National Signing Day 2012: Jordan Payton to UCLA Highlights Flaws in Process

Receiver Jordan Payton made headlines on national signing day when he changed his mind for the third time and signed with UCLA.

The decision by Payton not only angered a lot of people throughout college football, it showed how topsy-turvy the recruitment process has become.

Payton, the No. 29 receiver in the 2012 class according to ESPNU, had previously committed to USC, Washington and Cal, doing so twice on television.

It's become clear that committing to a school doesn't mean anything anymore. If kids are going to commit to a school and then change their minds on signing day, why not just have national signing day and do away with commits altogether? What's the point?

Said Payton's coach at Westlake Village Oaks Christian, Bill Redell, via the LA Times:

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“A kid commits, it doesn’t slow anything down. There is no such thing as your word anymore. I’m so mad at the situation. He shares some of the blame, but it’s not 100 percent on his shoulders. It’s the whole  recruiting situation. It’s not fair on the players. It’s not fair on the coaches.”

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Payton's most recent commit to Washington, which happened yesterday on ESPN, appeared to be the final straw. After all, who would commit the day before national signing day and then bolt when the big day came?

Well, apparently it wasn't the final straw. This is the final straw for a lot of coaches throughout the nation, however. Not only did Payton embarrass Washington, he almost appeared the victim of a system that pulls at you from all different directions. The funny thing about it all is that we forget these are high school kids—they can be easily persuaded by a few words that ring true or some guarantees by a program.

National signing day has become so hyped throughout the years that it has enveloped high school players. An astounding amount of video can be found online about high school recruits. I've actually seen more video about high schoolers than potential first-rounders in the 2012 NFL draft this year. That is simply scary.

Payton certainly shares some of the blame. It's obviously irresponsible to commit to a school a day before national signing day and then change your mind at the last second. But given the amount of distractions these kids have to deal with, it's even possible that Payton has no idea where he really wants to go and is simply being led around.

When Payton committed to Washington on Tuesday, he said, via ESPN:

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“I like everything about Washington, I had a visit, it went well and I think I can go there and play right away if I do what the coaches tell me. I wanted to make my college pick today and have a clear mind about the future."

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What we have come to realize is that having a "clear mind about the future" means nothing as long as it's before national signing day.