The Curious Case of Aravious Armstrong

Back in 2009 Aravious "Ray-Ray" Armstrong was one of the highest ranked high school recruits in the entire Nation at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida. Every college team in the Country wanted to sign him to a Letter of Intent and there was little if any doubt that he would be a huge success.

It seemed at the time that the University of Miami was fortunate to win Mr. Armstrong's commitment and services. From the day he signed his LOI with Miami, comparisons were already being made to another famous player who played safety and wore #26 at UM. 

When I met him for the first time I was absolutely convinced that it was a 100% absolute certainty that Ray Ray would make everybody forget about storied Hurricane safety Sean Taylor. But that was then, this is now.

After a few years of hits and misses, and just average performance on the field and a lot of negative attention off the field, one of the most over-hyped and most-liked players on the entire UM roster is now a part of Hurricane history.

It seems that Mr. Armstrong got the Golden boot as of yesterday, Coral Gables time. And for that we are all collectively sad as a Hurricane Family. We all now probably realize and must admit that the hopes and expectations for Ray Ray were probably way too high from the start. 

But that is the nature of college football recruiting today.  Hype them up and then watch them fall. Sure Armstrong had talent and size and speed. But if every player who matched that description lived up to their potential then we wouldn't need Rivals, Scout or ESPN now would we?

The question may come down to who would U want as your teammate?  Aravious Armstrong or Mike James?  To many the answer seems simple.  Mike James is the perfect image of a motivated, dedicated and commited team player.  Ray Ray?  Well maybe not so much.

Some would argue that the bottom line is that Seminole County is not Dade County.  That the talent  level is simply not the same.  But I would disagree.  There are many talented players all across the great State of Florida and all across the USA.

To me what separates the good from the great is drive, heart and desire.  Sure you might be able to run fast or jump high or bench press 300 pounds.  But what is your level of desire to be great and is your mental attitude one that supports your success?

I, like all Hurricane fans, loved Ray Ray Armstrong as a person and a player. We all wanted him to succeed at Miami.  Unfortunately it did not work out as planned.

And now disappointment is all we have to live with in the curious case of Aravious Armstrong.

Comments

[raizecane]

Randy was right when he said nothing good happens after midnight

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/colorado-theater-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[CaneRock]

You just never know WHEN,WHERE, and WHY!
This is absolutely horrific:

Seeger said she was in the second row, about four feet from the gunman, when he pointed a gun at her face. At first, "I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do," she said. Then she ducked to the ground as the gunman shot people seated behind her.

She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 years old "lying lifeless on the stairs." She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but "I had to go. I was going to get shot."

[The What]

There is clearly something going on where we keep having these
Shootings occur. Was this going on 30, 40, 50 years ago? If not then the question is what has changed that has made this such a regular occurrence in our society?

[IraqiCane]

That's why the wife and I carry every where we go.

[86Cane]

Iraqi..IF U or OcalaCane had been there in that theatre last night fewer people would have died and the shooter, the killer of innocent people, would certainly have died on the spot after just a few shots.

[IraqiCane]

Yep, I lived in Aurora a few years ago. Still have inlaws there, whom are alright.

[raizecane]

Iraqi..IF U or OcalaCane had been there in that theatre last night fewer people would have died and the shooter, the killer of innocent people, would certainly have died on the spot after just a few shots.

Posted by: 86Cane | July 20, 2012 at 12:30 PM

******************************************

With me as well.....as a matter of fact, I just got back from lunch and before i got out of the car, I put my Kel-Tec in my pocket where I normally would leave it in the car. You just don't know....my condolences the the families.

[OCALACANE]

raqi..IF U or OcalaCane had been there in that theatre last night fewer people would have died and the shooter, the killer of innocent people, would certainly have died on the spot after just a few shots.

Posted by: 86Cane | July 20, 2012 at 12:30 PM

Sup SpaceCadets?

86...
Coffee is ready for LAUNCH :) need T'S...
Labels correct :)

Solar Sup Brutha? Hows the MRS?

This is tragic...
Guns don't kill people.
PEOPLE DO!!!

Wolves
Sheep
Sheepdogs

Which are U?

[CGNC]

Anyone who doesn't think the secondary at UM is worse off today than it was on Tuesday is just hating.

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | July 19, 2012 at 06:35 PM

Yep

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uEE8y3MJ2g&feature=player_detailpage

[CGNC]

Penn State to remove statue?

Earlier this week, a small plane reportedly flew over campus with a banner reading: “Take the statue down or we will.”

The removal of the statue would be the latest public condemnation of Paterno. “Paternoville” — the name of the area where students waited outside of Beaver Stadium — has been changed to “Nittanyville” and Brown University, Paterno’s alma mater, removed his name from an award given to its top male athlete.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/07/20/penn-state-reportedly-plans-to-remove-paterno-statue/#ixzz21BeDi19u

[86Cane]

86... Coffee is ready for LAUNCH! Need T'S...Labels correct :

OK, ordering T-shirts today with shipping to your site in 2 weeks. Details via phone and/or email and big announcement on the front page here in two weeks once we are up and ready to take orders.

I think we need custom coffee mugs too?

[Terrance Sullivan]

Great job on this column. I totally agree.

[Old Skool]

NCAA spent several days at the U earlier this month. Not much other news there, but.... Is there a connection to Ray-Ray going bye-bye? I don't know.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/07/20/sports/ncaafootball/ap-fbc-miami-ncaa-investigation.html?hp

[herbieibis]

Don't look now but our boy Alex Collins has has a pictorial on Warchant, talking about how much he likes FSU and how tight he & coach Gran are. We can't be losing any RBs.

[OCALACANE]

We got this

[CGNC]

Hey I would buy a Canespace coffee mug

[herbieibis]

Can you believe Hakim Nicks played the 2008 season, while ineligible? Didn't have the grades.

[86Cane]

CGNC..OcalaCane and I are launching a fresh roasted, private lable, Canespace coffee series and very possibly coffee mugs in about two weeks. We will keep U up to date.

[herbieibis]

Hey 86cane, you ought to start your Canespace line of collectables. Hats, cups, etc.

[Six]

TJL - you have to go see Dark Knight in IMAX

If you're going to see any movie in IMAX, this is the one

Absolutely blew my mind, esp. the first 10 minutes in IMAX

Another note, the theater we went to last night had metal detector at the door and someone to check the people who went in with costumes on

Those nerds can bitch/moan all they want about a 15 second scan of their superhero pajamas, but what's the real harm in it

[Six]

I'll take a newbie Deon Bush at Safety over Ray Ray

Like CaneRock said, when did playaction not fake out Ray Ray

How many times did you hear/see/read about Ray Ray freelancing too much back there - even when Shannon was still coach

If that kid cared as much about actually learning the position as he did searching for what kind of chicken was on the menu at a steakhouse/tweeting stupid crap, then maybe he would've lived up to his star rating/potential

Generally your leading tackler on your team is going to be a LB .. followed by a Safety .. so his tackle numbers aren't anything to blow your mind

Just one game. He has his moments, average and not so average

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puUXLUpjps8

[Old Skool]

Six
You see it at MOSI?

[j.w.]

Sadly I can believe that Nicks played the whole season while ineligible, got a feeling a lot of the kids who knew that tutor did. Getting your work done for you is too much for most of these players to pass up.

[j.w.]

Per Milan tweet, K State game will be at 12:00 noon.

[Ohio_Cane]

NCAA 13 update:

THIS IS WHAT'S UP!! - http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s291/wes02/87baa06b.jpg

NCAA champs as well over South Carolina!

[herbieibis]

12 & 1:00 games stink!

[86Cane]

Hey 86cane, you ought to start your Canespace line of collectables. Hats, cups, etc.

Posted by: herbieibis | July 20, 2012 at 04:09 PM

Workin on it.

I agree with U about the noon games. Can't stand it. But uUntil we start winning and winning BIG again U can count on more of them.

[86Cane]

Ocala...48 shirts (S, M, L and XL black and white) ordered to be shipped to your site on or around 7/31/12.

[CaneRock]

New Manny:

With freshmen Howard, Bush in the mix, cornerback figures to be most intriguing position battle at camp

Of all the position battles heading into the start of fall camp Aug. 3, few seem tougher to forecast than what might happen for the Hurricanes at cornerback.

Outside of senior Brandon McGee, who made 12 starts last season, and Thomas Finnie, who played sparingly as a freshman, nobody else playing cornerback at UM has taken a snap at the FBS level.

Although that's somewhat of a scary prospect for defensive backs coach Paul Williams (at least he had seniors Mike Williams and JoJo Nicolas to throw out on the field last year along with McGee), he's also excited about the influx of incoming talent at the position -- headlined by blue chip freshmen Tracy Howard (5-11, 170) of Miramar High and Deon Bush (6-1, 179) of Miami Columbus.

In the end, Williams said, "we'll need at least six" cornerbacks to be ready to play...

REST of the article here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2012/07/with-freshmen-howard-deon-bush-in-the-mix-cornerback-figures-to-be-the-most-intriguing-position-batt.html#storylink=cpy

[IraqiCane]

SHEEPDOG!!!

[orange 'n green in the vein]

If that's a 12 pm EST start it's actually going to be an 11 am local time kickoff, luckily there isn't jack to do in Manattan, Kansas so there will be no reason to bust curfew hopefully and there will be no slow to react mental misfires due to the early wake-up.

[Six]

Old Skool - Baywalk in St. Pete

[Six]

Let the sky start falling again ...

"Hurricanes coach Al Golden's staff used booster's associate in potential recruiting violations"

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--hurricanes-coach-al-golden-s-staff-used-booster-s-associate-in-potential-recruiting-violations.html;_ylt=Agt4VPuvEXD8VZt40Ff3lEE5nYcB;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0Z3ZqYjI2BG1pdANGRUFUVVJFRCBNZWdhdHJvbiBTUE9SVFMgRlAEcGtnA2U0NTViZGI2LTc5NzQtMzFkYy1iN2Y1LTA1Mjk2OTcwOTRhOARwb3MDMQRzZWMDbWVnYXRyb24EdmVyAzhjNjU0Y2QzLWQyYjgtMTFlMS1hZmRmLTdlZTc3NGIwZTgwNQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

[The What]

Here we go again. I just read the yahoo article. We are stuck in hell and can't get out.

[CGNC]

Posted by: Six | July 20, 2012 at 06:30 PM

meh. Robinson is trying to salvage his claim to fame for the Shapiro article that, although had buzz words like "yacht" and "prostitutes" isn't living up to the hype because he, like lots of other people, were played by the short dude. I imagine the "staffer" is Hurtt trying to save himself.

[Six]

CGNC - first name that came out of my mouth when I saw the title of that article ... Hurtt

followed by A.Hill

I also added "that piece of s**t" before each name out loud

[The What]

F#%# Charles Robinson. Hack reporter that brings the most frivolous allegations. The story isn't anything big. It's really not that bad. He gave players a ride. Sure it's a violation but just like the first story it's being blown out of proportion. And how is golden supposed to know the guy was affiliated to that slime ball. The story is not that big of a deal. But it does have to negative ramifications.

1. It makes golden look dishonest. Which hurts his image.
2. It gives more ammo to negative recruiting and makes recruiting that much harder.

Charles Robinson is a clown.

[TJL]

Damn these guys ever hear of throw away phones????

Six-I just got back from the movie-didnt see it IMAX but was great

after the events of last night the kids and I sat in the last/highest row

[TJL]

PS-Prices are crazy-for me and 4 kids to get into the movie plus food 90 bucks!

I miss the days of the summer movie club where you see a movie per week all summer for like 15 bucks

[Willie Will in Nashville]

Well, just got a alert from bleacher report about the new ALlegations

[Old Skool]

I'm speechless. The guy drops out of a PhD program in neuroscience and this is what he has to say ...

The suspect in the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater screening of the new Batman film early Friday had colored his hair red and told police he was "the Joker," according to a federal law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation.

[CGNC]

Charles Robinson is a clown.

Posted by: The What | July 20, 2012 at 07:07 PM

Charles Robinson is an a$$ clown. There, fixed. TGIF!

[Six]

TJL - damn

Can you feed the little monsters something before you roll into the theater, or is it just part of the movie experience for them to get food there

I was going to get some water last night, maybe a pretzel - would've had to drop $9 just for that. 16 ounce water bottle for $4.50 .. pretzel for $4.50

Screw that

One great reason for women having purses, they can put snacks and other things in them for the movies

[CGNC]

Bottled water here is $5. We bring our own.

[UMike]

I have a feeling these latest allegations are oing to cost us VG3 and alex collins

[OCALACANE]

Ocala...48 shirts (S, M, L and XL black and white) ordered to be shipped to your site on or around 7/31/12.

Posted by: 86Cane | July 20, 2012 at 06:00 PM

Gotcha covered Brotha...

SHEEPDOG!!!

Posted by: IraqiCane | July 20, 2012 at 06:09 PM

WOOF WOOF!

STRAP UP!

Goin to the range 2morrow just got my Zombie slayer...

CHECK THIS RAQI ;)

http://www.lowpriceguns.com/product.php_287702

[j.w.]

Am I the only one who is underwhelmed by this? Wow, Al Golden,at worst, had a staffer make administrative calls to recruits- the horror! And Peewee shows a few guys around the equipment room? Wow, he is bascially doing what Auburn and Alabama's chicks do, right (minus an obvious inducement!). I'm not even mad at idiot rRobinson over this, just amazed that he bought it hook, line and sinker. We all know if Peewee had a receipt re: paying for meals he would have used it in his story, so scratch that off. I see at worst a secondary violation for giving Bridgewater a ride home, and I'm not sure that's even a violation.

[CaneRock]

One great reason for women having purses, they can put snacks and other things in them for the movies

Posted by: Six | July 20, 2012 at 07:43 PM

Hahaaaa! That's what we do, we just go to the Dollar Tree and let the kids get all the goodies they want. No way in hell I'm paying those jacked up prices for some damn Twizzlers.

[Hassan]

Having previously de-committed from the Hurricanes, Chickillo reversed course and ultimately became Al Golden's highest-ranked recruit of the 2011 class. On Jan. 23, Chickillo told Y! Sports' Rivals.com of his visit, "On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 12. I'm 200 percent committed to Miami. The recruiting process is over for me."

Chick never decommited.

I mean yeah this is some minor secondary violations that occur at every school in the country. Honestly it makes yahoo look bad trying to save face and put Miami down. I do not see these violations being all that major to be honest, they all occured before the yahoo story broke as the guy left right after the story.

[Six]

Love it. Yahoo reporting at its finest.

Chick decommitting?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

That kid was a Cane as soon as he was conceived