National Signing Day is one week away.
Whoop-de-freaking-doo.
I understand that many fans care deeply about the annual groping for high school athletes, but what I don't understand is why fans care.
Every season, we are expected to learn the names, stats and life histories of about 20 new players, all of them supposedly capable of making a gigantic impact on the Gators. Every season, 18-year-olds (and, for that matter, 11-year-olds) get hyped up beyond belief thanks to the ability of anyone with an Internet connection to post a grainy highlight package on YouTube. Every season, it is made to seem like the future of athletic programs - maybe the world - depends on which hat a high school student who hasn't seen his prom yet places on his head.
Snore. Talk to me in August.
National Signing Day, and recruiting in general, is not worth wasting time on forums and recruiting Web sites because you never know what you're going to get from these kids.
Everyone remembers Jarred Fayson, right?
The five-star wide receiver out of Hillsborough, ranked No. 3 in his class at the position on Scout.com, came in to Gainesville with much fanfare.
On Sept. 9, 2006, his first outing in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Fayson rushed three times for 28 yards and saw one catch for 9 yards.
But after two years in town with average statistics, Fayson decided being a Gator wasn't for him. He transferred to Illinois and coach Ron Zook, and no one here cares anymore.
In five years, will anyone remember the mark Jai Lucas left on the UF basketball program? How about Mon Williams' tenure in orange and blue? Does the name Nyan Boateng ring a bell to anyone? And could anyone have predicted the horrible turn for the worse Cam Newton took that now has him at a junior college in Texas? The answer is almost certainly no.
Recruiting is a crapshoot, plain and simple. It can't be trusted to produce the results you expect. Most highly touted players coming out of high school are simply not mature enough - physically or mentally - to make an immediate impact at their school of choice.
Of course there is always going to be a player like Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin or Jeff Demps who comes out swinging his freshman year. Andre Debose of Seminole High might be that player this year.
But for the most part, we won't be hearing names like Mike Gillislee, Nick Alajajian or even Jordan Reed for another year.
I'm not discounting the importance of recruiting. Believe me, I understand that Urban Meyer wouldn't take plane trips across the country if he didn't think an athlete was going to help bring another national championship to Gainesville. What I am discounting is the hype and hullabaloo surrounding a bunch of unproven athletes putting pen to paper.
National Signing Day also discounts players whose effect on a program will be felt earlier than expected. Was anyone making a big deal about Brandon James? The two-star recruit out of St. Augustine wasn't ranked at all as a running back, but has turned into one of the nation's best kick returners.
This whole off-the-field mess just isn't for me.
When these new recruits make their presence known on the field, then I'll start paying attention.
NOTE: We're still taking suggestions for video games included in our poll for best sports video game ever. E-mail me your suggestions and I'll get the votes tallied. I'll stop taking your suggestions Friday, and we'll put up a poll shortly thereafter.
