Supposed recruit deletes social media accounts, lied about offers (Update)
Update: Wednesday, May 24 – 4:15 p.m. ET
When reached by the New York Post, the person claiming to be Unique Brissett (he says it’s his real name) admitted to lying about scholarship offers on Twitter. He re-activated his social media accounts and has been soaking in the attention he has been getting over the past 36 hours. The stunt made it as far as SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt.
“I was laughing. I was too hype,” he said about the moment he realized the lies were uncovered.
Original story: Tuesday, May 23 – 11:20 a.m. ET
The world of recruiting can be really strange sometimes.
The latest example came Monday when Luke Srodulski, a Michigan State writer for Land of 10, noticed that a recruit named Unique Brissett tweeted out the same photos as another recruit during a purported visit to Michigan State.
Hmm… pic.twitter.com/WgpLefJ5IY
— Luke Srodulski (@lsrodulski) May 22, 2017
Brissett, a junior college receiver from Globe Institute of Technology in New York, tweeted recently about trimming his list of schools down to five, including the Spartans. But after he tweeted images identical to those sent out by offensive line prospect Cody Carone back in February, things began to unravel.
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Another reporter, 247Sports.com’s Andrew Ivins, reported that Brissett did not have an offer from Miami, one of his supposed finalists. Beyond that, the Hurricanes have had “absolutely zero contact” with Brissett:
Globe Institute of Technology (N.Y.) wide receiver/running back Unique Brissett II tweeted out late Sunday that Miami was in his top group of schools along with a number of other programs. From what I have been told Brissett doesn’t hold an offer from the Hurricanes and has had absolutely zero contact with the coaches to date meaning he’s making stuff up. Kentucky’s coaches also haven’t had any contact with him.
Ivins also posted on the 247 message board that one of the Brissett highlight tapes posted on YouTube (this one) is actually “another prospect that’s currently committed to a Power 5 school.”
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How bizarre is that? Well, after these discoveries were made, Brissett, or whoever was manning those accounts, deleted both his Twitter and Instagram accounts. However, other accounts, like Hudl and NCSA Sports, still exist, though they list completely different measurables (one says 5-foot-9 and 148 pounds, another says 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds). Another profile on MaxPreps.com shows a Unique Brissett as a class of 2016 graduate from Eagle Academy in the Bronx. There’s also another Unique Brissett YouTube channel with highlights uploaded in 2015.
Beyond that, the junior college he claimed to suit up for, Globe Institute of Technology, closed in September (though it seems to have had a football program).
So this all seems to have been a ruse of some sort. Who knows what the motivation may have been? Maybe the kid wanted to do whatever it took to maybe get some attention on the recruiting trail, or maybe it was just some game to see how many people he could fool.
There have been examples of recruits — like actual recruits — tweeting out offers that may not have been legitimate, but this takes things to a new level. It recalls nearly 10 years ago when an offensive lineman from Nevada named Kevin Hart held a signing day press conference announcing his decision to sign with California over Oregon. The lie unraveled when it turned out that neither school was recruiting him. Hart ended up signing with a Division II program a few years later after playing in junior college.
Hopefully there will be a similar resolution for Brissett.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
