"Committed" to semantics (split from Matt James thread)

[MililaniBuckeye]

A teammate of Matt James, senior OT Eric Kramer (6-4, 270), has committed to Ohio State as a preferred walk-on, according to St. X coach Steve Specht.

Cincinnati.Com | Cincinnati Enquirer | High School Sports Blog ? Kramer commits to Ohio State

Wonder if Kramer and James are close enough buds for this to factor into James' choice?

Side note: The article is wrong in stating Kramer "committed" as a walk-on. You don't "commit" to a school unless they offer you a scholarship.

 

[jwinslow]

You don't "commit" to a school unless they offer you a scholarship.

Sure you do. He's committing to the decision to attend OSU, just like thousands of other students.

 

[scarletngray]

Sure you do. He's committing to the decision to attend OSU, just like thousands of other students.

He's also committing to being a part of the football team, per the coaches invitation to walk-on. You can't walk on without an invite. And you can't walk on without committing to the team and it's rules, policies, etc.

:osu:

 

[BuckeyeFromHecK]

You can definitely walk-on without an invite, not that it matters..

 

[scarletngray]

You can definitely walk-on without an invite, not that it matters..

I'm sure that there are many guys who have wanted to walk on and the coaches said, "thanks, but no thanks."

:osu:

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Sure you do. He's committing to the decision to attend OSU, just like thousands of other students.

Wrong.

He's also committing to being a part of the football team, per the coaches invitation to walk-on. You can't walk on without an invite. And you can't walk on without committing to the team and it's rules, policies, etc.

Wrong.



You "commit" as a recruit because you commit, or pledge, to sign an LOI with them (which is then a written, vice verbal, commitment) in return for a scholarship. When you decide to walk-on to a school, you're not getting a scholarship in return and thus you can bail and go right to any other college and walk-on at any time. When you get a scholarship, you're committed to that team to play...if you choose to transfer you have to wait a year before you're eligible to play (if you transfer within I-A, aka FBS). There may be additional restrictions, such as transferring within the Big Ten permanently forfeits your right to a scholarship. Now that's a commitment.

When you go to a school to play a sport, you should be "commit" yourself to doing your best for the team, so in that sense of the word it's correct. However, in recruiting circles, "committing" refers to verbally accepting a scholarship offer prior to signing the LOI...nothing else.

Next...

 

[jwinslow]

wrong

You can keep typing wrong as many times as you'd like, but you're trying to use opinion & perception of a word as a fact.

You "commit" as a recruit because you commit, or pledge, to sign an LOI with them (written, vice verbal, commitment) in return for a scholarship.

And that 'commitment' is meaningless. It's nothing more than a promise that you can break, same with vowing to be a walkon at OSU, a grayshirt, a kid headed to prep school first, etc.

When you decide to walk-on to a school, you're not getting a scholarship in return and thus you can bail and go right to any other college and walk-on at any time. When you get a scholarship, you're committed to that team to play...if you choose to transfer you have to wait a year before you're eligible to play (if you transfer within I-A, aka FBS). There may be additional restrictions, such as transferring within the Big Ten permanently forfeits your right to a scholarship. Now that's a commitment.

Those are the consequences of signing with a school, not making a commitment.

When you go to a school to play a sport, you should be "commit" yourself to doing your best for the team, so in that sense of the word it's correct. However, in recruiting circles, "committing" refers to verbally accepting a scholarship offer prior to signing the LOI...nothing else.

Zach Boren, Storm Klein, Jack Mewhort & Adam Homan never signed an LOI, Mr. Stickler.

 

[scarletngray]

Semantics ~ Let's be glad that he joined the good guys and hope that it helps influence James to come on board as well.

:osu:

 

[BayBuck]

Wrong.

Wrong.

He's committing to play football at tOSU, similarly to a recruited scholarship athlete but without a scholarship or LOI involved. It's a pretty simple concept, but for some reason you feel it necessary to restrict the definition more narrowly than it really is.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

You can keep typing wrong as many times as you'd like, but you're trying to use opinion & perception of a word as a fact.

The term "commit" has been used--exactly as I explained it has--since way before you started following recruiting. While the word has other dictionary meanings, its usage in recruiting circles is simple and concrete. So, just because some intern at a podunk newspaper is clueless and decides to misuse the term doesn't make its misusage now acceptable.

Zach Boren, Storm Klein, Jack Mewhort & Adam Homan never signed an LOI, Mr. Stickler.

That's because they enrolled prior to NLOID, photo boy. Had they not enrolled early, then they most certainly would've had to have signed the LOI.

Go shake your Polariod for a while...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Wrong.

He's committing to play football at tOSU, similarly to a recruited scholarship athlete but without a scholarship or LOI involved. It's a pretty simple concept, but for some reason you feel it necessary to restrict the definition more narrowly than it really is.

See my above reply to jwins...

 

[DontHateOState]

There is no binding agreement associated with committing. I could commit to walking-on to Ohio State's basketball team tomorrow if I wanted.

What I couldn't do is sign a Letter of Intent because that would require a scholarship offer.

 

[BayBuck]

See my above reply to jwins...

I saw it, and I'm sure we all understand what you think you're saying, but it's just not correct. If he was given the opportunity to join the team as a preferred walk-on and accepted that opportunity, that is a verbal commitment regardless of whether he is faxed a LOI on signing day.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I saw it, and I'm sure we all understand what you think you're saying, but it's just not correct. If he was given the opportunity to join the team as a preferred walk-on and accepted that opportunity, that is a verbal commitment regardless of whether he is faxed a LOI on signing day.

Re-read my post about how its used in recruiting circles. You won't hear recruiting experts or sites stating someone "committed" as a walk-on.

 

[BB73]

When it comes to ham and eggs, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.