My View:Will Bobby Get Devine or Get Sense?

FSU is now apparently locked into a recruiting battle with West Virginia for the number one back out of high school, Noel Devine. His stats and play on the football field are unbelievable. However, that is not all there is to consider when recruiting a player.

FSU has supposedly refined its recruiting to not only quality on the field but also to looking at the character of the athlete. God knows FSU has had its problems with character issues. That is where Devine comes into the discussion.

This is a kid who could be the poster child for character issues. A few issues will make that point. According to CBS Sportsline, "What would FSU expect from a 19-year-old who has two illegitimate children? A kid who stiffed Deion Sanders when he tried to adopt him? An undisciplined, misguided teenager who apparently doesn't realize the value of minimal schoolwork to his football career."

Is this the kind of player that FSU really wants? This kid was given the opportunity to start over by mentor Deion Sanders and all he did was to say no thanks and headed back to the problems he still has. As Sanders stated,"Some people don't want to be helped." It is very doubtful whether he can qualify academically. It is more likely that he will be going to a prep school first.

It is a mystery to me why FSU would want to risk its reputation on a kid that apparently does not want to help himself. Is this all about recruiting? If so, it it is even uglier than I suspected.