Florida Football: Is Tre Bell's Flip to Vanderbilt Really a Big Deal?

Any time a recruit flips from Florida to Vanderbilt, it should grab your interest.

After all, Florida is one of the most storied programs in the modern-day SEC and Vanderbilt has, habitually, brought up the rear in the SEC East.

Vanderbilt's fortunes are turning under second-year head coach James Franklin, and that's apparent with his ability to succeed on the recruiting trail.

But 3-star cornerback Tre Bell's flip from Florida to the Commodores has made headlines in a different way.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bell flipped to Vanderbilt after having scholarship offer pulled by the Florida Gators.

The reason why is what's the subject of some debate.

According to the report, Florida head coach Will Muschamp became angry with Bell after he told the Florida coaching staff that his high school coach's rule preventing players from working out at camps after July 15 prevented him from working out at the Gators' Friday Night Lights event.

The next day, Bell participated in a 7-on-7 tournament.

According to the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun, that irked the Gator coaching staff—as it should have.

So is the way that the Florida staff handled the situation a big deal?

Nope.

Bell made a mistake, and his dad admitted that to the Gainesville Sun, but it tells me that he probably wasn't part of the Gators' plans anyway. 

Would the same situation play out in the same way if if happened to 5-star cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who is also a Florida commitment? I doubt it.

It's interesting because it gives some insight into the inner-workings of the recruiting process, but it's not a negative reflection of the Florida program or Bell.

He made a mistake, and hopefully he will learn from it.

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