Early commitments sometimes risky
With other schools still keeping the pressure on, player could change mind, or skills could change
[size=-1]By Darnell Mayberry[/size]
<!-- begin body-content --> Chris Wells knew which school he wanted to attend. Everything else was a non-factor.
So the junior running back at Garfield made an oral commitment to attend Ohio State last week. He has no regrets and isn't looking back on other possibilities, even though several have risen since his announcement.
He thought the selection process was over. He hoped his announcement would put a halt to recruiters' endless phone calls, and his attention could turn to academics and prepping for next season.
He thought the pressure was off but quickly learned otherwise.
``Recruiting just sped up for me,'' Wells said. ``A lot of schools are starting to show more interest now that I committed to Ohio State.''
Two-time defending national champion Southern California, along with North Carolina and Maryland are just a few of the schools talking about scholarship offers.
``They're just telling me that it's too early to make my decision,'' said Wells, who is ranked by some publications as high as the No. 1 junior in the state. ``They're trying to steer me away from Ohio State. Not in a negative way, but just telling me it's just too early.''
They could be right.
Wells' decision follows a growing trend of high school athletes making early commitments. Who stands to gain the most in situations like these? The player? The college team?
In the case of Wells, he thinks the benefits far exceed the negatives. Before finishing his junior academic year, he already has guaranteed himself four years at a major university. The Ohio State coaching staff has said they would still honor his scholarship in the event he got injured during his senior year, Wells said. Most important, he will be surrounded by a group of players he has become familiar with over the years and is staying within two hours of his home.
Then come the drawbacks, the biggest being unfamiliarity with other potential teams and academic programs. Along with that comes missing the chance of playing for a team that might better suit his needs.
``I think for a kid that knows where he wants to go and has that opportunity, it's a great deal,'' Akron football coach J.D. Brookhart said in general of early commitments. ``
But the downside is sometimes what they think is their best option really might be their second-best option.''
Wells, at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, finished last season with 1,930 yards and 20 touchdowns on 212 carries. He could have chosen from just about every major school in the country. Michigan was the leading candidate in the fall, which raises another point -- playing time. Current Wolverines freshman running back Michael Hart just led his team to a 9-2 record and finished nine yards shy of leading the Big Ten in rushing. In Columbus, Antonio Pittman is only a freshman, and the Buckeyes just signed Maurice Wells, a running back from Florida who is listed by rivals100.com as the fourth best all-purpose back in the country.
Teams always are trying to get better at every position, meaning Wells could have stiff competition for company. Still, Wells felt at home during Ohio State's Junior Day festivities on Feb. 5. ``The whole feel of the community down there and the atmosphere down there was just like wow,'' Wells said.
Colleges run the risk of easily losing that ``wow'' feeling with early commitments. Brookhart, who said the majority of his signings are seniors, thinks colleges are often affected more by the trend, using Penn State as an example of a program that has cut back on recruiting juniors. Among the risks are: A school doesn't have time to properly evaluate a younger prospect, sometimes leaving a team with a commitment from a player who never will fulfill their promise and the risk of a de-commitment.
``The one thing you find out about commitments is that they're never truly committed until they sign,'' Brookhart said. ``You have to keep recruiting those kids as hard as you're recruiting anybody.''
At least for now, Wells is with the Buckeyes.
