Recruits on notice after seeing Parks lose Alabama spot for 2017
Jarez Parks, like lots of football recruits, loved the idea of a National Signing Day announcement.
Until he didn’t.
Parks, a Rivals250 prospect, spent his recruitment fighting to keep things under wraps. He did few interviews and, if he did one, he said less than Charlie Chaplin. Parks was building toward a moment. There was a commitment video shot in Paris and a National Signing Day press conference at his school. He’d planned to commit to Alabama but, somewhere along the way, the scholarship he’d held for months vanished.
What followed were public tears and confusion. In the end, Parks was permitted to sign a delayed scholarship agreement with the Tide, but will spend the upcoming season without a scholarship before joining the team in 2018.
Now, Parks’ story is the only thing prospects need point to when anyone asks, “Why would you commit so early?”
Expiration dates on scholarship offers tend to arrive on the calendar unannounced. Xavier Williams, an Alabama commit in the class of 2018, saw all he needed to see from the Parks situation. Roughly a week after National Signing Day 2017 and a year before he’d sign with anyone, Williams made a choice. The four-star receiver was Alabama-bound and he wanted his commitment to be public. His situation and the one that befell Parks just days before were at least somewhat correlated.
“Those offers don’t last forever,” Williams said. “Your recruiting profile might say you have 50 offers, but it’s funny how that list cuts down and changes. That stuff can disappear real soon if you wait until you’re a senior. The only schools that want you are the ones that keep in contact. They can stop at any time.”
Backlash about de-commitments is common from fans and coaches. Just last year, Texas A&M assistant Aaron Moorehead was reprimanded for tweets not-so-subtly calling out quarterback Tate Martell for backing off his pledge to the Aggies. (Martell signed with Ohio State.) Because of pride or ego or exposure, the dozens of colleges that de-commit from players they’ve offered every day never creeps into the public consciousness.
In a world where scholarship offers mean literally nothing until papers are signed, everyone knows the stakes. The system dictates that trust is at a premium.
“You take notice of the things that happen,” Williams said. “We talked about Parks and what happened. All of us were like, 'Damn, I could get greyshirted at any time if I take too long.’ ”
The sentiment extends beyond players committed to and considering Alabama. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s don’t-trust-anyone mantra is permeating through the world of high school recruits.
Four-star running back Shaun Shivers committed to Auburn roughly 13 months before his National Signing Day. Did he like the fit? Sure. Does he think he’ll end up signing with the Tigers? Of course.
Still, Shivers won’t pretend the move wasn’t at least a little bit of a defensive measure.
“You have to lock up a spot,” Shivers said. “Look man, what if something happens to you? Why would you play with that? We know it’s all business with these colleges. We know these coaches are always changing everything. Some of us know. My head is always on a swivel when it comes to coaches.”
Placeholder commitments exist and will continue to do so. Every once in a while a player will commit to a school without any intention of actually signing with it. It’s a reality of recruiting. And, as the process evolves, it’s starting to look like an all too necessary one.
“I won’t have that problem,” said four-star safety Jamien Sherwood, who plans on locking up his spot sooner rather than later. “I’ve seen that stuff happen too many times. People laugh when we talk about schools showing us love, but it’s the only way you can tell if they really want you.”
In other words, if you haven’t heard from a school in a while, don’t assume your scholarship offer is still there. Jarez Parks learned the hard way.