Recruiting season is alive and well and soon the actual business of football will begin for thousands of class of 2010 college football hopefuls. With each passing day, college football fans hang on the news of where their favorite high school football players will commit to playing for the next 4 to 5 years. The entire process has turned into a sport itself but is it healthy?
From my vantage point, the ongoing sport that is early college football commitments is ruining the college football recruiting process. Increasingly, college football prospects are being pressured and by pressured, I mean really pressured to make a choice long before the actual signing date of February 4th. We are at the point now where kids are forced to make their decision long before they take any of their official visits. How is that right?
More and more, I am seeing these young high schoolers publicly announce their intentions and then another school they had not consider enters into the mix. When that happens, the recruit feels the need to rethink their commitment. Often times, that rethinking gets the kid labeled by fans and media personnel as any thing from wishy-washy to just down right shady. Is this fair? Should a 17 year old student athlete be painted in this light because adults have pressured them into making a decision before they have all of the facts?
Undoubtedly, the practice has already led to kids making the wrong decision on their future. Kids are picking schools under pressure and are not really considering the factors that are important (i.e. education). This will continue and soon measures will have to be taken to preserve the integrity of the process.
This whole thing is like holding the NFL draft but having college players sign before the two day event in April. I understand enough to know that the colleges do need to know before the actually signing date, who is coming to their school. It would be rather rough if 20 schools showed up at the #1 recruit’s home on February 4th and he has to tell 19 schools that they aren’t it. What do those 19 schools do after that? They have wasted their day. However, when it seems that the NCAA has a heavy hand in the recruiting process with their rules and regulations, why have they been so lax on this issue? They can legislate everything else to “protect” the student athlete, why have they not dug their hands into this with a little more zest?
It would seem to me that at the very least, the NCAA should set a date for early commitments. Before that date, there should be no announcements of early commitments either publicly, privately or leaked. That date should be set after that final date allowed for official visits. Will this stop early commitments, no but it won’t be so wide spread, so public and it won’t pressure kids to make quick decisions before they have had a chance to go through the entire process.
Of course provisions would have to be made for those athletes who are going to graduate early and attend college in the spring of their senior year of high school. I am not so sure that I like that idea to begin with. I think I am on the side of having all high school seniors finish their senior year of high school. What’s the rush? However, if this practice continues then perhaps some rules can be made for those players.
Obviously, this is an issue that needs some discussion, attention and planning. However, until someone in power decides to make a commitment to at least begin the process, I think the entire college football recruiting process remains tainted,
Chad Wilson is a college football recruiting expert and creator of the GridironStudsApp which allows high school football players to gain exposure to college football coaches and fans. Wilson is a former college football player for the University of Miami (92-94) and Long Beach St. (’90-’91) and played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks (’95). He is also a former youth and high school football coach for over 15 years most recently for 5-A State of Florida Champs American Heritage. He runs All Eyes DB Camp a defensive back training company located in South Florida IG: @alleyesdbcamp. Wilson’s oldest son Quincy plays in the NFL for the New York Giants and his younger son plays cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.
Your solution, of preventing early commitments until a certain earlier day, will make the problem worse. Coaches would be hounding that kid all the way up to signing. The pressure would be overwhelming.
At least with the early verbals, SOME of the dogs are called off. I know that coaches still call, but the commit feels less obligated to answer every call and is under less pressure.
There are no easy answers. Coaches are paid millions, but they must win. Winning begins with recruiting, so they’re going to do it in earnest and work around whatever obstacle is put in their way for fear the other guy is beating them if they don’t.
The recruits are going to get hounded by the coaches regardless of what is done. I was hounded when I was being recruited but perhaps a rule like I suggested would take some of the media out of the mix. I just want something where the kids can take all of their trips and then make a decision. With what we have now, they are almost forced to make a decision before they can muster one “official” visit.
I disagree. I think committing prior to the start of football of an athlete’s senior year allows him the freedom to concentrate on his game. As long as the athlete is solid in his commitment, any family member can screen his calls and the other schools he has made his decision.
Yes, the phone is still going to ring and letters will come in the mail, but a player has more of a chance of quieting the chaos if he has committed to a school.