Overhyped, But Not Overrated, Part 1

This is the craziest and silliest time of the year in college football. This Wednesday, February 7, is National Signing Day. This is the first day that high school football players can sign a letter of intent to accept a football scholarship to the school of their choice. The recruiting process is full of broken and kept promises, unwavering attention, and salesmanship that would make the guy at the used car lot drool in envy.

Players often milk the process for what it is worth. Imagine being 18 years old and being told you are the best thing since the invention of the wheel. Some handle it better than others. Some make a spectacle of it, others are more low-key. I’ll never forget 1989, when Dallas Carter star LB Jessie Armstead had his press conference in a hot tub, while he signed to play at The U. He panned out, as he helped Miami win a couple of national championships, and played several years in the NFL with the Giants. A lot of these guys go on to be successful. A lot of them turn out to be busts. Recruiting can be more of a crap shoot than a table at Caesars Palace.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. Good recruiting can often disguise coaching deficiencies (ask the Texas Longhorns of 2005-the best decision Mack ever made was to “let Vince be Vince”). The great Barry Switzer once said: “It’s not about the X’s and O’s but the Jimmys and Joes”. Talent, more often than not in the college game, trumps coaching (Boise State 2006 is an exception, but that’s a whole other story).

Stay tuned for more hot sports opinions on recruiting..