College Coaches Will Lie to Athletic Recruits

While it happened a few weeks back, there was an interesting article about the recruiting of Jevan Snead.

For those that are aware of him, this talented prep quarterback ended up committing to the University of Florida during the recruiting process.  In the end, Snead decided to change his mind and commit to the University of Texas.

The main reason why he changed his mind was Tim Tebow.

First off, I assume it would be hard to realize that Tebow was going to be a Heisman winner as a sophomore.  But what is funny is what Florida head coach Urban Meyer told Snead during the recruiting process.

I really wonder if he meant to say this or if it was just a pitch, but Meyer ended up telling Snead that they were recruiting Tebow as a linebacker.

An eventual Heisman winner at linebacker?  Are you kidding me?

Snead ended up getting the ultimate revenge by going into Gainesville and coming out with a win as part of Ole Miss (he transferred from Texas after it was clear he wouldn’t be starting, and this is his first year eligible with the Rebels).  He was the starting quarterback of the eventual winners that day.

But going back to that quote, was there ever really any doubt that Tebow would play quarterback in college?  I believe he played defense as a freshman to get him on the field (imagine that, he was that good of an athlete) in high school, but his career was at quarterback.

Tebow was rated the No. 1 dual threat quarterback in the country (and somewhat surprisingly, named only the No. 22 player in the country for his class).

If a coach like Meyer is going to feed an elite recruit like Snead a line like that (Snead was rated No. 61 in that class overall as well), then why wouldn’t any coach bend the truth to get recruits onto campus?

In my opinion, it happens all the time.  It may not be a flat-out lie like this, but there are always coaches who are not going to be completely honest.  While they may not lie during the process, they could be hiding something from you.

As I have said many times, college coaches have to keep football recruits or basketball recruits “warm” in case something opens up with a scholarship.  If a player transfers from within the program at offensive line and you had quit recruiting linemen, then chances are you will be scrambling at the last moment to try to find someone.

That is why it is important to keep these recruits warm.

Just keep this information in mind during the athletic recruiting process.  Obviously most people are trusting by nature and want to believe everything a college coach says.  But they are paid to bring in the best recruits that give them the best chance to win, no matter how it goes down.