This recruiting thing

[billoliver40]

It was pretty interesting a few years ago. Now....pfffffftttt. nothing counts until the LOI comes in in the fax. The past few years top 10 kids have sent their LOIs to totally different schools on signing day.

It really means little or nothing anymore as far as ''im totally committed to..." Goes.

Just headlines for kids, headaches for coaches, heartaches and hemorrhoids for the fan base.

 

[Smashcat]

Generally speaking, Stoops has done a good job keeping kids on board.

 

[SaguaroCat]

23 kids have said they'll be a wildcat. 3 have changed their mind.

There are few things in sports with better odds than that.

 

[podgejeff_]

When a football recruit says they're committing, I read it more as "this school is my leader right now".

 

[The-Hack]

And on the very evening Josh Allen receives his third major national award, we should reflect upon this oddity in recruiting: absent a flurry of 2015 de-commits, Monmouth would have had one hell of a good OLB!!!!

And ironically, UK would have had a higher ranked recruiting class.

 

[BBBLazing]

It was pretty interesting a few years ago. Now....pfffffftttt. nothing counts until the LOI comes in in the fax. The past few years top 10 kids have sent their LOIs to totally different schools on signing day.

It really means little or nothing anymore as far as ''im totally committed to..." Goes.

Just headlines for kids, headaches for coaches, heartaches and hemorrhoids for the fan base.

This is why the fanbase should wait until signing day. Everyone misinterprets what the word "committed" means in this context. You are absolutely correct that all it means is that as of this moment, I intend to sign with you, but I might change my mind. If it wasn't for recruiting services ranking classes before they are signed and fans wanting to know what our class looks like before anyone, including coaches, know, there would not be public "verbal commitments." In the old days, all of the public announcements happened on signing day. I don't pay attention to who we have until we have them.

 

[Poetax]

This is why the fanbase should wait until signing day. Everyone misinterprets what the word "committed" means in this context. You are absolutely correct that all it means is that as of this moment, I intend to sign with you, but I might change my mind. If it wasn't for recruiting services ranking classes before they are signed and fans wanting to know what our class looks like before anyone, including coaches, know, there would not be public "verbal commitments." In the old days, all of the public announcements happened on signing day. I don't pay attention to who we have until we have them.

Commit should mean that “I might join your program.”

 

[The-Hack]

This is why the fanbase should wait until signing day.

And Josh (and the whole 2015 class) is a prime example of the slipperiness of even that. It is fun on NSD to see a Top 20 finish, but ask FSU and several others who is having the most fun come January 1.

 

[OFortuna]

I too grow tired of the drama and self-importance. Coming from an era when a man's word was his bond, the modern ethic seems a whole loot flimsier.

At the same time, I can understand how a young man would genuinely struggle with decisions about his future, especially when he has multiple schools offering promises, assurances and who knows what else to convince him they are the best option for his future, while those around him likely pressure him with their own version of what is best for him.

Given those realities I find myself watching all this flipping and committing from a distance until the dust settles -- not so good for those selling the inside scoop, I suppose, but a lot less agitation over things I can't control anyway.

 

[RV2]

I equate the word 'commit' to going steady. It means different things to different people. One person might decide to 'go steady' and to them it means there's no other until the day they get married. Another might decide to 'go steady' to have a regular gal to brag about but always look at greener pastures.

If you can handle the drama and intrigue, then the ups and downs of football recruiting won't bother you. If you can't handle it then it might be best to leave those threads alone until December 19 when we know who we got.

 

[Pelosigalore]

I don’t mind that kids change their mind. The problem I have is the big productions and the kudos that they are craving and telling the coaches that they are locked in and then flipping near the end.

 

[Rembrandt90]

It was pretty interesting a few years ago. Now....pfffffftttt. nothing counts until the LOI comes in in the fax. The past few years top 10 kids have sent their LOIs to totally different schools on signing day.

Not really. We can go back in history and identify decommits. Not just here. A verbal commitment has never been binding.

 

[UKSanders]

I don’t mind that kids change their mind. The problem I have is the big productions and the kudos that they are craving and telling the coaches that they are locked in and then flipping near the end.

That is me as well. I understand and have no problem with kids changing their minds. There are a few examples such as Wandale and Damien Harris, however, that reveal a bigger problem.

Damien Harris repeatedly talked about how open his recruitment was, he came to multiple UK games, talked up the Cats. Then, on signing day, he stated he had decided during the Bama/Aub Iron Bowl in November. Wandale is similar...all the tweets, etc about recruiting guys to KY, and then switching less than 24 hours later.

Again, I understand the decommits, but they just shouldn't paint one perception if you KNOW it isn't true.

 

[1991greywildcat]

And on the very evening Josh Allen receives his third major national award, we should reflect upon this oddity in recruiting: absent a flurry of 2015 de-commits, Monmouth would have had one hell of a good OLB!!!!

And ironically, UK would have had a higher ranked recruiting class.

Josh Allen is pure proof not to look at stars when you are recruiting.. Soon as i seen his high school film, knew that Kentucky had got a steal, Allen had the game and skill to be a high 4 or 5 star player and be recruited by the big boys..

 

[1991greywildcat]

That is me as well. I understand and have no problem with kids changing their minds. There are a few examples such as Wandale and Damien Harris, however, that reveal a bigger problem.

Damien Harris repeatedly talked about how open his recruitment was, he came to multiple UK games, talked up the Cats. Then, on signing day, he stated he had decided during the Bama/Aub Iron Bowl in November. Wandale is similar...all the tweets, etc about recruiting guys to KY, and then switching less than 24 hours later.

Again, I understand the decommits, but they just shouldn't paint one perception if you KNOW it isn't true.

I still don't think Harris would of been that good at Kentucky, certainly nowhere on the level of Snell.. He has not done anything spectacular at Bama..

 

[billoliver40]

Harris gets to look great at Bama while rotating out and staying healthy.