Who often do verbals decide on another school?

[doctorcoug]

I've always watched the BYU games whenever available, but I was never into the recruiting. I just learned the new players at the beginning of the season. This is my 1st year actually partially following it.

So, BYU has got a pretty good class going of verbals...how many of those will actually sign? I know about the ngata's and teo's. I'm curious as a rough overall estimate.

Also, why don't players wait to sign till the very last moment? I mean, if I'm a WR, I'd like to go to a place that is going to have the top QB recruit. I understand the "media hungry" attitude, it just doesn't seem logical. Do these kids not have parents to guide them? I mean, Heaps was very smart in gathering recruits to come with him. Why don't we see more of this today?

[Jarid in Cedar]

I've always watched the BYU games whenever available, but I was never into the recruiting. I just learned the new players at the beginning of the season. This is my 1st year actually partially following it.

So, BYU has got a pretty good class going of verbals...how many of those will actually sign? I know about the ngata's and teo's. I'm curious as a rough overall estimate.

Also, why don't players wait to sign till the very last moment? I mean, if I'm a WR, I'd like to go to a place that is going to have the top QB recruit. I understand the "media hungry" attitude, it just doesn't seem logical. Do these kids not have parents to guide them? I mean, Heaps was very smart in gathering recruits to come with him. Why don't we see more of this today?

No commits can sign until the "official" signing day in February, regardless of how early they sign.

As far as verbals that sign with another school, the number is pretty low, they just make big headlines when they do.

[Mr. Crimson]

I believe

I've always watched the BYU games whenever available, but I was never into the recruiting. I just learned the new players at the beginning of the season. This is my 1st year actually partially following it.

So, BYU has got a pretty good class going of verbals...how many of those will actually sign? I know about the ngata's and teo's. I'm curious as a rough overall estimate.

Also, why don't players wait to sign till the very last moment? I mean, if I'm a WR, I'd like to go to a place that is going to have the top QB recruit. I understand the "media hungry" attitude, it just doesn't seem logical. Do these kids not have parents to guide them? I mean, Heaps was very smart in gathering recruits to come with him. Why don't we see more of this today?

BYU will get all of their signees. Out west it seems to be much more rare. In the SEC it seems as if it happens a couple of times to every school. Their motto is that if a kids given a verbal its just time to recruit him harder.

As for waiting I think its almost always a case of a school like USC telling him to wait as he's their 2nd choice for a slot and they'll pick him if the 1st one falls through, then that 2nd choice is Utah's first choice and Utahs 2nd choice is Wyomings 1st and so on. So you get everyone waiting on everyone.

[doctorcoug]

As for waiting I think its almost always a case of a school like USC telling him to wait as he's their 2nd choice for a slot and they'll pick him if the 1st one falls through, then that 2nd choice is Utah's first choice and Utahs 2nd choice is Wyomings 1st and so on. So you get everyone waiting on everyone.

So most athletes wait to sign? I thougt signing day was a frenzy of attention-seekers.

[Hot Lunch]

So most athletes wait to sign? I thougt signing day was a frenzy of attention-seekers.

they have to. The NCAA has a set date every year that ta player can't sign until. It is usually the first Wednesday in Feb.

[RockyBalboa]

It's not unusual for every year and at every school for 1-2 verbals to change their minds and go elsewhere.

It happens more at the higher up BCS level, but it's not a stranger to all the schools out there.

[doctorcoug]

they have to. The NCAA has a set date every year that ta player can't sign until. It is usually the first Wednesday in Feb.

What I meant was, most athletes wait to sign until well after NLOI day?

[Jarid in Cedar]

What I meant was, most athletes wait to sign until well after NLOI day?

No, with rare exception, all sign on LOI day. Terrell Pryor(OHio St.)2 years ago was a very notable exception.

[doctorcoug]

No, with rare exception, all sign on LOI day.

That is what I thought. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

[Eddie]

One reason players don't wait to sign is that there are only so many scholarships to go around, and the schools want players.

And often the school would prefer to have a very good player they know will sign today versus a waiting to see if a great player will sign (knowing that if the great player doesn't sign, they will have lost the very good player to another school, and now they are giving the scholarship they were holding onto to a descent player instead.)

So the pressure is on players to sign while they still have an offer. If they wait too long, the school may find someone else to give a scholarship to. Some schools over-offer on the verbals and tell kids they've offered 5 WR's but are only going to sign 3 - so the first three to accept are in. The others are left out.

Inevitably there are some kids who thought they were going to a good program who then end up going to their 2nd or 3rd choice because their first choice ran out of scholarships.

Don't know if I'm making sense - but kids sign early to make sure they get to go where they want instead of who is left.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

No, with rare exception, all sign on LOI day. Terrell Pryor(OHio St.)2 years ago was a very notable exception.

Don't forget Brice Brown this year. Who had he been a QB would have gotten as much prima donna attention as Pryor did. Instead he is just a freak of nature RB, which are more common.

[doctorcoug]

One reason players don't wait to sign is that there are only so many scholarships to go around, and the schools want players.

And often the school would prefer to have a very good player they know will sign today versus a waiting to see if a great player will sign (knowing that if the great player doesn't sign, they will have lost the very good player to another school, and now they are giving the scholarship they were holding onto to a descent player instead.)

So the pressure is on players to sign while they still have an offer. If they wait too long, the school may find someone else to give a scholarship to. Some schools over-offer on the verbals and tell kids they've offered 5 WR's but are only going to sign 3 - so the first three to accept are in. The others are left out.

Inevitably there are some kids who thought they were going to a good program who then end up going to their 2nd or 3rd choice because their first choice ran out of scholarships.

Don't know if I'm making sense - but kids sign early to make sure they get to go where they want instead of who is left.

thanks...that is intelligent. What about the 5 star recruit, though? Same situation?

[Eddie]

thanks...that is intelligent. What about the 5 star recruit, though? Same situation?

I think 5* recruits are in a different boat. Most schools will keep a spot open for them and just eat the scholarship if they think they really have a shot at picking the kid up.

I've heard of occasions when BYU coaches allegedly told players who really liked the Y but ultimately decided to go elsewhere that they would keep a scholarship open for them on signing day just in case they changed their mind.

But when you consider how many 5* players there are each year, the number who are waiting until the very end are few.

For the coaches, they really want the 5* guy. But more importantly they really want to be able to get someone else to fill that need on the team if the 5* guy is going elsewhere. So they'll pressure the kid as much as they can without turning him off to make a decision sooner rather than later - giving themselves the chance to recruit another kid if they aren't going to get their first choice.