Flying to Nigeria to Visit Robert Nkemdiche's Mother Would Be Bad Move for Dabo

Just how far is Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney willing to go to keep No. 1 overall recruit Robert Nkemdiche committed to his program? Apparently, according to some, he's willing to leave the country.

At least, that's what Ndemdiche himself has heard, as he writes in his prospect diary on ESPN Recruiting Nation, via Kipp Adams:

Recruiting is going great, but I am just really confused right now because I love Clemson, but you know everything that is going on with my family and Ole Miss. (Clemson coach) Dabo (Swinney) is trying to win my mom’s heart. He is sending her letters, but there is only so much he can do. A lot of people have said he plans to go visit her in Nigeria, but I have not heard anything about that.

It's important to note that this is only a rumor that Nkemdiche has apparently heard, but if it were to be true, this would be a very bad move for Swinney.

I understand how important Nkemdiche is to his recruiting class, and it would be a huge loss if he were to decommit. But there has to be a line drawn in the sand somewhere for Swinney.

He's seemingly sold out to keep Nkemdiche happy, recruiting his friends from Grayson High School and apparently not minding that he's visiting Ole Miss. And while I agree with the strategy for the most part, considering how good the No. 1 overall prospect has the potential to be, at a certain point, Swinney is going to end up looking bad.

As good as his intentions could be, Swinney would end up looking extremely desperate if he did indeed fly all the way to Nigeria in order to talk to Nkemidiche's mother. Sure, would talking to Nkemdiche's mom in person make a huge statement to her in regards to how serious Clemson is? Of course.

It would also wreak of desperation and lack of confidence, though, and that's not the attitude you want to portray as the head coach of a major college program or as a recruiter.

Recruiting is as much about catering to a player and his family as it is about selling a program and your confidence in it. Swinney may have the catering part down when it comes to Nkemdiche, but if he were to go above and beyond and visit Nkemdiche's mother in a different country, he'd be displaying no confidence in the ability of his program to recruit and maintain elite-level players.

Some would call it humility—that Swinney would be willing to fly all the way to another country just to talk to a concerned mother about his program. But while I see that point, I have a hard time believing this wouldn't be one of the bigger spectacles the recruiting world has ever seen if it were to happen.

You see humility; the rest of us, including future recruits, see desperation.

He would essentially be letting the college football world know that his program does not have the clout or prestige to keep a player like Nkemdiche on it's own. So in order to make up for that, he has to take desperate and over-the-top recruiting measures.

Hopefully this is really just a rumor and Swinney won't actually travel to Nigeria with the hopes of swaying Nkemdiche's mother towards Clemson.

If this were to come true, it would be a bad move by Clemson's head coach.