Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/167574
fan forum Recruiting Issues There seem to be a lot of high-profile athletes who commit early in the recruiting process, only to decommit, and most times they state that the need to be closer to their home and family is their reason. Every young person has the right to change his mind over such a big lifechanging decision. The problem is the system and the process. The NCAA must set stronger and tighter recruiting standards and reduce the window of verbal commitment time. The new time frame for any high school athlete to verbally commit should be from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1, when they sign their legally binding letter of intent. The student-athlete will have all the time he needs to make this important decision, but once he makes it, it's final. Schools and their coaches spend too much time, money and energy, recruiting, groveling and begging these overexposed media darlings known as student-athletes. Also, the NCAA must limit, enact and enforce recruiting time frames to the student-athlete's senior year start- be heard! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007 Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Notre Dame recruiting coordinator Tony Alford has his hands full trying to keep all of the Irish prospects on board while balancing his duties as an assistant coach in the fall. photo by joe raymond ing in August, when school begins. Schools will just keep recruiting earlier and more aggressively just to keep up with the other schools and recruiters, as the NCAA stands by silently without oversight or directive. New recruiting tactics will become the new normal with no limits. Another point is how we are hearing the student-athlete use distance away from family as their excuse to decommit. Part of growing up is to learn to be away from loved ones and family members while you find you way in life. That is what is special about the college life — learning to be on your own, out of your comfort zone, meet-