Views on recruiting - DJ Turner nugget (theathletic $)

Submitted by StateStreetBlue on December 17th, 2018 at 9:59 AM

Theathletic.com has an interesting article today on "What it’s like to be a college football recruit in 2018" where multiple questions are posed to multiple IMG recruits.

Some of the recruits who were asked questions:

Chris Shearin (Missouri): Three-star cornerback from Suffolk, Va.
Jayden Curry (undecided): Three-star safety from Virginia Beach, Va. Considering Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, USF.
DJ Turner (Michigan): Three-star cornerback from Suwanee, Ga.

One particularly interesting nugget from the lengthy roundtable discussion was:

What is it like dealing with all these college coaches?

Shearin: Oh, they’re ruthless. They’ll put words in your mouth. They’ll misinterpret a tweet and say, “Oh, you’re committing here?” It’s crazy. Call you. Text you. Show up at your school. Want to talk to you for two hours. It’s crazy.

Curry: I think DJ’s probably got more to say on that.

Turner: Nah, nah. (laughs) They were trying to flip me. I’m not going to get into specifics. I got called into the office for a meeting for like two hours. The coach was talking about why I should flip and stuff like that when I’ve been committed since June. Now, they just offered me. I’m two weeks from signing day. But it’s all good. I appreciated that they wanted me, but I’m committed. I said I appreciated it and thanked him for wanting to have me at their school. But I’m committed, and I’m locked in. I don’t want to burn any bridges, but I’m committed. So my recruitment is done.

Wonder who the school/coach was that tried to get Turner to flip? Sounds like it was very, very recent.

Chipper1221

December 17th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^

 Oh, they’re ruthless. They’ll put words in your mouth. They’ll misinterpret a tweet and say, “Oh, you’re committing here?”

I cant be the only one who immediately thought James Franklin here, right?

Reggie Dunlop

December 17th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^

It wouldn't be any of those schools (if that's what you're trying to figure out). Turner said he was already committed and the other school had just offered. Everybody you list offered well before his commitment to Michigan.

Reggie Dunlop

December 17th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^

Gotcha. I thought you were trying to figure out which school this is referring to:

"The coach was talking about why I should flip and stuff like that when I’ve been committed since June. Now, they just offered me. I’m two weeks from signing day."

You obviously were not. Moving on...

CRISPed in the DIAG

December 17th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^

Couldn't have been Bama because he's approximately two stars short. Not sure what UGA's class looks like, but the Vols seem more likely. They've been showing up on a bunch of lists in the last month or two. 

 

Section 1.8

December 17th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^

I wonder why this always has to be cloaked in such mystery.

I can understand that until a recruit is safely enrolled, he perhaps feels as though he should not talk specifics.  But really, why is it not more common for recruited athletes to say, "Yeah, I can tell you exactly what {Nick Saban/DaboSwinney/Mario Christobal/whoever} said, and when.  I can tell you about my entire recruiting trip to _______.}

I know that some might say, "No recruit is going to rat himself out as having been the target of illegal offers or other NCAA bylaw violations."  I get that; we all get that.  But I don't think that Turner is talking about anything like that.  There must be mountains of hinky stuff in recruiting that isn't illegal or bylaw-violating.

There's no privilege between coaches and recruits.  I just don't understand why there is such a code of silence.  Or if not silence, then anonymity.