The Most Awkward Sports Recruiting Moments

Any time you ask thousands of teenagers to make all-important public decisions, awkward moments are bound to happen. Whether it's the kids themselves or the middle-aged men payed to cater to them, the world of college recruiting is filled with uncomfortable moments.

For instance, there was the time Nevada high schooler Kevin Hart publicly committed to the University of California even though the coaches at Cal had absolutely no clue he even existed.

On the other hand, Alex Collins tried to sign a letter of intent to play football at Arkansas but then realized his mom had fled the scene...with his pen, paper and pride.

Of course, Alabama's Landon Collins had a similar problem with parental dissent, though rather than preventing her son from announcing a particular decision, she instead just publicly mocked the one he made. 

With these memorable incidents in mind, we've compiled our very own comprehensive list chronicling "The Most Awkward Sports Recruiting Moments."

We've mostly spotlighted the athletes, though a few of the incidents justifiably expose the coaches too. Either way, though, all of our awkward selections highlight rare recruiting moments that we will forever remember no matter how hard the subjects try to forget. 

Foster Jumps the Gun

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Alabama's Reuben Foster did his best to make a tattoo blunder work.

When Reuben Foster gave Auburn his verbal pledge back in 2012, he celebrated by tattooing the school's logo on his right forearm. 

It's turns out, though, Foster jumped the gun when he branded his body with War Eagle pride.

Just months later, when national signing day rolled around, Foster went in a far different direction, taking both his talents and his tattoo to Tuscaloosa to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  

As expected, once the blunder came fully into focus, Foster did his best to make the mistake work. Of course, the attempt was futile, as repping Auburn while playing for Alabama will never be anything but amazingly awkward.

McElwain the Model

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Jim McElwain has been busy since arriving in Gainesville, and that work has included at least one awkward recruiting moment.

Not all conversations are seamless. Middle-aged college football coaches, in particular, have an enormous generational gap to overcome when it comes to interacting with high school athletes.

As Florida head coach Jim McElwain recently demonstrated, those interactions often include posing for photos, which has potential to be the most awkward interaction of all.  

More specifically, McElwain wholly captured the "what do I do with my hands as I uncomfortably embrace this random kid" predicament when he recently took this shot with 2017 cornerback recruit Marco Wilson. 

And though we surely sympathize with Coach Mac, we also have to fully recognize his unforgettably awkward intuition. 

Momma Knows Best...or Does She?

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Alex Collins eventually worked things out with his mom and is now a star running back at Arkansas.

When Collins showed up at school on national signing day 2013, the South Plantation High star running back tried to sign his letter of intent with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

His rather commonplace plan would have gone off without a hitch if not for one minor issue: The teenager's mom disapproved of his college choice and fled with his papers.

It took more than a full day, but Collins eventually smoothed things over with the big boss lady. Unfortunately for him, his mother had already made him look a fool with the sports world watching.

Too Close for Comfort

Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press

In an effort to land Lorenzo Carter, college coaches put themselves in some seriously awkward situations.

Recruiting often lands college coaches in some seriously uncomfortable settings and scenarios.

That was certainly the case with the Lorenzo Carter spectacle of 2014, when coaches from both Florida—Joker Phillips—and Florida State—Charles Kelly—found themselves in way-too-close quarters. 

With both college football powers making a run at the talented defensive end, the two coaches decided to attend one of Carter's high school basketball games.

But in a small gym with only so many Carter family members to go around, Phillips and Kelly found themselves far too close for comfort. 

Who Was Joker Kidding?

James Crisp/Associated Press

Joker Phillips' run in Gainesville wasn't long, and it will mostly be remembered for a creepy recruiting pitch.

We've got to give Phillips at least a little credit for trying. It isn't always easy to relate to today's teens, and the former Gator assistant did his very best.

But connecting himself to The Joker from Batman wasn't cool or hip; it was just straight creepy.  

Phillips was later fired from Florida for—surprise, surprise—recruiting infractions, though nothing he did while in Gainesville was nearly as offensive as his awkward sociopath-themed pitch to recruits.  

Learning on the Fly

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

In 2012, Tom Crean proved he's far from a savvy recruiter.

The competitive nature of recruiting, along with the advent and popularization of social networking sites, has put technological responsibilities squarely on head coaching shoulders. 

Not so surprisingly, some coaches have been slower to get the hang of things. 

Indiana's Tom Crean, for example, publicly displayed his ineptitude back in 2012, sending the entire Twitter world a message that was clearly meant to be sent privately to a recruit. 

"I am doing great," wrote Crean. "I have been thinking about you a lot since last weekend. A whole lot. How are you doing?"

It's worth noting the head ball coach quickly moved to put out the fire, though the damage had clearly already been done. 

And in the end, we actually aren't quite sure what was more embarrassing: Crean's publicly careless mistake or the super creepy content it exposed. 

Caught Red-Handed

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Deion Bonner didn't last very long at Tennessee, which was hardly a surprise considering his awkward behavior as a recruit.

Recruiting isn't just about picking your future school; it's about picking your future teammates too.

So things can get just a tad bit awkward when a prospect turns a recruiting weekend into an opportunity to steal from his future teammates.

Just ask Deion Bonner, who in 2011 was caught burglarizing Georgia's locker room during a recruiting visit to the school. 

The mistake justifiably precluded Bonner from becoming a Bulldog, though he did somehow convince the Tennessee Volunteers to give him a shot. 

But I bet you wouldn't be surprised if I told you things didn't exactly go so well for Bonner in Knoxville either. 

Bulldog in a China Shop

Erik S. Lesser/Associated Press/Associated Press

Orson Charles has solid hands on the football field but questionable ones off it.

When one is appealing to a university for a football scholarship, it's never wise to offend those in charge of issuing the offers. 

For example, we established earlier that stealing from your future teammates is a woefully bad idea. And destroying a school's $35,000 National Championship Trophy really isn't much better. 

That's exactly the mistake Orson Charles made back in 2008, when he shattered Florida's crystal ball while on a recruiting trip to the school. 

We could just chalk the awkward moment up to a single clumsy mistake, but Charles ended up signing with Georgia and wouldn't have been the first Bulldog to cause destruction.

What the Hart Wants, It Can't Always Have

Like so many recruits before him, Nevada high school offensive lineman Kevin Hart scheduled a press conference to announce his college declaration. 

And when the time came to pull the trigger, Hart chose his school with both vigor and pride. 

"I decided I'm going to be playing football at the University of California," declared the offensive lineman back in 2008. 

There was just one minor problem: Hart was a failing student and a D-II prospect who most definitely did not have a scholarship offer from Cal. 

Honestly, the whole charade was every bit as sad as it was funny. And you have to wonder how Cal coach Jeff Tedford felt when he picked up a commitment from a kid with whom he'd never even spoken.   

Tiger Pride for Life

Of all the athletes to make our list, Landon Collins experienced the most publicly awkward recruiting moment.

Due to his status as an elite-level high school prospect, Collins received the chance to make his college declaration live on national television. He did so at halftime of the 2012 Under Armour All-America game.  

With little hesitation, and the college football world watching, the talented safety announced that Alabama would be the perfect fit. 

Unfortunately, the high schooler's mom—who was, of course, sitting right beside the excited teen—couldn't have disagreed more with his final answer.

With a look of utter disappointment plastered on her face, Collins' mom made her bold disapproval clearly known.

"I feel like LSU is the better place for him to be," proclaimed momma Collins. "LSU Tigers No. 1. Go Tigers!"

We aren't sure whether the All-American's mom was ever able to reconcile her son's decision to play for the rival, but we're betting she'll find a way to root for the NFL franchise that pays him this coming April.