Jacob Copeland announced he will attend Florida on National Signing Day, and his mom was having absolutely none of that decision.
Wednesday was arguably the biggest day in the life of wide receiver Jacob Copeland. On National Signing Day 2018, the Pensacola, FL native was making his decision on where he will play college football. With three SEC schools in the mix, the young man chose to take his talents to Gainesville to play for the Florida Gators. As a top-100 recruit, he should shine in Florida.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to have his moment on National Signing Day thanks to his mother.
Adding to the drama of his decision, Copeland had friends and family around dressed in different garb from the three schools — Florida, Alabama and Tennessee — that he was choosing from. Seated to his right was his mother, who was wearing a Crimson Tide sweatshirt and a Volunteers hat. Given that, you might’ve assumed she wanted him at either of those places. And from the way she reacted, that definitely seems to be the case.
As Copeland made his choice to play for the Gators, a look of disgust came over his mother’s face, but it didn’t stop there. She then proceeded to grab her things from the table and storm off from the makeshift podium and away from her son. The scene was so surreal that you have to see it to fully grasp the moment:
#ESPN300 WR Jacob Copeland selects #Gators over #Alabama and #Vols ... mom not happy, walks off set pic.twitter.com/cbv57nDuYJ
— Gerry Hamilton (@GHamilton_On3) February 7, 2018
Frankly, this is just inexcusable from the mother. Even if she would’ve preferred him to go to Bama or UT, this is a monumental moment in her son’s life, and she just tarnished it by storming off.
Next: National Signing Day: Predictions for top 25 uncommitted recruits
To the credit of young Jacob Copeland, he was asked about the moment while talking with ESPN and handled it maturely and with poise. However, you have to feel for the young man. His mother put him in a bad position on a day that should have been his moment.
The good news is, though, that his mother did come back later and hug him. At least there was a bit of redemption for what otherwise was an ugly and awkward moment.