It’s not a known fact, but it’s a pretty well-assumed notion that high school football recruits are offered some pretty ridiculous things by college coaches — whether it be money, cars, or perhaps even playing time — in an attempt to get them to sign letters of intent. Well, one former Division I college football player took this to another level when he revealed what he was offered on ESPN’s Highly Questionable with Bomani Jones and Dan Le Batard.
Marcus Dupree, who played running back for Barry Switzer and the Oklahoma Sooners in the 1980s, was one of the most highly-touted recruits of his generation. Dupree had ridiculous speed, and was able to pair that with formidable strength that made him almost impossible to stop. He eclipsed Herschel Walker’s high school record for the most touchdowns scored, and at one point during his recruiting process was receiving more than 100 phone calls a day from college coaches.
Dupree appeared on Highly Questionable on Wednesday and was asked what the craziest thing he was offered, to which he revealed that one unnamed school offered him $250,000 to play. In the interview, he stated that his mother told him he wasn’t allowed to accept it, and that he had to “earn his money.”
If that amount of money wasn’t outrageous enough, he revealed that another school offered him an oil well. Yes, an oil well. Dupree added that he wasn’t quite sure what that meant when he was given the offer. I’m not sure I would either, honestly. The best was Le Batard’s face when Dupree said he was offered the well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDpEYEZJvMI
Dupree was the star of ESPN’s 30 for 30: The Best That Never Was, which showcased the immense expectations, injury, and conflict that caused his college career to be short-lived and never allowed Dupree to be the college running back that the country — and Oklahoma — expected him to be.
