When offensive lineman Kevin Hart of Fernley, Nev., announced his commitment to California last Friday, he did so in front of a packed school gymnasium. Two local TV stations showed up to film the event as he prepared to become the first Fernley athlete to receive a full scholarship to a Division I school directly out of high school.
"They really sold me," Hart said. "Coach [Jeff] Tedford and I talked a lot, and the fact that the head coach did most of the recruiting of me kind of gave me the real personal experience.”
But it appears that Hart, pictured above with Fernley coach Mark Hodges at Friday's ceremony, was the victim of a prank. Somebody, it appears, has been impersonating Tedford. There never was a scholarship offer — let alone any official contact — from the Golden Bears.
Hodges, who has been a coach for more than 20 years, now says the matter is a "law enforcement investigation."
Oregon was another so-called finalist for Hart, and somebody appears to have been impersonating an Oregon representative as well. An official from Oregon confirmed Hart was not being recruited. The validity of Hart's other finalists — Nevada, Illinois and Oklahoma State — remain in question.
Source: Deadspin
