Juco players' road to Lincoln becomes path to success

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Juco players' road to Lincoln becomes path to successBy Max Olson WORLD-HERALD correspondent

LINCOLN — Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David ran to Stanley Jean-Baptiste and grabbed him by the sides of his rain-spattered helmet. He held on and hopped. Then David threw his right arm around Jean-Baptiste's shoulder. Together, they ran off the soggy Memorial Stadium field. They'd just helped to possibly save a Husker football season in peril with a 34-27 win against Ohio State. David forced the momentum-swinging takeaway. Jean-Baptiste — in his first game at cornerback — had an interception.

The greatest comeback in school history wouldn't have been possible without them — or the rest of Nebraska's junior college transfers. Yoshi Hardrick's ferocious fourth-quarter blocking. Brandon Kinnie's receptions. Daimion Stafford's deflection.

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Hard to believe how many homeruns Pelini has hit with Jucos. Keep 'em coming!

 
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Thought this excerpt was pretty interesting. You have to wonder how silly both Oklahoma and LSU feel right now:

When LSU offered Hardrick a scholarship after his freshman year in 2008, he immediately committed. He had to get back home to the South.
David changed that. He and Hardrick started for Fort Scott as true freshmen. They bonded while being thrown into the fire together. They got so close that Hardrick started looking around when LSU wouldn't offer David a scholarship.

"So I tried Oklahoma. Oklahoma wouldn't offer him, just me," Hardrick said.

They came to Nebraska. Hardrick cracked a joke with coach Bo Pelini. You want me, offer him.

David got his offer the next day.
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^^^ Yeah, I hadn't heard that before. Man, am I glad Yoshi and LaVonte are such great friends.

 
We are going to miss Yoshi in so many ways next year. The guy is aces. Not just a good player, but he's a SOLID teammate. That kind of unwavering support of your teammates doesn't come around all the time.

 
Jean-Baptiste didn't earn the grades at Westlake Preparatory in Davie, Fla., to play college ball, so he spent 2008 at North Carolina Tech Prep. Florida State and Clemson coaches said they'd make an offer if he got his test scores up.

But he still didn't go to class.

"They told me I didn't have to go to class," he said. "I don't know what I was thinking. They said come play for us and we'll take care of everything. I should've known

something was wrong with that."

 
One could argue our jucos are making a more meaningful impact than Pelini's recruits. Of course I wouldn't want to be the one to bark up that tree ;)

 
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