Re: "You shop, we shop," that's not really the policy and never has been for that matter. That was basically a one-time approach applied to pre-existing Shula commitments when Saban arrived in January of 2007, and it has been defunct since then.I would like to know how the coaching staff handles these guys. If the policy is "You shop, we shop," it has to be unsettling when a supposedly serious commit wants to go on visits to our rivals, especially this close to Signing Day.
Then, look at McMillon's quote, or how Blake Barnett became a recruiter himself, and it makes me question how committed these other guys really are.:conf2:
Now, in terms of how the staff actually handles this sort of thing, in practice it's a balancing test that is applied separately on a case-by-case basis. The staff essentially has to juggle sincerity of commitment, other alternative prospects and likelihood of landing them, class size, depth needs, etc., and then make a hard decision on whether or not to risk a spot/another prospect if someone supposedly committed doesn't hold true to their word. It's a lot more art than science, and by no means a true formulaic approach. Fortunately, our staff has been better than most at this and we've done quite well, but even so you still get burned from time to time.