How about coaches honor commitments

[SaguaroCat]

I'm getting tired of hearing some question players for flipping. That we need an early signing period. Well it takes two. When a player commits, you still see other coaches go after them. All of them. Where's the questioning of their honor?

It reminds me of the NFL. If a player holds out, the media and fans will clutch their pearls and scream about the sanctity of the contract. But if a player gets cut, it's just crickets.

Don't understand why unpaid 17 and 18 year olds are held to higher standards than fifty year old millionaires. Maybe just accept the system as is and understand people change their minds.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I see and understand your point, contracts don't really mean anything in sports it seems. Even if under contract Stoops, Richt,Saban or any other coach can decide the grass is greener at your biggest rival and go to that school with no penalty, unless there is a buyout and a booster or group of boosters take care of that. But the kid signs his contract, or LOI, and he is bound to that school, can't leave unless he sits out a year maybe 2, goes to a JUCO or transfers down a division. When I was still teaching/coaching, I didn't fulfill my contract I lost my instate certification. So contracts mean very little in sports it seems, unless you are a 17-18 year old kid, then it is all powerful.

Today, the kids have all the power, college coaches are falling all over themselves to woo them to their school, tomorrow or whenever they sign that LOI they lose all power, no longer are they the most wanted men in the country, they become low man on the totem pole. But the flip side is many of these kids have extended "advisors" who have their hands out and more than one school has boosters ready to fill those hands.

But to me recruiting has gotten so stressful this year it no longer is fun to follow and I am to the point of abandoning my subscription and reading the paper next year to see who we sign. I can't really believe I am the only one feeling this way, wouldn't surprise me to see this start hurting the businesses built on recruiting, because this year is proving nothing means anything until the kid faxes that LOI in.

 

[ukfan03]

I agree Grumpy. It makes someone not want to follow recruiting. I've always enjoyed that aspect of sports. You can watch a highlight of a kid and kind of day dream about how good he's going to be at your school. This year played spoiler. I wish all the kids that decommitted nothing but the best but I feel bad for the coaches.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[law1127]

Amen Grumpy!!

 

[dyersburgcatfan]

Furthermore, the present system tends to keep the traditional powers in power. It makes it extremely difficult for a school like UK to rise...and even when lesser programs do rise, they rarely stay up very long. The Alabamas, USCs, Ohio States, Notre Dames, etc, tend to always rise, even if they have a couple down years...and I think part of that is because the recruiting system favors them. And occasionally programs like UK or North Carolina will have a couple good years, but it is very hard to sustain.

Let me explain: Suppose Stoops builds a good program, which for us would be a team that can win 7 or 8 games in a season. He does this for a year or two. Next thing you know a big traditional power house program is needing a coach and they come knocking at Stoop's door. Not saying he would leave, but most do. The successful coaches move to the big programs.

Same with the kids. An 18 yr old kid verbalizes to a team like KY. Then later Alabama or Texas or Ohio State makes an offer. It's hard to turn down. The prospect of playing on the national scene with a proven winner is very attractive.

I don't really know how this can be changed. I think it takes someone like Stoops to STAY for a long time, turn down the bigger offers and slowly build the program until it becomes the kind that 4* & 5* players HOPE will extend offers to them.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Originally posted by dyersburgcatfan:
Furthermore, the present system tends to keep the traditional powers in power. It makes it extremely difficult for a school like UK to rise...and even when lesser programs do rise, they rarely stay up very long. The Alabamas, USCs, Ohio States, Notre Dames, etc, tend to always rise, even if they have a couple down years...and I think part of that is because the recruiting system favors them. And occasionally programs like UK or North Carolina will have a couple good years, but it is very hard to sustain.

Let me explain: Suppose Stoops builds a good program, which for us would be a team that can win 7 or 8 games in a season. He does this for a year or two. Next thing you know a big traditional power house program is needing a coach and they come knocking at Stoop's door. Not saying he would leave, but most do. The successful coaches move to the big programs.

Same with the kids. An 18 yr old kid verbalizes to a team like KY. Then later Alabama or Texas or Ohio State makes an offer. It's hard to turn down. The prospect of playing on the national scene with a proven winner is very attractive.

I don't really know how this can be changed. I think it takes someone like Stoops to STAY for a long time, turn down the bigger offers and slowly build the program until it becomes the kind that 4* & 5* players HOPE will extend offers to them.

No question you are right. Peterson was at BSU for years, big programs approached him and he finally left. About the only one who I can guarantee will stay is Gary Patterson at TCU. Say what you want about how UK football program has been a mess in the past, TCU was worse. But Patterson has brought them to the front of college football and I would be shocked if he ever left. Not so much because he loves TCU, but his wife is on TCU's board of trustees and her family has more oil money than some state's budgets. He has built a program from scratch and no school, not even the mighty Bama can offer him enough money to leave. Now if he divorced all bets are off, he be gone.

 

[CatDaddy4daWin]

I don't understand how a kid who has been spurned by big college X for the whole process will suddenly flip because this school needs to fill some holes. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

One day UK will be the pretty girl but right now she's 200lbs with a unibrow and just started on her diet.

 

[C1180]

A kid giving a verbal commitment is what it always has been. It only means that the school to which he has committed has a chance to sign him. This verbal commitment thing is just a made up thing by college coaches to give them some idea who they will sign on national signing day.

The schools seem to honor their offers more than the recruits honor their commitment. We fans make way to much of these commitments when we often have no idea what type of deal the coaches have struck with these kids. Sometimes the offers are conditional an example by a coach. We want you but will ask you to grey shirt if we go over our signing quota. An example of a commitment by a recruit. I commit to you but will flip if such and such offers since they are my dream school. The commitment thing is basically a convenience thing for both coaches and recruits. IMO the coaches must honor their offers more than the recruits must honor their commitments but both will flip if it suits them.

Like I said just treat this commitment thing for what it is a non binding to either party thing of convenience.

 

[dallasg23]

It's a business!!! Lol Coaches get fired over these guys decisions. So why would they just stop recruiting somebody because they commit somewhere else? When a business is trying to convince a client to work with them and they choose somewhere else or think about somewhere else that first company just doesn't stop trying.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by dallasg23:
It's a business!!! Lol Coaches get fired over these guys decisions. So why would they just stop recruiting somebody because they commit somewhere else? When a business is trying to convince a client to work with them and they choose somewhere else or think about somewhere else that first company just doesn't stop trying.

Your comparison is legit. Both parties are trying to get the best deal for themselves. You must convince them that you are the best deal. The problem is UK is in a somewhat difficult situation in most of the bigger deals. Our sales force must be much better to succeed.