Recruiting has long been about more than just a players commitment. For more than two decades, intrepid reporters break a sweat tracking down top high school seniors’ every thought and whim, delivering updates and full-blown tea leaf analysis about whether a player’s future destination could be deciphered by their apparel at a recent high school scrimmage.
Somewhere along the line, players began making formal announcements not only of their college choice but of each cull of schools along the way. It has become traditional for a player to announce his top-five contenders in a Tweet or an interview with a media outlet, adding more ceremony to a decision which has become steadily more elongated year after year.
Class of 2021 five-star DE Dylan Brooks may have taken that rather postmodern tradition to a true nadir, announcing that he had “cut” his college options to 15 different schools via Twitter.
If you’re wondering how many college programs a prospect could cut if they’re still considering 15, the answer is seven, according to his offer list on 247Sports. That’s right, seven. Brooks is still considering more than twice as many programs as he has officially eliminated.
He even hashtagged the Tweet #RESPECT MY DECISION. What decision?
None of this is to say that there’s anything wrong with Brooks. He’s giving the people what they want. A top-25 national prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings, the Handley High School (Roanoke, Ala.) star is a product of his environment. And his environment is focused on rewarding all who provide elaborate recruiting updates with more attention than those who don’t.
Thus, we end up with a recruiting “cut” to 15 schools. Wherever Brooks does end up, his talent could emerge as a true difference maker early in his collegiate career. We just may not find out where that career will unfold for a longer period than one might expect when hearing that a recruit cut down his list of schools.
