Davonte Neal's Decision Delayed: What to Make of Latest Announcement Misfire

Talented high school athlete Davonte Neal was supposed to pick his future school of choice on Tuesday. He didn’t. In fact, he didn’t even show.

With National Signing Day in the rear view, the Arizona native was given his own marquee stage at his former elementary school. He was booked to announce his decision on television, and 600 elementary school students were pulled from their classrooms to take part in this unique, live event.

With the stage set, the students seated and the cameras rolling, Neal never came to the podium. His father has been very active in the recruiting process, and there were whispers that the two were in disagreement on where he should take his talents. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Neal was very interested in a late recruiting run by Arizona while his father was set on Notre Dame.

Regardless of what took place behind the curtain, it never came up and the show never took place. The principal came out to quiet the crowd, and eventually, all 600 students were dismissed and sent back to their classrooms. It was a mess, and it’s not the first time there’s been drama at a televised recruiting decision, nor will it be the last.

Asking 17 and 18-year-old kids—and they are indeed kids—to make the most important decision of their young lives on a national stage is asking for trouble. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to come to this conclusion.

Add in the pressure from schools, fan bases and family members, and it’s easy to see how situations arise that took place on Tuesday. Having 600 elementary students—none of which know or care to know the finer points of Rich Rodriguez’s offensive system—in attendance is the cherry on top in the latest announcement disaster.

You can cast your blame in many directions, but blaming Davonte Neal is foolish. Most high schoolers struggle with the decision of what to consume for lunch. (I was a Hot Pocket man myself, but oh did I struggle with the many different varieties).

Davonte was clearly not ready to make his decision, and he should be given time (and perhaps a much lesser stage) to make it himself. Without ever being in that position, it would be unfair of me to assume what a day like today is like. I imagine he is as unhappy with the outcome as anyone.

The buildup is too large and the coverage is too great. Good luck changing this, however.

Recruiting is now a spectacle and has grown exponentially each year. National Signing Day used to be a niche day worshiped by diehards. Now, it’s a national holiday where thousands of grown men play hooky to watch the marathon television coverage. This excitement fuels live coverage, websites, announcements, and with the money pouring in, there is no end in sight.

I hope that many will use caution when putting together the coverage and placement of decisions like this. Unfortunately, this might make too much sense and not enough cents.