...continue to take official visits? I'm not oppossed to any recruit taking all of his visits, but a part of me feels that if you are a recruit that "commits" to a team and you still plan to take all of your remaining visits after committing, then perhaps you should have just waited to begin with? In the case of Sheppard and Riley, both of those recruits commit to play here but are definately taking their remaining visits (specifically to VT and UGA) because they want to "make sure we made the best decision". Well, IMO, if you need that form of confirmation, then you should have waited until after your visits. Is that the ploy of recruits these days to attempt to hold leverage? Personally, I think this tactic just sets up the recruit to experience some bad publicity (see Perrilloux) should they not keep their original "commitment". This is the sort of thing that could potentially work against both program and recruit(s). 1. If a program receives a large number of early commitments at the same position (like we have with the LB spots), then there's a chance that the school might back off of some other qualified recruits at that same position because the school feels that their demand has been met and don't want to over-sign at one spot. 2. If you're a recruit that wishes to take all of your visits and then make a decision, then you may be left out because the program that was #1 on your list stopped recruiting you because they already filled that positional spot with more than enough players, so they either pull your scholarship offer (similar to how Texas has done with Symonette this week). Then, come signing day, you fax your LOI to your 2nd choice school and THEN find out that one of the players that pretty much took a spot from you at your #1 choice didn't keep his commitment and signed elsewhere. Now both sides (a recruit that in the end wanted to be at a particular school and the school itself) are messed up. Most of the 5-star players will wait till the end of the recruiting process before choosing. That's pretty standard. Same for some of the higher-ranked 4-star players. Nothing wrong with waiting. HOWEVER, I think schools should start adopting an unwritten policy: "We don't accept any early verbal commitments from players that are still set on taking visits to other schools after they commit." Basically, to Sheppard and Riley: We want you both to be LSU Tigers. (I personally feel that having watched clips of them, that they can both contribute.) We are pleased that you want to come here and keep our program strong. But, if you're going to VT and UGA to take "serious looks" to make sure you did the right thing, then please, don't commit to us just yet. We still want you to ultimately be in purple and gold and will still recruit you just as hard, but for our benefit and yours, if you're not 100% sure, don't say so.
If I'm a high school student and I have the oppurtunity to travel across the country and get shmoozed by some college coaches and boosters... I'm gonna take every visit..
Not saying you shouldn't take every visit. Just don't commit to one and then continue taking visits....do it after all of your visits.
BB, I agree up to a point. With the way these scholarships work, if they don't commit and take their other visits, and then try to commit later, sometimes they wait too long and there is no room...
A commit is just simply hear-say... Until the papers are signed, it don't mean a lot! The schools know this... I think at the same time that it is immoral to play schools like fools, but they all do it...
It was double in his case, because it is my understanding that he never even thought of Texas as his #1 choice, and that his 50/50 was LSU and Miss St.
That is a horrible signature clair. Soft Verbals are what these are called and that has been going on forever, we just didn't hear about them years ago. If coaches want to accept them, fine. But I would bet my arse that they are still recruitng guys at the same position just like they never got the commitments in the first place. I equate it to going steady back in high school. If a girl told you that she wanted to go steady but wouls still like to go out with other guys, would you not date or hit on others chicks, I think not.
It's a "soft verbal" commitment. All it means is that, right now - your program is where I want to be. It's like your major in college, you can change it as much as you'd like. Sometimes teams get screwed, sometimes players get screwed. But that's going to happen regardless of the system. If I'm a 3 star recruit, I give my commitment to the best program that offers me a scholarship, then continue to take my official visits to see if there's any program I like more that will give me a scholarship. You've gotta cover your own a$$. For 5 star recruits, they don't generally have to do this because they don't have to worry about not getting a scholarship to a good program, but these are 17 & 18 year olds - I don't blame them for thinking they are 100% certain about something, so they make their commitment, only to later change their mind. If it weren't for verbal commitments that the public knew about, you'd still have private conversations between recruits & coaches where the kids tell the coaches they are pretty sure they want to go their program - so the coaches would act in exactly the same manner as they do now. This verbal commitment thing is for the fans, because none of it matters until signing day for the team.
If you give a soft verbal to a school dont be surprised when they pull those offers when they are able to get someone better and then you will hear the players start whining about it. Well i committed i just wanted to go take other visits. You commit then you dont take any other visits. As a coach i tell them that i want you but if you take other visits then i dont consider your commit valid and will keep recruiting at your position. You commit and stop taking other visits and i will consider your commit solid. Be up front and i would rather not have the commit yet than count on it and lose it. That is why most of the players that are not 100% sure dont commit yet. This is a delicate balance. Players have power but so do teams. The longer you wait the more the possibility ends up the team you want has used all its scholarships. If i am a recruit i narrow my decision to 3 and take visits early in the process. Then commit to the school i want. Some of these kids get the big head because right now they have alot of attention and get caught up in it. They better realize once you sign on signing day your just one of the guys again.
