They hope and hope they have productive senior campaigns and that colleges will still have a scholarship available here or there. At least, that's the case for two running backs from Pearland and Katy, as Jenny Dial breaks it down in the Chronicle.
Make no mistake, both Donovonn Young and Dustin Garrison had wildly productive seasons. Young rushed for 2,332 yards on 258 carries with 35 touchdowns. Garrison rushed for 2,827 yards on 406 carries with 46 carries. For various reasons Dial discusses, neither went into the season with a college commitment, but schools must have noticed those eye-popping numbers, as Young got a commitment from Illinois while Garrison decided on West Virginia.
The question I have is why these guys weren't locked up sooner. I know the actual reason why (Dial does a great job with that), but it's a more philosophical debate on high school recruiting.
↵It's become common practice to "over-sign" a class, meaning a coach will deliberately get too many early commitments and then chase those 5-star players as signing day grows close, trying to make a splash. If they do land a big name, one of the smaller ones on their list drops off. It's completely unfair to the student, as it leaves them no time to make other arrangements.
↵Think about these two things next time you read a recruiting story. That 4-star guy may not be as productive as either Young or Garrison and that last second commitment probably just wrecked another kid's immediate future.
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