Can Texas Keep Verbal Commits On Board When Campus Visits Resume?
Momentum can mean the world when it comes to college football recruiting.
In today's world of interconnected recruits and constant social media updates, a week in the recruiting news cycle like Texas had in late April-early May is invaluable.
The Longhorns got commitments from a pair of 2021 prospects in three-star tight end Landen King and four-star defensive lineman Jordon Thomas.
The two pledges moved Texas up to No. 14 overall in the 2021 class rankings according to 247Sports and had the Burnt Orange making waves in the recruiting scene.
But as everyone knows at this point, verbal pledges are non-binding and a player isn't an official member of a recruiting class until his name is on the dotted line in either December or February.
Last year the Longhorns lost seven verbal pledges including cornerbacks Ethan Pouncey and Joshua Eaton, receivers Quentin Jackson and Mookie Cooper, defensive linemen Van Fillinger and Princley Umanmielen and running back Ty Jordan.
Unfortunately for coaches, decommitments have become a normal part of recruiting attrition at this point.
This year will be particularly interesting when it comes to holding on to players though. The novel coronavirus has shut down in-person recruiting for for more than six weeks, essentially canceling what is normally known as the spring evaluation period. In the accelerated recruiting cycle many players and universities have scheduled official visits during spring football practices with spring football games becoming a cornerstone of most major universities' recruiting plan for the year.
Taking official visits are a rite of passage for blue chip recruits. For many of these players it may be the only chance they ever get to see some of these campuses and facilities and even those who are firmly committed enjoy these opportunities.
So the question for this year's class becomes whether players will still use those opportunities when and if they return and how will that affect recruitments that have been 100 percent virtual through most of the spring?
Of course, this doesn't have to have completely negative connotations for Texas recruiting. It also means they will get a crack at some of the players they covet on their recruiting board already committed to other schools.
Recruiting by its very nature comes with a lot of moving parts, but this year there will be even more, which could make for a fun season behind the scenes as coaches look to load up their 2021 class.
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