Story about a 5 star OL under June Jones

[JasonB]

I know I am going to regret bringing this up, I'm just curious if anyone has more information...

I was at the basketball game tonight with a friend from Hawaii who knew a lot of the folks from June Jones' staff (also oddly enough knew Claude Mathis somehow). My friend was at SMU during the JJ era.

Anyway, he was saying that when June was coach here, he had a commitment from a 5 star OL. Would have been the top recruit since the death penalty. The player had been told verbally that he would be accepted to the school (he was an academic risk), but then later the school decided to tighten the admissions process, and he was denied admission in the spring. The story was that it was a kid local to the DFW area and it really hurt SMU's rep here in the area.

I wasn't provided with the recruit's name... so that's about all that I have on the story. We all remember June bringing something up about academic restrictions hampering recruiting efforts as well as the Johnny Football story, both of which most of us called him out on as BS. This isn't meant to try and remove blame from JJ, we all know that he and his staff bailed on recruiting at the end and killed the program. I just want to know if there is more to the story or not. It sounds an awful lot like what was happening during the KF and EM recruiting in basketball, where LB had to go to the Provost and beg them not to rescind the admission of those kids.

Thanks!

[Stallion]

Never happened-a 5 star means Top 35-40 players in the Country-the only way a 5 star would consider SMU is because he was already told he was a non-qualifier at every P5 in the country. Sounds like Devon Moreland who was a 4 star from California and signed with SMU but was a non-qualifier-never qualified after JUCO and I think is in the jailhouse today

[JasonB]

Never happened-a 5 star means Top 35-40 players in the Country-the only way a 5 star would consider SMU is because he was already told he was a non-qualifier at every P5 in the country. Sounds like Devon Moreland who was a 4 star from California and signed with SMU but was a non-qualifier-never qualified after JUCO and I think is in the jailhouse today

I thought it was Moreland as well, but the point was made that it was specifically a local kid.

I also wouldn't doubt that it would end up being someone who couldn't qualify anywhere and never played. Just curious to hear if anyone else had heard the story...

[Charleston Pony]

I thought JJ was in on a big Polynesian kid from somewhere in the mid-cities or maybe even in Ft Worth and was hopeful of creating a pipeline because there was a significant number of quality players in that area and possibly at the same school. Just don't remember details.

[RGV Pony]

Wasn't OL but June did have an early commit at Hawaii I think and later contact with a DT who wound up an all american at Alabama. Can't remember his name but I think he was from Australia

[footballdad]

I thought JJ was in on a big Polynesian kid from somewhere in the mid-cities or maybe even in Ft Worth and was hopeful of creating a pipeline because there was a significant number of quality players in that area and possibly at the same school. Just don't remember details.

Euless Trinity, Tongan

[SMU_Alum11]

Never happened-a 5 star means Top 35-40 players in the Country-the only way a 5 star would consider SMU is because he was already told he was a non-qualifier at every P5 in the country. Sounds like Devon Moreland who was a 4 star from California and signed with SMU but was a non-qualifier-never qualified after JUCO and I think is in the jailhouse today

Disclosure: hate the tiki [deleted]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I’m 2011 weeks prior to the ASU debacle that he had 1 or 2 5* WR recruits. It was going to be the best class by miles during post DP. Of course we lost them when JJ skipped and fell at ASU.

[No Quarter]

Sounds like maybe footballdad identified the player in question but I recall one year when coach Klemm had several good players looking at SMU although I thought they were all or mostly Californians and not sure there was an OL in the bunch.

[JasonB]

Sounds like maybe footballdad identified the player in question but I recall one year when coach Klemm had several good players looking at SMU although I thought they were all or mostly Californians and not sure there was an OL in the bunch.

I think he nailed it as well. I remember he was excited about opening up a pipeline to Euless Trinity and the Polynesian population that he thrived with in Hawaii. It would make sense that JJ carried a grudge from that for a while.

Klemm was mostly california. He had a lot of relationships in the gym scene down there that got him connected to OL and DL. Did have a couple of receivers in the mix. We are lucky most of his recruits never made it in, he was up to all kinds of shenanigans.

[mtrout]

June Jones is the best FB coach we've had since Bobby Collins. Sure he quit and cratered the program but he was rollin guru style for a while there before he got the SMU flu.

https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Warrior-F ... 1573062820

[SMU_Alum11]

June Jones is the best FB coach we've had since Bobby Collins. Sure he quit and cratered the program but he was rollin guru style for a while there before he got the SMU flu.

https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Warrior-F ... 1573062820

Maybe in terms of # of wins and post season but regular season quality wins, he only had TCU. At least we squashed top 10 Houston under Morris and always took care of business against lesser teams like NTCC. If the admin had canned June when the ASU debacle happened and got someone in by 2012, we might be in immensely better spot.

[smusportspage]

June Jones is the best FB coach we've had since Bobby Collins. Sure he quit and cratered the program but he was rollin guru style for a while there before he got the SMU flu.

https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Warrior-F ... 1573062820

...SMU flu. I have gotten that before. It can be a real pain.

[White Helmet]

We also had Levon Livingston a highly thought of JuCo this year. Now he is gone without playing a snap.

[Timothythegreat]

We also had Levon Livingston a highly thought of JuCo this year. Now he is gone without playing a snap.

Wasn’t he the guy who got hurt during fall camp or spring? I wasn’t aware that he was leaving.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

At least we squashed top 10 Houston under Morris and always took care of business against lesser teams like NTCC.

True. Chad could always beat North Texas at SMU - unlike Arkansas.