Don't Get Hung Up on Commits; Real Recruiting Is Getting Signatures

Razorbacks have seen players in recent memory even from in-state schools bail at last minute to other SEC rival opponents

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman during a loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 21, 2023, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It may be time we quit all these rankings everybody gets so worked up about in June on high school players coming to schools. They are about as useful as political polls years ahead of an election. About all they do is raise the hopes, expectations and bold predictions that are based on hope, not facts.

A more accurate term likely should be main target recruits. Whether you like it or not, essentially it has become the time when the baseline is set for other schools to beat an offer. The world of college athletics for Sam Pittman and his staff these days comes down to players wanting the most money. His approach now seems to be finding 3-stars and coaching 'em up.

About the only thing we know for certain is nothing stays the same for long. Except there is a pattern of consistency that if you want to play for a national championship you have to get some highly-ranked recruiting classes. That disproves a lot of this notion of on-field geniuses that perform miracles when the games are played.

If they aren't careful, that could turn the Hogs into a developmental school. While fans want those guys to win games, they overwhelmingly prefer they do it while still playing for the Razorbacks. Going somewhere else does nothing at all.

Whether any of us like it or hate it, that's the way it is. You can complain all you want, thinking you want these things to be done behind closed doors and in notes passed under a table away from prying eyes. For decades, there are more and more stories coming out of players recruited "back then" that committed to a school, only to have others come in, making an offer be told, "That's not even close." The offer was either increased or they left the player alone.

The problem of where the line is and who's going to decide that is for other folks to figure out. We all have to deal with the reality of the situation and that includes the coaches, stuck in a sticky spot.

You'll hear some talking about how "polite" things used to be that when a player committed to a school were left alone by other schools. Like a lot of it, that's all some public relations benefit. Exactly what that is has never been really clear. It never really existed anyway and any claims by former coaches that was the way they operated doesn't cover everything since this whole thing about commitments is from the last few decades.

The bottom line is still getting them to sign the bottom line. The Hogs have had everything from players suddenly deciding to sign with schools they haven't visited to a parent snatching the papers because they didn't want the player going to Arkansas. Alex Collins' whole signing was delayed due to that.

The Missouri Tigers lately have been the worst thorn in the side snatching commitments of late. While others chase all this recruiting stuff, I focus on the players that are here now. I don't go down memory lane much unless I just in a DeLorean and try to go back decades when the Razorbacks were usually in the preseason Top 20 (it's only been a Top 25 for a few years now for us old folks). That was before we paid too much attention to all these ridulously-early lists and rankings. We do them at allHOGS, too, but only because folks love to have expectations these days.

As technology has grown, the recruiting landscape has reflected that as much as anything in the world. It just never got the same amount of publicity. Now people start making headlines with even kids still having a couple of years (or more) making commits and people starting a ranking for the future. Even after the dust settles on the recruiting rankings every year, those will be adjusted constantly based on how they performed in college.

About the only thing we know for certain is nothing stays the same for long. Except there is a pattern of consistency that if you want to play for a national championship you have to get some highly-ranked recruiting classes. That disproves a lot of this notion of on-field geniuses that perform miracles when the games are played.

It was legendary Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer said one time coaching accounted for only about 10% of a team's success. The rest of it came down to how good the players were. I have heard this from championship coaches forever. That's what you call a pattern. Trends these days are more important to look at than the daily rankings board. If you follow the recruiting trail closely, though, now is when things start to get serious.

Coaches can't be out chasing players too far down the road and forget to keep in regular touch with the ones who have committed. They haven't signed anything. It also gives other coaches ideas about how to grab a player you want and now they have a pretty good idea where to start negotiating.

Based on the last couple of years, are the Razorbacks giving commits enough love? It's kinda like being in any relationship. The courting better not stop when the service ends or you won't be married long.

The Razorbacks are not in a particularly good area the past few years. They are losing more commitments than they're bringing in out of the high school ranks. Now they are staring down the barrels of a trend that's not particularly good. Don't be suprirised to see tampering be the newest enforceable penalty from the NCAA on recruiting violations. They don't have many things left they can enforce.

The truth is all of that is probably going to shake out in a few years. Nick Saban has said recently he thinks it's going to be about 5-10 years before things are going to collapse. Some will call that crazy ramblings from an old man. That's not paying attention to history. Nothing stays the same.

HOGS FEED:

• Requirements for coaching Razorbacks has changed

• Pittman getting out-recruited for in-state players

• How have the Hogs looked historically against Illinois?

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