Tuesday January 26, 2010

Sit and Wait

Sit and Wait
I love recruiting but I don't like this week in recruiting because I am not patient enough to sit and wait.

My first recollection of recruiting of recruiting came in the late 70s and early 80s when Summerville’s Perry Cuda chose Alabama, Wrightsville, GA’s Herschel Walker chose Georgia and Aiken, SC’s William Perry chose Clemson. But we had to wait on those type of prospects. In fact, Walker did not sign with Georgia until April.

My first memory of my college days in recruiting came when LaGrange, GA’s John Johnson switched from Georgia to Clemson. That one went all of the way until signing day.

One of my first memories from when I got in the recruiting industry was Antuan Edwards picking Clemson over Florida State. That one was not over until after signing day because he sent two schools a fax.

The final days of recruiting can produce some great drama but it can also be extremely heartbreaking. The highs of getting the next great star can be euphoric but the late loss of a prospect can really sting. Mike McIntosh really hurt on signing day but he never materialized so the sting was minimized.

The other thing the last few days before signing day can be is it can be extremely boring. I would imagine being a private detective would be exciting except for the down time sitting in your car waiting to continue your surveillance. That is what often happens in the final few days before signing day.

The last week is strange because supply does not meet demand. Fans who usually care little about recruiting start getting interested about this time of year so the demand for information increases. However, there are so few that are still undecided and those that are undecided don’t give a lot of details this time each year. Therefore, the supply of information does not meet the demand.

So what usually happens this week every year is the recruiting services and media have to try to find any little tidbit to satisfy their markets. The problem is there really is no news. If a player has made it this far then he usually waits until signing day to announce.

I think there are three kinds of players who we follow at this time each year. First is the player who has known where he is going for a long time but he wants to play things up and he likes the attention. The second kind of player is one that is truly still undecided. He is one that has not made all of his official visits and really has not had the sense of urgency to make a choice yet. The final kind is the player that can be tricked at the last minute.

I have always maintained that the first kind of player is what we see more times than not. Most of these guys have been recruited since their sophomore years. They have been on a ton of unofficial visits. They have been to a bunch of camps. They have taken their official visits. They have hosted a bunch of in-home visits with college coaches. These players have all of the information they need in order to make a decision and have already made the choice. The only thing they have not done is make their choice publically known.

The second kind of player is rare. Sometimes a prospect may have started the official visit process late. He may have had basketball games or all-star games and he really has not finished his official visits yet. This player may have been waiting on an SAT score or he may have been waiting on better offers. It is rare, but there are still a small percentage of players that still don’t know where he wants to go to school.

The final player is the one we see a little more frequently. These are the ones that can get tricked. These are the guys that have been committed to a school for a long time but coaches from other schools can “muddy the waters.” These coaches can create confusion in the minds of 17-year old kids. This kind of prospect is one that might commit to two or three schools in the process.

So college coaches are on the road for the final in-home visits this week. They will try to answer any last questions to clear up any lingering questions from the guys they have committed to their schools and create more question marks for the players that are committed to another school.

The other thing I have learned in recruiting is to not be surprised by anything that ever happens in the industry. Until the fax comes in then they are all still non-binding verbal commitments.

So with one week to go in the process, I think David Beasley and Corey Crawford are going to Clemson instead of Georgia. I think Victor Beasley is going to Clemson instead of Auburn. I think Tavaris Barnes is going to Clemson and not FSU. I believe Darius Lipford and Ethan Farmer are going to North Carolina and not Clemson. I still believe Darius Robinson will end up at Clemson and not Auburn and D.J Howard will end up at Auburn and not Clemson. I have no idea where Justin Parker, Keenan Allen and Zachery Maynard will end up. All of those gut feelings might change by this time tomorrow though.

I do like the fact that Dabo is an excellent closer. He and his staff have a very good track record at closing the deal with prospects late in the process. I also like the fact that for every player Clemson does not sign this year, there will be an opportunity for the staff to sign an even better player at his position in the terrific class of 2011.

I can remember when panic set in that Clemson lost Mike McIntosh but Aaron Kelly turned out OK. I remember the despair when Travian Robertson defected to South Carolina but Da’Quan Bowers was not a bad consolation prize. When Clemson got “Gronked” we panicked but Dwayne Allen was not a bad deal a year later.

So maybe Charon Peake might be our answer if Allen stays with Alabama. Maybe Lateek Townsend will help in case Justin Parker chooses South Carolina. If D.J. Howard stays with Auburn then maybe Marlin Lane will make us feel better in 374 days.

The hard part is waiting on the class of 2010 but at least it is not as long of a wait as it is for this week for the class of 2011.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

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Those who need our prayers include:
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