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There's only one word to describe the last 48 hours of the college football recruiting cycle in South Bend: Crazy.
And in the world of college recruiting...crazy, has become the new normal.
If you weren't already convinced, the last two days are proof that its a complete fiasco.
During the last 48 hours, Notre Dame Brian Kelly has gone from the message-board hotseat (after losing prize recruit Taylor Decker to Ohio State Click here) to the pied piper of college football after luring top quarterback prospect Gunner Kiel away from LSU, and convincing him to enroll at Notre Dame (Click here).
And as I write this, Notre Dame is in the running for a couple of other prized recruits, including 5-star lineman Arik Armstead, who recently changed his mind after committing to Cal, and will now reportedly make a choice between Notre Dame and Auburn.
And I also write this, fully realizing that by the time anyone reads this, most of the information could and likely will change.
Such is the world of college recruiting in this era.
Remember when college football was about football? When wins and losses were measured by how many points you put up on the scoreboard? Now we rank schools based on how many stars precede a high school kid who says he wants to play for your school, but is under no obligation to actually do so.
We put way too much stock in the verbal commitments of 17 year olds. They mean nothing.
They're a nice way to build some momentum on the recruiting trail, and plan out a future depth chart as a coach and recruiter, but the commitment itself means nothing. Any recruit can back out of a commitment, and they often do.
And the kids who give them shouldn't be made out to be unreliable or wishy-washy if they change their minds.
I certainly didn't know where I was going to college when I was in the fall of my senior year of high school, and I didn't have 35 schools to pick from, each offering a cornucopia of perks from nice weather, to playing time, to the promise of an NFL future. I just had to decide which would be the best place among 2-3 schools to get an education.
Imagine how stressful the decision is for today's 17 year olds.
Which is why they change their minds. And which is also why, it's foolish to hang on their every-single word.
Gunner Kiel committed to Indiana last year, then backed out after seeing how the team looked under a new coaching staff (and no doubt talking to older brother Dusty, who recently left Indiana himself).
He re-opened his recruitment, looking at LSU, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, eventually deciding on LSU in November.
His commitment there lasted about as long as a Kardashian marriage, and ended publicly with the same sort of internet driven, speculation filled firestorm.
Only a statement from the university saying that Kiel had enrolled, put the rumors to rest.
And with that, the recruiting circus comes to an end.
Until the next time. Which by my watch, could be happening any minute now.