How will other coaches top Tom Herman getting RKO’d into a pool?
Please let the new recruiting thing be coaches taking pro wrestling moves.
That’s Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman on the receiving end of a rasslin’ finishing move by linebacker Demarco Boyd and a passel of other rowdy youngsters at a recruiting party.
The maneuver is Randy Orton’s RKO, best known by the internet as the RKO OUTTA NOWHERE, after this edition ...
... helped turn it into a meme. The best example of that meme:
Ideally, coach takes rasslin’ moves in recreational areas turns into a new recruiting arms race.
- “You know, down at some schools, they’ll only let you RKO the coach into a pool. Here at this elite university, I’ll let you tombstone piledrive me in a bounce house.”
- “Son, I’ve heard some of these coaches are offering bounce house piledrivers, but let me ask you: Is that gonna get you in the league? I’m offering you the chance to give me the People’s Elbow on a Slip ‘N’ Slide and get a world-class education.”
- “Not only will I sell the hell out of your Walls of Jericho for 10 minutes, I’ll let your buddies blast me with paintball guns the entire time.”
- “HEY STUD, COACH ORGERON HERE. I JUST LAID THE BIG BOOT AND THE LEG DROP ON AN ALLIGATA AND COULDN’T HELP BUT THINK HOW FUN IT’D BE IF YOU DID THE SAME TO ME ON A GO-KART TRACK. COME PLAY FOR THE TIGAHS.”
- “P.J. Fleck did what off the roof? Onto how many nails? The lightbulb went where? Son, that’s awesome. You gotta go to Minnesota.”
- “[The Undertaker voice] I’m Nick Saban. Play football here ... or don’t.”
- This all ends when Jim Harbaugh attempts a three-man, bungee-cord superplex at Niagara Falls. Is a recruit involved or even watching in person? Nope. Just seemed fun.
Either way, it’s important to show the young folks you’re a pretty fun guy, so that they’ll entrust you with their livelihoods. The new Texas coach has shown a definite willingness to do it for the Gram, at one point putting on construction gear and whirling around with a sledgehammer during locker room renovations.
When he was at Houston, we challenged him and some of his players to a round of rap trivia, which he took extremely seriously.
But for real, let’s get on the rasslin’ thing.
