Mike Hilton (38) was recently recognized as the most valuable senior football player by the Jackson Touchdown Club. (Photo by: Logan Kirkland)
We’re seven days from signing day. We’re seven days from the kid from Alabama either choosing your school or taking a personal shot at you by having the audacity to go play somewhere else. We’re seven days from chaos. We’re seven days from some grown man telling a 17-year-old he’s a loser because he didn’t pick his school.
So with the proximity of signing day, here are seven guidelines to help you prepare.
1. Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
This verse in Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time and place for every single thing in this life. Bear with me, I’m getting somewhere.
While, yes, the Bible does indeed tell us that there is a time and place for everything, the Bible was written before Twitter. The Bible was written before football recruiting — otherwise I’d argue that ‘croot tweeting should be addressed somewhere in Isaiah.
I get it. I do. You think your tweet, littered with the “100” emoji, will be what gets him to commit to your school. I understand that. Don’t do it.
The coaches of the school you root for are paid six and seven figures to recruit. They don’t need, or want, your help. Don’t tweet them. Don’t add them on Facebook. Don’t.
2. You aren’t winning a national title on signing day, but you sure could lose one. There’s a strong correlation to teams who recruit well and teams who win the national title. Alabama consistently recruits in the top five of the country. Same with Ohio State. Same with Florida State. Recruiting rankings aren’t everything, but they do matter. No matter what your rival tells you.
3. When a kid doesn’t pick your school, it’s not an insult to you. It’s not an insult to your school. There are kids who would sign multiple places if they could. That, in most cases, (looking at you, Floyd Raven) is not possible. They have to make a choice. They may not make the choice that makes you happy, but your happiness isn’t their concern.
4. If you accuse someone of cheating, you better
A. Be squeaky clean
B. Have proof
Accusing a school of cheating just because they’re not a blue-blood program is just lazy. It’s infuriating. Some schools have really good recruiters for coaches. They out-work some of the coaches at the supposed blue-blood programs, and guess what? Sometimes those guys win.
5. Your school won’t sign everyone, but they’re not going to miss on everyone either. Reality is, people are going to go into next Wednesday convinced their team is signing everyone. They’re not. That’s not how this works. For SEC teams, you can only sign 25 recruits per recruiting class. It’s impossible to get everyone you want.
6. The number of stars, or lack of stars, a recruit has is irrelevant once that fax machine receives their letter of intent. They’re now a member of the program you root for and will have to perform to get on the field.
7. Chill. Yes, signing day is important, but it’s not the be-all-end-all. It’s going to drive you insane if you sweat out every kid’s announcement. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. Some schools will lose a lot more and will get mocked publicly for the next six months. But nobody is winning a game on signing day.
P.S. DON’T TWEET AT RECRUITS.
