Athletic scholarship offers can change at a drop of a hat

In the recruiting process, things can change within hours. I have talked about that many times before how college coaches need to fill up their recruiting classes. They want to land the best possible athletes and that may or may not include you. It really just depends on your timing and making a decision before other prospects do.

So when a coach deadlines an athlete (CLICK HERE FOR THAT ARTICLE), the athlete has until a certain date to make their college decision. But because the topsy turvy nature of the recruiting process, things can spin out of control for you without you knowing.

I recently stumbled upon an article about a recruit that before Signing Day, he decided he wanted to play college football at the University of Florida. And even though the Gators had extended him a scholarship earlier in the process, his position was now full and they were done taking commitments. You can view the entire article here.

The difference between that of Zebrie Sanders was that he was not told of any deadline. He was not given a certain date that the coaching staff would be offering another prospect. Instead, with a matter of just a few days, his top two schools no longer had scholarship offers for him.

Zebrie Sanders’ plan to choose between Florida and Georgia this weekend has hit an unexpected snag. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound offensive tackle from Northmont High in Clayton, Oh. was set to commit to the Gators on Sunday. But the lack of scholarships available in Gainesville for offensive linemen has Sanders looking elsewhere for a place to play college football.

“The school that Zebrie was going to commit to called and informed him they no longer have slots available,” said Sanders’ father Vincent Sanders. “It was a disappointing situation for him. He had told that school to hold a spot for him when he went on a visit there.

“And Zebrie had already called all the other coaches and told them he appreciated the experience, but he wanted to go elsewhere. Needless to say, now he feels like he has egg on his face.”

Sanders’ opportunity to commit to the Gators apparently slipped away this week after Florida accepted commitments from offensive linemen Ricky Barnum of Lakeland, Fl. and Matt Patchan of Seffner, Fl. Georgia is in a situation similar to the Gators. The Dogs are tapped out on the total number of scholarships it has remaining for the current recruiting class. “I have not talked to the people at Georgia,” Vincent Sanders said. “They told Zebrie if anything comes open they will contact him.”

The good news for Sanders is that he was a very sought after prospect who had multiple options during the recruiting process. He quickly re-opened things up and ended up signing with Florida State. Really, few athletes have the luxury of Florida State, UCLA, and Louisville as their backup options.

This really is just another example that anything can happen in the recruiting process. Do not take scholarship offers for granted and don’t prolong the process if you know where you want to go. It may eventually cost you a chance at your #1 choice in the recruiting process.

College coaches are all about playing the numbers’ game when it comes to scholarships. And if they have the position you played filled, chances are slim that they will be able to sign you. Keep that in mind when going through the recruiting process.