College football Week 14 thread

I think it makes sense from a scholarship management perspective. If you've got five guys saying they're committed but taking visits, you're bound to lose at least one or two, and then what? You've been holding a scholarship for that guy and now you've got to find someone at short notice.

I have no problem telling a guy that hey, if we have space for you, you're still welcome, but we're not holding that spot open indefinitely while you go shop for better offers. And if telling a kid that is the clinching factor in his deciding to go elsewhere, then I think more often than not you're probably saving yourself a future hassle.

 

I would think just about every coach considers someone as less than a "commit" if he is still taking visits elsewhere.

 

Nick Saban has always said "if you shop, we shop" when it comes to commitments, but if it's a guy they really want, I don't think they'll go out of their way alienate him.

 

Haha. Pretty sure Hoke isn't in a position where he can tell 5-star recruits "Sure, take more visits. We may or may not have room for you later."

According to the Rivals rankings, Michigan has landed three 5-star recruits in the last four years.

 

And guys like Saban can do that without consequence. Michigan? Its 2014 recruiting class is ranked 18th by Rivals. Kinda hard to be nitpicky with the 5-stars if you're Michigan at this point.

Either way, I don't think Hoke would ever tell Peppers "Tough shit, kid. Your spot's taken. Cya!" I just think it's stupid to publicly say you have such a policy. Especially if you're not following through with it. Makes you look foolish.

 

Sure. But to my mind, you have to continue to treat that guy as a recruit. And that's what these kids want -- to keep getting attention.

If you make a commitment and stick by it, then you're telling the school to go pay attention to other guys. If you're really committed, then that's what you should want -- your future team going out and recruiting other guys to play around you. But if you're an attention whore, then you want them focusing on you.

Nothing wrong with recruiting a five-star attention whore. But treat him like an attention whore and don't stop recruiting him just because he says he's committed. If he's still taking other visits, then he's obviously not that committed. And hey, if you say you've committed, Rivals writes a story. If you de-commit, Rivals writes a story. Etc., etc.

 

All of that is why, unlike a lot of sports writers, including one on our staff, I don't get caught up in who's committed where. Commitments aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

 

This is why recruiting coverage is all so much BS until signing day.

 

Since these verbal commitments are non-binding, it makes sense. It's like job interviews. Do you stop after just one unless you're absolutely sure it's the one you want and they want you? I don't think it's insulting to look around and the early verbal commits are sort of silly.

 

Texas Tech getting thumped 27-10 right now.
7-0 to 7-5.
Ye Gods.

 

And the whole Gus/Charles act is getting pretty old.

 

Ole Miss up 10-7 in the rotten egg bowl.
Mullen is secretly hoping to lose this game, and get the fuck out of Starksville to be a coordinator at Ohio State.