This is not in reference to any particular recruit but a lot of times fans ask why a recruit is not more transparent about what he wants to do or where he wants to go. Every case is different and sometimes a kid does mislead a school or schools. I will not defend that because coaches' jobs are at stake over things like this and they should at least be given courtesy and honesty.
But a lot of times kids do not advertise favorites because, aside from the fact that they're not ready to commit and thus a little undecided, it hurts their stock with other recruits. I can tell you that coaches everywhere hawk the stuff they see on Rivals and if a story comes out with a kid saying he's got a top three and he just forgets to mention their school, a lot of times that causes the recruit to drop on the board. They'll usually do their own research, but it's a factor. If a school doesn't think a kid is interested they will move on or start to move in another direction.
But here's a lesser mentioned point: If a kid says, "I'll commit to School X if they offer," that really hurts them in two ways. One, it hurts them with other schools and their chances at other offers. But it also tells School X that they do not need to offer right now, that they can take the kid for granted, and that they can label him a "down the road, closer to Signing Day" kind of player. So it is in a player's interest to often play things close to the vest.
There are other factors at play in many cases, i.e. attention/drama, but even in those cases I think the dynamics are more complicated than people realize. Even four-star players can drop on a school's board, especially as the process moves later.
But a lot of times kids do not advertise favorites because, aside from the fact that they're not ready to commit and thus a little undecided, it hurts their stock with other recruits. I can tell you that coaches everywhere hawk the stuff they see on Rivals and if a story comes out with a kid saying he's got a top three and he just forgets to mention their school, a lot of times that causes the recruit to drop on the board. They'll usually do their own research, but it's a factor. If a school doesn't think a kid is interested they will move on or start to move in another direction.
But here's a lesser mentioned point: If a kid says, "I'll commit to School X if they offer," that really hurts them in two ways. One, it hurts them with other schools and their chances at other offers. But it also tells School X that they do not need to offer right now, that they can take the kid for granted, and that they can label him a "down the road, closer to Signing Day" kind of player. So it is in a player's interest to often play things close to the vest.
There are other factors at play in many cases, i.e. attention/drama, but even in those cases I think the dynamics are more complicated than people realize. Even four-star players can drop on a school's board, especially as the process moves later.
