Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks has found East Tennessee to be fertile recruiting ground.
He's secured one of the most versatile players in the SEC, a near-record-setting kicker, an up-and-coming receiver and a valuable utility man - all from the Knoxville area.
Brooks has landed two Alcoa High School standouts: Randall Cobb, who played a key role for the Wildcats at quarterback and at receiver last season, and receiver Kyrus Lanxter, who is coming off a career-best five catches for 46 yards in the 2008 Liberty Bowl.
Kentucky also relies on two former Central High School standout players: kicker Lones Seiber, who is 15 points shy of becoming Kentucky's all-time leading scorer, and fullback A.J. Nance, who is one of Kentucky's best special teams performers.
This year, Kentucky has reportedly offered a scholarship to rising Alcoa senior tight end Tyler Robinson.
And, Brooks is proud to say, he's done so cleanly.
Brooks doesn't believe that self-reported, secondary violations are always inadvertent missteps. He believes there may be more afoot as some programs try to get an upper hand in recruiting.
"I think that some of these things are not accidental," Brooks said on the News Sentinel's radio show, The Sports Page.
Brooks called for changes in enforcement, saying that will keep the amount of secondary violations from growing.
"The only way that will change is the conference office or the NCAA may have to take more stringent action on those that are having - quote - secondary violations because everybody that is a head coach or a recruiting coordinator in this league understands what the rules are," Brooks said. "Something really should change.
"If not, it's going to force everybody to have secondary violations because there's no question they can gain a slight advantage with some of the things that are going on."
Whether it's a smoke machine or a special celebration for visiting prospects, Brooks sees self-reporting as a necessary way to avoid punishment - not simply altruistic policing.
If schools don't report themselves, technology often times will.
"I won't say what school but I just watched something on Youtube that is clearly a secondary violation by a member school in our conference," Brooks said. "If they don't self report it, somebody else is going to report it.
"I think there's maybe a little too much gamesmanship going on right now."
Kentucky is the only SEC school that reported no secondary violations since Dec. 1, 2008 to the News Sentinel. Such statistics were not available from Auburn, Alabama and Vanderbilt.
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Comments » 30
tractoronthepole writes:
Come on Kentucky with a little help I can help you get a secondary violation. Secondary violations should help your secondary program.
andy112382#209793 writes:
lol - I like it!
You know Kentucky HAS to be feel down since they couldn't even beat us in a year that Wyoming did....
utkjoe29 writes:
hmm did auburn report themselves..everyone saw that video on youtube.. I would hope brooks is bringing up something new.. no telling!
FWBVol writes:
Kentucky's basketball program has more than enough violations than to cover the KY football team's share as well. No wonder Brooks has nothing to worry about.
RJ_Vol writes:
LOL. Hmm...He must be talking about Memphis basketball. Oops. Now, it's UK basketball. FWB, I agree. It's unbelievable that UK (after hiring Coach C.) would be sitting in the "high and mighty" chair. Yeesh!!
TSNSD4UT writes:
Better be careful what you wish for there Rich.
InertGas writes:
Come on coach, get with the program. Kentucky can't afford a secondary violation gap. Learn how to work the system or perish.
bluetick writes:
Spiteful Sanders put him up to this.
behuman13 writes:
My janitor had the tatoos "Love" and % " on each knuckles..
I think his name was Randy...
behuman13 writes:
Sorry, forgot to turn off filter.
H-A-T-E _
GAVol21 writes:
Hooker trying to dig up phooey or start something? He's a troll! Fire Hooker!
MadMax writes:
Wow, UK worrying about those committing secondary violations when the are one of the leaders in MAJOR VIOLATIONS.
smokyredbone writes:
Hey Brooks, WOHICA!!!!!
smokyredbone writes:
or, BOHICA!!!!!
orangegrass writes:
HOW TRUE! HOW TRUE!
SomeGuy writes:
I agree with Brooks. I suggest that we start the enhanced enforcement in the sport of basketball. Uh oh, UK just hired a prominent cheater as their new basketball head coach? That could be awkward...
Bigger_Al writes:
I think Brooks has a good point. It appears secondary violations can be self-reported all day long without any penalties other than a bunch of paperwork.
seventysevenvol writes:
Brooks is an old school gentleman who will always play it straight up and honest. His school doesn't have the 'sexy' football image that most other SEC schools do (don't count VU or MSU either)so it naturally rankles him to see other coaches and their players flaunt it on the verge of violations.
He hasn't had the success (Kentucky hasn't, period) against UT so he's especially rankled about Kiffin now and all the violations. He has privately stated his dislike for Spurrier and Myer too...can we connect the dots: all egotistical coaches with some flair?
Since 1984 there have been years when Kentucky had a better team on the day they played the Vols- but still lost. That's been the case twice under Brooks' tenure. It's in the Kentucky players (program's) head, period.
He's taken their program as high as he can. What, 4 years and 4 bowls I think? That's better than SC, Ole Miss, MSU, Vandy, Auburn, Arkansas and UT. He also knows his seasons are numbered- and it's a bitter pill to swallow...and this year's team appears less talented than any in the past 5 years or so.
invisiblekid writes:
This isn't fair to Brooks as I think he makes a good point, but it's impossible to get past the fact that KY just hired Calipari. Any school with him among the coaching brethren pretty much loses the right to complain about enforcing recruiting rules in my book.
bamaperry#265482 writes:
Get Kiffin, Brooks! Everybody knows Kiffin cheats.
TommyJack writes:
Bamans should say nothing on the subject of cheating. Except when called as an expert witness.
RJ_Vol writes:
There are SO many rules in the NCAA rule book that no university can safely say they follow all of them. For example, let's say you go out to eat w/ a player and his wife Sunday after church...and pick up the tab to help out a college kid and his spouse. Violation. That's why secondary violations are important. A university can be honest w/out getting hammered. The rule book is just too big not to have this system in place.
On second thought, I have to say that I think Rich Brooks is a straight-up guy. At the end of last year's UT game, he was a complete gentleman when talking to Coach Fulmer on what had to be a difficult day for the Fulmer family. I saw him chew out a player (for what appeared to be a bone-headed penalty...turned out that player was not at fault) only to go back to that player and apologize. I have tremendous, tremendous respect for him. I was a little too off-the-cuff in earlier statements. He does bring up good points.
FWBVol writes:
I have a dictionary that uses a Red Elephant photo as an illustration next to the word, "CHEATER."
Hounddog writes:
Let's play football!
tallfry writes:
sounds like an accountant.
belayvol writes:
The Sherrif, is near.
rocky_topper writes:
This just in on Alabama Football:
http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww...
CrankE writes:
Uh sanders, I don't know of any SEC football coaches SOUTH of Georgia that have integrity and class either.
Brooks has done very well in my book and seems like a good guy.
But the K on the side of the helmet still stands for Kitties.
UKBLUEinKVILLE writes:
Wow Kentucky Basketball already considered cheats because Calipari is now the Coach. Although this man has never been proven to be a cheat that cloud still hovers over him.
But enough with all that I thought you guys might like to see the recruiting class Kiffin has put together recently and I must say its soo Billy Clyde, Go Vols!
http://img3.imageshack.us/i/class2016...
KevinMark writes:
Let's get back to Brooks and put a few facts on the table about this great revival of football at UK:
These past three wonderful seasons, the Mildcats are a cumulative 23-16 ... 8-5, 8-5 and 7-6.
They have won the Music City Bowl twice, and the Liberty Bowl once .... second-tier bowl games at best.
The first 8-5, UK beat a Bowden-coached Clemson team that mostly underachieved his entire time as head coach.
The second 8-5, UK beat another Bowden-coached team as daddy brought his cheat-depleted Florida State JV team to Nashville.
The 7-6, UK beat a directional school.
And, if Tennessee scores two TDs and a field goal (losses to UCLA, AU and Wyoming), then the Vols are 8-4 and in a bowl game and UK is at home with that awesome 6-6 record.
Rich Brooks with this interview is following the Lane Kiffin design: Any pub is good pub. He's just trying to stir something up b/c his little program there in Lexington is getting no pub in the offseason.
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