"If Oregon offers I'll probably de-commit and go there"- AJ Greely, Fresno State comm

[blacklistedbully]

So, this kid is from Fresno, has committed to Fresno State, but has publicly announced he would likely de-commit and go to Oregon if they offer. If you are the coaching staff at Fresno State, do you "make it easy for him" and pull your offer? Or do you grin and bear it for a 3-star recruit?

I get that kids have the right, and are gonna sometimes change their minds, but to do this publicly seems like a real slap-in-the-face to Fresno State. Am I wrong?

[DudyDawg]

I don't know what I would do as a coach, because I don't know how good of a player he is/how bad they need him at that position.

That being said, I would be livid as a person, and yes, that feels like a slap in the face and then some, based off of what you posted. I think they have every right to be pissed.

[ShotgunDawg]

So, this kid is from Fresno, has committed to Fresno State, but has publicly announced he would likely de-commit and go to Oregon if they offer. If you are the coaching staff at Fresno State, do you "make it easy for him" and pull your offer? Or do you grin and bear it for a 3-star recruit?

I get that kids have the right, and are gonna sometimes change their minds, but to do this publicly seems like a real slap-in-the-face to Fresno State. Am I wrong?

Why would Fresno pull the offer? What if Oregon doesn't offer?

Too many of you guys want to pull offers and only sign players that are in love with the school as much as you are. Recruiting is a business. You don't drop a good stock just because the stock may leave.

[Todd4State]

Why would Fresno pull the offer? What if Oregon doesn't offer?

Too many of you guys want to pull offers and only sign players that are in love with the school as much as you are. Recruiting is a business. You don't drop a good stock just because the stock may leave.

Amen. Nailed it.

[FISHDAWG]

then you tell the kid that you understand and hopes that he will understand when you start recruiting his position again

[RougeDawg]

This kid obviously hasn't consulted with Bucky about the correct definition of "Commitment."

[blacklistedbully]

Why would Fresno pull the offer? What if Oregon doesn't offer?

Too many of you guys want to pull offers and only sign players that are in love with the school as much as you are. Recruiting is a business. You don't drop a good stock just because the stock may leave.

A) I asked opinions, didn't suggest one.

B) IMO, if I was a coach and the kid told me privately, I wouldn't be upset, and wouldn't pull his offer, understanding that Oregon is a premier program. But for him to do this publicly, as he did, would probably cause me to pull his offer because of the message it sends to other recruits. I wouldn't want my program to be publicly perceived as the, "consolation prize" for a 3-star recruit. Yes, I'd lose this recruit, but I think I'd gain more in respect from other recruits I'm pursuing. I'd want to send the message that I want players who want to be at Fresno State. Taking guys who are openly talking about dropping me like a hot potato sends a bad message to the rest of my team, IMO. Not worth the 3-star recruit, IMO.

[thf24]

I really wish the NCAA would either make the status of "committed" mean something or ban its usage. I know it's all meaningless in the end anyway, but it's obnoxious to have to listen to all the drama and commentary surrounding it.

[bulldawg28]

This kid shouldn't be surprised when Fresno State gets another Qb commit within the next few weeks as a backup plan.

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

So, this kid is from Fresno, has committed to Fresno State, but has publicly announced he would likely de-commit and go to Oregon if they offer. If you are the coaching staff at Fresno State, do you "make it easy for him" and pull your offer? Or do you grin and bear it for a 3-star recruit?

I get that kids have the right, and are gonna sometimes change their minds, but to do this publicly seems like a real slap-in-the-face to Fresno State. Am I wrong?

He's putting it out there and being honest. Everyone knows where he stands. Yeah it's a slap in the face to Fresno State...but they know they are an inferior program to Oregon.

[HoopsDawg]

i actually love the honesty.

[preachermatt83]

if they pull his offer then Oregon wont have to do anything but offer him a preffered walk on and he wont be getting a scholarship. . ThatS what I would do. Teach the kid a lesson in "Commitment" the hard way. then when the kid comes crawling back tell him too bad.

[sleepy dawg]

if they pull his offer then Oregon wont have to do anything but offer him a preffered walk on and he wont be getting a scholarship. . ThatS what I would do. Teach the kid a lesson in "Commitment" the hard way. then when the kid comes crawling back tell him too bad.

How asinine. You have to be in the business of building the best football program you can, not proving points to a few random prospects.

You get the best guys you can who fit in your program... I bet most of our guys every year have somewhere else they would go if they got the offer. Lose the ego guys. The coaches aren't getting millions to prove a point or 2, they're paid to win.

[Dawg61]

if they pull his offer then Oregon wont have to do anything but offer him a preffered walk on and he wont be getting a scholarship. . ThatS what I would do. Teach the kid a lesson in "Commitment" the hard way. then when the kid comes crawling back tell him too bad.

Damn that's harsh. I'd just ask him if he wants to play for me or not. Then I'd explain to him I'm holding a spot for him. If he waivers even slightly from here till NSD I'm immediately pulling his offer and giving it to the next guy. I'd tell him that part too. Sounds like this recruit was taken advantage of by a reporter trying to stir shit up. Remember they are 17. Not so easy to answer every question ideally at that age.

[Irondawg]

And I think this is the stuff Pelini was talkinga bout when he mentioned wanting kids to be able to sign whenever after their junior year ended. If it meant he had to sign he probably would have never "committed" in the first place. I used to actually try to follow some recruiting but it's honestly not even really worth it much anymore.

[ckDOG]

The right way of going about it is being honest to the coaching staffs in private. Just be frank about it and all will understand. Publicly committing to one school while also saying you are waiting for the better offer is insulting to those offering your free tuition. It's a perception thing. You owe it to the school that gave you the offer in the first place the consideration of not making them look second class to the general public. That's not a lot to ask for.

Now, do I expect a 17 year old that is basically told he is God bc he has a talent for football to understand this? Unfortunately, no.

[blacklistedbully]

How asinine. You have to be in the business of building the best football program you can, not proving points to a few random prospects.

You get the best guys you can who fit in your program... I bet most of our guys every year have somewhere else they would go if they got the offer. Lose the ego guys. The coaches aren't getting millions to prove a point or 2, they're paid to win.

But we're not talking about a kid simply changing his mind or keeping his options open. We're talking about a kid who accepted an offer, then publicly announced he'd de-commit if Oregon offered. As I said before, had he said it privately to the coaching staff, no problem. But when he took it public, he made Fresno State look like a fall-back. While that's no doubt true, and an Oregon offer would be more prestigious, that's no excuse for insulting the school and coaching staff that accepted your commitment by making it public.

And yes, I think the fact that he made it public is the thing that makes it an insult to the school and coaching staff. In the end, I hardly think missing out on a 3-star prospect is going to hurt Fresno State much, if at all. I'd do exactly as others have suggested, tell the kid we wish him well, but that we're going to consider him uncommitted, and will go back to aggressively recruiting his spot.

[Jack Lambert]

It's not an official offer anyways. They can't do that until August.

[CadaverDawg]

If I'm Fresno, I'm recruiting the best QB out there and telling him that if he commits, he will be the only QB we sign. If I can get the better QB, I withdraw the offer from QB#1. If I can't, then I get the next best available QB on our board in plans of signing both, but now with at least one guy on board in case QB#1 leaves for Oregon.

If he's not truly committed, I'm not truly done recruiting QB's.

[FISHDAWG]

Damn that's harsh. I'd just ask him if he wants to play for me or not. Then I'd explain to him I'm holding a spot for him. If he waivers even slightly from here till NSD I'm immediately pulling his offer and giving it to the next guy. I'd tell him that part too. Sounds like this recruit was taken advantage of by a reporter trying to stir shit up. Remember they are 17. Not so easy to answer every question ideally at that age.

it's possible maybe even probable that conversation had already taken place .....some lessons are hard learned. He basically just told Oregon he will be available if they call , now Oregon can keep him as their last resort and wait to offer until the very end ... and if they do that, how would the Fresno staff and fanbase feel about scrambling for a replacement

[Dawgface]

If I'm Fresno, I'm recruiting the best QB out there and telling him that if he commits, he will be the only QB we sign. If I can get the better QB, I withdraw the offer from QB#1. If I can't, then I get the next best available QB on our board in plans of signing both, but now with at least one guy on board in case QB#1 leaves for Oregon.

If he's not truly committed, I'm not truly done recruiting QB's.
Exactly.

[sleepy dawg]

I see this approach as much different than telling him to hit the road. If he's waiting for something better, you can look for something better, just don't tell him... At least you are still keeping the team's best interest in mind, which is winning.

[archdog]

I really wish the NCAA would either make the status of "committed" mean something or ban its usage. I know it's all meaningless in the end anyway, but it's obnoxious to have to listen to all the drama and commentary surrounding it.

Possible solution would be that a prospect, once committed for over 60 calendar days, can sign a binding letter of intent. This would help colleges spend resources towards other prospects, and protect the player from signing in the moment.
It would also end the shenanigans around signing day and put Buck Tooth out of a job.