Despite program concerns, UCF recruiting unquestioned

Sometimes we put too much meaning into recruiting. Consider the case of Central Florida: It's doing great in recruiting -- considering. Considering it is coming off a 4-8 season. Considering it is under independent investigation by a prominent attorney usually employed by schools involved in NCAA wrongdoing.

Considering it had two players collapse during workouts in a space of nine months last year. Considering that one of those players died. You would think that alone would lead to some profound questions from parents and recruits before Wednesday's signing day.

George O'Leary has told this year's recruits he plans on being at UCF as long as they are. (US Presswire)

Maybe those came, maybe they didn't. Either way, you'd hardly know, as the big day approaches, that Ereck Plancher collapsed and died after a workout in March. Then, incredibly, Brandon Davis collapsed in December and was hospitalized.

Let's say the school, coach George O'Leary and the program are completely blameless in these two cataclysmic events. Still, a reasonable person would expect more than questions from recruits. Plancher's parents have said they would sue.

But recruits don't always consider lawsuits. Judging by Central Florida's recruiting class, they don't consider their health either. That's football. Everyone thinks they are indestructible. In the middle of this, that O'Leary is recruiting at all is somewhat of a story. That he has pulled in 20 commitments entering the week, four already enrolled, is amazing. Who knows if this class will end the program's annoying up-one-year, down-the-next pattern? The point is, prospects aren't treating Central Florida as some sort of safety risk.

"Our coaches talk about that that could happen to any of us," said Steve Davis, coach of Central Florida's highest-profile recruit, four-star athlete Josh Robinson of Plantation (Fla.) High.

Two guys collapse in nine months? One dies? An ongoing investigation? Could happen to any of us?

Maybe we're giving way too much credit to parents, their kids and their high school coaches. With a scholarship hanging in the balance it's easy to overlook one tragedy and another near-tragedy.

At this point, no one really knows what happened with Plancher and Davis. We are reminded of that because Mike Glazier, that attorney, is investigating the program. We don't know if the school, the program and/or the coach were negligent. We don't know, either, if these occurrences were the mother of all coincidences.

We do know it should be next to impossible to recruit in this climate. Negative recruiting alone could have doomed O'Leary. Forget innocence or guilt. There are too many unanswered questions for any recruit or his family to make an informed decision on Central Florida. It has only been a couple of months since school president John Hitt called a press conference that a lot of us thought was to announce O'Leary's dismissal.

Instead, the coach got a vote of confidence.

What else could anyone have expected? O'Leary is in the middle of a 10-year contract that includes a $5 million buyout. Before you re-hinge your jaw to your face, no, we can't tell you why Central Florida from Conference USA boxed itself into that kind of corner.

Poll Would you feel comfortable sending your child to play at UCF? 68% Yes   32% No   Total Votes: 890

Circumstances being what they are, though, it's clear now that crippling bad publicity for the football program isn't nearly as painful as paying a seven-figure buyout or facing a protracted legal battle after a firing.

"(The collapses) did come up right at the end," Steve Davis said of Robinson's recruitment. "That's horrible, horrible luck. My honest opinion, I don't think there was negligence on their part."

So, Steve Davis was asked, what was he told about what happened?

Brandon Davis, he said, was "dehydrated."

"(They) think he was at a late-night party beforehand," Steve Davis added.

Let's see if Brandon's parents agree.

Sickle-cell trait contributed to Plancher's death, but could his death have been avoided? A former teammate told ESPN, "they ran him to death." The national trainers organization has specific guidelines for how athletes with sickle-cell trait should be treated during workouts.

Once again, you would hardly know something horrible happened. Robinson turned down Michigan to go to Central Florida. The father of Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater High defensive back Henry Wright told the Orlando Sentinel: "We had no questions about that because we had watched their practices and watched their drills. We're more than pleased with the way they do things out there."

The recruits are happy, their parents are satisfied and the coach is secure. Maybe that's the way it should be. Maybe not.

"I told our seniors in the recruiting class that came in, 'I'm going to coach through this graduation class that we're bringing in, if I can, from a health standpoint,'" O'Leary said.

That's four more years, at least. If you doubt him, the coach has $5 million to bet you're wrong.