A Bitter Divorce

Somehow you knew this divorce wouldn't end well.

The minute Jacory Harris committed to the University of Miami along with seven teammates and a half dozen other players who mentioned Harris as one of their primary reasons for committing to the program you knew it wasn't going to end well.

The writing was on the wall for Robert Marve. The words were larger when he was suspended for the opener and the wall got bigger when he was suspended for the Emerald Bowl.

Much like any divorce the issues began with communication (or lack thereof). Shannon said Marve was the starter, but he meant to say that Marve would start the game and whether he finished it was up to him. Many times he wasn't on the field for the end and on a couple of occasions he was cheated out of "his" victory.

There's little secret that Shannon seemed to lean towards Harris as the Hurricanes' season went forward. He liked Harris' preparation, his leadership, the ready-made chemistry he had with old teammates and the ability to quickly relate to new ones. The numbers seem to lean towards Harris as well, he threw for nearly as many yards, the same amount of touchdowns (12) and six fewer interceptions.

Marve was quickly becoming the outsider in Coral Gables. He was starting each game but if was no longer a question of if, but when was he going to be pulled for the guy who was quickly being groomed for future greatness.

We all knew things were getting bad but we didn't have a real idea until today. Marve left the program he loved with a parting shot..."I can't play for Randy Shannon".

Shannon decided to leave a parting shot in his release, making it difficult for Marve to continue his career at Miami...anywhere in Florida or any prominent program in the Southeast for that matter.

Marve's comments were based out of frustration and his father, Eugene's, comments were based out of anger. In both cases the feelings are understandable but Marve comes off childish. The general fan will see a young man who's been suspended twice complaining about the rules. I don't think that's totally true, however, I have some advice for Marve that I've learned. When you leave a job, leave under the best terms possible. Once a bridge is burned, it cannot be repaired.
It's obvious Marve's comments were part of the reason his release from Miami included the caveat that he can't play in the ACC or the state of Florida. That wasn't surprising but the addition of an SEC ban was (Marve was rumored to be favoring Tennessee as a landing spot but also considering LSU or Florida). Shannon's message to Marve is simple -- "Don't tread on me."

But Shannon also comes across childish. Most of the releases come with the criteria that the player leaving (especially if they are a quarterback) can't join another team in the conference or one that appears on the team's regular-season schedule over a period of time that concluding the departing player's eligibility (three years in this case). That would have been fine, but adding the SEC caveat, knowing that Marve was favoring sEC schools, just comes across as being spiteful and bitter.

The best thing for Shannon to do is adjust the release to something a little more fair. Don't let it get to the school's appeal process. The Hurricanes are heading into the final rush period for recruiting and don't need any more negative press from Marve's departure.
As for Marve, he needs to focus on finding a destination that will serve his goals. That might be in the SEC, Big East, Conference USA or Division 1-AA. He doesn't have to be in a big-time program to be a big-time quarterback and the energy he spends fighting over perceived injustices from his former school will affect his arrival at his new school. He has the opportunity to emerge from this as the bigger person if he can get on the field, perform and win in 2010.

Time for Marve to Move On...

...Despite his late-game errors with ball security and clock management (both of which I partially blame on the offensive coaching staff) I think the Miami Hurricanes are secure in a future with Jacory Harris at quarterback.

He's still a little thin, but he'll fill out. What Harris brings is leadership that coach Randy Shannon can trust and a comfort level from his teammates -- many of whom have been watching him play since he was in the youth city leagues. And for those that didn't know him before entering "The U", like Laron Byrd, he's quickly developed good on-field chemistry.

Marve is still a very promising talent. He's got a tremendous amount of skill and at times any fan could see the upside he can bring to a football program...

...Just not Miami...

Randy Shannon gave Marve the keys to the car this season, even after serving a suspension for the opening game based on an off-field incident that happened months previous, Shannon said that Marve would start every game for the Hurricanes in 2008.

Shannon kept his word, unfortunately Marve didn't.

Now with Marve's second suspension should come more honesty from the Miami coach. He needs to tell Marve that Harris will enter the spring as the starter and he will have every opportunity to keep that job. If Marve wants to stay he's going to have to prove he can handle a backup role without incident before competing for the starting job. Or he can be released from his scholarship and move on.

Personally I'm guessing Marve will decide to move on and explore his options. I've heard Florida and LSU but both schools are set with quarterbacks of the future. UCF could be an opportunity but George O'Leary's heavy run-based offense might not be the best fit for Marve's talents. USF is Marve's hometown school but the conditions of Miami's release would probably hinge on Marve not going to another ACC schools or any BCS school that appears on the Hurricanes' schedule for the next three years. That eliminates USF.

If Marve loves the South Florida area I'm pretty sure Mario Cristobal wouldn't hesitate to give him a shot at Florida International. Rusty Smith has two years left at FAU.

My thinking is he should leave the state. The first school that comes to mind is the University of Cincinnati. They are the current Big East champions and they are on their fifth-string quarterback this season. Brian Kelly appears to be a happy despite overtures from more traditional programs.

Maybe Syracuse? Cameron Dantley is gone, Andrew Robinson would be a senior during Marve's mandatory sit-out season and after that there's a glut of mediocrity at the position that Marve could certainly rise above. The Orange could desperately use a player that can help them break out of their current funk and this kid led Plant to a state title long before it was fashionable to do so.

My good friend Charles Fishbein, the head of Elite Scouting Services, likes Texas Tech as a good fit for Marve and equates their offense to the run that he ran at Plant with a lot of high-percentage passes and quick reads.

The good news is Marve has a lot of options from a lot of good programs, but none of them are called "Miami".

Roadtales: Pahokee at Frostproof

I lived in Polk County for over 15 years and never went to Frostproof for a game (or anything for that matter). Not even when Travis Henry was there chopping up defenses right and left.
So during the summertime I spotted the potential for a Frostproof-Pahokee matchup in the playoffs and circled the date. It's always a big deal with the Muck boys come to Polk County. Glades Central has a history of playing Haines City and Bartow in the postseason while Pahokee hadn't been to the county in a long time.

It was originally reported that the game would be moved to Winter Haven for safety issues to the disgust of Frostproof fans, players and head coach Brad Metheny. So the county relented and put the game back in the grove where it belonged.

And a good choice it was. Frostproof's stadium holds about 2,000+ comfortably and there was at least 1,500 above that number come kickoff time. Pahokee fans have proven they will time to the depths of the earth to see their Blue Devils and Frostproof was buzzing over the performance of their Bulldogs.

So onto the details.

Game: Pahokee won 30-0.

Details: The game was a little closer than the score indicated as Frostproof hung in there defensively for a half but couldn't get anything done on offense. Pahokee was methodical as ever, committed to running the ball with Michigan commit Vincent Smith and picking up moderate gains. The Blue Devils are a much stronger offensive unit with De'Joshua Johnson at quarterback as well. Despite the shutout, Frostproof athlete Nickell Robey proved himself to be a special player in the Class of 2010.

Travel: A little under two hours from the VSM St. Petersburg office. Take I-275 North to I-4 East to the Polk Parkway exit to Hwy 60 East to Hwy 27 North. A few twists and turns after that and you are there. A GPS or a mapquest printout is helpful.

Location: Faris Brannen Stadium is located in downtown Frostproof next to the elementary school and about two miles from the junior-senior school. With the groves and the hedges in the stadium it's a miniature version of Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia and is quickly in my list of top ten places to watch to game in the state.

Difficulty of Trip (1-10): 6...It's easy if you follow directions but one bad turn here or there and it's bad news.

Crowd (1-10): 9. Started out very strong but as the game went along and Pahokee established themselves as the better team it got pretty tame. Still very few people left the game until the closing minutes and even then lots of the home fans stuck around to applaud their team on a good season.

Atmosphere: Festive. No real problems on either side and a lot of good-natured banter. Pahokee's band "The OD-Express" did their usual splendid job at winning over the home crowd.
Locals: Polk County fans are terrific and most of Frostproof's fan base have lived in the small city all their lives and were Frostproof alums. It's a very comfortable place.
Local Cuisine: Charles Fishbein and I grabbed food at a Ruby Tuesday's in Bartow. The Bison Burger is pretty good.

Difficulty Leaving: Not bad at all, great job of traffic control by the county sheriffs.
Final Notes: Pahokee looks headed towards a fifth state title in six years and it's possible that the only team that will stop the run is Frostproof or district realignment. We'll see. But no one's stopping the Blue Devils right now.