Not worth the paper they aren’t signed on
First of all, if you are reading this on the Fourth of July… well, you need to get outside and grill some burgers!
Now, in the meantime:
Every day my inbox is flooded with announcements of this or that Southeastern Conference school landing a huge recruit for the 2010 football class. And I continue to be amazed by the amount of media coverage. I mean, its front page stuff, but I don’t get it.
I could understand a few lines, but headlines?
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… these commitments aren’t worth the paper they aren’t signed on yet! Signing day for the 2010 class is FEBRUARY 3, 2010!
These kids all end up taking more visits, and often end up changing their minds… and that’s ok.
I understand coaches want the early commit from players, but when they bank on those commits too much, the coaches and universities end up getting screwed.
Way back in 1999, quarterback Chris Simms, son of Hall of Famer Phil Simms, announced he was attending the University of Tennessee. So Head Coach Phillip Fulmer backed off recruiting other quarterbacks and focused on other positions. Then, days before signing day, he de-committed and signed with Texas.
Many experts think that was the beginning of the end for Tennessee and Phillip Fulmer, as the program ended up with no strong QB for years.
So what’s a coach to do? Well, there’s an old saying in sports — run through the tape and play through the whistle. Be glad you got the commitment, but keep pressing the pedal to the floor.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Go Rebels!!!! Coach Nutt is building a dynasty.