I was involved in scouting for colleges (all sports, men's and women's) and getting kids 'ships. I had several heated "discussions" with players, but especially their dads, when I tried to steer a kid toward a small school. One in particular, a RB, wanted so badly to play at Ohio State, Alabama...I remember him saying in our initial interview, he would settle for an Ole Miss, Miss State type school if he had to....whoa! I tried to, as diplomatically as possible, explain the reality that at 5'10" 175 lbs, and not particularly fast that it was doubtful an SEC school would offer a 'ship. Eventually, after many hours of hard work I was pleased he got some interest from "smaller" schools, the best of which was Georgia Southern, a team that ran an offense live Navy and Army do, and needed a stable of RBs.
His dad went ballistic!!! He couldn't understand why a school like Ohio State wasn't calling. I said your son is being offered a full ride, to get a college education and to play college football! I was shown the door...
That kid eventually walked on at Henderson State* but he never stuck it out and probably never finished college either. *I knew the coach and made a phone call. The coach called the kid and said if he would enroll in school there and walk on, he might eventually earn a 'ship.
DELUSIONAL! That's what causes these kids to go to the big schools. Caught up in the hype. Have too high an opinion of themselves (as players). They don't realize they are a dime a dozen to the Nick Sabans of college football.
On all teams from the D1 National Championship team to the worst D3/NAIA team, there are starters and bench warmers. Who has a crystal ball to know which players will be the starters and who will be the bench warmers when a student commits to a school? I don't know how often it happens at P5 schools, but at Tech, Hunter Lee is a good example of how a walk-on can become a key player and earn a scholarship. Some players who end up being bench warmers may be happy to just be getting a free college education. I don't fault players who go to a P5 school and decide to stick it out even if they never see the field during a game, nor do I fault them if they decide to transfer to a school where they will get to play. Each student athlete has to decide what is best for them. Most college athletes don't make it to the next level so there are many things to consider other than whether they are starters or bench warmers. Having said that, I don't know of any athletes who would rather sit on the bench than play.
How's Junior doing at Corndog U?
Special Teams, backup...
I saw this young man go through his recruiting process. Coach Giles visited him often and did a great job of bonding with OJ. However when you see Coach Saban dressed to the 9's and speaking to every coach and explaining how you can win a NC it can be very enticing. I can see very easily how a 18 yr old can get his ego pumped. I was surprised at how hard Bama recruited OJ but happy for him to get that experience. With that being said I often told OJ that Tech would be a great fit for him and his ability to play earlier. This obviously has been a learning lesson and example to other young players in the future.