We all play this game. Miami fans are always sure every out-of-state kid hates the cold and pines for the nightlife of South Beach.
In our defense, we're not a bunch of toothless inbred morons, so we've got that going for us.
I would simply say this. We may all hae opinions, but we certainly do not all play the same game.
First, we should observe that the general inclination to believe that northerners enjoy escaping cold weather is based, you know, on the millions of full-grown adults who have migrated to Florida over the past 100 years. Many of us are not substituting our own personal opinion that Florda is "better", but merely observing what millions of people have done, when given a choice of where to live.
Second, I don't think it is too wild to recognize that South Beach is pretty different and represents a substantial contrast to most other places in the US. If a recruit goets to Gainesville...well, there are dozens of similar college towns scattered across the US. But there's only one South Beach. There's only one Las Vegas. There's only one New Orleans. There's only one NYC. ****, if more of the great/unique cities in the US had universities with good football teams, maybe we would face stiffer competition.
Anyhow, I can't speak for everyone, but I can certainly say that I have never questioned a SoFla recruit's desire to go away for college, or to move to a quiet college town. That is each person's prerogative. Even if a recruit does not fully know what to expect, that is his adult right to choose where to go for college.
But I can also appreciate it when a recruit comes from a smalller town and is impressed by Miami's size and diversity and vibrance, because that is what I experienced when I enrolled in the 1980s.
