Melvin Smith returns to MSU

[Po Monkey Lounger]

From Gene's Page

(Gene Swindol)
Now that you are coming back, what would you like to tell the MSU fans?

(Melvin Smith)
"We are about to get it done. We are about to get it done. We are about to take over the state of Mississippi in recruiting. Bulldog fans, we are going to win at Mississippi State. We are about to fill that stadium and make it hard for teams to come to the Bulldog stadium and play. We are going to win football games. I can assure you of that. If you ask me why I know that, then check out the years I was there. We won a lot of football games."

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And this from a Texas A&M recuit recently:

From Mywesttexas.com 2/2/06

Terrence McCoy, WR,Lee High School:

"They take care of you down there, McCoy said." " I know from my brother they keep your pockets full, give you plenty of money, keep feeding you meals. Besides that all the help they give you with football. They keep you on your grades with private tutoring. Just good all around."

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Sounds like Croom has learned a thing or two about recruiting all right.

Welcome Back Melvin. Things are a little different now, in no small part due to your clandestine recruiting practices on behalf of MSU. Folks may be watching now --- behind a bush, in a tree, submerged under a pond breathing out of a straw, from land and sky ---and listening ---to the phone, in the recruit's home, at the HS coach's office. Who can you trust? Anyone? Noone? Feeling a little paranoid? Perhaps a little sweaty or nauseous? You should be. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock........

[Greenhead22]

Smith was a secondary coach at A&M, had nothing to do with the recruitment of that WR and you know it.

[RebelYelp]

maybe not..... it is funny however that everywhere he's been has been put on probation shortly after he left...... Ole Miss, MSU, and now Texas A and M is being investigated..... things that make you go hmmmm.....

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Come on GH22, it looks just a little suspicious, doesn't it?? Were you really thinking, "Gee, I sure wish Croom would bring back Melvin"?

Well, for Croom's and MSU's sake, I hope he keeps Melvin on a really short leash. He has some baggage. Whether he can recruit the right way remains to be seen. Can zebras change their stripes? But, I do think this is a strong signal that MSU is upping the ante in recruiting, even at some risk. I can only presume that Templeton believes that the NCAA will not come after Croom absent something really blatant and public ---in other words the NCAA will not go out of its way to nail MSU again with a black head coach at the helm. Thus, to a certain extent, Melvin can hide behind Croom. IF anything happens, Melvin will take the fall and Croom and adm. will plead ignorance. This is either a brilliant recruiting strategy move, or an insanely desperate one full of great risk to the program. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, recruiting in MS, and the rivalry in general, at least between MSU and UM, will continue to become cleaner and more positive, letting the chips fall where they may. I would really hate to see things degenerate again between the two schools to the point where we had pre-game fights in past years. That was too ugly and not healthy ---very much like the old UM-USM rivalry ----- the main reason I stopped going to the Egg Bowl games ---the rivalry was out of control and no longer fun or entertaining. Just ugly. One of the last Egg Bowls I attended was in Oxford when JLD was still UM's DC and the Rebs D held MSU out of the endzone for a large number of plays within the 15 yard line to earn the win in a nail biter---it was cold and snowing that day. I think the last one I attended was in Starkville the year Dou Innocent ran wild on MSU, when TT was UM's head coach. Some of the things I witnessed at that game were really bad, on both sides. Thereafter, despite having season tickets, I have watched the games on TV, or just listened to the radio. Life is too short to be hatin'.

[Bullreds & Greenheads]

You guys crack me up!

[Po Monkey Lounger]

That is what we are here for ---your entertainment.