Stud football recruit threatens Clemson if they don't recruit his friend

[JasonEvans]

I really don't like this (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/top-recruit-threatens-look-elsewhere-clemson-doesn-t-184812809--ncaaf.html). A recruit should not be able to dictate who ELSE a school recruits.


Robert Nkemdiche, the nation's No. 1 recruit, is holding his commitment to Clemson hostage unless the Tigers' coaches meet his demand — offer his high school teammate a scholarship.

"I am waiting on Clemson to offer Ryan; when that happens, it's locked … it's a done deal … it's over."

-Jason "not sure what I would do if I was Clemson... the unrecruited kid does seem like a fairly legit player... just maybe not quite a Clemson caliber player" Evans

[SCMatt33]

I really don't like this (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/top-recruit-threatens-look-elsewhere-clemson-doesn-t-184812809--ncaaf.html). A recruit should not be able to dictate who ELSE a school recruits.



-Jason "not sure what I would do if I was Clemson... the unrecruited kid does seem like a fairly legit player... just maybe not quite a Clemson caliber player" Evans

I actually have no problem with this. If a player wants to be part of a package deal that's his business. He just has to understand that some schools might say no to the package deal who would have recruit him individually. It might also earn him a reputation as a diva that could follow him all the way to the NFL draft when he gets there. If I'm the school, I tell him that we make our own recruiting decisions and we'll yet you know if you're friend gets an offer.

The one part of this that I have a big problem with is that he apparently committed first and then made the demand. There's no reason not to be up front about it, and it's pretty indefensible.

[anon]

I actually have no problem with this. If a player wants to be part of a package deal that's his business. He just has to understand that some schools might say no to the package deal who would have recruit him individually. It might also earn him a reputation as a diva that could follow him all the way to the NFL draft when he gets there. If I'm the school, I tell him that we make our own recruiting decisions and we'll yet you know if you're friend gets an offer.

The one part of this that I have a big problem with is that he apparently committed first and then made the demand. There's no reason not to be up front about it, and it's pretty indefensible.

Yup. In fact, this happens a lot more than you might think, albeit not this explicitly. I see stories all the time saying that recruit X might be more willing to commit to University of Y because player Z (not necessarily a bearded seven-footer) is already committed.

[Greg_Newton]

Yup. In fact, this happens a lot more than you might think, albeit not this explicitly. I see stories all the time saying that recruit X might be more willing to commit to University of Y because player Z (not necessarily a bearded seven-footer) is already committed.

That's kind of a big issue, though.

A recruit is going to the press and saying "take on another member of my posse or I'm gone". Maybe not in so many words, but pretty darn close. It's disrespectful enough to imply something like that to your coach, it's moreso to actually say it, but doing it publicly is a whole other level.

There's also the issue that he's already verbally committed, and that Clemson has already taken on three of his teammates. If that's not a power play over your future coach and institution, I don't know what is.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

That's kind of a big issue, though.

A recruit is going to the press and saying "take on another member of my posse or I'm gone". Maybe not in so many words, but pretty darn close. It's disrespectful enough to imply something like that to your coach, it's moreso to actually say it, but doing it publicly is a whole other level.

There's also the issue that he's already verbally committed, and that Clemson has already taken on three of his teammates. If that's not a power play over your future coach and institution, I don't know what is.


It also shows Nkemdiche's lack of trust and respect in the clemson coaching staff to select and recruit the best players, regardless of personal relationships. If Clemson "wastes" 4 schollys on his friends, that's 4 less players that could have contributed to building a stronger, better team. Further, what would prevent Nkemdiche from also demanding a certain amount of playing time for his friends or that they start stated along the lines of "If x,y,and z don't play, I won't play either".

[wilko]

That's kind of a big issue, though.

A recruit is going to the press and saying "take on another member of my posse or I'm gone". Maybe not in so many words, but pretty darn close. It's disrespectful enough to imply something like that to your coach, it's moreso to actually say it, but doing it publicly is a whole other level.

There's also the issue that he's already verbally committed, and that Clemson has already taken on three of his teammates. If that's not a power play over your future coach and institution, I don't know what is.

If the staff takes a pass because of the ultimatum the fans will be rowdy at losing the #1 recruit and hold the coaches accountable. We all know how badly Clemson wants a FB warm fuzzy; and this is that fuzzy they crave..

OTOH - If the staff agrees... then how do you set the tone for discipline and respect? I think human nature will play in and the Players will think they rule the roost. The temptation for Players to be late, insubordinate, will be a very dangerous thing.

I think he will be offered in the end however...

[Indoor66]

If you are going to run a program with integrity and with a purpose of educating your players as well as having a good football team, you have to draw a line. The inmates cannot run the asylum. I would offer the young man a scholarship. If he adds conditions, I would withdraw the offer and move on. Being #1 does not mean you are irreplaceable. It is an 11 man on the field game. One player does not make a team - and this one doesn't sound like he wants to be just part of a team - he wants to run the team. Offer on Clemson's terms or bid him ado.

[MaxAMillion]

Stuff happens all the time. Kids put conditions on going to certain schools. I find this "inmate/assylum" stuff to be insulting. Coaches can do what they want while players should just shut up and run? If Clemson doesn't want the kid, they can simply stop recruiting him.

[sagegrouse]

If the staff takes a pass because of the ultimatum the fans will be rowdy at losing the #1 recruit and hold the coaches accountable. We all know how badly Clemson wants a FB warm fuzzy; and this is that fuzzy they crave..

OTOH - If the staff agrees... then how do you set the tone for discipline and respect? I think human nature will play in and the Players will think they rule the roost. The temptation for Players to be late, insubordinate, will be a very dangerous thing.

I think he will be offered in the end however...

Lots of compromises are made during recruiting. If the team recruits the entire posse, then it needs to have really tough training to weed out the non-performers. That would probably win over the rest of the team.

sage

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I can't even imagine being the other kid. He may be okay with it now but maybe not so much when he gets all the questioning looks (at best) from his new teammates.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Dog, meet tail. Hey coach, which one are you?

Me, I withdraw the offer to the #1 recruit and tell him thank you and move on.

[dcdevil2009]

Stuff happens all the time. Kids put conditions on going to certain schools. I find this "inmate/assylum" stuff to be insulting. Coaches can do what they want while players should just shut up and run? If Clemson doesn't want the kid, they can simply stop recruiting him.

I completely agree with you here and would add "posse" to your post as something that's insulting to recruits. Additionally, one of his three "posse" members actually passed up a scholarship elsewhere to walk-on at Clemson, so it's not exactly like Clemson is bending over backwards to offer his friends scholarships. The two other kids on Nkemdiche's team going to Clemson were/are three star recruits with offers from places like Auburn, Georgia, and Mississippi St...not exactly the bottom of the football barrel.

It just seems unfair to decry a kid for realizing that he might be talented enough to be worth more than one of a school's scholarships when Coaches have been taking advantage of it for years. How many times has a coach recruited a player for his relationship with a teammate or family member that the coach wants to recruit later on? A coach offering a scholarship to a player because of his relationship with another recruit takes away a scholarship from a more deserving player just as much as a player asking/requiring a school to give his friend a scholarship that he might not have gotten on his own.

[hudlow]

I think this is great. It exposes the NCAA weaknesses. I hope they have to address this. If a kid is a stud and he's going to make big bucks for the school as a player, but can't enjoy the profits, he should be able to get a little piece of the pie any way he can.

If Clemson doesn't want him along with his pal.... he can negotiate elsewhere.

I'd like to see this become a big ol' issue.

hud

[Wander]

Coaches can do what they want while players should just shut up and run?

Well, that's using sort of harsh language, but basically yes. As long as it's not discriminatory or out of line with admissions policies, coaches should have the freedom to decide who they want to recruit and offer, and kids should have no real power in that process. It seems like you're assuming players and coaches should have equal power, which I find absurd. Imagine a non-athlete student making this sort of demand to an admissions office after being accepted to a university.

[jafarr1]

I completely agree with you here and would add "posse" to your post as something that's insulting to recruits. Additionally, one of his three "posse" members actually passed up a scholarship elsewhere to walk-on at Clemson, so it's not exactly like Clemson is bending over backwards to offer his friends scholarships. The two other kids on Nkemdiche's team going to Clemson were/are three star recruits with offers from places like Auburn, Georgia, and Mississippi St...not exactly the bottom of the football barrel.

It just seems unfair to decry a kid for realizing that he might be talented enough to be worth more than one of a school's scholarships when Coaches have been taking advantage of it for years. How many times has a coach recruited a player for his relationship with a teammate or family member that the coach wants to recruit later on? A coach offering a scholarship to a player because of his relationship with another recruit takes away a scholarship from a more deserving player just as much as a player asking/requiring a school to give his friend a scholarship that he might not have gotten on his own.

You're lumping the other two commits together. One has an impressive offer list and would have likely been offered regardless. The other's most impressive offers are Ole Miss or Miss. St; the Clemson offer looks distinctly out of place.

FWIW, few people (here, at least) are decrying the kid for anything other than the fact that he's re-negotiating after committing, which seems like a reasonable criticism. Still, if Clemson ends up caving and offering a second kid who normally would not have gotten a Clemson offer, the net effect would be five kids from a single high school class in the same locker room, where two of them were handed offers they would not have otherwise received. Top it off with the fact that Nkemdiche has essentially said that having his friends with him is more important to him than the school he attends or the success of his football team. That has the potential to be a locker room problem.

I think it was a bad move for Nkemdiche to take his demand public. Taking the demand public gains Nkemdiche little leverage that he didn't already have, and now if Clemson caves, it will be a far more public matter than it needed to be. The cost for Clemson just went up, while the benefit for Nkemdiche didn't increase at all.

[dcdevil2009]

Well, that's using sort of harsh language, but basically yes. As long as it's not discriminatory or out of line with admissions policies, coaches should have the freedom to decide who they want to recruit and offer, and kids should have no real power in that process. It seems like you're assuming players and coaches should have equal power, which I find absurd. Imagine a non-athlete student making this sort of demand to an admissions office after being accepted to a university.

If there were a ranking for smartest high school seniors and the #1 ranked student had scholarship offers from every school in the country, told Harvard on the phone that he'd go, and then a few weeks later and before signing the scholarship offer said that he was still going, but that he'd be more sure about it if they would offer his friend a scholarship too -- his friend already had academic scholarship offers from Florida and Texas -- Yeah, I think I'd be ok with it.

Just because the school makes an offer, doesn't mean the kid has to accept it. When Ohio State offered Urban Meyer, do you think he immediately said yes or do you think he negotiated jobs for his assistant coaches as well?

[Wander]

When Ohio State offered Urban Meyer, do you think he immediately said yes or do you think he negotiated jobs for his assistant coaches as well?

Again, I can't figure out why anyone would think that the same rules should be applied to both coaches and high school students.

[jafarr1]

Just because the school makes an offer, doesn't mean the kid has to accept it. When Ohio State offered Urban Meyer, do you think he immediately said yes or do you think he negotiated jobs for his assistant coaches as well?

You're right. Nkemdiche didn't need to accept the offer. Except he did.

I'm pretty sure Ohio State would have been ticked off if Meyer had verbally accepted the offer, announced that he was OSU's next coach, and then, weeks later, doubled his asking price.


If there were a ranking for smartest high school seniors and the #1 ranked student had scholarship offers from every school in the country, told Harvard on the phone that he'd go, and then a few weeks later and before signing the scholarship offer said that he was still going, but that he'd be more sure about it if they would offer his friend a scholarship too -- his friend already had academic scholarship offers from Florida and Texas -- Yeah, I think I'd be ok with it.

If Nkemdiche told Clemson that he is still going, that changes things. His own words make it sound like that is not a given. If his quotes are accurate, it sure sounds like it's "locked" and a "done deal" only if Ryan is offered, which is a far cry from what you suggest.

[Jarhead]

I think this is great. It exposes the NCAA weaknesses. I hope they have to address this. If a kid is a stud and he's going to make big bucks for the school as a player, but can't enjoy the profits, he should be able to get a little piece of the pie any way he can.

If Clemson doesn't want him along with his pal.... he can negotiate elsewhere.

I'd like to see this become a big ol' issue.

hud

Be specific please. What big bucks are you talking about? To what extent will his on the field efforts as a defensive end bring in enough "profits" to exceed the annual cost in tuition and other expenses covered by his scholarship? The annual cost for an out of state student can get as high as $40k a year (http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1463). While I'm at it, what NCAA weaknesses are exposed by this power play by an unproven recruit who seems to need an entourage? The only issues I see here is a matter between the recruit and Clemson. What ever Clemson does about it is okay by me, but I would send him on his way.

[DrPhilTheThrill]

It's funny that it's happening to Clemson because they have such strict rules on recruits when they choose to commit (example: they aren't allowed to visit any other schools or their scholarship offer is taken away). Hopefully, Nkemdiche will go somewhere else. GO GAMECOCKS!

[dcdevil2009]

Again, I can't figure out why anyone would think that the same rules should be applied to both coaches and high school students.

Perhaps because they're both important to the success of a college football team, have multiple schools competing for their services, and until they sign a contract/scholarship are under no obligation to that school's team.


You're right. Nkemdiche didn't need to accept the offer. Except he did.


If Nkemdiche told Clemson that he is still going, that changes things. His own words make it sound like that is not a given. If his quotes are accurate, it sure sounds like it's "locked" and a "done deal" only if Ryan is offered, which is a far cry from what you suggest.

He made a a verbal commitment while on a recruiting trip to Clemson a few weeks ago, but has yet to sign a LOI. It's also pretty understood that a verbal commitment isn't the most reliable thing in college football as 12% of the Rivals top 100 over the last 5 years have gone somewhere other than where they gave their verbal. There are also some quotes (http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2012/06/20/robert-nkemdiche-to-clemson-did-that-really-happen/?cxntfid=blogs_recruiting) from his high school coach talking about how the recruitment process is probably not done and how the deciding factor for the verbal was the commitment of one of his teammates to Clemson. Finally, here is the original AJC article (http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2012/07/06/robert-nkemdiche-clemson-can-seal-the-deal-if-they-offer-another-grayson-teammate/) in which Nkemdiche made his comments which other sources have been using. It seems far from an "offer my friend or else" situation, but more of a campaign for Clemson to offer a friend of his, which isn't as groundbreaking as it seems at first glance.

[hudlow]

Be specific please. What big bucks are you talking about? To what extent will his on the field efforts as a defensive end bring in enough "profits" to exceed the annual cost in tuition and other expenses covered by his scholarship? The annual cost for an out of state student can get as high as $40k a year (http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1463). While I'm at it, what NCAA weaknesses are exposed by this power play by an unproven recruit who seems to need an entourage? The only issues I see here is a matter between the recruit and Clemson. What ever Clemson does about it is okay by me, but I would send him on his way.


Don't schools share revenue from bowls and TV contracts? The ACC brought in about $30 million last season just from bowl games. I don't know what the ESPN and other contracts bring in but high quality players make teams better which ultimately brings in more money due to exposure on TV. The NCAA weakness is that they do not provide a way to compensate the players. It appears to me this recruit has found a way around and by bringing his friend with him would ultimately be worth the 40K a year you mentioned. Maybe the friend will have to cover the pizza and beer expenses in return...?

I think this is great because I firmly believe that these athletes should at least be compensated with a little pocket money for their efforts. This episode might just wake up the NCAA, because it appears this player has found a chink in the armor.

[jafarr1]

He made a a verbal commitment while on a recruiting trip to Clemson a few weeks ago, but has yet to sign a LOI. It's also pretty understood that a verbal commitment isn't the most reliable thing in college football as 12% of the Rivals top 100 over the last 5 years have gone somewhere other than where they gave their verbal. There are also some quotes (http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2012/06/20/robert-nkemdiche-to-clemson-did-that-really-happen/?cxntfid=blogs_recruiting) from his high school coach talking about how the recruitment process is probably not done and how the deciding factor for the verbal was the commitment of one of his teammates to Clemson. Finally, here is the original AJC article (http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2012/07/06/robert-nkemdiche-clemson-can-seal-the-deal-if-they-offer-another-grayson-teammate/) in which Nkemdiche made his comments which other sources have been using. It seems far from an "offer my friend or else" situation, but more of a campaign for Clemson to offer a friend of his, which isn't as groundbreaking as it seems at first glance.

I realize how the recruiting process works. If you want to make the argument that what Nkemdiche is doing is only slightly more smarmy than what 12% of the the Rivals top 100 did last year, that's fine, but the "it's pretty understood" argument doesn't fly with me. I realize that some people see it as part of the game, but the only way pulling out of a verbal commitment (or a school pulling a scholarship) seems kosher to me is if both parties were above board at the time of the commitment. That's why I actually tolerate "soft" verbal commitments better than most - at least the recruit is being honest with his coach.

I've wasted too much of my Sunday on this already, so I'm not going to go read the other links. Obviously if the media reported things incorrectly, that changes things.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

Maybe Coach Cut could use both of them.

GO DUKE!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Hi,

Maybe Coach Cut could use both of them.

GO DUKE!
You know, I was just typing "with that attitude, he'd probably only welcome one of them", and then thought about why Duke even has Cut. Loyalty. It goes a long way. Is it a diva attitude or is it standing by your partner? After a little bit of thought, I think you might be right. That's Coach's kind of person.

[dukeofcalabash]

If you are going to run a program with integrity and with a purpose of educating your players as well as having a good football team, you have to draw a line. The inmates cannot run the asylum. I would offer the young man a scholarship. If he adds conditions, I would withdraw the offer and move on. Being #1 does not mean you are irreplaceable. It is an 11 man on the field game. One player does not make a team - and this one doesn't sound like he wants to be just part of a team - he wants to run the team. Offer on Clemson's terms or bid him ado.

The "inmates" have been running the college football "asylum" for years now. We now have special courses, special degrees, even special "professors" to make sure that special athletes make it through their curriculum and stay eligible. Football and basketball have become a joke in the public's eyes when it comes to the integrity of which you speak. Sad isn't it?

[oldnavy]

I am not all that familiar with this situation, but for some reason it doesn't seem to bother me. The kids have little to no leverage in the recruiting process, so if he can us it to bring a friend with him that will make him a happier player then what the heck? What does Clemson have to lose? If he is good enough then it's a win, win. If he is not then put him on the scout team. Are they running short on scholorships or something???

[Starter]

I am not all that familiar with this situation, but for some reason it doesn't seem to bother me. The kids have little to no leverage in the recruiting process, so if he can us it to bring a friend with him that will make him a happier player then what the heck? What does Clemson have to lose? If he is good enough then it's a win, win. If he is not then put him on the scout team. Are they running short on scholorships or something???

I'm with you, just take them both. Not for nothing... Duke didn't exactly end up recruiting J.D. Simpson for the basketball team on his own merits, as I understand it.

[A-Tex Devil]

I realize how the recruiting process works. If you want to make the argument that what Nkemdiche is doing is only slightly more smarmy than what 12% of the the Rivals top 100 did last year, that's fine, but the "it's pretty understood" argument doesn't fly with me. I realize that some people see it as part of the game, but the only way pulling out of a verbal commitment (or a school pulling a scholarship) seems kosher to me is if both parties were above board at the time of the commitment. That's why I actually tolerate "soft" verbal commitments better than most - at least the recruit is being honest with his coach.

I've wasted too much of my Sunday on this already, so I'm not going to go read the other links. Obviously if the media reported things incorrectly, that changes things.

All verbals are "soft" verbals despite what Rivals or Scout or ESPN might tell you. In fact, the verbal commitment is sometimes the only way a player can get a bird in hand early in the process and protect himself from an injury/poor performance his senior year. Schools give out expiring offers to these juniors. The juniors will snatch them up just to ensure they are going to land somewhere. I realize Robert Nkemdiche is different since any school would take him.

There are lots of reasons that a kid may verbal early then reneg as late as national signing day. First, remember that these are 17-18 year olds and a lot of them were 16, or even 15, when they made their verbal commitment. Here are just a litany of things that may change:

- The kid gets better his senior year and he gets offers from schools he didn't have before.
- The school stacks his position in his class, or the depth chart he thought he was coming into is much deeper due to improved underclassmen at this school.
- The kid thinks he knows where he wants to go and he verbals to get the recruitniks off his back so he can contemplate it further
- His friend gets offered elsewhere and he wants to go to school with his friend
- The coach leaves
- A new coach (maybe the guy recruiting you to your original school) gets hired at another school.
- The kid makes a campus visit during senior year and the vibe is just wrong

There are a dozen more legitimate reasons. People may think some of the ones above aren't that great. But when the kid shows up to campus he's stuck there for at least one year plus a year on the sideline as a transfer if things go poorly. Let them be sure. Let them change their mind while they still can.

Now, did Robert Nkemdiche go a little overboard by telling the press this? Sure. It ranges from tone deaf and immature to incredibly egocentric and narcissistic. But play the cards while you got 'em. If he really wants to go to Clemson, he'll be at Clemson, regardless of what the Tigers do.

[Duvall]

I'm with you, just take them both. Not for nothing... Duke didn't exactly end up recruiting J.D. Simpson for the basketball team on his own merits, as I understand it.

Did Duke recruit Simpson at all, or was he a recruited walk-on?

[Starter]

Did Duke recruit Simpson at all, or was he a recruited walk-on?

J.D. was a walk-on that the staff said they became aware of while recruiting another player in California; I recall the talk being that his opportunity to play for the team was part of a package deal with Chris Burgess. But I guess what I think you're implying is true, it's a somewhat different scenario.

Note that from where I was sitting, J.D. always worked really hard and didn't embarrass himself when he did play. And he was a heckuva nice guy. I think he went to medical school after Duke, though I'm unaware what happened with him past that.

[jafarr1]

All verbals are "soft" verbals despite what Rivals or Scout or ESPN might tell you. In fact, the verbal commitment is sometimes the only way a player can get a bird in hand early in the process and protect himself from an injury/poor performance his senior year. Schools give out expiring offers to these juniors. The juniors will snatch them up just to ensure they are going to land somewhere. I realize Robert Nkemdiche is different since any school would take him.

There are lots of reasons that a kid may verbal early then reneg as late as national signing day. First, remember that these are 17-18 year olds and a lot of them were 16, or even 15, when they made their verbal commitment. Here are just a litany of things that may change:

- The kid gets better his senior year and he gets offers from schools he didn't have before.
- The school stacks his position in his class, or the depth chart he thought he was coming into is much deeper due to improved underclassmen at this school.
- The kid thinks he knows where he wants to go and he verbals to get the recruitniks off his back so he can contemplate it further
- His friend gets offered elsewhere and he wants to go to school with his friend
- The coach leaves
- A new coach (maybe the guy recruiting you to your original school) gets hired at another school.
- The kid makes a campus visit during senior year and the vibe is just wrong

There are a dozen more legitimate reasons. People may think some of the ones above aren't that great. But when the kid shows up to campus he's stuck there for at least one year plus a year on the sideline as a transfer if things go poorly. Let them be sure. Let them change their mind while they still can.

Now, did Robert Nkemdiche go a little overboard by telling the press this? Sure. It ranges from tone deaf and immature to incredibly egocentric and narcissistic. But play the cards while you got 'em. If he really wants to go to Clemson, he'll be at Clemson, regardless of what the Tigers do.

Again, I get how the recruiting process works. That doesn't mean I agree with it.

We were talking about players like Nkemdiche and other top recruits, but I understand things can get more complicated for the lower tier recruits. I agree that allowances should be made for a coach leaving, or an unexpected dream offer coming in, or even for a 17-year-old changing his mind. Still, a de-commitment should be more unusual than it is.

Committing should mean something, even moreso for the Nkemidiche's of the world. Committing early gains them nothing, and it is their choice not to wait. By all means, let them take their fall visit, let them see where their friends go, let them be sure - before they commit.

[A-Tex Devil]

Again, I get how the recruiting process works. That doesn't mean I agree with it.

We were talking about players like Nkemdiche and other top recruits, but I understand things can get more complicated for the lower tier recruits. I agree that allowances should be made for a coach leaving, or an unexpected dream offer coming in, or even for a 17-year-old changing his mind. Still, a de-commitment should be more unusual than it is.

Committing should mean something, even moreso for the Nkemidiche's of the world. Committing early gains them nothing, and it is their choice not to wait. By all means, let them take their fall visit, let them see where their friends go, let them be sure - before they commit.

Again -- depends on what you define as a commitment. A verbal commitment is pretty illusory despite how its treated in recruiting media circles. The coaches and recruiters know this and that is why they continue to work their verbal commitments 24/7 until NSD -- because the other schools are all over their guys too. Believe me, I think he looks like a clown right now, but I don't have all the facts around his friendship with these guys. I think we've all found the Bryce Browns, Seantrel Hendersons and Willie Williams recruitment processes to be a bit of a joke. Nkemidiche is on that track, but I don't think because he's a top 5 talent he needs to be any more beholden to his verbal commitment than anyone else.

Edited to add -- perhaps an early signing period will help create a middle ground here. Football doesn't have one.

[jafarr1]

Again -- depends on what you define as a commitment. A verbal commitment is pretty illusory despite how its treated in recruiting media circles. The coaches and recruiters know this and that is why they continue to work their verbal commitments 24/7 until NSD -- because the other schools are all over their guys too. Believe me, I think he looks like a clown right now, but I don't have all the facts around his friendship with these guys. I think we've all found the Bryce Browns, Seantrel Hendersons and Willie Williams recruitment processes to be a bit of a joke. Nkemidiche is on that track, but I don't think because he's a top 5 talent he needs to be any more beholden to his verbal commitment than anyone else.

Edited to add -- perhaps an early signing period will help create a middle ground here. Football doesn't have one.

A commitment is when a recruit announces he is attending a specific university. I think that is fairly straight-forward, and if a recruit de-commits, he should have a solid, honest reason. That can include a 17-year-old changing his mind. I just think too often recruits accept offers and de-commit too often.

With the top recruits, I'm not suggesting that they should be more beholden, only that some of the reasons offered above don't tend to apply to their situations, because schools will hold a slot for them and they can wait until they're sure before committing. Maybe than writing that they have "less reason" to de-commit, I should have written they have "fewer reasons", but I think the two are related.

Yes, all of this is probably a naive stance, because college football is a smarmy business, and many programs are hardly bastions of ethical behavior when it comes to their recruiting practices. I'm just not ready to become completely cynical about it all.

[dcdevil2009]

A commitment is when a recruit announces he is attending a specific university.

And that sort of commitment doesn't carry that much weight in college football, but whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is an entirely different debate. When the person making the commitment and the person benefiting from the commitment don't place much weight on it, I've got a hard time judging a kid's character for not meeting someone else's definition of commitment.

[rasputin]

And that sort of commitment doesn't carry that much weight in college football, but whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is an entirely different debate. When the person making the commitment and the person benefiting from the commitment don't place much weight on it, I've got a hard time judging a kid's character for not meeting someone else's definition of commitment.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[sagegrouse]

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Surely everyone has heard this one: In a ham-and-egg breakfast, the hen is 'dedicated.' The pig is 'committed.'

sage

[Ltrey33]

I can't even imagine being the other kid. He may be okay with it now but maybe not so much when he gets all the questioning looks (at best) from his new teammates.

I agree 100%. That kid will have no respect in the locker room because everyone will know he is only there because he rode the coat tails of the other guy.

It's just not a good situation for anyone.

[mdj]

Be specific please. What big bucks are you talking about? To what extent will his on the field efforts as a defensive end bring in enough "profits" to exceed the annual cost in tuition and other expenses covered by his scholarship? The annual cost for an out of state student can get as high as $40k a year (http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1463). While I'm at it, what NCAA weaknesses are exposed by this power play by an unproven recruit who seems to need an entourage? The only issues I see here is a matter between the recruit and Clemson. What ever Clemson does about it is okay by me, but I would send him on his way.

Really? Do you think Auburn got their money's worth out of Cam Newton? I bet they got well over 10X in donations because of the national championship he brought them. I'd agree that probably most student athletes aren't worth the value of the scholarship they recieve but you can't possibly think that none of them are worth more than that value. Sam Bradford got compensated $40k by OU and a year later $10 million by the St Louis Rams. Any chance that he was worth more than $40k to OU? I get that this kid is unproven but I've read he's the best d-lineman recruit since Reggie White. That kind of stuff gets thrown out there a lot during recruiting but safe to say there's a decent chance he bacomes a game changer. I'm pretty sure that if this was a free market this unproven recruit who needs an entourage would go for well over $40k a year.

[Jderf]

The "inmates" have been running the college football "asylum" for years now.

I mostly agree with your point, but let's be honest: nobody is running this asylum.