Count me as one of those who doesn’t believe that many recruits base their choice on seeing their team win on an official visit. But I do think Mark Richt is on to something with this:
Richt has an interesting perspective on recruiting. It would be easy to assume, especially in games like this, that the winning team comes out of a game with an edge.
Not necessarily, Richt said.
Often, a recruit may already be interested in a program and therefore rooting for it from start to finish. Sometimes, it just depends on how a game turns out.
“I don’t think the team that wins necessarily might get this guy over another,” Richt said. “I think more times than not, as the game’s being played, it reveals to the kid who he likes the best. He sees a battle. Somewhere in his gut he’s probably going to be cheering for one team over the other. I’ve seen that happen a lot. If he’s not sure, I think it comes down to, ‘Where do I fit in their plans? What kind of people am I going to be around?’”
Sometimes, as they say, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Get The Picture 
Win or lose, it is not a bad idea to show the kid what a big game environment is like.
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A perspective I haven’t considered. Makes sense. Thanks for posting.
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The one time I would say is an exception was 1999 Auburn. Jason Campbell said he made his decision that night when he saw how we played and how our crowd reacted. That night was just ugly all around.
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That may point to the “what kind of people” am I going to be around?” Comment.
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I hope he was at the Auburn-Missy St game last weekend. Now he knows his people.
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Wait…we’ve been told it was the status of having an IPF that landed recruits. What do actual games have to do with it? And since when have recruits had their own free will to choose? If it wasn’t for Richt, every top player in GA would automatically come to UGA. Very confusing article.
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“Often, a recruit may already be interested in a program and therefore rooting for it from start to finish.”
Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but am I wrong in assuming all the recruits that visit have an interest in our program? Maybe they aren’t ‘rooting’ for us from ‘start to finish’, but I’d hope there’s some basis for the visit other than a free junket.
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I’m betting “free junket” plays a big role in it. I know if I was a 17 year old kid and somebody was kissing my fanny to come to their school, I’d go eat their food and check out the “scenery”.
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5 star athletes, the Congressmen of the gridiron
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The only recent exception to the rule about interest in the program was Robert Nkemdiche. His family came to Athens for a visit for the Ole Miss game in 2012. I remember seeing him with his family in the group of recruits at the Tate Center. I still say CMR should have told them if you want to see the game, go buy a ticket or use your son’s visitor tickets.
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Do you mean that game where Georgia kicked Ole Miss’ ass? That game? Sorry, money changed hands to get that guy to go to Oxford–him and his brother.
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Mayor, my understanding is that we didn’t offer Denzel until it was too late. We were worried he was not going to quality and didn’t get involved until we knew he had a qualifying test score. Therefore, we were never in the running for the big prize because Mama wanted them to go to the same school.
Yes, after the first 10 minutes, we absolutely kicked Ole $i$$’s butts up one side of the field and down the other — possibly the best game Alec Ogletree played at UGA. He was a monster on that afternoon.
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“qualify” not “quality”
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Laremy Tunsil says hello.
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Georgia led for Tunsil until Ole $i$$ gave his girlfriend an “academic” scholarship, and the shadow bagmen showed up in Lake City. Given everything that’s happened in the meantime, it’s probably a good thing he didn’t up in Athens.
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Per ESPN:
When Alabama comes to town Saturday, Georgia will have more than 50 of the nation’s top 2016 and 2017 recruits in the stands, including five-stars Greg Little and Dylan Moses. For the Dawgs, it’s an opportunity to impress that only comes around every once in a while.
It’s truly hard to put into words how big this weekend’s Alabama-Georgia game is from a recruiting standpoint for the Bulldogs. The Dawgs are expected to play host to around 50 of the nation’s top 2016 and 2017 players, including No. 2-ranked 2016 prospect Greg Little and No. 1 2017 recruit Dylan Moses. Also in that group are five-star tight end Issac Nauta, seven ESPN 300 targets and 17 ESPN Junior 300 recruits.
That’s a pretty elite group
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I think its a win-win. If you win the game you tell the recruits to come play for the team on the rise. If you lose you tell them to come be the X factor that they cant use to get over the hump next year. The only way it goes south is if we get blown out Saturday. OK, I am shutting my mouth now.
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We got blown out by FL and still got good recruits in 2015, if not better ones in 2016.
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I will put it this way, we have a bunch of elite recruit that are all in for the 2016 Class and we have not won anything much lately. So Richt made sense in his remark. Ole Miss literally stole 2 recruits from Georgia in the past, and they have not won anything, at least not any championship in the recent past or even during Richt’s time. I would have believed otherwise if Eason committed to Bama, same with Jordan Jenkins and Rico McGraw. So I think you win some and lose some no matter what the result of this game will be. You probably can win more recruits naturally if you win.
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What was the allegiance of those recruits who flashed wads of money?
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Let me guess .Could it be….$$?
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