SEC Football: Why Georgia and Florida Must Take Advantage of New Recruiting Rule

While 6-1-1, a playoff stance and the debate on whether or not to pay players dominated the SEC Spring Meetings last week in Destin, Fla., one piece of legislation flew under-the-radar—and it's a very important rule.

The SEC voted to allow teams to host recruits at SEC games that take place off-campus (via Arkansas Sports 360).

The rule opens the door for Arkansas to host prospects in Little Rock and Arlington, Texas A&M to do likewise at Jerry World and for Georgia and Florida to open up the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.

But, according to the  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia and Florida have agreed not to host recruits at their annual matchup in Jacksonville.

The reasoning of Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity is clear: The two schools don't want to reserve some of their 40,000 tickets—which typically sell out every year—for prospects that make last-minute decisions to attend.

That makes sense from a business perspective, but from a football perspective, it's a horrible move.

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (yes, Dr. Michael Adams, we are still calling it that) is one of the SEC's premier rivalries. The neutral-site tradition is one that high school recruits want to be a part of, and what better way to attract them than to invite them to attend?

The business of college football is shaping the landscape of college football in every possible way these days. But it shouldn't drive the decision in this case. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football.

Georgia and Florida's agreement to not take advantage of the new rule—which is specifically targeted to help them and a select few SEC schools—is the recruiting equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot.

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