JUNE JONES DOESN'T BELIEVE IN LEMSDAY

by Orson on Jan 23, 2008 1:16 PM EST

June Jones opted not to honor the commitment offensive line recruit Ralston Drews made to SMU under the terms proposed by his predecessor Phil Bennett, something SMU went as far as warning incoming recruits about in a form letter. From the Dallas Morning News:

He didn't even get nervous when SMU took 71 days to hire June Jones.

And the form letter Ralston received in November telling him the new coach had right to refuse all commitments?

He didn't think anything of it. He had a letter of confirmation. He heard nothing to make him believe he wouldn't be a Mustang.

Until last week, anyway. That's when Ralston, a 6-1, 335-pound lineman from Tyler Lee, got a quickie course in today's college athletics.

Ralston won't be a member of Jones' first recruiting class. He isn't the first kid that's happened to, and he won't be the last.

This is simply "the landscape of college football," as an SMU official told Ralston's high school coach.

This shows Jones clearly doesn't buy into the principle of "LEMSDAY!" espoused by Ed Orgeron and other coaches who honor prior commitments made by the outgoing coach they're replacing at a university. Indeed, as the column suggests, Jones may be doing Drews a favor by dumping him in time to shop around his commitment a bit; he would just play four years, never see the field, and spend the whole time wondering if he should have gone somewhere else.

It is not a rosy beginning to Jones' life in Dallas, PR-wise. And who would have imagined that, given his previous history of silky-smooth media relations?

Tweet Comment 22 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I thought LEMSDAY was sandwiched between TOOSDAY AND TURSDAY.

by hailstate on Jan 23, 2008 1:24 PM EST reply actions

I guess he thought Ralston was just a system lineman.

by Out of Conference on Jan 23, 2008 1:34 PM EST reply actions

I have no opinion on this story, but I would like it to be known that the Jessica Simpson tits and ass shots on the sidebar are outstanding!

by Aerobab on Jan 23, 2008 1:42 PM EST reply actions

I am shocked, shocked to see there is gambling going on in this establishment.

by Slow, Fat and White on Jan 23, 2008 1:44 PM EST reply actions

June turning down linemen? Was he at the Sugar Bowl?

by hunglikehussain on Jan 23, 2008 1:45 PM EST reply actions

You ought to see the video of my “nut slip”.

by hunglikehussain on Jan 23, 2008 1:47 PM EST reply actions

hunglike,

you know jj doesn’t coach at hawaii anymore right?? he has a completely different group of lineman now. just sayin’.

and i think this is a huge non story. these recruits like to hold coaches/programs hostage all fall/winter while they play the role of movie star. june jones isn’t expected to keep the previous assistant coaches, why should he have to keep the recruits??

by gerry dorsey on Jan 23, 2008 1:54 PM EST reply actions

Supposedly the 6’0 343 Dews was given conditioning standards that he’d have to meet by Bennett, the great recruiter who preceded JJ. Not sure you want a guy that big and out of shape coming into two-a-days in Dallas.

Same shit’s happened with Petrino and even returning coaches like Gundy this offseason,. Just some blowhard east Texas H.S. coach decided to make a big deal out of this.

by SMHoo on Jan 23, 2008 1:59 PM EST reply actions

Maybe the kid’s a good rush blocker and, thus, unneccessary? Or he isn’t that good despite being the size of a small vehicle?

by Edsall is God on Jan 23, 2008 2:01 PM EST reply actions

Those Zango ads on the side aren’t cool. Of course any self respectin man wants to see nekkid women, but we don’t want spyware splattered all over our computer.

by Freehawk on Jan 23, 2008 2:03 PM EST reply actions

Edsall,

I think the fact that he was going to SMU speaks volumes about how good a player he is.

by Biggus Rickus on Jan 23, 2008 2:10 PM EST reply actions

Speaking of LEMSDAY, DA COACHOGONNACOACHCHFORDEMSAINTS. WHODAT?

[link=blog.nola.com/saintsbeat/2008/01/saints_hire_orgeron_as_defensi.html newwindow]Who Dat?[/link]

by reb pup on Jan 23, 2008 3:12 PM EST reply actions

dammit, tried to get cute!

http://blog.nola.com/saintsbeat/2008/01/saints_hire_orgeron_as_defensi.html

by reb pup on Jan 23, 2008 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Truth is, the kid wasn’t much of an actor and didn’t fit into JJ’s plans for his much anticipated SMU flick vis-a-vis his Hawaiiiiiii treasure seekin playbook ones.

by yoyofutbawl on Jan 23, 2008 3:22 PM EST reply actions

It’s important for da coach O to work where there aren’t any language barriers.

by Brian on Jan 23, 2008 3:28 PM EST reply actions

LEMSDAY isn’t something that is to be believed or not believed. LEMSDAY just is.

by PeteJayhawk on Jan 23, 2008 3:38 PM EST reply actions

I could never trust someone who willingly chose to live amongst the local population of Honolulu for 9 years. One week there was plenty for me to realize that if not for being geographically fortunate enough to generate de facto tourism, the place would be nothing more than grass huts filled with people who would elevate a person with a Zippo to a fire god status.

Who needs an emphasis on education, hang loose mother fuckers!

by wardo on Jan 23, 2008 3:53 PM EST reply actions

My thoughts:

1. 6-1, 330? Lay off the cheeseburgers, tubby.

2. If the kid is 6-1, 330 and signed with SMU, he probably has the speed of molasses. Yeah, he’d fit in real well in the June Jones system.

3. I love the tough talk from the high school coach, “We won’t send any more kids SMU’s way.” Like anybody cares what you and your polyester nuthugging shorts think. There’s only 500+ other high schools in Texas to pick talent from.

by Raider Red on Jan 23, 2008 5:16 PM EST reply actions

this coming from the “coach” who said Colt makes every play asked of him, he’s a first round draft pick…

Really? How’d he do for ‘ya against Gergia in the Sugar? Oh that’s right, about as well as Tebow did at this year’s WLOCP.

And those 2 were Heisman finalists?

by godawgs on Jan 23, 2008 7:29 PM EST reply actions

In fairness to both Brennan and Baby Jesus, they were on their backs pretty regularly. In Brennan’s case he was damn near knocked out on a couple of occasions.

by Biggus Rickus on Jan 23, 2008 7:33 PM EST reply actions

Maybe Jones is afraid the young lineman will actually, um, block his man?

Jones’ teams have mastered the art of the blocking technique known as Ole. To keep teams honest, Jones mixes in the Watch Your Head blocking scheme where the defensive linemen get to deliver a Madden-esqe hit on the quarterback.

Okay, I have belabored the joke. Still… Pray for the Ponies QB’s health and well being.

by bevo on Jan 26, 2008 7:11 AM EST reply actions

#18, Having been to Lubbock and Dallas, I gotta say SMU is the better campus if you are football player. Great looking and rich sorority girls (COKE!) make for a heady experience (MOUNDS OF THE STUFF) for any scholarship football player even those from Tyler.

Plus, Dallas offers a superior night life and better looking cougars if you are eye wonders in that direction.

Lubbock does have drunk sorority girls at Chimy’s plus a pliant press that will keep your name out of the paper in case said girls sober up too soon.

by bevo on Jan 26, 2008 7:18 AM EST reply actions