Monday Morning Horn – May 13, 2013

Mack Brown and the Texas  football team lost another commitment last week.

Ft. Worth All-Saints fullback, Daniel Gresham decided to reopen his recruitment after pledging to the Horns last February. He’s the second high school prospect to change his mind about attending the Forty Acres. Teammate Demetrious Knox, 4-star offensive tackle, de-committed three weeks ago, so the writing had been on the wall.

What people (fans) have to realize is this isn’t just a ” Texas thing”. This happens at every school, every year, like clockwork.

You”re dealing with 17-18 year-old Juniors and Seniors in high school. And now, with the recent trend of sophomores, freshman, and even eighth graders – Alabama sensation Dylan Moses has been offered by UA, LSU, and Texas to name a few – getting athletic scholarships presented to them, this won’t change.

It’ll only get worse.

Think about your thoughts when you were in high school. Think about your decisions when you were that age. And try to put yourself in their shoes. You can’t relate, so don’t even try.

These kids are making million dollar, educated guesses at where they think the school they choose will benefit them. And trust me when I tell you, it’s all about the NFL.

It’s not about the school, or the coach, or the players being brought in with them, and it’s certainly not about the conference. It’s about where the money is.

And the money is in the NFL.

Now, you can joke about how the SEC pays it’s players, and there’s some truth to that. But in reality, that’s rarely the situation. For every Cam Newton and his pimp father, there are 1,000’s that do it the right way. The honest way.

These kids have big dreams. They want to play in the big leagues the same way you and I dreamed about it as children. And for 99% of them, they won’t play professionally either.

They’ve been told how great and stupendous they are since little league. They’ve been told how wonderful it will be when they make it big and take care of their families one day. I’ve seen the guilt trip parents, relatives, and friends lay on these prospects. It’s pressure only a surgeon could relate to.

So when the 4-star junior athlete decides to pass up your favorite college to attend your rival school, don’t be so quick to judge him.

Quote of the Week: “ “I had no idea at the time. If you would have asked me in high school, I would have just been elated to go to college and play football anywhere, let alone on the fields of the greatest school. It was more about having fun and being around my buddies.“ – Justin Blalock, Texas-ex and Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman

Tweet of the Week: 

Jerry Gray: Helping Turn Texas Into DBU fb.me/1I5VuVRN5

 

 

 

— @BarkingCarnival (@BarkingCarnival) May 9, 2013