news obviously, but he told me that he hasn't ruled you out. That's a good sign."
"Excellent," the athletic director said, hearing that his plan could still come to fruition. "Say, I know you're in season right now, but do you think you could make a trip down here sometime soon? All expenses paid by the school, of course."
Ethan took a minute to think about it before answering. He definitely wanted to go back down to Tennessee and see where his future enlie, but at the same time, he had a obligation to focus on his team's goals. He was little upset that the news of him wanting a college job leaked earlier this season, but he wanted to keep his negotiations with Tennessee under wraps. Hell, he hadn't even told Sean Joseph about this yet.
"Matt, I'd love to, but do you think we can hold off on that until after the season? I got something special going on here and don't want to take away from it."
"Understood, Ethan. I'll be back in touch soon."
The coach hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. Between everything from the Hall of Fame induction to his son's commitment and decommitment, it had already been one busy season - and he was sure that it was only going to get more hectic in the coming weeks.
After dropping off Christina following their date, Sean Joseph dialed an 865 number and let the recipient know his own news. The man that answered understood, but promised that they'd be in touch again.
The quarterback turned off the radio and drove in silence on the way back home. He refused to believe this day was coming, but if it weren't for his bias, then he should have expected it. There was no way someone could hold onto their job for that long with such poor performance, even if it meant losing one of the biggest parts of their future because of it.
Sean Joseph remembered the time he first met Coach Ray. He was immediately impressed by the man's confidence, and the fact that he drove all the way up to Everett just to personally invite him to his summer camp was telling. He was the first one to truly show that he wanted him for him, and not for his last name.
"You wanted to see me, Coach?"
"Sean Joseph! Yes, come right in and take a seat."
The young quarterback took a seat near Coach Ray's desk, wondering why exactly he was here. "So how am I doing out there?"
"How are you doing!?" the coach let out a hearty laugh. "You tell me, son. How are things going?"
"Well I feel like I'm throwing the ball well, and the group of receivers are the most talented I've ever played with, and..."
"That's all fine and dandy, but I want to know how you've been," Coach Ray said, interrupting him. "How's living back here in Tennessee? How's the recruitment coming along? Have you met a summer fling down here?"
Sean Joseph could feel his jaw slowly dropping, but he picked it back up before answering. "Oh, it's nice to be back in the state; you know it's been a while. The recruitment's been kind of hectic...Syracuse and Miami have been contacting me the most, but I'm nowhere close to a decision."
"And..."
"And what?"
The coach chuckled and shook his head. "You didn't answer the last part of the question, Sean Joseph."
"Oh," the quarterback said, slightly embarrassed from being caught. "No sir, no fling out here. I have a girlfriend back at home."
"Cheerleader?"
Sean Joseph was confused as of why Coach Ray was digging more into his personal life, but he nodded to answer the question.
"How long have you two been together?"
Now the quarterback had to laugh. "Coach, do you have a daughter that you want to set me up with? Seems awfully like it with these questions."
"Nope, no kids. Not yet, at least. So what have you been doing during your time here away from the field?"
There was no way Sean Joseph was going to tell Coach Ray about the constant partying with Mike and his fall enrollee Seth. "Just watching film, mainly. Only trying to get better."
Again the Tennessee head man laughed. "Bullshit! I might not have kids, but I know what you kids do when you're given an ounce of freedom. Have you gotten good turnouts for parties?"
The quarterback stared at Coach Ray in disbelief. "Coach, what's this about?"
Sean Joseph's tone wasn't one that was anger or irritation, but rather of interest. He assumed this was some sort of recruiting pitch from the coach; however, this was nowhere near the same as all the other pitches he had heard.
Coach Ray sighed. "Listen Sean Joseph, I didn't need you to come in here so I could critique you on your playing performance this week. I just want to get to know the young man I'll have starting for me in 2028."
The quarterback's ears perked up after the starting guarantee. That was something he hadn't heard yet.
"This week has already shown me you're the best high school quarterback I've ever scouted, and have the potential to be the one of the best the game has ever seen. There's no use talking about your skills on the field. I want to see what you are outside of it."
Sean Joseph was amazed by the praise he was receiving. Ray could see that after a week of camp drills?
"Being the quarterback at Tennessee - hell, any SEC school - is a gift and a curse. The media can eat you alive if you can't handle them - look at Johnny Manziel. But there's also guys like Marvin Vetters and Aaron James who turned that exposure into something worthwhile. The extra stuff like girlfriends and parties, that shit doesn't bother me. As long as you conduct yourself the right way on and off-the-field, then there's no doubt that you'll bring this program back to greatness and serve as an excellent ambassador for the University of Tennessee."
Once the coach was done speaking, the quarterback only had one thing to say.
"You didn't mention my father once, Coach."
Coach Ray smiled. "There was no point to bring him up. You know that your father and I are good friends, but you're going to be much bigger than he is."
Of course, with him out of the fold in Tennessee, it was almost a given he wouldn't recommit there. Would Sean Joseph consider following Ray if he picked up a job at another school? It was hard to say. The only head coaching jobs he would most likely receive would be from the lower-tier of FBS, and the quarterback wasn't going to go to a school that didn't have an automatic berth into the BCS bowls. Maybe when he was a regular prospect in his early days, but not as the number one signal-caller in the nation.
Sean Joseph finally arrived at home soon after and was greeted by his father on the phone. Ethan had the Hyndman tape up on the big screen and a notepad full of scribbled thoughts on the coffee table. He saw his son walk through the door and quickly hung up the phone, scrambling to get back to his work.
"Who was that?" the quarterback asked out of curiosity.
"Someone with Tennessee," Ethan answered. "They wanted to know your status after the news. Did you talk to them?"
Sean Joseph nodded. "Guess I should have saw it coming."
"Don't worry about it. These things happen to a lot of recruits. You know that Nick and I are friends, and you knew that I didn't care too much for committing to UT because of just him."
"It wasn't only because of Coach," the quarterback muttered.
Ethan held his hand up to stop his son. "Tennessee's a fine school and you should still consider them. Your connection with the coach should be big in the decision making process, but I'm just saying it shouldn't be the only thing. Who knows? Maybe you'll connect with another one of these coaches once they start visiting again. You didn't give many of them any time to know you after your initial commitment."
Sean Joseph sighed, knowing that his next coming weeks would be filled with random visits from coaches all across the country. It would be nice to get to know these guys and figure out where he'd fit in with their program, but at the same point he wanted to have his commitment sealed away from the get-go so it wouldn't distract him on his pursuit for a state title.
"Can you stick around for a sec?" Ethan asked his son as he turned to walk upstairs. "Wanted to talk to you about something."
The quarterback sat down, but immediately stood back up when his phone started to vibrate. He checked to screen to see a 614 number calling him, and saw his father usher him away; knowing this wouldn't be the best time to talk to him. Sean Joseph sighed once again, knowing these phone calls would become a common theme, and answered as he walked up to his room.
...
"Tough break dude," John said in between bites of his cheeseburger. "I don't even want to joke about it now because it actually happened."
Sean Joseph shook off his tailback. "It's cool. It sucks because you guys know how much I wanted to play for the guy, but maybe that wasn't the right situation for me anyways. I'm not sure if I could even single-handily turn around a team that's been getting dropped like that."
"But I can," Mike chuckled, drawing rolling eyes from his friends.
"You and Seth could have been the best receiving duo in the SEC," the quarterback said, feeling bad for his friend from Davidson Academy who would be going through a coaching change. "But then again, you have no one to throw you the ball."
"I'll make any quarterback I play with better," the receiver huffed, taking a drink from his soda.
"So do you have any favorite now?" Bryson asked.
"I haven't really thought about it," the quarterback shrugged. "Ohio State was the first to call me, but I can't see myself playing there anyways."
"Well you had some contact with other schools prior to committing, right?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. There were a few I really liked too. But again, I just thought I was going to Tennessee and that was that. It's going to be weird going through this process for a second time."
A familiar sound rang through the five's ears, as Sean Joseph's phone started to ring.
"Five bucks on Miami," Thomas said, nudging Bryson.
"I want on in this! Give me Colorado," Mike butted in before his fellow receiver could answer.
"Florida State."
"I'll take Pitt then."
The four looked at John like he was crazy. "Pitt!?"
Sean Joseph rolled his eyes at the four and answered the call. "Hello? Coach Campbell? Yeah, I have time to talk. You're on campus!? Yeah, I'll be there in ten minutes."
Bryson smirked and held his hand out. "Pleasure doing business with you guys."
...
"It's nice to see you, Coach Campbell. Surprised that you would come out to PA in the middle of the season, though."
"Please Sean Joseph, we're hosting Kentucky this week!" the Florida State head coach chuckled. "I can make time for our number one target."
George Campbell took over as the Seminoles head coach about eight years ago after some brief struggles in the SEC. Now he has Florida State as the perennial power that they used to be under Bobby Bowden, with this year's group sitting pretty as the third ranked team in the BCS.
"Glad to hear that," Sean Joseph smiled as he shook the man's hand. "So I'm guessing you want to tell me a little about your program and where I fit into it?"
Coach Campbell nodded. "The program speaks for itself, Sean Joseph. We've been a BCS team the past three seasons and have a great shot at a national championship berth this year. Florida State was the best program in college football way before you were born, and we'll be right back at that point after a title."
The quarterback nodded, briefly remembering how great the Seminole program was in the 90s through some research.
"You'll definitely have a shot at the starting job as soon as you step on campus. Perry Tyree graduates in the spring and should be taken in the first three rounds of the draft. We brought in a four-star kid named Andrew Gutierrez out of our own backyard last year, but from what I've seen out of you, you shouldn't have any problem taking it from him."
...
"...so basically you're saying I'm still your top choice?"
The man on the other line sighed. "Do I have to repeat myself, Ethan? Of course you are."
Ethan smirked, realizing that he was this close towards landing his first college job. "Just wanted to hear it again, Matt."
"I have to ask though...have you heard yet from the NCAA?"
That raised the hair on the back of the coach's neck. After flying out to Indianapolis to state his case to the NCAA committee, he hadn't heard one peep from them. He wanted things to be solved as soon as possible, because the longer they waited, the more he felt like he wasn't going to get off easy.
"Not yet, but like I've been telling you, I'm sure it's not going to be anything."
"Good," Matthew huffed. "How's your son doing?"
"He's a little bummed after the news obviously, but he told me that he hasn't ruled you out. That's a good sign."
"Excellent," the athletic director said, hearing that his plan could still come to fruition. "Say, I know you're in season right now, but do you think you could make a trip down here sometime soon? All expenses paid by the school, of course."
Ethan took a minute to think about it before answering. He definitely wanted to go back down to Tennessee and see where his future enlie, but at the same time, he had a obligation to focus on his team's goals. He was little upset that the news of him wanting a college job leaked earlier this season, but he wanted to keep his negotiations with Tennessee under wraps. Hell, he hadn't even told Sean Joseph about this yet.
"Matt, I'd love to, but do you think we can hold off on that until after the season? I got something special going on here and don't want to take away from it."
"Understood, Ethan. I'll be back in touch soon."
The coach hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. Between everything from the Hall of Fame induction to his son's commitment and decommitment, it had already been one busy season - and he was sure that it was only going to get more hectic in the coming weeks.
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