Since its recruiting season, it’s not unusual to see social media flooded with images of school visits, photo shoots, and commitment announcements. In the flood of all this, of course, I’m witnessing what CKS does in his relentless pursuit of securing the #1 class for 2025.
Looks like that’s just the swag that kids receive when they arrive at their hotel…and since I’m sure it’s not his first visit, I’m guessing the staff has to come up with something fresh each time.
The new “gimmick” for lack of better word in Athens has been pictures with a jet plane, a Natty, photo shoots, and scavenger hunts, just to name a few:
That’s not even showing the wheeling and dealing on NIL deals, which some schools are more than happy to flaunt. Allow Texas to enter the chat:
This isn’t really a post on the merits of recruiting, for good or for bad, which has been discussed many times here already. It’s the changed landscape and coaches adjust or die, so it’s what it is for the time being.
Rather, just a wondering…if I were my 17 or 18 year old self again, and I was a highly sought after recruit, what would’ve been my driving motivation to commit to a school? Would money talk, or would my love of Georgia drive me to commit to the Dawgs? What if I had to wait years to see playing time, would I have wanted to be a big fish in a little pond or play the Beck card and just be excellent when the time came?
And more than anything else, what would’ve been the recruiting pitch that caught my attention the most? The gimmicky stuff, co-eds, college lifestyle, scavenger hunts? I’d like to think I had some morals back then, but I can’t tell you how I might have responded to everything being pitched at kids nowadays…and would I be posting social media things out their like this:
”I’m shutting down my recruitment, respect my decision”.
What would’ve swayed you?
++++++
Update:
This, a day after another DE recruit decommitted from USC. Would love to get this kid back in Athens.
I view this as a missed opportunity for the Ferrari Motor Company.
I just remember that as a high school kid, it was usually about instant gratification. There was very little thought about long term goals. This has got to be making recruiting very hard. The old saying “money talks and all else walks” is clearly the way it’s going. Old Dobo had better hope his money doesn’t dry up to keep recruiting the high school kids, because he sure doesn’t have any use for the portal. I trust Kirby to be GATA on the recruiting trail but it’s 100 time harder than just 10 years ago.
It’s hard to imagine being 17 or 18 again let alone being a highly sought after recruit. But if I were, NIL money would be a significant part of the decision. Let’s face it, we are all coin-operated to a certain extent and knowing that I was just one non-contact injury away from retiring from the sport, I would owe it to myself and family to take it while I could.
I wasn’t that bad but I definitely was immature and ill-equipped for the various temptations that may have come along with being a major football recruit.
While not in football I did participate briefly in intercollegiate athletics and so it was an ambition in HS to get a scholly to a D1. At that time championships and having teammates that would push me were my focus. It was NOT academics. However, my prodigious talents were overlooked by the various decision makers and I participated and pretty successfully as a walk-on. I soon found out that you are also supposed to go to classes. Who knew?
Yeah, right. I call bullshit. College athlete as a youth? Hilarious. I doubt you could find your ass with both hands and a flashlight. I’ve been reading you brag about tons of shit over many years…your salary, an important job, a suppossed superior intelligence, how many UGA away games you have gone to (apparently was there for every big moment since 1972), yada yada, all while talking down to everyone who visited GTP. This is your first claim to be an athlete. You are full of shit.
I’ve mentioned it several different times over the years typically (perhaps ‘only’) in debates with the Senator about NIL. I would occasionally note that for a former scholarship aspirant, albeit in a non-revenue sport, a scholarship was a very, very big deal to me at the time. It was everything. Sorry you just noticed. Btw: if you can find a post about me bragging about a job or a salary, I’ll kiss your ass on Sanford Bridge and give you a week to draw a crowd. At most, I may have mentioned being self-employed when it was appropriate/relevant to mention.
If I was a highly rated recruit with all this being thrown at me, I would either be dead or in jail. Not sure I could make even halfway intelligent decisions with all those temptations.
The microwave popcorn would put me over the top,
Nah! If it ain’t Jiffy Pop it ain’t popcorn!!!
If I’m a recruit, I want a payday BUT I would be willing to take a little less to go to a place that has a track record of getting players to the next level. That’s where the real money is.
NFL > NIL
I don’t know, but I think some of y’all may be underselling some of these kids’ ability to make a decision. Everything I have read suggests that no 5 or 4 star recruit is willing to go to a certain school with no enticements. But, I have also read numerous articles that suggest most could have gotten more elsewhere, but they didn’t like the situation, so they ended up with less money, but were happier with the choice they made.
Times are definitely different now – especially while everyone is trying to figure out what the rules will eventually be with NIL – but things are different for the kids, too. They have advisers and in positive cases parents who have raised them right, or teachers that had a positive influence on them, or in the case of Ray Davis a case worker or counselor who kept him focused. That hasn’t always been the case.
And, talking about when you were 17-18 I can honestly say that even 55 or so years ago money was important (and attention in general was nice) but neither was ever the most important thing.
One more thing – Justus “Jay” Terry and his #Givemeeverythingyougot. I’ve never seen him play, but some of you have so I ask the question: Is he worth everything we have? I’m sure he is good – everyone says so – but I an rat poison also.
Manchester Football is a pretty big deal in a town that has high poverty and very little financially independent infrastructure. For this kid to be as big and high ranked as he is, someone has made some investments into his development. While he might be seen as a big fish in a little pond, he seems to have a high upside and he’s definitely got the physical talent to compete at a high level.
No doubt he is good, but the question was whether he is “worth everything we have”. I don’t think you answered that. 🤔
True enough. Is he a generational talent worth emptying the coffers for? Eh, probably not. Could be another Jordan Davis or could be another Brenton Cox, who knows. I have faith CKS knows what he needs to do or not.
“I have faith CKS knows what he needs to do or not.”
Amen to that. Kirby may not always hit a home run when he makes a decision, but I like his average.
He’s incredibly gifted, but so is Elijah Griffin. Getting either one would be amazing, and I’d allot more than is typical for players like them, with the understanding that most of the time UGA gets a discount on local talent.
I don’t follow the deep chatter, but it seems Griffin is the must get. Terry is the guy that we’re saying we want you, but we put our offer out there. Question is if we get Gibson as well. The defensive line class could be scary good (like the OL haul last year) if we get all of the guys we have targeted.
Agreed, this could be an all-timer. If I had to put them in order of likelihood to sign with UGA, it would be Griffin, Gibson, Terry. And we already have a really good edge player committed as well. Would be an epic group.
I wonder if the Georgia girls will ever come back?
I got recruited out of high school in another sport, but obviously football in today’s world is extremely different. If I was an elite football player in high school with a chance to play in the league, I’d pick the best program that had a mix of the best looking depth chart, best position coach and best history of putting my position in the league. That way I already know NIL is good, the team will be top-10 and I have a chance of a life-changing payday.
Same…but then I would have opted for the Lamborghini.