al.com:
...If a recruit is taking a spot but not truly committed, it can put a coaching staff in a bind late in the recruiting process.
"To me, you can't be committed and continue to take visits," says Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill. "A lot of people do that --probably more do it than don't -- but if you are honest as a coach you are committed to us, we've committed to you. If you are going to visit, we have to continue to recruit your position."
The risk for players, in that scenario, is that schools can ultimately move on to other recruits if they continue taking visits elsewhere. If a committed player is willing to forgo other visits, it indicates to the coaching staff he's serious about his commitment. The downside to this, as recently illustrated at Michigan, is you can be committed, not take visits anywhere else and still be told to find a new school if the coaching staff moves on to a different player.
"The media perception thinks a school that drops a kid is the worst thing in the world, but a kid who flips from one school to another is actually hurting other kids," Mullen said. "It's usually too late to get someone else the opportunity to come to your school, and maybe they had to sign with a school somewhere they didn't want to."
When it comes to recruiting famous teenagers, it ultimately comes down to trust and feel.
There is more data available than ever before with Twitter, Facebook and all of the recruiting websites to gauge a player's interest. Still, coaches admit it is very difficult to truly determine how committed a recruit is until he signs a letter of intent.
In the hectic final days before national signing day, coaches are tasked with differentiating fact from fiction when interacting with recruits. Is the player interested or does he merely want a free trip? Is he committed to the program or is it only a matter of time before he flips to the in-state rival? At smaller schools such as Middle Tennessee State, there's also the fear of schools coming in late and poaching committed players. You have to be able to read the situation accurately to be successful.
"If he gives you a crack in the window 'I'm committed, but I still want to look around,'" Stockstill says, "you are still going to recruit him."
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...If a recruit is taking a spot but not truly committed, it can put a coaching staff in a bind late in the recruiting process.
"To me, you can't be committed and continue to take visits," says Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill. "A lot of people do that --probably more do it than don't -- but if you are honest as a coach you are committed to us, we've committed to you. If you are going to visit, we have to continue to recruit your position."
The risk for players, in that scenario, is that schools can ultimately move on to other recruits if they continue taking visits elsewhere. If a committed player is willing to forgo other visits, it indicates to the coaching staff he's serious about his commitment. The downside to this, as recently illustrated at Michigan, is you can be committed, not take visits anywhere else and still be told to find a new school if the coaching staff moves on to a different player.
"The media perception thinks a school that drops a kid is the worst thing in the world, but a kid who flips from one school to another is actually hurting other kids," Mullen said. "It's usually too late to get someone else the opportunity to come to your school, and maybe they had to sign with a school somewhere they didn't want to."
When it comes to recruiting famous teenagers, it ultimately comes down to trust and feel.
There is more data available than ever before with Twitter, Facebook and all of the recruiting websites to gauge a player's interest. Still, coaches admit it is very difficult to truly determine how committed a recruit is until he signs a letter of intent.
In the hectic final days before national signing day, coaches are tasked with differentiating fact from fiction when interacting with recruits. Is the player interested or does he merely want a free trip? Is he committed to the program or is it only a matter of time before he flips to the in-state rival? At smaller schools such as Middle Tennessee State, there's also the fear of schools coming in late and poaching committed players. You have to be able to read the situation accurately to be successful.
"If he gives you a crack in the window 'I'm committed, but I still want to look around,'" Stockstill says, "you are still going to recruit him."
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