IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 25
f
Y
ou know, there's a reason they
sell Twizzlers at the hardware
store.
Because humans are impulsive
beings, particularly those who are
young, who respond to things the
way a trout might to a shiny little
piece of sharp metal in a river.
College football coaches know
this better than anyone, and be-
cause of it, they simply must grow
numb to the chaos that is recruit-
ing.
I'm not here to grandstand and
rip kids for changing their minds
once and not keeping their word
when they are not bound by any-
thing to keep said word.
(As for those who change their
mind as force of habit: One change
of heart makes you human; two
make you a flake.)
Heck, for 99 percent of
these young people, this
will be the only time in their
careers where they have the
power to choose where they
want to go. Why not take ad-
vantage?
Purdue just lost six commitments
from those who said they'd be part
of its 2014 signing class. Don't cry
for the Boilermakers. They turned
around and took four guys from oth-
er people, six if you count the two
who committed, decommitted, com-
mitted, then decommitted again.
One guy, lineman Denzel Ward,
probably wouldn't have been signed
anyway, or at least I'd hope not for
Purdue's sake. Another lineman,
Miguel Machado, left Purdue hang-
ing all signing day before going
with Michigan State, who'd
red-lighted him all the way
up to the night before. DB
Chris Jones committed to
every school he visited. DB
LaDarius Wiley committed,
then just kind of disap-
peared.
Simmie Cobbs wanted to play
offense. Purdue recruited him for
defense. Fair enough. Hard to fault
him then for going to Indiana.
But he could have at least told the
school he was committed to about
the last-second gauntlet of visits he
planned to take.
Credit Drue Tranquill, who ended
up at Notre Dame, for at least being
up-front about things.
It's the business, signing day just
being a big game of musical chairs.
Those are the conditions on the
ground that must be abided by and
Coming And Going
Trent Johnson, Agent
This spring at a computer
or tablet near you!
Special guests each show, analysis from staff
of Gold and Black
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