Three-star prospect Elijah Dotson may not have known it then, but his picture of his plate at the University of Michigan's recent barbecue called the "BBQ at The Big House" for recruits has since gone viral, accumulating over 5 million views.
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Below is the picture that's causing all of the commotion.
BIG HOUSE EATS💙💛 pic.twitter.com/iDA4j1BnOf
— Elijah Dotson (@ElijahDotson06) July 30, 2023
On what looks like nice white china plates, we see a few items:
- Macaroni and cheese
- Chocolate chip cookie
- Hot dog on an untoasted bun
- A few chicken tenders
While that's certainly true, here's what you should be seeing:
- OK, decent-looking macaroni and cheese, but out of what box?
- Is that a Chips Ahoy cookie?
- Why does that hot dog look fake? Why isn't the bun toasted?
- How did they manage to get middle school lunch chicken fingers?
This is causing such a firestorm on Twitter (or X — whatever) because this food looks straight out of Costco. Meanwhile, the most recent figure reported for the University of Michigan endowment is $17.3 billion.
What is an endowment? We'll give you an official definition, according to the American Council on Education, "An endowment is an aggregation of assets invested by a college or university to support its educational and research mission in perpetuity. It represents a compact between a donor and an institution and links past, current, and future generations."
So, as you can see, it involves money. So why is this the spread being offered? This would be great for small children. But for prospective players? Eh, not so sure.
What does the Twitter/X reply section look like on this?
Not the pre-cooked tenders you get from Sam’s Club….
— D. K. (@DK70813) July 30, 2023
This would be considered cruel and unusual punishment in any prison in America.
— MoJo (@Tennessee_Mojo) July 30, 2023
Michigan will definitely drop a few spots in the concession stand rankings…
— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) July 30, 2023
Send the chef to the transfer portal https://t.co/OWoFjBK52u
— Roy Wood Jr aka Snack Turner (@roywoodjr) July 30, 2023
This is why southern schools win recruits over at their bbqs. They don’t do this. https://t.co/7FcQZPbWg8
— Carrie (@WhoDeyBucks) July 30, 2023
With this being the final recruiting weekend and the barbecue being part of that, you'd hope to see Michigan do a bit better.
Oh well — there's always next year.
