Mississippi State's Late Scholarship Pull Shows What's Wrong with Recruiting

This is not just a Mississippi State problem. Before you direct your outrage exclusively in the direction of a singular program or head coach, keep that in mind. That doesn’t excuse the Bulldogs for pulling the scholarship of a high schooler poised to graduate in just over two weeks—a decision based on the verbal agreement the two entities had in place—although the context is essential.

If you needed a reminder that recruiting in its present, booming form could use a crash course in common sense, common practice and common decency, you got one. Given the lawless, Wild Wild West-feel to this process as a whole, however, the latest unfortunate turn for one player should come as no surprise. Just toss it in the pile.

The most recent victim of this loophole-filled recruiting world is Chason Virgil, the No. 19-ranked pro-style quarterback, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. The West Mesquite High School (Texas) product—a 3-star talent, according to the recruiting outlet—was a Mississippi State commit holding a scholarship offer from the program.

As part of this agreement, Virgil planned to graduate in December so he could enroll at Mississippi State in January.

That was until the Bulldogs, without warning, pulled their offer, putting Virgil in a difficult situation given the timing. Instead of allowing Virgil to join the team on scholarship—per the original “agreement”—Mississippi State asked if the quarterback would grayshirt this upcoming season instead.

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A grayshirt is more or less a convenient way for a coach to manage his roster, putting the relationship between player and school in a holding pattern of sorts for the sake of regulating roster size. By accepting the grayshirt, Virgil wouldn’t have been allowed to be put on scholarship until the following January.

Instead of agreeing to these updated terms, Virgil decided to decommit from the program that he had been committed to for months, thus becoming a free agent. As a result, he’s been thrown into a unique predicament.

"Just knowing that I am graduating early in a month, it is hard to just sit out a whole year without playing and being in a program," Virgil said on the situation to Paul Jones of 247Sports. "So I have to start over now. I haven't talked to any other schools in a while so I just have to see what happens."

Jeff Neill, Virgil’s coach at West Mesquite High School, has since chimed in on the events through various outlets. As you might expect, he’s not happy. That’s putting it mildly. Neill told Devin Hasson of Star Local Media:

"

The first thing he said was he was glad that he found out now instead of signing and getting up there and then finding out.

Second, he doesn't want to play for a coach that is going to make these kinds of decisions ... he wants a coach that has his interests in mind and is going to be honest with him. Going to any college, you want to have a coach you can trust and believe in.

"

Neill followed up these thoughts on social media, providing further perspective on his outrage and directing it a little more clearly at one human being. This human being just so happens to be one of the nation’s hottest coaches:

"

Miss St. pulls scholarship from our QB Chason Virgil w/16 days til graduation. Classless move by "coach" Dan Mullen

— Jeff Neill (@neill_jeff) November 21, 2014"

"

Chason Virgil -35 tds/6int passing -8td rushing. One of the best young people I've ever coached -only flaw was trusting "coach" Mullen.

— Jeff Neill (@neill_jeff) November 21, 2014"

The danger in these situations—and Virgil is not alone when it comes to the ugly underbelly of the recruiting world—is that these players are numbers.

When the numbers don’t add up, adjustments are made. The grayshirt allows coaches a tool to manage these figures. It’s where the handshakes and living room visits suddenly become a name on a spreadsheet.

Had Virgil been the nation’s No. 3 pro-style quarterback rather than No. 19, this wouldn’t have been an issue—at least not for this particular player. Virgil would have graduated early, and Mississippi State would have welcomed this premier prospect to campus with open arms.

The Bulldogs would have never thought to ask a talent with that label to sit out a season, because that would not have been in the best interest of the business. And in the end, despite the emotional, relationship-driven nature of recruiting, business trumps all.

Such difficult decisions have been made in plenty of other places, and the merits of the grayshirt have been dissected from a variety of viewpoints. Regardless of its place in the recruiting world—or whether the practice of offering this option will continue—it’s abundantly clear that situations like these should never reach this point.

It’s not the end of the world. Virgil will undoubtedly latch onto another program, and perhaps in the long run, he will find the disappointment to be a blessing. But he should have never been in this quandary in the first place; no high schooler—regardless of the star next to his name—should be dealt such news.

Unless there is an underlying factor beyond meeting numbers that prompted the decision, the outrage is understandable. It’s warranted in this instance, especially given the way early enrollment was explored.

Although a player can commit and decommit as he pleases before signing a letter of intent, allowing the school the same freedom is dangerous given the one-sided nature of the contract. The schools accept the verbal agreement for exactly what it is: the word of a 17- to 18-year-old.

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They know it can change at any moment before pen hits paper, and they accept that risk anyway. It’s the lone leverage the players have at any point in the process. Pulling a scholarship entirely without cause isn’t a product of indecision. It’s fine print being executed, and as a result, it should be viewed as a different act entirely.

Beyond any rule or guideline in an enormous, evolving book, it would behoove the NCAA to view situations such of these from our viewpoint. It really boils down to simple question.

Is this right?

The answer to this question is an overwhelming no, albeit a complicated no with various avenues to explore. The fact that Mississippi State was simply acting within the guidelines provided is the most concerning aspect of all. Other schools—plenty of others, in fact—exercise this same right because they can.

It’s why Virgil and others just like him can go from commit to collateral damage in an instance. Because in the end, Virgil is just a number, a tally on a spreadsheet and an expendable asset once he’s no longer of use.