McCollum's Column: Committing and flipping has risen to crazy level
The flipping in college football recruiting has possibly risen past the level of prom dates and house hunting.
More than one high school athlete Wednesday intended to sign with one school late Tuesday night, then woke up in a different world Wednesday morning and signed with another.
Even LSU, one of the most successful programs in college football last year and one that played for a national title, got burned on a flip. The No. 1 quarterback in the country committed to three different schools before signing with his third commitment.
It’s like a girl says yes to one fellow early for a prom date, maybe a nice looking one at that. He’s the bird in the hand. As the prom gets closer and more suitors get desperate, what she considers a better prospect may come along.
It’s a domino effect.
LSU, for example, has its top quarterback recruit decommit. It goes to plan B, which might be in Georgia and someone Georgia is recruiting. That recruit de-commits to Georgia, then Georgia possibly looks at a prospect who has committed to Southern Miss. That prospect de-commits, so Southern Miss “cherry picks” a quarterback who has committed to Louisiana-Monroe.
And the ripple effects go right down the food chain.
“It’s out of control and has taken a life of its own,” said UCA coach Clint Conque, who admits his school was a victim of such “cherry picking” despite signing one of his best recruiting classes Wednesday. “I’ve seen this for 30 years, but now we’ve gotten to the point kids take off hats and clothes and reveal T-shirts for certain schools.”
The process of recruiting has become almost as big as the football season itself .The internet, recruiting gurus, more national exposure, national telecasts and message boards (neither of which is bad in itself) have created a firestorm of passions and suspension of senses.
It’s a dangerous culture.
The fan walks a tightrope where one emotional slip could cause a fall into a pool to be consumed by gremlins fed by entitlements and ego.
Conque would like to have an early December signing period for football since he claims most Football Bowl Subdivision schools have 20 or so commitments before their senior seasons are over in high school. Many top-level FBS schools are evaluating and working on juniors by December.
It used to be that way, but it wasn’t binding,” Conque said. “I’m passionate about an early-signing period. Let the big boys get who they want early. We’ll know what they’ve got and they’ll know. We’ll all better know what the pool is in January and February.”
Conque has been frustrated by the seemingly meaningless nature of commitments in today’s culture.
If a player commits to a school, the coaches must hold a scholarship open. If the player starts shopping around, then the school has to decide whether to keep the scholarship open or begin going to a Plan B to keep from being shut out at a certain position. Or the coach could remove the scholarship and risk a public relations nightmare.
Conque just wants communication so everybody knows where they stand at all time.
“I have no problem with players trying to find the right fit,” he said. “I just want us to be open and honest with each other.”
But what about coaches. Many of them nationwide are not honoring their commitments when a better deal comes along.
“I tell our people we can’t control what other people do; what we can control is how we handle the process,” he said. “And we’re very honest and open with our young men. It’s frustrating when a lot of people aren’t in the process.”
The commitment issue is only part this multi-headed monster.
Take the Twitter meltdown Arkansas fans experienced when Dorial Green-Beckham, the nation’s No. 1 recruit who had been reportedly leaning toward the Razorbacks for months, signed with the University of Missouri, the flagship university in his home state, on national television Wednesday.
For many Arkansans, DGB’s recruitment took on almost life-or-death urgency.
One northwest Arkansas church reportedly put the signing ceremony on the big screen.
There was a religious-like fervor everywhere. My son, in graduate school in another state, asked me to text DGB’s decision in case he was in class when it was announced.
His signing with Missouri was a psychological haymaker, as devastating to many folks’ emotions as a tornado.
Traitor, they called him, or worse.
But in the end, it’s hard for a top recruit to spurn his home state. There’s tremendous pressure on athlete, friends and family.
Out of the other side of their mouths, many Arkansas fans like to talk about building a fence around their state and keeping top recruits at home.
What if DGB was from Springdale, courted Missouri heavily, seemed to be leaning toward Columbia, then signed with the UA? What would be the reaction from Missouri. What would be the reaction from Arkansas fans?
Didn’t Mitch Mustain reportedly get venomous phone calls and emails (even rumored death threats) when he transferred to USC?
Should adults really risk stroke or emotional meltdown over a decision by teen-agers?
Aren’t adults supposed to show maturity as adults when immature youngsters are confronted with complex decisions, pulled by many different strings.
Young people tend to wake up in a different world every day.
Adults need to need to show a more stable world, one in which there are a lot of priorities that supersede where a high school football player will attend college.
It’s called perspective.
(Sports columnist David McCollum can be reached at 505-1235 or david.mccollum@thecabin.net)
Comments (1)
Add commentWell Said
Very good article David. It is sad how so many adults seem to "live and die" by the decisions and actions of players who are 18 to 22 years old.
I LOVE college sports and understand enough about the games I follow the most (football and baseball) to know that one player doesn't make or break a team. I also understand that just because an 18 year old is blessed with a ton of talent doesn't mean that he will make a significant impact to his college team. Individual attitude (does the kid believe he has already "arrived" versus realizing that he has to now work harder than ever) and team dynamics (check your ego at the door) can contribute to the win or loss column almost as much as talent level.
By the way, football coaches have it easy compared to the college baseball coaches. In baseball they are not only competing with other colleges but also with minor league contracts. Many HS seniors will tell a college baseball coach that a professional team will have to offer a $500K signing bonus in order to get him to skip college. But how many 18 year-olds can resist an offer of $250K to sign on the dotted line?