Why is TN getting so many recruits looking & committments?!

All-In [35206]

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Not all offers are commitable + oversigning. It's ugly.

Jul 17, 2015, 4:11 PM

It happens every single year. Some young athlete gets his dream offer only to have the rug pulled out from under him upon a phone call. Recently this happened to 4* DL Marques Ford, a Tennessee commit...

"Former Tennessee commitment Marques Ford is "definitely a little bit angry," according to his high school coach, after being told Wednesday there was no longer room for him in the Vols recruiting class.

Frank LaRosa, who coached the defensive end at East Bay High School near Tampa, Fla., said Ford received a call from Tennessee defensive line coach Steve Stripling on Wednesday — exactly two weeks before national signing day.

"It's an ugly business," LaRosa said. " … In the nasty business, they kept it sort of honest by at least saying that they had other commits and they were pulling his commitment."

http://www.tennessean.com/story/vols/2015/01/21/marques-ford-decommits-tennessee/22123845/

Yes coach, it is an ugly business indeed. Upon some further reading it is of no surprise to me that the SEC is the most common offender. A few other names popped up (Ohio State, Miami, UofL) but the number of SEC schools practicing this immoral tactic is simply astounding. Sure you want the very best on your roster but would one really argue that it is a fair practice? To offer a kid and then rescind it two weeks prior to NLI Day? Yet it has even occured hours prior to signing on the dotted line. The offender? You guessed it, Darth Visor. The story:

"Additionally, on the day before National Signing Day, South Carolina rescinded offers to two other recruits that had verbally committed to signing with the school. One of the recruits, Lorenzo Mauldin, had been committed to the school for months[36] but learned he would not receive a scholarship offer when South Carolina faxed a notice of the rescinded offer to his high school on the day before Signing Day.[37] Walter Banks, the coach of Jordan Montgomery, the other recruit whose scholarship offer was pulled the day before National Signing Day, told The Wall Street Journal, "I told [South Carolina coaches] this was foul. I didn't have a clue until 18 hours before signing day, and if they say anything else, they're lying." Banks also told The State that South Carolina coaches are "no longer welcome" at his high school (South Lake High School in Groveland, Florida) saying, "I cannot look a kid and their parent in the face and say you can trust what a University of South Carolina coach says."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oversigning

Well Spurrier, it's a good thing you had such a deep linebacker core.

Gosh, I guess that Lorenzo Mauldin fellow never amounted to much... (107 tackles, 74 solo, 21 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 5 passes defended) So just how badly does the SEC use this tactic? Well, they've even coined a name for it: "The Houston Nutt rule."

Houston Nutt Rule- In May 2009, the SEC passed a rule restricting its football teams to accepting no more than 28 National Letters of Intent each year.[18] This move was widely viewed as a direct response to the University of Mississippi and its head coach, Houston Nutt, having promised 37 scholarships to new recruits for the 2009 season. Thus the rule is now commonly referred to as "The Houston Nutt Rule."

It is, IMO, a very ugly practice. Marquez Ford you have my deepest sympathies and I hope you find the right home. You won't be the only one posting on Twitter, "Well now what...."

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