The Toughest Part of NSD for Recruits: Understanding It's a Business

From the end of April through early December, TaDarryl Marshall was a proud Tennessee commit.

On Dec. 6, he parted ways with the Volunteers. On Monday night, the Leeds, Alabama, 3-star athlete committed to Samford.

Marshall is excited about his college future, but outsiders looking in are all asking the same question: How does someone once committed to join the SEC—a big name with 26 reported offers—prepare to play in the FCS?

This is one issue in recruiting that comes to light in the final days and hours before national signing day. With three words, Marshall described the often unfair happenings that transpire before signing day.

"It's a business," Marshall said, "and every athlete should learn how to sell themselves in order to land the offer to the school they want."

The harsh reality of recruiting is that in some cases, commitments don't stick. And by that, we're not talking about athletes who decommit.

In Marshall's case, Tennessee reportedly chose to part ways with him. He said in a tweet the Volunteers "revoked their scholarship offer", which forced him to look to different avenues.

"Once I committed to Tennessee, some of those offers I had went away. Schools were looking at other people," Marshall said. "So after I decommitted, it was so late in the game, and spots were already taken. Kentucky and Arizona ended up pulling their offers the same day.

"I mean, I understand it, but it can be a lot better—especially with the communication part of it. I think it's better to just tell a recruit early rather than when they're looking for something last minute. If Tennessee told me three months ago, I wouldn't have been in this situation."

These things happen in recruiting.

Scholarships are offered, and they can be downgraded to grayshirt opportunities or, worse, pulled altogether. It's not against the rules. Some may consider it immoral, but it's not against the rules.

When it happens, it puts athletes in terrible spots—particularly the athlete who is blindsided by a program's new plan or the athlete who had spent months helping a program recruit other players. Perhaps most disturbingly, it can happen on the cusp of national signing day, which leaves some athletes in desperation mode.

Riley Cole is now in that mode. After committing to Alabama in June, the 3-star linebacker tweeted Sunday that he had reopened his recruitment after the Crimson Tide downgraded his offer to a grayshirt—which is when an athlete doesn't enroll in classes until the second term of his freshman year.

"

Deuteronomy 31:6. pic.twitter.com/l3C7aVKMNm

— Riley cole (@Rileyc44) January 31, 2016"

Athletes grayshirt all the time. It's the timing that makes Cole's situation tough to fathom.

But recruiting is a business. And it can be brutal.

On Jan. 20, 4-star offensive tackle Erik Swenson decommitted from Michigan after reportedly having his offer rescinded. He committed to Oklahoma 10 days later and is planning to sign with the Sooners on Wednesday.

Patrice Virgil knows these horror stories all too well.

Her son is Fresno State quarterback Chason Virgil, a member of the 2015 recruiting class and a sophomore-to-be who once thought his future was at Mississippi State.

MSU, however, pulled Chason Virgil's scholarship offer in favor of a grayshirt. The timing—16 days before he graduated early from West Mesquite High School in Mesquite, Texas—sent his family into a frenzy.

"It was devastating for us because of the fact that we've always taught Chason when you decide where you want to go, there won't any changing of the mind," Patrice Virgil said. "We didn't want to go into it thinking it could be Mississippi State today and another school the next.

"Knowing they waited all that time and never said anything until he had 16 days left before he graduated, that hurt."

The news also came two days before Chason Virgil had to lead his prep team in a playoff game.

"When they lost, it took him a long time to leave the field," Patrice Virgil said. "It hit him. He didn't have anywhere to go. He said, 'Mama, where am I going to go?' That broke my heart."

The good news for Chason Virgil is he ended up with another FBS scholarship—like Swenson.

Marshall, on the other hand, said many of his scholarship offers were no longer available because programs' recruiting classes had filled up. He is the top-ranked player in Samford's class.

As for Cole, there's still time to land somewhere. National signing day is only the first day of the signing period. Cole has until April 1 to ink his name on a national letter of intent.

It won't be with the school he originally committed to, but that's the business side of recruiting.

Damon Sayles is a national recruiting analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Damon via Twitter @DamonSayles.