OT: 247 Sports Writer Tweets on Recruits Top 10 Lists.
He's criticizing recruits for considering schools that haven't offered them yet. I think that's pretty stupid, especially when those schools are staying in contact with them.
In addition to that guy not having much business telling recruits what to do, I think it's a bad point. Let's say that my favorite offers are Wisconsin and Northwestern but I'm waiting on Michigan because that's where I'd go if offered. Then why can't my final (or top) three be Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Michigan? Isn't that more honest than saying that my final/top two is Wisconsin and Northwestern if I'd then pick Michigan if offered?
I suppose I don't know exactly what point this writer is trying to make here. If we consider that that in a list of ten schools put forth by a recruit that they are probably well aware that not all choices are equally likely given various factors, then I don't see the harm in having such a list. Besides, we routinely talk about recruits on this board whose offers encompass anywhere from 25%-35% of Division I schools (aside from other schools that have not offered that they might have interest in), and when creating a list of 10 means they are already narrowing the field by 60%-70% before other considerations, that seems fair as a start to me.
Michigan
Stanford
Florida
Texas
USC
UCLA
Berkeley
Virginia
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Duke
North Carolina
Notre Dame
I'd have to strongly consider a scholarship to any of the aforementioned schools, based solely on my personal calculus of academics vs reputation... before even factoring in recent football success (add Alabama and LSU), NFL ~factories~ (add OSU and Georgia), historical prestige (add Nebraska and Oklahoma), campus life (throw in Oregon), depth charts, rapport with coaching staff, scheme, cameraderie with future/potential classmates, etc.
I can't fault any of these kids for having top 15s, 10s, 7s. It's a hell of a decision for a young man to make, whatwiththe landscape constantly shifting as the current teams play things out on the field, as the coaching carousel turns, as offers are given and accepted and retracted and declined and recruits commit and decommit and players transfer and get injured and go pro early and MGoBloggers writing horrible run-on sentences...
tl;dr Michigan's a great school and I'm so happy to have attended and will be a fan for life, but there are several institutions and programs that are far from *consolation prizes*.
Edit: I skimmed the OP the first time around and missed the point. The 247 writer can go suck a fuck for denying a high schooler of a dream school, of a hopeful ambitious offer, of having a chip on their shoulder and wanting to prove their worth.
Yes, we should all recognize the inconvenience this places on sports reporters who have to waste 1's and 0's reporting on these lists month in advance.
Seems like a rant looking for a cause.
Reporter guy sounds like a douche. A recruit making a top-ten list must make his job of profiting off 17 year-old boys extremely dificult.
Honestly the recruiting process probably gets really old, really quickly for a lot of these kids so naming a top 10 or 15 atleast cuts down on the amount of schools/coaches/boosters that continually call, text, email, facebook, or tweet you. These lists have become crazy, with the hightened use of recruiting sites and social media, they've become a must-see attraction/mood killer. I like seeing Michigan on any of those lists cuz it means Michigan has a shot but until it's a top 2-3 there really isn't a reason to get excited!