The genie is out of the bottle. Pandora’s Box is open. The era of COA disparity is a thing now. Presumably, every man jack out there recruiting for Auburn and Tennessee is waving a big, fat checkbook in the face of any four- or five-star recruit he comes across.
And yet, according to the 247 Composite Rankings, those two schools are merely running in the middle of the pack in the SEC. Georgia, in fact, is in route to its best recruiting class ever under Richt.
So a question for all you Chicken Littles out there: if money is all that matters to these kids, why isn’t the sky already falling?
Get The Picture 
Recruiting at UGA has never been a problem, has it?
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Don’t think you’re getting the point here…
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The point is taken, the results are not proven…..yet. Waaaaay to soon to tabulate the recruiting process.
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or, to put it another way, ‘the end is near’ might better be termed ‘the War is near’. It’s juuuuuust over the next ridge. Trust me.
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If money is everything? Hardly.
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I like your sentiment Senator but let’s just wait until signing day is over before proclaiming this upcoming Georgia signing class to be the best in school history, eh?
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I don’t think S-As are going to make a decision this important to the rest of their lives over a few hundred dollars. If a player or two do, more power to them because Georgia football with move on with or without them.
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A lot of these kids manage to get in trouble without this money. How is this going to impact them with more money in the pocket? Remains to be seen, but something to keep an eye on.
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TnTom, I wonder if your boss doesn’t want you to get a raise because he worries if you will use the extra money to get yourself in trouble. Good rational for employers to keep payroll down.
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I don’t think he was suggesting that they shouldn’t get the money.
Only that it is reasonable to ask how an extra $5k in the pocket of a 20-year old college student will alter behavior.
I think it’s a reasonable question, and I suspect with a different answer than giving an extra $5k to a median 40-yr old worker with 2.3 kids and a mortgage.
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Maybe the pressure of 2.3 kids and a mortgage means the extra money will be spent on cocaine to escape the pressure of 2.3 kids and a mortgage. Some percentage of the population of folks with 2.3 kids and a mortgage will. Maybe that percentage is a low as the percentage of college athletes who will use the extra money to get into trouble. Maybe it is reasonable to ask how an extra $5k in the pocket of employees with the pressure of 2.3 kids and a mortgage will misuse the raise.
We can be paternalistic about every group in America if we choose.
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You answer with such aplomb, however the verbal comm’s of the past few weeks compared to the long term effects of COA is premature at best.
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If the money is that important, if these kids are pure mercenaries, there should already be short-term effects.
The point isn’t that some recruits will change their minds between now and next February. It’s that there’s more to the process than who pays the most.
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Of course, and as stated, Georgia has always perfomed top tier in recruiting.
To put it another way, UT and Aub have always payed more than Georgia…………..
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You forgot about Ole Miss.
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When will the kids start receiving this legal payment? Has an official, hard date been set?
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The coming fiscal year. Athletic departments are already budgeting for it.
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If I’m understanding the timing on the changes and the advertisement of those changes to the recruits, why do you think they would have already had impact on the current class rankings? Am I misunderstanding you?
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The numbers have been out there for a while. Georgia’s already adjusted its numbers upwards in response.
You honestly think Auburn and Tennessee have been holding back on pushing their COA advantage until they made sure nothing was going to happen in Destin? LOL.
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I’m not worried about the 4 and 5 stars being swayed to much. It’s the solid 3 stars who don’t get much hype who may place more value on a little extra money. Those guys provide the quality depth a team has to have to compete at a high level. Not saying it will happen, just a thought.
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Why would “solid 3 stars” be more swayed by the ACOA stipend than others?
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Hell, I don’t know. Like I said, it’s just a thought. The 3 stars haven’t been getting their asses kissed and told how great they are for 2 years like the 4 and 5 stars. Just thinking the extra cash would make up for a little of that.
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I’m thinking it’s the kids that are already on the bubble and just need a little push to decide.
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Aren’t just as many 4 and 5 stars on the bubble as 3 stars? After all, they have more choices.
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Yes, I’m saying ANY kid with any stars on the bubble. I’m saying any kid that is having a hard time deciding where to go. They just need a little tipping over to encourage them to choose. Maybe if all is even the money makes the difference in the end.
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It’s all too new. Richt is worried about it for a reason. Kids are funny though…why would Jarvis Jones go to USC when he can’t even afford to fly home? It’s like he was paying to go to school there, whereas he could have gone to Georgia (out of high school) for free. I think money isn’t the only thing, but you can’t let it get too far apart either. We just don’t know yet how much is too far, or who’s willing to up the ante.
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All you’re really saying here is that money isn’t everything. My point exactly.
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Yes. I wouldn’t want to push our luck, but yes.
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Too early to say… ask me later around mid January.
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More money for POT.
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Not enough time has passed. I think it will start to matter in 3-5 years.
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I think it will really hit home and matter when one of these idiot recruits has 5 check amounts sitting on a table and finally holds up the highest check and says I am going to Auburn cause they paid me like I deserve? You think the hat ritual at a commitment ceremony is disgusting then wait till one tears a Georgia check in half and says I am a VOL…
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Now THAT will be great TV.
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Looks like your followers threw that red herring back before it hit the table, Senator.
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People invested in a narrative don’t like having it questioned… and this surprises you?
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