Davonte Neal and the Most Unusual Recruiting Announcements Ever

Over the years, as college football recruiting has gained more popularity, the top high school football players in the country are coming up with more bizarre ways to announce which school they'll end up attending.

The more attention that these kids receive, the more they'll end up planning more bizarre ways to announce where they're going. Sometimes you wonder if more thought went into the presentation than the actual school they ended up picking.

We've had some extremely weird recruiting announcements lately. Here are some of the most unusual we've ever seen.

Heads or Tails?

In 2009, linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud had offers from several big programs but couldn't make a decision after he made all five of his official visits. He had trimmed the list down to Rutgers and West Virginia but still couldn't decide come national signing day.

So he decided to flip a coin and let fate make the decision for him.

He's been a solid contributor for the Scarlet Knights on the defensive side of the ball for the last three years now.

Maybe Parents Should Stay out of These Things

Floyd Raven was trying to decide where he would end up in last year's recruiting class, but his mother wanted to make the decision for him instead.

He wanted to go to Texas A&M, but his mom had already forged his signature and signed a letter of intent for him to play for Ole Miss. Things were later straightened out, and he became an Aggie, but the conversation in the Raven household must have been very interesting. 

"Long story short, my mom thought she was helping me out," Raven said. "I wasn't home and she sent it in. I never told her I had changed my mind to Texas A&M. I forgive her for it. It was an honest mistake."

Just Make a Decision, Joshua Garnett!

Joshua Garnett eventually ended up picking Stanford over Michigan and a bunch of other big-name schools. But the way he did it was enough to put anybody to sleep.

He began by naming the schools he was considering and why. He would then explain the reason why he wasn't picking that school and move on to the next. By the time he got to the final two schools, I'm not too sure there was anybody awake to realize where he was going to play.

You can watch the video here, or you can save yourself over six minutes and just know he will suit up in a Cardinal uniform next season.

Kevin Hart Is Going Where?

Offensive lineman Kevin Hart announced to the world that he was going to play football for Cal nearly four years ago.

The truth is that he wasn't recruited by any of the schools he was interested in, including Cal, and ended up playing football at Feather River College in California. Quite a difference from the Golden Bears, huh?

He will now upgrade and begin playing for Division II Missouri Western State, as he still has two years of eligibility left. This is by far one of the most bizarre stories in the recruiting process, and you can read more about it here.

Isaiah Crowell Brings out the Dawg

Running back Isaiah Crowell was one of the nation's top prospects in last year's recruiting class. He had offers from every school in the country but ended up going with the home school in the end, which was the Georgia Bulldogs.

He made his announcement by putting on a hat, which the majority of recruits do when making their decision. But he ended up topping it off by bringing out a real bulldog puppy to show off to the crowd. Nothing like mixing football with cute little animals.

Landon Collins Upsets His Mother

Landon Collins' announcement earlier this year really gained a lot of attention. One of this year's top safety prospects in the country is originally from Louisiana, and he was down to the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

He ended up going with Alabama, and that didn't make his mother very happy, as she showed her displeasure on national television. His mother should really support her son with whatever decision he ends up making. But if the Tide end up winning a few more national championships, this is something everybody can sit back and laugh at.

Davonte Neal No-Show

This bizarre episode took place today, as Davonte Neal was expected to finally make his decision today at his former elementary school in Arizona. Hundreds of kids were pulled out of their classrooms and packed into the auditorium to witness what Neal's decision would be (although I'm not sure many even know who he is or what was really going on).

Instead of showing up and announcing his choice between likely Arizona and Notre Dame, the top remaining prospect didn't bother to show up, which left many kids disappointed and the media searching for more answers than it had before.

Updated:

Neal eventually showed up and picked the Irish. 

 

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].