You may have heard new Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables wax poetic on commitments in college football.\u00a0 Full disclosure,\u00a0 Venables is one of my favorite coaches in college football and a guy I have had the pleasure of meeting.\u00a0 Venables has brought “the Clemson way” in terms of recruiting with him to Oklahoma.\u00a0 A commitment,\u00a0 is a commitment,\u00a0 is a commitment.\u00a0 There was a time where this didn’t need to be said but boy times are a changing.<\/p>\n
It seems that in a flash we have gone from sitting out a year when you transferred to enter the portal now and play tomorrow.\u00a0 We’ve gone from National Signing Day to National Signing Days and from free ride to NIL deals in the millions.\u00a0 All of these things had been brewing for a while so no one should be surprised when the word loyalty has firmly buckled itself into the back seat of a extra long Suburban.\u00a0 Venables is certainly right when he says “we ought to teach young men what commitment looks like.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 loyalty is a pot luck dinner in recruiting that requires everyone to bring a dish.\u00a0 With that in mind,\u00a0 allow me to give you a few things to remember when it comes to being loyal and commitment in the world of college football recruiting.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest points Venables makes when speaking on recruiting is that when you commit to Oklahoma,\u00a0 that’s the end of taking recruiting trips.\u00a0 I realize that the way I just put that sounds like an ultimatum but it’s not quite that way.\u00a0 Venables’ philosophy is that he doesn’t want you to commit to the Sooners until you are absolutely ready.\u00a0 He encourages prospects to take all the trips they can.\u00a0 He is adamant that student athletes and their parents do their research.\u00a0 When all of that is said and done,\u00a0 make your decision.\u00a0 \u00a0If your decision is his program that means no more looking around.\u00a0 He draws comparisons to marriage and rightfully so,\u00a0 in theory.\u00a0 Not every programs operates the way Venables’ does.\u00a0 Some staffs find themselves in desperate situations.\u00a0 They also like the momentum that commitments bring.\u00a0 Sometimes commitments get others on the fence to commit.\u00a0 One guy’s commitment can create a snowball effect and thus will be encouraged by some college coaches.\u00a0 Recruiting can be as tough a game as the sport that’s played in the Fall.<\/p>\n
Once that commitment is made,\u00a0 all coaches will frown on a prospect running around to look at other schools and potentially getting swayed by a number of factors are present on campus.\u00a0 It would be nice if schools also ceased pursuing new prospects at your position once you commit but we all know that this is not true.\u00a0 Call it a lack of integrity by the staff or paranoia but this phenomenon exists.\u00a0 Even worse,\u00a0 scholarship offers can get pulled days before it’s time to put ink to paper.\u00a0 Yes,\u00a0 that’s similar to the unblocked defensive end getting a free run through the T6 and T7 vertebrae.\u00a0 It is best that you stop taking trips after your commitment as doing so will certainly keep the staff you committed to on the prowl for another prospect.<\/p>\n
To avoid committing before you are ready,\u00a0 I highly recommend that prospects avoid committing during their visit to a school.\u00a0 I say this even if the school you are committing to is your last visit.\u00a0 It is always best to remove yourself from the elements and the pressure of the staff to come to your final conclusion.\u00a0 Get home from the trip,\u00a0 discuss the decision with the important people in your life even if that only person is you.\u00a0 This limits a decision that you regret and causes you to have to back track from slightly or fully.\u00a0 Doing this erodes trust and guess what,\u00a0 the next school you commit to will have in the back of their mind that you left someone hanging before you got to them.<\/p>\n
As Venables says,\u00a0 take all of your trips.\u00a0 If you have the ability to do this,\u00a0 then by all means please do.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 things aren’t always so cut and dry.\u00a0 A prospect may take a couple of trips to schools who were interested.\u00a0 We know that things get sped up in the recruiting game so there may be pressure to take a spot that is closing.\u00a0 At some point beyond that,\u00a0 a prospect may become more desired and new schools may come into play.\u00a0 This a good but bad situation.\u00a0 My advice on this is to ultimately do what is best for you but be honest in your dealings.\u00a0 If new schools have come into play and you have trips remaining,\u00a0 take the trips if you can even if you have committed to another school.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 be straight up with the school you are committed to.\u00a0 Tell them what you are going to do because in this day in age,\u00a0 there are few secrets.\u00a0 We live in the camera phone,\u00a0 social media,\u00a0 breaking news era.\u00a0 Sneaking off on a visit and expecting not to get caught is like going to the club when you told your girlfriend you were going to bed.\u00a0 Good luck with that.\u00a0 I would also suggest that you move quickly on the new interest.\u00a0 Determine with speed if it’s for you or not.\u00a0 If it is,\u00a0 make your move and be sure the new school really wants you.\u00a0 If it isn’t,\u00a0 reaffirm with the school you are committed to that you are firmly in their class.\u00a0 The staff will need that assurance.<\/p>\n
A commitment,\u00a0 though not binding,\u00a0 should be a celebration.\u00a0 It’s symbolizes the “potential” end to a long awaited and developing process.\u00a0 What it should not do is make you blind.\u00a0 This is where the recruiting process and marriage comparisons may have to fist pound and go their separate ways.\u00a0 College football is a fluid situation.\u00a0 Coaches leave and get fired as often as politicians get caught in scandals.\u00a0 I am not just talking about head coaches either.\u00a0 Part of your decision process was seeing yourself fitting into a particular offensive or defensive system.\u00a0 Coordinators leaving can impact your future too.\u00a0 Keep an eye out for the developments at the school you committed to.\u00a0 Furthermore,\u00a0 as I mentioned earlier in this article,\u00a0 many programs keep on recruiting your position after your commitment.\u00a0 Not all coaches went to the Brent Venables school of ethics and not all are in as comfortable a spot as he is either.\u00a0 Pressure brings challenges to morals and not all men pass the test.\u00a0 Maintain your relationships with other coaches and programs beyond your commitment.\u00a0 Because things get murky in recruiting,\u00a0 you don’t want to be caught without a clean pair of clothes to change into should mud get slung onto your blue jeans.\u00a0 Have the discipline to maintain a relationship with the coaches that have recruited you while making it clear that you are committed to that other program.<\/p>\n
Should conditions change in a significant way at your original school,\u00a0 it’s best to have options.\u00a0 You don’t want be left out in the cold in this once in a lifetime process that can affect you well into the future.\u00a0 Be loyal but not to a fault.\u00a0 Some call that being stupid.<\/p>\n